This site is primarily concerned with the Tensaw region of Baldwin County, Alabama. The slaves on the ship Clotilda, post date the relatives we discuss here. Their immediate descendants occupied northern Mobile. Our antecedents occupied Tensaw and further south.
Sometimes you can trust a source. Case in point the Grassroots of America: A Computerized Index to the American State Papers, Land Grants and Claims 1789-1837. Edited by Phillip W. McMullin, 1972.
Arkansas Research, Incorporated, Dec 1, 1990 – American state papers – 489 pages
For example, Cornelius Rane [Rain]:
![[American Memory]](http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/homeimages/ammemicon.gif){kind=small}
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 – 1875
American State Papers, House of Representatives, 14th Congress, 1st Session
Public Lands: Volume 3
|
Page 14 of 820 |
The proper algorithm is to look up the ancestor in the alphabetic index of Grassroots. The first number encountered will be the Volume of the Public Lands section of the ASP (American State Papers.) Then you have the page number. In the above instance, for Cornelius Rane, we have Vol. 3 page 14. The result as follows:
Further, when we check the spelling and look up Cornelus Rain, in Grassroots, page 379, we find Vol. 1 page 632, etc.
Grassroots and the online edition of the ASP are marvelous, when they actually intersect. Frequently, one must dig deeper for accuracy, to find those illusive antecedents.
Happy New Year!!!
©2018-2019
Carolyn Hood-Kourdache
Seventeen-year-old Mariah Ellis knew she was a desirable commodity in 19th-century Baldwin County, Alabama. It didn’t matter that she was a person of color, or that she had no money, beautiful women were rare and cultured women, even rarer.
She was acquainted with my maternal second great grandfather, George Ficklin of Montrose, Baldwin County, Alabama. During my years-long search for his family members, I noted his brother-in-law, Rev. Jeffrey Ellis, T[homas Jefferson] Ellison, born 1813.1
Rev. Ellis’ first wife and mother of his children, was Louise Ann Ficklin. Reverend Ellis officiated at numerous weddings, including for his nieces, Millie Ficklin to Frank Reed, in 18812; and Mary Ficklin to Samuel Taylor, the year before he died, in 1889.3
During the search, I encountered members of the Ellis tree. Namely, Elbert [Ethelbert] Ellis, Lowrey Ellis, and his wife Maria; as well as Jeffrey’s presumptive aunt, Mariah.
Meriah [Mariah] Ellis, age 17, married John Huston, Esquire [sic], at Baldwin County, Alabama, in 1817.4 James Johnston officiated. John Houston was a very wealthy man, holding many land grants throughout Florida and Alabama.
In 1836, Ethelbert [Elbert] Ellis died leaving his sister, Mrs. Houston as his administratrix.5 His heirs were Susan Ellis, born 1837 and Daniel Ellis, born 1835.6 In 1841, Maria Buford [formerly Maria Houston] was appointed by the Orphans Court as Guardian over the minors.
Daniel and Susan resided in the household of Henry Taylor, in 1850.7 Presumably, their deceased biological mother was Taylor’s sister. Susan Ann Edmondson born 22 February 1837, died 17 July 1919. rests at Daphne Baptist Cemetery, Baldwin, Alabama.8
In 1858, Susan Ellis married Larkin Edmondson.9 10 11 12 13 In 1880, Mrs. Edmondson and son Larken resided doors from cousin Anthony Ellis, Rev. Jeffrey Ellis’ brother.14 Larkin Ellis Edmondson died in 1899.15
A severe yellow fever epidemic took many lives at Mobile, 1819-1821. Mrs. Moriah Hewston [Mariah Houston], formerly Mariah Ellis, age 20, three years after her marriage to Houston, on 14 September 1820, wed wealthy William H. Buford.16
Hiram McGill wed Mariah Buford.17
In 1850, Francis J. Ficklin resided with her father, Thomas J. Fickling.19Fifteen-year-old Francis Ficklin(g) resided in the household of Joseph McGill, stepson of Mariah McGill in 1860.18 By November Francis married her neighbor, 19-year-old John W. Gentry. That was in July, 1860. Executed at [Stephen] Dick Bryars, in the presence of Clarasy L. Bryars and family, and Mr[s] Henry Jones.
Mrs. Fanny [Frances] Gentry married 1850’s neighbor [Ben]Henry J. Smith, in the presence of his mother and sister, Mrs. Margaret [Mrs. Smith] John D. McDowell21 22 and Mrs. Susan Wood[s].23 24 John W. Gentry was divorced with five sons under the age of five, in the 1866 AlabamaCensus.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
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1Johnnie Andrews; William David Higgins, Creole Mobile : a compendium of the colonial families of the central Gulf Coast 1702-1813, Prichard [Ala.] : Bienville Historical Society, 1974, page 26, “T.J. Ellison.”
2“Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTWT-5QQ : 27 September 2017), Frank Reed and Millie Ficklin, 03 Mar 1881; citing Baldwin, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,839,621.
3“Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,”, Samuel Taylor and Mary Ficklin, 09 Oct 1889; citing Baldwin, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,839,622.
4“Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,” , John Huston and Meriah Ellis, 14 Jul 1817; citing Baldwin, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,839,621.
5“Alabama Estate Files, 1830-1976,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNTV-H5W : 12 December 2014), Elbert Ellis, 1836; citing Baldwin County courthouse, Alabama; FHL microfilm 2,322,507.
6Ibid.
7“United States Census, 1850,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHP5-HS5 : 12 April 2016), Susan Ellis in household of Henry Taylor, Baldwin county, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing family 380, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
8“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVK9-YP9J : 13 December 2015), Susan Ann Edmondson, 1919; Burial, , Baldwin, Alabama, United States of America, Daphne Baptist Cemetery; citing record ID 36292997, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
9“Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,” Larkin C Edmonson and Susan A Ellis, 29 Apr 1858; citing Baldwin, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,839,621.
10“Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,” Larkin C Edmonson and Susan A Ellis, 29 Apr 1858; citing Baldwin, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,839,621.
11“United States Census, 1910,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MK3V-NYT : accessed 17 October 2017), Susan A Edmondson in household of Annie Edmondson, Daphne, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 8, sheet 2B, family 36, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1; FHL microfilm 1,374,014.
12“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVK9-YP9J : 13 December 2015), Susan Ann Edmondson, 1919;
13“United States Census, 1870,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHK4-RTT : 12 April 2016), Susan Edmonson, Alabama, United States; citing p. 7, family 61, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 545,500.
14“United States Census, 1880,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4N1-DHN : 22 August 2017), Susan Edmundson, Court House, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing enumeration district ED 7, sheet 194C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0001; FHL microfilm 1,254,001.
15Ibid; “Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVK9-YP9F : 13 December 2015), Larkin Ellis Edmonson, 1899; Burial, , Baldwin, Alabama, United States of America, Daphne Baptist Cemetery; citing record ID 36292998, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
16“Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,” William H Buford and Monah [Mariah] Hewston[Houston], 14 Sep 1820; citing Baldwin, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,839,621.
17“United States Census, 1850,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHP5-H5W : 12 April 2016), Maria L Mcgill in household of Hiram Mcgill, Baldwin county, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing family 103, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
18“United States Census, 1860”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHD4-LK6 : 3 October 2017), Maria L Mc Gill in entry for Joseph Mc Gill, 1860.
19“United States Census, 1850,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHP5-34P : 12 April 2016), Francis J Fickling in household of Thos Fickling, Baldwin county, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing family 66, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
20“Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,” John W Gentry and Frances J Ficklin, 24 Nov 1860; citing Baldwin, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,839,621.
21“Alabama State Census, 1866,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6PL-V6R : 18 July 2017), Margaret Mcdowell, Baldwin, Alabama; citing certificate 12730, p. 30, Department of Archives and History, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 1,533,830.
22“United States Census, 1850,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHP5-354 : 12 April 2016), Margaret Mcdowell in household of John Mcdowell, Baldwin county, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing family 150, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
23“Alabama State Census, 1866,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6PL-NCN : 18 July 2017), Susan Woods, Baldwin, Alabama; citing certificate 9956, p. 43, Department of Archives and History, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 1,533,830.
24“United States Census, 1910,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MK3V-26M : accessed 17 October 2017), Susan Woods in household of Alex Mcdowell, Perdido and Lottie, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 4, sheet 9B, family 176, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1; FHL microfilm 1,374,014.
25“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVJ-QCV2 : 13 December 2015), Susan A. Woods, 1920; Burial, Rabun, Baldwin, Alabama, United States of America, Guys Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery; citing record ID 21509625, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
Louvenia Morse and Mahala Morris Ficklin
A Tale of Two Matriarchs
Oh, how I love thee
my darling, my sweet
on to thy father
for thou, I bespeak
oh, how I love thee
my darling my sweet
if thou will have me
we’ll marry tout de suite .
Louvenia Morse was enumerated in the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, for Baldwin County, Alabama, as “Melvina.” She was born February 1846, in Alabama, and was widowed before 1900.1 Viney Louvenia Morse died October, 1832; interred at Montrose, Baldwin, Alabama.2 She was of interest to me because her surname was the same as my 2nd great grandmother, Mahala Morris Ficklin, a neighbor, in 1900. They were both buried at Montrose. Louvenia Morris was described as “black,” in this census, and “mulatto,” by 1910.3
Other household members were her daughters, Daisy [Morse] Parker, and granddaughters, Lavenia and Georgia Parker. Daisy Morse married George Parker, June 14, 1894, at Montrose, Baldwin County, Alabama. Russell Dick and D.C. Stapleton were witnesses.4
Luvenia Morse’ possible husband was Jack [Jacob] Morse as enumerated in the 1866 Mobile County Census,5 and the [Jacob Norris] 1867 Alabama Voter Registration for Mobile County.6 Jacob Moss was enumerated in the 1880 Census. His departure from the record coincides with the withdrawal of Federal troops, and the end of Reconstruction in the South. Louvenia Morse [Viny Moss and Jake] were counted in the 1880 U.S. Federal Census, for Baldwin County [Courthouse], Alabama.http://”United States Census, 1880,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4N1-CBG : 22 August 2017), Viny Moss in household of Jake Moss, Court House, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing enumeration district ED 7, sheet 190C, NARA …
Returning to the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, for Baldwin County, Alabama, a perusal of the surrounding households elicits further details concerning Louvenia’s family, specifically, the names of five of her six children:
Daisy [Morse Johnson], b. Apr 1879 – 1953,7 m. George Parker; and later, m. Percy Johnson.8, 9
Lewis [Louis Morse, Sr.], b. 1866-67(not) m. Georgia Allen10, 11, 12
Jacob H. Morse, b. 1870 – 1932 m. Lucinda Davis, October 1886 at Baldwin County.
Robert Morse, b. Feb 1870-1872 – 1923 m. Caroline Bailey13, 14
Willie Morse, b. 1874 – 1936 m. Violet Tucker, 28 June, 1896, at Montrose.
Unknown married Louisa Valrie Morse, widow.15 No marriage record was found.
A Samuel Taylor was the widower of Mary Ficklin, Mahala’s daughter, whose uncle, Rev. Ellis officiated at their nuptials. Their son, Mahala’s grandson, Henry T. Taylor wed Louvenia’s granddaughter, Lavinia Parker, in 1912, at Baldwin County.19
George Ficklin and Mahala Morris Ficklin’s children, as enumerated in the 1870 and 1880 U.S. Federal Census were the following persons:
1. Percy Walker Morris, 1854 – 1935 – stepson m. Susannah Alexander1
2. Caroline Ficklin, 1861 – 1932, m. Edward [Edmund] Bailey,2 (my great-grandmother, mother of Caroline Elizabeth Bailey Stradford). Caroline Bailey died at Tensaw, in 1932.3
3. Millie Ficklin, 1863 – 1904, m. Frank Reed4; m. Harrison Andersen; m. Charles Vivians, Rev. Ellis officiated;5 daughter Gertrude Reed married Eugene Talley of Bessemer, Jefferson, Alabama, 19116.
4. Elizabeth Ficklin, 1866 – Elizabeth Smith (George) married 16 years in 1900. Her children were George, Mary, Louisa, Caroline, and Eliza.7 8
5. Amelia Ficklin, 1869 – 1919, m. Augustus Jones9
6. Mary Ficklin, 1871 – 1898, m. Samuel E. Taylor10 in 1889, the year of her father’s death, at Edmund Bailey’s house; Rev. Jeffrey Ellis officiated. Samuel Taylor was the brother of Susan Taylor. Rests near her father at Montrose.
7. Georgia Ficklin, 1874 – 1906, died a widow – husband unnamed.
8. Helena Ficklin, 04 June 1873 – 1956, m. Walter Joyce11 Helena Ficklin Joyce died a widow, in Cook County, Illlinois, 1956.12
9. Lucretia Ficklin, 1877 – 1952, m. Henry Pickett13 Lucretia Pickett died 1952, at Mobile, Alabama.14
1 “Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTWT-PMK : accessed 26 Sep 2013), Percy Morris and Susannah Alexander, 1876
2 “Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTWT-P87 : accessed 17 Feb 2013), Edward Bailey and Caroline Ficklin, 10 Apr 1878; citing Baldwin County; FHL microfilm 1839621.
3“Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDGY-MPX : 27 November 2014), Caroline Bailey, 14 Jun 1932; citing reference cn 11224, Department of Health, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 1,908,500.
4 “Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTWT-5Q3 : accessed 25 Sep 2013), Frank Reed and Millie Ficklin, 1881.
5“Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,” Charles Vivian and Millie Andersen, 15 Mar 1891; citing Baldwin, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,839,622.
6“Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,” Eugene Talley and Gertrude Reed, 07 Aug 1911; citing Jefferson, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,065,260.
7“United States Census, 1900,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9ZL-6WB : accessed 27 October 2017), Elizabeth Smith in household of George Smith, Precincts 2-3 Stockton, Perdido, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 2, sheet 15A, family 242, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,001.
8“United States Census, 1920,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXCL-JPG : accessed 27 October 2017), Lizzie Smith in household of George Smith, Stockton and Deans, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing ED 3, sheet 9A, line 21, family 201, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 2; FHL microfilm 1,820,002.
9 ” Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTW8-M3N : accessed 07 Mar 2013), Augustus Jones and Amelia Fickling, 1896.
10 ” Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTWY-SYD : accessed 07 Mar 2013), Samuel Taylor and Mary Ficklin, 1889.
11 “Mississippi, Marriages, 1800-1911,” index, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V2ZP-GV9 : accessed 26 Sep 2013), Walter Joice and Helena Fickler, 1904.
12“Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1994,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2MH-YCG8 : 17 May 2016), Helna [Helena] Joyce, 05 Aug 1956; citing Melrose Park, Cook, Illinois, United States, source reference , record number , Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm .
13 “Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTW8-9MP : accessed 26 Sep 2013), Henry Pickett and Creacy Fickling, 1900.
14“Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J64X-BYS : 27 November 2014), Lucretia Pickett, 19 Jul 1952; citing reference 15090, Department of Health, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 1,908,871.
Louvenia’s childrens’ father was “Jake,” or “Jacob,” on the following death records:
Willie Morse20
Robert Morse (incorrect in the record as “Lewis”)21
Daisy Morse Johnson, and22
Jacob H. Morse.23
Again, nexus has been established for Louvenia’s husband, namely, Jacob Morse. All were buried at Montrose Cemetery, Montrose, Baldwin County, Alabama.
Louvenia’s children never agreed on her actual maiden name, and presumed it was other than Morse. On her childrens’ death records, “mother” was either “Vinie Gayle, or Vinie Owen,” or just plain “Vinie.” Jacob Morse died sometime after the conception of his youngest child, William Morse, b. 1874; and before the 1900 enumeration. Jacob’s burial site was marked “unknown” for both birth and death. Jacob was interred at Montrose Cemetery, Montrose, Baldwin County, Alabama, with his family. Jacob’s cause of death, whether by disease or misadventure, remains a mystery.
Was it pure coincidence that Louvenia Morse lived on the same street as Mahala Morris Ficklin? The case may be made that Mahala Morris Ficklin was related to Louvenia Morris, by marriage. She bore George Ficklin eight children. Percy Walker Morris was born ca. 1855, in [Cleburne County,] Alabama,24 (more likely Claiborne, Monroe County, because Cleburne County didn’t exist prior to 1866).
What do we know?
Louvenia Morse was enumerated in 1900, a neighbor of Mahala Morris Ficklin; and more, we conclude that not only were Louvenia Morse and Mahala Morris Ficklin, neighbors, but family. Mahala Morris lived outside Baldwin County, Alabama, prior to her residence, and subsequent marriage to George Ficklin ca. 1859. Louvenia Morse resided near relatives, during her widowhood; and it was no coincidence that Louvenia Morse and Mahala Morris Ficklin lived on the same street, and are interred in the same cemetery in 1900’s Daphne, Alabama.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
Addendum:
Viny Moss, a mulatto domestic servant with four children, was enumerated in the household of Dr. and Mrs. Owen of Mobile. Mrs. Susan Owen nee Norris was the nexus for the Norris surname. In the 1870 U.S. Census, Jacob Morris, a mulatto and presumably his brother, William Morris, a black, resided with two white children at Mobile, as laborers.
© 2013-2021 Carolyn E. Hood-Kourdache. All Rights Reserved.
“United States Census, 1900,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M9ZL-ZZ3 : accessed 10 Oct 2013), Melvin ? [Luvenia] Morse, ED 5 Precinct 7 Courthouse, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing sheet 2A, family 24, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1240001.
2“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKS-SDMM : 13 December 2015), Viney Louvenia Morse, ; Burial, Montrose, Baldwin, Alabama, United States of America, Montrose Cemetery; citing record ID 37025598, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
3“United States Census, 1910,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MK3V-PR1 : accessed 10 Oct 2013), Vina Morse, Daphne, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing sheet , family 87, NARA microfilm publication T624, FHL microfilm 1374014
4“Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTWY-QQD : accessed 10 December 2015), George Parker and Daisy Morse, 1894.
5“Alabama State Census, 1866,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6PT-T46 : 3 August 2016), Jacob Morse, Mobile, Alabama; citing certificate 1260, p. 146, Department of Archives and History, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 1,533,835.
6Alabama Department of Archives and History, Alabama 1867 Voter Registration Records Database, http://www.archives.alabama.gov/voterreg/search.cfm for “Jack Morse.”
7 “Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKS-S8TT : 11 July 2016), Daisy Morse Johnson, 1953; Burial, Montrose, Baldwin, Alabama, United States of America, Montrose Cemetery; citing record ID 37020186, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
8 “United States Census, 1900,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11095-106671-81?cc=1325221&wc=MMPN-BHQ:544119545 : accessed 09 Nov 2013), Alabama > Baldwin > ED 5 Precinct 7 Courthouse; citing NARA microfilm publication T623.
9 “Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTWY-QQD : accessed 10 Oct 2013), George Parker and Daisy Morse, 1894.
10“United States Census, 1910,” Lewis Morse, Daphne, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing sheet , family 92, NARA microfilm publication T624, FHL microfilm 1374014.
11 “United States Census, 1900,” Lewis Morse, ED 5 Precinct 7 Courthouse, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing sheet 1B, family 22, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1240001.
12“Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” Louis Morse and Georgia Allen, 1886.
13 “United States Census, 1900,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M9ZL-WWC : accessed 09 Nov 2013)
14“Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” Robert Morse and Caroline Bailey, 1895.
15 “United States Census, 1880,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M4N1-6FG : accessed 09 Nov 2013), Loueser Valree in household of Judie Valree, Lowells, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing sheet 217A, family 8, NARA microfilm publication T9-0001
16“Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,” Samuel E Taylor and Amy Morse, 10 Jul 1905; citing Mobile, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,550,509.
17“Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,” Samuel E Taylor and Floreta Williams, 26 Dec 1908; citing Mobile, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,550,510.
18“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKS-SD7K : 11 July 2016), Amy Valrie Taylor, 1917; Burial, Montrose, Baldwin, Alabama, United States of America, Montrose Cemetery; citing record ID 37026915, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
19“Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTW8-QXL : 28 September 2017), Henry T Taylor and Lavenia Parker, 29 Feb 1912; citing Baldwin, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,839,624.
20“Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JDRZ-338 : accessed 10 Oct 2013), Willie Morse, 27 Nov 1936; citing reference cn 25208, Department of Health, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 1908547.
21“Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974,” Lewis Morse, 29 Jun 1923; citing reference cn 13047, Department of Health, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 1908250.
22“Alabama Deaths and Burials, 1881–1952.” Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009, 2010.
23 Ibid.
24 “Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974,” Percy Mcmorris [Morris], 12 Jan 1935; citing reference cn 16, Department of Health, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 1908527.
Possible Reconstruction of Phineas Bailey’s Family Tree1
[Richard] Bailey __ m. __ Native or African maiden
1747-1799
|
Willis [William] Bailey2,3 ,4, 5 ____ m. ____ Delia Webster (21 children)6, 7, 8
________1800-1867___________________|_____________1826-1913________
| | | | | | | |
Phineas Adolphus Sip William Edmund Abe Seth Major
et al.
Figure 3. Possible Reconstruction of Phineas Bailey’s Family Tree.
The presence of William Bailey in Baldwin County from the 1830 Census forward signifies that there was at least one other son of Richard Bailey, banned trader, residing in Mississippi Territory. This William Bailey and his children were probably well known to Origin S. Holmes and his associates, also residents of Baldwin County. As the eldest son, Phineas Bailey would have inherited William Bailey’s estate. Was that the hidden treasure?
1Elizabeth Shown Mills, Editor, Reassembling Female Lives, A Special Issue of the Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volume 88, Number 3, September 2000.
21830 US Census; Census Place:, Baldwin, Alabama; Page: 24; NARA Series: M19; Roll Number: 2; Family History Film: 0002329.
3Year: 1840; Census Place: Baldwin, Alabama; Roll: 1; Page: 86; Image: 178; Family History Library Film: 0002332
4“Alabama, State Census, 1855,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V6PB-5Q8 : accessed 03 Mar 2014), Willis Bailey, 1855.
5Bailey and Webster are Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Cherokee surnames, according to the Dawes Rolls, Final Rolls, at accessgenealogy.com. Accessed: November 2013.
6“United States Census, 1880,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M4N1-X4G : accessed 03 Mar 2014), Delia Grant in household of Saml. Grant, Court House, Baldwin, Alabama, United States; citing sheet 194D, family 1, NARA microfilm publication T9-0001
7“United States Census, 1900,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M9DN-PWY : accessed 03 Mar 2014), Delia Grant in household of Joseph Grant, Mobile city Ward 7, Mobile, Alabama, United States; citing sheet , family 786, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1240032.
8“Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTWT-LTT : accessed 03 Mar 2014), Sam Grant and Delia Webster, 1869.
GEORGE FICKLIN
FREE CREOLE OF MOBILE
For the past several years, I have been researching my 16 second great-grandparents in various counties of Alabama. This research has led me to tackle many uncomfortable realities as an African American. The Cleveland Historical Society was my jumping off point. A small membership fee and many hours sitting in front of microfiche machines were small prices to pay. Reading census hieroglyphics was exciting and frustrating, but brought me closer to the names and places I sought. Enthusiasm ruled over frustration, and eventually I got the hang of it.
Then I discovered the internet and away we go! Ancestry.com yielded a community of relatives with the possibility of closing a few gaps and revealing new avenues of investigation. Alas! It was not to be. It seemed that no one had yet ventured as far as I, and it was time to step up my amateur status. So, here we are, at the proverbial 1870’s brick wall. Do we climb over it? Ignore it? Or just ram our way through? I opted for taking it apart, brick by brick. Then, reading a source citation on ancestry, I found FamilySearch. It has proved to be the most productive besides the ADAH – the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
Since, George Ficklin was my first brick, his life and place are the focus of this writing. There wasn’t much to go on. Initially, I had to discern whether he was or was not George Augustus. The Ficklings of Baldwin County, Alabama, seemed a well-documented family. After all, they were in every census since 1790.
Others may encounter the very same genealogical traps as separating one individual or one family from another. I hope this writing proves encouraging, in that, if an amateur can achieve some measure of success, it’s possible for anyone.
It seemed obvious, at first, that George Ficklin and Thomas Ficklin were somehow related. But how? George Ficklin was a distinct individual that made his mark on his place and time. He purchased real estate, possibly for his aging mother to live out her waning years. He was a church-going man that contributed to the founding of a landmark church. He fathered eight daughters and sought to ensure their marital status. He chose a difficult yet prosperous trade in order to provide for his family.
The question arose whether George Ficklin was aided by some congenital benefit in his endeavors. Was he just a hard-working man of color? Or, was he endowed with the caste supreme, i.e. color status, in an area of the world that rewarded one for his color (or lack thereof)? Did he have help? For a man of color, living under the yoke of possible enslavement, deportation if identified as a Native American, and a host of codified indignities too numerous to highlight, he did well.
Was George Ficklin free? How likely was a slave to buy property in 1860 Alabama? Why couldn’t I find a marriage record for him? Was he the “Geo. Ficklin” in the 1855 Alabama Census?
Where does one find the answers to these questions besides Ancestry.com?
Perusal of the below footnotes will give some idea of the available resources used to answer the foregoing questions. It is my sincere wish that they are helpful.
George Ficklin was my maternal 2nd great grandfather. He was born in Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama in 1834, according to his Civil War Draft Registration papers of 1863.1 He was not a slave prior to Emancipation was the hypothesis, based on the following items of evidence:
1) He purchased property in 1860.2 (The property was definitely bought by my ancestor rather than George Augustus Fickling.)3 The deed lists a “George Fickling,” and not “George Augustus Fickling.” It was in Township 2. Geo. A. Fickling’s widow resided in Township 4, Baldwin County, Alabama, in 1870.4
George Augustus Fickling was another George Fickling that resided in Baldwin County Alabama. It was necessary to research both in order to eliminate one.
2) The George in question was NOT George Augustus Fickling, born 1827, in Baldwin County, son of Thomas Fickling, Sr. and Caroline.5 George Augustus married Laura Mirvin,6 and died during the Civil War in 1861.7 That George always used his middle name, “Augustus,” (except for the 1855 Alabama Census where no middle initial was recorded for either George).8 That was an initial point of differentiation between the two brothers. It is very likely that they knew each other since they lived in the same county with so few inhabitants, and were so close in age.
3) George Ficklin enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1864, on the Union side, at Warrington, Florida, to serve at Dauphine Island, for the duration. Hostilities ceased after the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1865.9 (There is some question as whether he was drafted or enlisted voluntarily.) This detail is not dispositive of his having been free prior to the Emancipation Proclamation of January, 1863.
4) George Ficklin married Mahala Morris, and not Laura Mirvin.
5) George Ficklin was enumerated in the 1870 United States Federal Census, in Baldwin County, Alabama, with his wife, Mahala and their children.10 (George Augustus was deceased.)11
6) George Ficklin, of Montrose, Alabama, purchased land from Fanny P. Foster, in Baldwin County, Alabama, in 1870.12 The property abutted Thomas and Francis Cypert’s land. Both Fanny Foster, and her second husband, Richard Foster were free “mulattos,” i.e. creole, enumerated in the 1850 United States Federal Census for Baldwin County, Alabama.13
7) Laura Mirvin, widow, remarried Robert Slaughter, and started life anew.6
8) George Ficklin was enumerated in the 1880 United States Federal Census, in Baldwin County, Alabama, with his wife, Mahala and their children.14
9) George Ficklin was instrumental in founding the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, in Daphne, Baldwin County, Alabama, during Reconstruction.15 Whether he contributed land or money has not been clarified, as of this writing.
10) George Ficklin registered to vote in 1867.16 He was one of three Ficklin(g)s to register. One may deduce that he was related by blood to two other male Ficklings in Baldwin, at that time, namely, Thomas, Jr. and Charles.
11) George Ficklin was a farm laborer in 1870, but became a teamster by 1880. Teamsters made more money.
12) George Ficklin died 05 October, 1889, in Montrose, Baldwin County, Alabama.17 He was survived by his wife, Mahala, and their children.18 He was laid to rest at Montrose Cemetery, Montrose, Baldwin County, Alabama.19
13) George Ficklin and Mahala Morris Ficklin’s children, as enumerated in the 1870 and 1880 U.S. Federal Census were the following persons:
1. Percy Walker Morris, 1854 – 1935 – stepson m. Susannah Alexander20 ; mother of Virginia Morris Lemont;
2. Caroline Ficklin, 1861 – 1932, m. Edward aka Edmund Bailey,21 (my great-grandmother, mother of Caroline Elizabeth Bailey Stradford)
3. Millie Ficklin, 1863 – 1904, m. Frank Reed22 ; father of Gertrude Reid; last married Charles Vivians;
4. Elizabeth Ficklin, 1866 –[before 1900], m. George Smith
5. Amelia Ficklin, 1869 – 1919, m. Augustus Jones23
6. Mary Ficklin, 1871 – 1898, m. Samuel E. Taylor24
7. Georgia Ficklin, 1874 – 1906, died unmarried.25
8. Helena Ficklin, 1875 – 1964, m. Walter Joyce26
9. Lucretia Ficklin, 1877 – 1952, m. Henry Pickett27
14) The land purchased in 1860, was in Township 2 aka Bay Minette, but George didn’t live there. The only nonwhite Ficklins residing in Township 2, in 1870, were Charlotte Ficklin, age 70, Jane Ficklin, age 10, and Virginia Ficklin Harrison, age 30.28 They must have been George’s relatives, and plausibly his mother, niece and sister, respectively. These Ficklins were also persons of color or creole.
15) The largest free nonwhite population lived in the two counties of Mobile and Baldwin, Alabama, before the Civil War, and enjoyed freedom unlike the remaining counties of Alabama.29
16) The only “Charlotte,” born in Mobile, Alabama, in 1800, as recorded, was Charlotte Ryan. 30 In Creole Mobile, #230 is the number corresponding “with an extensive card catalogue system in the Cleveland Prichard Memorial Library.” There were many Carlotas, but only one “Charlotte.” There were no Ficklin(g)s. The names “Charlotte” and “Caroline” have the same etymology. It was customary to name the eldest daughter after her grandmother.
17) Thomas Fickling, Sr., born 1797, in South Carolina, died before 1860, in Baldwin County, Alabama, was the only Fickling of record, who would intersect with Charlotte Ficklin, born 1800, in Alabama, died before 1900, in Baldwin County, Alabama, in both age and vicinity, as a possible father for George.31 Charlotte (Ryan) was married to a Mr. Fickling, or lived in concubinage.
18) Charlotte’s children were namely, Louisa Ann Ficklin Ellis, (Rev. Jeffrey Ellis was George’s brother-in-law, and officiated at his daughters’ weddings.) George Ficklin, Virginia Ficklin Harrison, Jane Ficklin (more likely granddaughter due to Charlotte’s advanced age), and possibly more. Whoever fathered her children, was obviously in a long-lasting and committed relationship. She adopted his name, which occurs in a marital situation. “One emerging pattern of free Negro society is that of sexual continency and family stability.”32
19) If Charlotte was a free woman of color, her children were also free. It has yet to be determined whether she was born free or obtained freedom either by manumission or self-purchase. No such records could be located at the Baldwin County Probate Court.
20) George’s next-door neighbor, in 1870 was Nathaniel Hall. Nathaniel was related to wealthy Charles Hall, deceased since 1843. In the 1830 U.S. Federal Census, Charles Hall had in his household a free woman of color with her minor daughter.33 This could have been Charlotte Ficklin. No record was found to support this in the Baldwin County Probate Court holdings. However, it is a likely nexus for George being acquainted with Nathaniel Hall. No evidence was found to support Nathaniel Hall being a slaveholder in either the 1850 or 1860 U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedules. Nathaniel Hall apparently was uniquely abolitionist in his practices. This was a remarkable finding.
21) Additionally, no record of any Ficklin(g)s in either Baldwin or Mobile County as slaveholders was found in the 185034 or 1860 Slave Schedules35. This was also remarkable. So, whatever her legal status, Charlotte and her children lived free and unencumbered by slavery.
22) The boundaries of Mobile County and Baldwin County changed several times.
It may be concluded from the genealogical evidence presented above that:
a) George Ficklin, born 1834, in Mobile County, died 05 Oct 1889, in Baldwin County, was a free person of color in both locales.
b) George Ficklin purchased real estate prior to the inception of the Civil War, as a free person.*
c) George Ficklin enlisted in the military as a free person, during the Civil War.
d) George Ficklin’s parents were free persons prior to Emancipation, therefore he enjoyed the privileges of freedom as a non-indentured citizen of Alabama.
e) George Ficklin’s society included other land-owning free persons of color from Mobile.36 (Fanny and Richard Foster were married in Mobile County, Alabama.)
And thus, given the foregoing conclusions, George Ficklin lived free in Creole Mobile, prior to the Civil War.
George Ficklin, 1834-1889
© 2013-2025 by Carolyn E. Hood-Kourdache. All rights reserved.
1 National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Consolidated Lists of Civil War Draft Registration Records (Provost Marshal General’s Bureau; Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865); Record Group: 110, Records of the Provost Marshal General’s Bureau (Civil War); Collection Name: Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865 (Civil War Union Draft Records); ARC Identifier: 4213514; Archive Volume Number: 1 of 1.
2 Fickling, George, Baldwin County, Alabama, homestead patent no. 14305; “Land Patent Search,” digital images, General Land Office Records (glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch : accessed 25 Aug 2013).
3 United States, Bureau of Land Management. Alabama, Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997. Original data: United States. Bureau of Land Management. Alabama Pre-1908 Homestead and Cash Entry Patent and Cadastral Survey Plat Index. General Land Office Automated Records Project, 1996.
4 “United States Census, 1870,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHKH-QQP : accessed 28 Sep 2013), Laura J Slaughter in entry for Robert W Slaughter.
5 “United States Census, 1850,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHP5-34D : accessed 25 Sep 2013), George A Fickling in entry for Thos Fickling, 1850.
6 “Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTWT-K5K : accessed 25 Sep 2013), George Augustus Ficklin and Laura Mirvin, 1854.
7 “Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTWT-25K : accessed 25 Sep 2013), Robert W Slaughter and Laura J Fickling, 1861.
8 Population index to the 1855 Baldwin County census [database on-line], Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: Population index to the 1855 Baldwin County census, unknown: unknown, 19–? This George Ficklin is obviously George Augustus Ficklin, his new wife Laura Mirvin, and their newborn daughter, Laura Delphine Ficklin. They are enumerated on page 9. Geo. Ficklin is also listed on page 6. Are these duplicates?
9 National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
10 Year: 1870; Census Place: Township 6, Baldwin, Alabama; Roll: M593_1; Page: 287B; Image: 578; Family History Library Film: 545500.
11 “United States Census, 1870,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHKH-J8K : accessed 25 Sep 2013), George Fickling.
12 Land Conveyance from Fanny P. Foster to George Ficklin, September, 1870. Judge of Probate, Baldwin County, P.O. Box 459, Bay Minette, Alabama 36507, and: 220 Courthouse Square, Minette, Alabama 36507; Deed Book I, Pg. 460.
13 “United States Census, 1850,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHP5-7RV : accessed 26 Sep 2013), Richard Foster in entry for Lucy Sendson, 1850.
14 “United States Census, 1880,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M4N1-X4W : accessed 25 Sep 2013), George Ficklin, 1880.
15 Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church “About Us” section of its website : www.macedoniabaptistchurch-daphne.com/aboutus.html
16 Ficklin, George, African-American, Bwww.archives.state.al.us/voterreg/results.cfmaldwin County, Precinct 5, Election District 3, : accessed 05 Jun 2013.
17 “BillionGraves Index,” index, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KXZM-Z7M : accessed 25 Sep 2013), George Fickilin, 05 Oct 1889.
18 Alabama, Marriages, Deaths, Wills, Court, and Other Records, 1784-1920 about George Ficklin. Alabama Department of Archives and History; Montgomery, Alabama. Ancestry.com. Alabama, Marriages, Deaths, Wills, Court, and Other Records, 1784-1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors. Original data: Alabama Department of Archives and History, comp. Public information subject files—Card index of personal and corporate names and of subjects, ca. 1920–1960. Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama.
19 Web: Alabama, Find A Grave Index, 1755-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Find A Grave. Find A Grave. www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi: accessed 18 January 2013.
20 “Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTWT-PMK : accessed 26 Sep 2013), Percy Morris and Susannah Alexander, 1876.
21 “Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTWT-P87 : accessed 17 Feb 2013), Edward Bailey and Caroline Ficklin, 10 Apr 1878; citing Baldwin County; FHL microfilm 1839621.
22 “Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTWT-5Q3 : accessed 25 Sep 2013), Frank Reed and Millie Ficklin, 1881.
23 ” Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTW8-M3N : accessed 07 Mar 2013), Augustus Jones and Amelia Fickling, 1896.
24 ” Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTWY-SYD : accessed 07 Mar 2013), Samuel Taylor and Mary Ficklin, 1889.
25 Web: Alabama, Find A Grave Index, 1755-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Find A Grave. Find A Grave. www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi: accessed 18 January 2013.
26 “Mississippi, Marriages, 1800-1911,” index, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V2ZP-GV9 : accessed 26 Sep 2013), Walter Joice and Helena Fickler, 1904.
27 “Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTW8-9MP : accessed 26 Sep 2013), Henry Pickett and Creacy Fickling, 1900.
28 Censusrecords.com www.censusrecords.com/search?lastname=ficklin&lastname_variants=true&state=alabama&censusyear=1870&county=baker. “Baker” is incorrect. It should be “Baldwin,” for Baldwin County. The other Ficklins are Henry and Mary Ficklin.
29 Stewart King, ed. “Mobile, Alabama,” in The Encyclopedia of Free Blacks and Free People of Color in the Americas, volume II. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2012, 534-536. View: /uploads/1/1/8/8/11883350/mobile_fpc002.pdf findingafricanamericanancestors.weebly.com/publications.html
30 Johnnie Andrews, Jr. – G.R.S. and William David Higgins with an Introduction by Mrs. Henry Gautier, Creole Mobile : A Compendium of the Colonial Families of the Central Gulf Coast 1702-1813, Prichard Bienville Historical Society, 1974; page 62 – “Charlotte Ryan – Born in 1800. #230”
31 “United States Census, 1850,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHP5-34C : accessed 26 Sep 2013), Thos Fickling, 1850.
32 Gary B. Mills, Miscegenation and the Free Negro in Antebellum “Anglo” Alabama: A Reexamination of Southern Race Relations, The Journal of American History, Vol. 68, No. 1 (Jun., 1981), 16-34. Stable URL: http//links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8723%28198106%2968%3A%3C16%3AMATFN1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
33 1830 US Census; Census Place: Baldwin, Alabama; Page: 21; NARA Series: M19; Roll Number: 2; Family History Film: 0002329
34 1850 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1850. M432, 1,009 rolls.
35 1860 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1860. M653, 1,438 rolls.
* The 1860 date was coincidental with his marriage to Mahala Morris. A Bible Record dating 1859, could not be verified at this writing.
36 “Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (//familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VRJ1-BGW : accessed 01 Oct 2013), Dick Foster and Fanny Foster.
Buy DAVID TATE: ORIGINS now! – treeringspublishing.com
a historical narrative –
David Tate had big shoes to fill. His father, also named David Taitt, a British loyalist was the Deputy Superintendent Indian Agent for the Southern District, before and during the American Revolution. The British Southern strategy was in play. Taitt dutifully followed orders to incite and lead the Creek Indians into battle against colonials; he was a hated man. Taitt’s liason with Sehoy McPherson was arranged by the rising star in the Creek Confederacy, her half brother, Alexander McGillivray. His union with Sehoy produced David Tate.
While I found this to be more of a textbook read, I did enjoy it. A great amount of research went into this and shows a side of history that needs to be told. A woman considered a “Chocktaw mixed-blood” and someone who freed black slaves is an important part of American history (especially for Floridians) that needs to be told and included in the school books. Technically written for adults, the format could easily be read and understood by high school grades. A wonderful bibliography/source list is included.
***This book was received from author through a Booklikes giveaway. ***
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A matriarch of Daphne, Alabama, lived life to its fullest in the neighborhood of estranged family and friends because she chose to marry a man of color. Susan Douglas was loved and revered. Unknown to her associates, she was the daughter of a once proud and wealthy Alabaman, son of the notorious Red Eagle, William Weatherford. A full blood Creek Indian, Weatherford’s granddaughter avoided deportation. She carved out a niche with the “colored” community; and rose to prominence in her Church. Her descendants may be proud of her life and legacy.
©2016-2019 All Rights Reserved.
This book is a reference for those interested in the many men that officiated at the post- Civil War marriages, in Mobile and Baldwin Counties, Alabama. It includes brief biographical information, alongside reconstructed genealogies. A handy tool for the amateur as well as expert family historian.
©2016- 2019 All Rights Reserved.
