I have been conducting genealogy research since 2000. I began my research at Clayton House in Houston by pouring over census records on microfilm and in written journals for hours, days and weeks. I expanded my research to include probate and deed records and then death and marriage records. And again, I sat looking at reel after reel of indexes, probates, inventories and court minutes for long hours. Sometime later I obtained an Ancestry.com membership as more digital information became available. I’ve mined many of digital records provided by Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, Fold3 and Find-A-Grave.com. I’ve visited research centers in untold counties in Texas and parishes in Louisiana with detailed to-do lists in hand. I found probate records that detailed the sale and emancipation of slaves in my husband’s family tree.
But the most astounding things that I have found while researching my own family tree in Louisiana and Maryland have been from sources that I truly just stumbled on! Last week while searching for Cote Blanche, I stumbled on a pdf that contains the names of enslaved persons owned and mortgaged by a large number of banks in Louisiana including JP Morgan Chase Bank, Citizens Bank of Louisiana and The Second of Bank Kentucky. Included in the document are the names of slaves as well as previous and current slave owners. Conveyance and land records held by The New Orleans Public Library and minute records from Citizens Bank are sources for the transactions included in the pdf.
Included in the listing are the names of my 4th great grandmother Julia Stanton and her children Jolivet Duchane alias Jolivet Pierre and Lelia Delahoussaye. I had discovered my connection to Jolivet and Lelia in 2001 while researching the marriage records at the St Mary Parish Courthouse. I was specifically looking for information on Clarisse Duchane and discovered that 3 women: Clarisse, Esther and Lelia all with the last name of Delahoussaye, were married on the same date, August 24, 1867. Julian Barabin and Charles Hansley were listed as witnesses for 2 of the 3 marriages. The names of the bride and groom were muddled in one instance. Hester or Clarisse Delahoussaye was listed as the bride of Charles Hansley.
I knew that Clarisse was on my family tree, but I had no idea who Lelia and Hester were. I wanted to find out if they were Clarisse’s sisters. I looked up the 3 Delahoussaye women on the 1870 Iberia Parish Census and found Pierre Jolivette and Clarisse with their daughter Rachel, my 2nd great grandmother. Clarisse was reported to have been born in Maryland in 1829. Listed on the same page was St Cyr Delahoussaye. I then found Lelia who was reported to have been born in Louisiana in 1832 and husband Julian Barabin. Listed in Lelia’s household was Julie Stanton who was born 1804 in Maryland. Esther and Charles Hansley were also living in Iberia Parish. Esther’s birthplace was listed as Maryland.
So, I surmised that Clarisse and Esther could be sisters as the birthplace of both was listed as Maryland. I noted that Julia Stanley was also born in Maryland and was old enough to the mother of Clarisse and Esther. But I was confused because she was living in the household of Lelia Delahoussaye Barabin and not one of the other 2 Delahoussaye women.
I next looked at the 1880 Iberia Parish Census and found ninety-year-old Julia Stanton in the household of Jolivette Pierre and Clarisse. She was listed as the mother of Jolivette. I assumed that the census taker had mistakenly listed her as Jolivette’s mother when she was in fact his mother-in-law. The birthplace of Jolivette’s mother was reported as Maryland. Maryland was still listed as Clarisse’s birthplace as was the birthplace of both of her parents. I next looked up Esther Hansley and saw that Maryland was recorded as her birthplace as well as both of her parents. Esther was born in 1835 which means she was born after both Clarisse in Maryland and Lelia in Louisiana. This led me to think that Lelia could not be their sister of the other 2 women who I still thought could be sisters.
I next looked up death records for Clarisse, Esther and Lelia as well as Jolivette. Clarisse’s death certificated listed her mother’s name as Rachel and not Julia. Esther’s death certificate listed only her father’s name–Isaac Scott. But her birthplace was listed as Alabama and not Maryland. I have not been able to find a death certificate for Lelia or Jolivette. Interestingly though, the last name of Clarisse and Jolivette was listed as Duchane on the 1900 census.
So, I’d found the Clarisse’s husband was Jolivette Pierre and not Pierre Jolivet. And that Jolivette Pierre had changed his last name to Duchane sometime between 1880 and 1900. I’d found that he’d served in the Civil War under the alias of Jolivette Pierre.
Despite all of my research, I had been unable to determine if Julia Stanton and Julie Stanley were the same person and which of the women and men were here children. That is until last week, when I stumbled upon the JP Morgan Chase Bank document while looking for information on the Cote Blanch Plantation! Listed on page 62 was a listing of slaves conveyed Oct. 10, 1840 in St Martin Parish to Octave Delahoussaye. Among the slaves were: Dick, Alfred, Thomas, Jim, Isaac, Julie, Edouard, Jolivet, Patsy, Ophelia, Lelia, Maria, Maria, Dickson, Patsy, Sophie, Francisque. I found A Delahoussaye and family; Wm Shephard and Patsy; Dixon Smith and Ophelia all on the same page, page 150B of the 1870 Iberia Parish Census. Julien, Lelia and Julia were listed on page 151A along with St Cyr Delahoussaye.
So, I had my answer! Julia Stanton and/or Julie Stanley was the mother of Lelia Delahoussaye and Jolivet Pierre. Julia was born in either 1790 or 1804 in Maryland and brought to Louisiana where she became the mother of Jolivet and Lelia.
I was researching the Cote Blanch Plantation and the slaves of John Huger and later Thomas Huff and later still William Fellows and somehow stumbled on my Duchane family!! I won’t question the how or why I stumbled on this great resource. I will simply say thank you to the persons who put in the time to find, transcribe and share this awesome document!! I plan to comb through this new information to see what I can see. I know there are other buried treasures out there. I hope to stumble upon every one of them some day!!!
Ella Louise Smith Johnson was born March 1, 1870, in Patoutville, Iberia Parish, Louisiana. She was the sixth child of Charlotte Phillips and Joseph ‘Young’ Smith, my 4th great-grandparents. She was my 3rd great grandaunt.
Ella and husband Thomas Johnson were listed on the 1900 Iberia Parish federal census with sons: Foote 12, Edward 10, Albert 9 and Joseph 8. Everyone in the household could all read and write. Thomas was employed as a day laborer.
By 1910, Ella was recorded on the U.S. Census living in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana with three sons: Lincoln 22, Edward 20 and Albert 18. Most likely, Lincoln was the son named Foote on the 1900 census. Census details depicted Ella as a thirty-nine-year-old married woman who had given birth to 4 children who all were still living. Her husband Thomas and youngest son Joseph were not listed in the household–I have not found either man on any 1910 census roll.
Ella and son Edward were still living together in Calcasieu Parish at the time of the 1920 census. Ella was then listed as a widow. Included in her household was a twenty-seven-year-old married male whose first name was recorded as ‘Johnson’, his wife Blanch 22 and 4-year-old daughter Ella. The twenty-seven-year-old male was most likely Joseph Johnson. I later found Joseph’s WWI draft registration form which indicated that he lived in Calcasieu Parish and was a married man with 1 child.
I was initially unable to definitively find Lincoln or Albert Johnson in 1920. Ella and Edward continued to live with one another and were recorded together on the 1930 and 1940 U.S. Census in Calcasieu Parish. Edward served in WWI in the 522nd Engrs Battalion, Company B. He sailed from Hoboken, New Jersey to Brest, France on August 30, 1918, on the Susquehanna. His mother was listed Ella Johnson, living in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He left France June 3, 1919, and arrived in Newport News, VA on June 11, 1919. Information on Ella’s 1949 death certificate provided her parents’ names as Joseph Smith, born in Frankfort, KY and Charlotte Smith. She was buried in East Side Cemetery. The informant was A. L. Johnson.
Joseph Johnson was a little hard to trace because there were a number of men born about the same time with the same name. I was ultimately able to positively identify Joseph through his World War II draft registration form which listed his nearest relative as Blanche Johnson and his place of residence as Port Arthur, Texas. Once I knew that Joseph lived in Port Arthur, I was able to find he and Blanche listed in multiple Port Arthur city directories. I then found Joseph’s 1963 death certificate. His parents were reported as Thomas Johnson and Ella Louise Smith. The informant once again was A. L. Johnson.
I theorized that A. L. Johnson was Foote and also referenced as Lincoln Johnson. I theorized that his name was probably Abraham Lincoln Johnson. I searched U.S. Census rolls for Abram or Abraham or Lincoln Johnson. I changed Foote’s name to Abraham Lincoln on my Ancestry tree and just like that, a leaf appeared. Abraham Lincoln Johnson appeared on family trees for several Ancestry.com users. Many of those trees had a Find-A-Grave link to an Abraham Lincoln Johnson who had died in 1964 in Galveston, Texas. Included on the Find-A-Grave listing was the name of Abraham’s wife Serena Washington and 2 children: Lloyd Johnson and Fabeola Johnson as well as a copy of his death certificate. His parents were recorded as Tom Johnson and Ella Smith and his birthplace as Jeanerette, Louisiana. A.L. Johnson was reported to have been a forty-two-year Galveston resident. The informant was Della Johnson. A.L. Johnson was buried in Mainland Cemetery.
So, I now had information on A.L. aka ‘Foote’ or Lincoln Johnson and the names of 2 children. I researched backwards to find Lloyd and Fabeola Johnson with a mother named Serena living in Galveston, Texas. I found both children with a mother named Serena and a father named Abraham on the 1920 and 1930 U.S. Census. The family lived in Beaumont, and not Galveston. In any case, I added Fabeola, Lloyd and siblings to my Smith family tree. There were stories about their marriages, deaths, etc. in Newspapers.com. I continued to run across many more family trees that included descendants of Abraham Johnson and Serena Washington. Every time I found a new tree I’d check to see in the profiled person was a DNA match to my mother and every time I was disappointed.
This went on for 2 or 3 years–finding trees with Abraham Johnson and Serena descendants but none were DNA matches to my family.
In the intervening years I’d obtained death certificates for Ella’s sister Louvenia Smith Perkins and their mother Charlotte Phillips Smith as well as a 1972 death record for Ella’s son Edward Johnson. Charlotte died March 12, 1913, in Lake Charles and was buried in Tab Nicole Cemetery. My niece later correctly identified the cemetery as Tabernacle (now known as Zion Tabernacle Cemetery). The informant on Charlotte death certificate was J. A. Perkins (her son-in-law and husband of Louvena). Louvena (Lavina) was born about 1868 and had also lived in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana from 1910 until her death in 1947. Louvena was buried in Pryce Cemetery. The informant was her daughter Effie Perkins. Quite recently I found the obit of James A Perkins. His daughter Effie Perkins Lewis was mentioned, as was Louvena’s daughter Priscilla Marshall Williams of Chicago. James was a member of Old Emmanual Baptist Church and was buried in the adjoining cemetery.
My niece Latrice and I researched the locations of and the current names of the above-mentioned cemeteries in Lake Charles. I decided to drive to Lake Charles to visit the cemeteries and perhaps find headstones with the names of family members. I’d telephone the Old Emmanuel Baptist Church in hopes obtaining information related to Louvena and/or James Perkins. The phone number listed on the internet for the church was a non-working number, so I decided to just drive to Lake Charles to see what I could see.
Well, I started for Lake Charles from Houston on what seemed a little overcast, but okay day. By the time I reached Beaumont, I’d begun to think about turning around. But you know that I didn’t. I continued driving. I was near Orange, TX and finally decided to pull off the road and wait for the thunderstorm to pass. An hour and half later, I was back on the road. I was close behind the storm, but I was, behind it. When I arrived in Lake Charles the ground was a little damp, but the sky was a beautiful blue.
I drove to Old Emmanuel Baptist Church on 1200 N. Prater Street at See St. The church was a total wreck–it had been damaged by Tropical Storm Claudette in 2021. That explained why the phone number was no longer working. There was no one around to ask questions, so I walked the adjoining cemetery grounds. There were a number of headstones with the last name of Johnson, but not Edward Johnson. I found James A Perkins on the 3rd or 4th row nearest to the church. I did not any other names of interest.
I next drove to Zion Tabernacle Cemetery located at 1304 Pear Street. The cemetery is a very short walk from Old Emmanual Baptist Church and is located off N. Prater and Griffin St. Because of how close the 2 locations are, I think that 2 cemeteries and church may have at one time served a united congregation. Charlotte Phillips Smith was most likely buried here. The cemetery covers almost a full city block. The grass had been freshly cut and the graveyard was free of debris and weeds. But the brick vaults are in bad shape and few headstone markings are legible. I feel Charlotte is here!! I just don’t know where.
I wanted to go to Eastside Cemetery, which I think is the new name for Pryce Cemetery. Both Louvena Smith Marshall Perkins and Ella Smith Johnson are buried there. I’d researched the cemeteries online and have not seen headstones for either woman.
I had almost 2 hours less research time left because of the earlier storm delay. So, I opted to go the courthouse to look up deed, marriage and probate records. In less than 15 minutes I found a 1924 deed recording the sale of land to Ella Johnson, born Smith, widow of Tom Johnson, by Mr. John L. Wasey. Lots 13 and 14in Sec 34 of the Joseph Lawrence Ryan Subdivision were conveyed to Ella for $1250 on October 13, 1924. I found a marriage record for Abraham Lincoln Johnson and Cerena Washington. Per the marriage certificate, Abraham was born in Jennings, Louisiana and his father was Vaurillya Johnson. This did not fit! My Abraham Lincoln Johnson’s father’s name was known to be Thomas Johnson. My Abraham Johnson was born in Jeanerette–I had a death certificate that correctly stated so.
I drove back home and took another look at the Abraham and Cerena Washington family that was recorded on the U.S. Census in Beaumont for 1920 and 1930. After 1930 Cerena is no longer listed in a household with Abraham. Perhaps there were 2 men who lived in Calcasieu Parish named Abraham Lincoln Johnson–one who married Cerena and had children named Floyd and Fabeola in Beaumont and another who lived in Galveston for forty-two years and knew someone named Della.
Who was Della?
Finding out who Della was provided the answer to my question. I found a 1953 Galveston City Directory listing for a Della C and Abram L Johnson who lived at 1217 Avenue M. I searched earlier Galveston City directories and found a 1924 listing for Abraham L Johnson, (c colored) and Claudine living at 1512 34th Street as well as a listing in 1928 of Claudine and Abr L (transcribed by Ancestry as Afar L) Johnson. I next searched the 1920U.S. Census for Claudine Johnson and found a record for a nineteen-year-old Claudine Johnson and thirty-year-old Abron (sp) Johnson who worked at a cotton press. I later found a marriage record for Claudine Vincent and Abram L. Johnson dated May 14, 1919.
I next found that someone named Abram Lincoln Johnson had married Mrs. Lucy Nichols on November 21, 1928. I found Abram and Lucy on the 1930 U.S. Census living in Galveston as well as twenty-nine-year-old Claudine Vincent. Claudine’s marital status was divorced. I have not yet found Abram on the 1940 census. I did find Abram L Johnson and Della on the 1950 U.S. Census living at 1217 Avenue M. Abram worked as a cotton stenciller at a cotton compress and Della as a ‘Telephone Girl’ for a plumber. I have not found a marriage record Abraham and Della, but I have learned that she had been previously married to L.D. Canada, hence the middle initial of C included on the 1953 Galveston city directory. Her maiden-name was Sledge.
So, I went back to see what became of Cerena’s husband Abraham Johnson. I found his April 15, 1952, death certificate. Per the death certificate, he was married, lived at 546 Niecy Street in Beaumont and was buried in Blanchett Cemetery. The informant was Ivan V Garlow, a descendant of Serena Washington Johnson.
So, I’d found an Abraham Lincoln Johnson. A man whose family tree is easily traceable and has many branches. There are newspaper stories and several photographs of this Abraham Lincoln Johnson’s descendants. Unfortunately, this is not my Abraham or Abram Lincoln Johnson.
I have not found that my Abraham ever had any children. His brother Edward died in Lake Charles in 1972. I found his probate at the courthouse. Edward was apparently married once, but his wife died while young and they had no children. Joseph Johnson and wife Blanche appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census with their daughter Ella. I have found a Blanche listed with a Joseph Johnson in Port Arthur, Texas city directories for 1931, 1933, 1933 and 1947. But I have not found a Blanche Johnson living in Port Arthur, TX without Joseph Johnson for any census after 1920. Similarly, I cannot find Joseph’s daughter Ella. When searching for a marriage record for Joseph Johnson and Blanche I keep getting leaves that pop up on my Ancestry.com family tree regarding a 1923 marriage in Manhattan, New York for Joseph Johnson and Blanch Curtis. I am quite sure this Joseph Johnson is not my Joseph!
My last hope of finding a descendant of Ella Louise Smith and Thomas Johnson is with their son Albert Johnson who was born about May 1891 and last listed with the family on the 1900 Iberia Parish Census. I have temporarily included an Albert Johnson on who married Eva Woods and lived in Lake Charles Arthur at the time of the 1920 and 1930 census. He was listed in the 1917 Lake Charles city directory and on the 1940 U.S. Census living in Arizona. I have not yet found a death certificate for Albert to indicate the names of his parents.
So, I’ll keep looking to see if this Albert Johnson causes any leaves to pop up on my family tree that lead to profiles with DNA matches to my mother! Or perhaps Joseph Johnson and Blanch Curtis in Manhattan are actually my Joseph and Blanch! Who knows?
Best,
Ask anyone who knows me, and they will say that I am a genealogy enthusiast at best or that I am a genealogy nut at worst. My son once said that I could find a way to swerve any conversation into the genealogy lane. A significant part of my obsession with genealogy research includes the who begat who stuff. I want to trace my lineage as far back as possible. I want to know, if possible, where we got or chose the surnames on the family tree: Guy, Jenkins, Smith, Gibson, Riggs, Morgan, Hill, Alexander. I want to know how my Maryland, Virginia and Carolina ancestors came to be in Louisiana. I understand how the lure of wealth in the industries of sugar cane, cotton, rice, etc. led to the movement of slaves to the south and west. I’ve read many slave narratives that detailed how people were trafficked by way of steamships equipped with sails through New Orleans from Richmond, VA, Charleston, SC, or Savannah, GA or shipped down rivers on flatboats and paddleboats or conveyed overland in coffles traveling through Alexandria, Winchester and Abingdon, VA, through Atlanta, GA, Montgomery, and Mobile, Ala to Louisiana. After reading these stories, I wanted to know my ancestors’ stories–who brought them, how they travelled, who they left behind, or if there is DNA evidence to link me to those left behind. I want to know how they lived, what they did for work and pleasure and anything that might help inform me on how we, I, came to be the people, person that now live. In essence, I wanted to walk in their footsteps.
During my initial years of genealogy research, I sometimes felt that I was being led or otherwise drawn to pursue certain research paths or to focus on certain people. My initial research focused on my husband’s family because they had been slaves in Texas counties within driving distance to where we lived. The lives and stories of three women on his family, Iris Temple and her daughter Easter Temple Rivers Hadden as well as Iris’ great granddaughter Cassie Martinez continually beckoned me to keep digging out their stories. I drove to El Maton and Wilson’s Creek in Matagorda County. I’d read that Wilson’s Creek had been used to move goods to and from Palacious Bay. When I saw it 2001, it was a mere gully. Along its banks was the Moore/Deadrick Family Cemetery. The St. Mary Baptist Church that the family once attended had been relocated to a nearby lot. I walked the land where Iris once lived and along Wilson’s Creek where Easter was recounted to love to fish in the evenings. Cassie was born there and attended school there through the age of sixteen. The surrounding area was quiet and peaceful, filled with the sounds of birds chirping and squawking and of cows mooing. The Temple, Moore and Rivers men had been mostly cattlemen and not primarily farmers. The family has a photo of a young Cassie sitting on a coral fence. I could feel a connection to the place and to the people who once lived and walked that land.
As I research my Louisiana ancestors, I’ve been attempting to walk where they’ve walked. The homes that both my grandparents built still stand. I have memories of using washboards and wringer washing machines and of hanging out the wash on clotheslines. I can almost see my grandmother Josephine standing at the kitchen door looking out and smiling her little crooked smile. I can smell the honeysuckle that grew in the lot between their home and the Pentecostal church on the corner. When I close my eyes, I can see yellow day lilies and liriope grass with its purple flower stalks that lined my paternal grandparent’s front walkway or the crepe myrtle and Rose of Sharon trees beside the carport. I can see the laugh-lines that creased my maternal grandfather’s face and hear faintly my grandmother Sarah saying, ‘Oh, Preston!’ When I think of those houses, smells and sounds come to mind. I can almost smell Pine-o-Pine and cedar, Sub Rosa deodorant, Tide washing powder, frying fish or chicken and Stein syrup. The smell of chopped onions, bell peppers and garlic come to mind as do the smells of fig, pear, corn and watermelon rind preserves being cooked. I can almost hear the radio announcer call baseball games with my grandfather talking in the background about how he played as a young man. Sometimes I can hear my grandfather Preston calling out Elijah’s name in his sleep. I can almost hear the whine of my grandmother Sarah’s sewing machine and see her holding the fabric close to her face because of her poor eyesight.
I have memories of my grandparents, but realize I know almost nothing about them. I realized that I don’t know who planted the flowers or trees or under whose direction they were planted or cared for. Both grandfathers built their own homes—how did they know how to do that, who taught them? Sarah was an excellent seamstress and Josephine a phenomenal cook—who taught them? I have walked where my grandparents walked and still have quite clear memories of them. I am still walking in their footsteps and holding on to words and beliefs that they spoke. My grandparents often said the words, “God willing…”
So, I will continue my journey to see what I can find about in whose footsteps my grandparents walked and plan to take a walk myself either intellectually or physically in those footsteps. I know that something I discover will entice or beckon me to keep digging out their stories.
I began my genealogy research in 2000 at a time when very little content was available digitally or online. Microfilm and microfiche readers were the staple tool for viewing birth, death, immigration, probate and deed records. As genealogy research has become more widespread, so has the access to and transcription of important records. Freedmen Bureau letters, complaints and work contracts once available only as images that you had to scroll through to find names and places of interest are now widely accessible on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org via keyword searches.
People and organizations have been very busy providing information to help unlock the ancestral roots of once enslaved Black peoples. I recently attended a panel discussion at Prairie View A&M University’s Ruth J Simmons, Center for Race and Justice. Rice University Professor Domingues gave a presentation on the SlaveVoyages.org database. A database that has been around for quite a while that was available initially via CD-ROM access only but is now a robust digital tool. SlaveVoyages ‘explores the origins and forced relocations of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic world.’
Today, I stumbled upon a true treasure-chest–the ‘Lost Friends’ database. Included in this database are over 2,500 letters or ads in which Black families separated by slavery or separated after emancipation attempted to locate family members. The ads ran in the New Orleans Southwestern Christian Advocate newspaper November 1879 – December 1900. Content was provided by Hill Memorial Library, Louisiana State University Libraries (1879–1896) and the Bridwell Library, Southern Methodist University.
I have already found ads for families that lived in Jeanerette and Franklin, Louisiana as well as those in Double Bayou, Matagorda and Bremond, Texas.
It is hard to keep my focus when such great research tools keep popping up. You can search by lastname, year or location. I have found that wide searches on parish names or county names is not as successful as searching specifically by city names. So a search for Jeanerette may produce records while a search on Iberia Parish, may not.
So, check out ‘Lost Friends’ and see what you can uncover.
Martin Guy was a man on my family tree for whom I have found many descendants, but a man who I have not been able to find on any census record. Martin was the son of George and Jenny Guy. Most of what I know Martin Guy is through marriage records of his son Ezekiel George Guy and by way of Ezekiel’s civil suits for recovery of property owned by his deceased siblings, Abram and Maria Guy.
The beginning of what I know about Martin’s story is that his father George was a slave on the plantation of William Weeks sometime before 1817. On Oct. 2, 1817 William Weeks sold George and at least 48 other slaves to his son David Weeks. The sale was recorded in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, Parish Book A, Folio 491-492. In a separate recording of that same sale (Afro-Louisiana History and Geneaology), George was listed as George Elivin. This was a transcription error–George was valued at eleven hundred dollars. Two females named Jenny were sold in 1819 by someone by the last name of Weeks, most likely William Weeks who died Oct. 22, 1819 in St Francisville, LA. The sale is recorded in Estate Number: 26-A-088-033-1819.
George was recorded as a fifty-five-year-old Mulatto driver on David Weeks’ 1835 probate. Jenny, age thirty-four, is listed as his wife. Listed with Jenny are children Amanda, 9; George, 7; Abraham, 5; Lewis, 4; and Martin 1. Listed on successive lines beneath Jenny are Isaac, 17; Nancy, 15; and Bridget, 12.
Martin, 12 next appears in the 1846 final partition of David Weeks’ estate. He along with brothers, Lewis and ‘Little Abram’ as well as parents George and Jinny (Jenny) were among the slaves in the allotment given to Harriet Weeks Meade.
Charles C Weeks and his siblings took large numbers of slaves to Texas in 1862 or 1863. They each took slaves to different counties in Texas and hired them out to work; in fields, for the railroad and to haul products as far away as Brownsville and Mexico. Martin was mentioned in Charles Weeks’ April 28, 1864 letter. Weeks wrote that he had secured a contract to haul bacon to Shreveport when one night, Martin, Milton and Ben left him near Homer in Angelina County, Texas. Apparently, they ran away. Martin, Milton and Ben must have been drivers, because Weeks next wrote that he “hired two white drivers & drove the third wagon myself.” Weeks also wrote that he’d learned that “one of his Negroes were in jail” but that he did not know where. He did not seem to know which of the 3 men was jailed. I have looked for Martin in Texas and Louisiana in 1870 and onward but have not yet found him.
I have found his children: Abram, Ezekiel, Maria and Milry Guy on the 1870 Iberia Parish census. Abram Guy, 15 was listed in the household with his grandparents Sommerset and Peggy Furnice. Sommerset and Peggy had several daughters: Eliza, Minerva, Minty, Amy and Leah. I have not been able to determine which of these was Abram’s mother.
Abram Guy married Mary Johnson or Asbury. They lived in Rosetown and were included in the 1880 Iberia Parish census with children: Patsy, 6; Henry Handy, 4; and Martin, 1 month. Abram and wife were recorded on the 1900 census. Census data noted that they had been married for twenty-seven years. Included in the home were children: Virginia, 17; Hester, 12; and Martin, 18. Also in their home was granddaughter Stella, 5. Neither Abram or Mary could read or write but all of their children were able to do so. Abram worked as a ditcher and owned his home.
Abram had mostly likely died by 1910 as his son Martin Guy and wife Gertrude were listed on the 1910 census living in the residence where Abram previously had owned between Polite Joseph and Raymond Antoine. Included in Martin’s home in 1920 were children: Bertha, Louisa and Robert.
Ezekiel George Guy, 11 was recorded in the home of his aunt Amanda Guy and her husband Jacob Williamson for the 1870 census. Ezekiel’s 1895 New Orleans marriage license listed his parents as Martin Guy and Patsy Ly?? He married Mintie Young, daughter of Henry and Celeste Young. He and wife Mintie were included in the 1900 US census in New Orleans with daughters, Celeste, Mary and Katy. Ezekiel worked as a day laborer and lived at 414 Burgundy Street. He and Mintie were able to read and write.
Ezekiel married Estella Haywood in 1907. His name on the license was recorded as George Guy and his age as forty-one. His parents’ names were recorded as Martin and Patsy Guy. Ezekiel and Stella and appeared on the 1910 LaFourche Parish census with their son George. Ezekiel was listed as George Guy and worked as a bricklayer. He and Stella were still in LaFourche Parish at the time of the 1920 census. Included in their home were George, 11; Octavia, 9; Samuel, 7; Armour, 4; Clarence, 2; and Hazel, 1.
By 1930, Ezekiel was back in Iberia Parish. He was recorded as a seventy-year-old married man. Estella and children were counted on the 1930 Orleans Parish census. Estella was listed as a widow.
Estella and family moved to Pasadena, California and were listed on the 1940 census. She worked as a cook and lived 544 W. Pepper Street. Ezekiel and wife Katie Rose were listed on the 1940 Iberia Parish census.
Ezekiel filed in civil court to obtain the property rights of his deceased siblings Abram and Maria Guy. In one of his filings, he included the name of former wife Estella Haywood. Ezekiel died June 19, 1944 in a Lafayette hospital. Ezekiel’s granddaughter Octavia Estelle Butler was a highly regarded science fiction writer of works such as Kindred, Bloodchild and Fledgling. She also received the MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant.
Maria Guy was born about 1858 to Martin Guy and Charity. She was listed on the 1870 Iberia Parish census in the household of Emus and Charity Spahe along with Anna and Josephine Gatewood. I know that Maria Guy purchased land from Mrs. Emma Henkle April 1900, Book 38, Folio 138, but I have been unable to find Maria on any census after 1870.
Henry Jenkins was my 4th great grandfather. He was born about 1860 and was the youngest child born to Bridget Guy and Robert ‘Bob’ Jenkins. As I’ve written in previous blog posts, it has been difficult to research Henry because I have not been able to find him in the 1880 US census and I have only found 1 marriage record for Henry–his 1898 marriage to Mary Mathieu.
Henry was recorded as the father of several children: Simon Felix, Oliver, Victoria, Louisa, Henry Jr., Matthew, Lloyd, Profit, Clarence, Agnes, Mary and Maviola. He was recorded on the 1900 US census, living in St Mary Parish, Ward 7, with Mary to whom he’d been married 2 years. He was listed as John Jenkins, instead of Henry. Included in their household were: Victoria, 7; Louisa, 5; and Henry, 3.
The 1900 census added the question regarding how many children a woman had given birth to and how many of those children were still living. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine how many children Henry or any man may have fathered. I obtained social security card applications for 2 of Henry’s sons; Simon Felix Jenkins and Henry Jenkins Jr. This provided me with the names of Henry’s 2 wives: Elsie Edwards and Madeline Charles. As mentioned in an earlier post, I believe that Henry’s earlier wives may have died shortly after giving birth. I could only find Elsie (Alcee) Edwards on the 1870 Iberia Parish census. I found a Madeline Charles on the 1870 St Mary Parish census, but have not been able to determine if this person was the mother of Henry Jenkins Jr. and presumably Victoria and Louisa as well, since both were older than Henry Jr.
According to the 1900 census, Henry worked as a day laborer who owned his own home and could neither read or write. Information was provided to the census taker that Henry’s parents were both born in Maryland, despite the fact that his mother, Bridget, was most likely born in St Mary Parish. Bridget’s parents’ place of birth was recorded as Maryland on 1880 census and as Louisiana and Virginia on 1900 census. That Maryland was listed as Henry’s mother, Bridget’s birthplace may indicate that he was aware of a connection to a Maryland ancestor.
Census data for 1910 Census data recorded Henry’s answer that he had been married 3 times. Henry, Mary, Louisa, Henry Jr as well as 3 children born since the previous census: Matthew, Lloyd, Crawford (Profit), were living together in St Mary Parish, Ward 7. Henry’s employment status was recorded as ‘working out‘ and he was described as a ‘renter’ and not as owner as he was per the 1900 census. I will see if I can find out if the term ‘working out’ meant that Henry was paying off a debt and that is the reason for the change in his home ownership status.
Missing from Henry’s 1910 household was daughter Victoria. I have not found Victoria on the 1910 census, but I know that she married Matthew Schaffer. I found a death record for a child born in 1915 to Victoria Jenkins and Mat Schaffer. I did find Mat Chaffer (Schaffer) listed on the 1910 St Mary Parish census as a twenty-seven-year-old man who had been married for five years but there was no listing for a wife in his household. Mat worked as a railroad laborer. All branches of my family tree originated from enslaved people that lived in Iberia and St Mary Parish. Because of this, I think it is inevitable that marriages would occur between the 2 branches. I have not been able to say definitively, but I theorized that Mat Schaffer was the eighteen-year-old Matthew Smith who was recorded in the home of Joseph and Charlotte Smith (my maternal 3rd great grandparents on my Smith tree) on the 1900 Iberia Parish census.
Henry and Mary were still living in Ward 7 at the time of the 1920 census. Four more children were recorded in their household: Clarence, Agnes, Maviola and Mary. The family lived on Pepper Road in a home that per the census was rented. No person in the household was recorded as being able to read or write. Henry, Mary, Matthew, Lloyd and Profit all worked as farm laborers.
Henry’s daughter Victoria , 25 and husband Matthew Chaffer, 31 (Schaffer) were recorded on the 1920 St Mary Parish census living on Jefferson Highway. Living with them were children: Beatrice, 8; Liza, 6; and Cigas, 1. The household listed next on the census included Matthew’s aunt Cora Smith. That household included Jack Elware, his wife Cora, his nineteen-year-old stepdaughter Agnes Robertson and his sixteen-year-old daughter Alma.
Henry’s son Felix and wife were living in Beaumont at the time of the 1920 census. Felix worked as a shipyard laborer and his wife Mary as a cook for a private family.
As I mentioned previously, Henry’s son Oliver Jenkins, wife Amelia Smith and family were missing from the 1910 and the 1920 census.
I have not yet found Henry’s daughter Louisa on the 1920 census, but I did find her on the 1930 St Mary Parish census living in the household with her in-laws, Thomas and Lucy Volter. Also living there were Louisa’s children Jacob, Thomas and Moses.
Henry died October 21, 1925. His age was recorded as seventy, suggesting that he was born in 1855. The information regarding his parents was recorded as unknown. The informant for the death certificate information was Henry’s son-in-law Nathan Volter. Henry’s burial place was ‘near Jeanerette’.
Henry’s daughter Victoria Jenkins Schaffer died Aug. 1, 1921 of breast cancer. Her place of death was listed as Albania. For the 1930 census, Victoria’s children Eliza Schoffer (Schaffer), 15; and Cedgis Schoffer (Schaffer), 11; were recorded in the household with their aunt, Cora Henry. Also in the home was Cora’s husband Jack Henry and her 6-year-old grandson LeRoy Thomas.
Henry’s widow Mary, son Clarence and daughter Maviola were living together on 1930 St Mary Parish census in Ward 7 in a home that they owned per census records. Both Clarence, 18; and Maviola 11; could read and write. Fifty-two-year-old Mary and Clarence worked as farm laborers. Living with Mary was daughter Agnes, her husband Charles Wesley and their son Henry.
Henry’s sons Matthew and Lloyd were married and living in Texas by 1930. Matthew Jenkins and wife Viola LaFleur were living in Jefferson County. Lloyd Jenkins and Ida Griffin were married 1929 in Harris County, Texas.
Henry’s son Oliver Jenkins and wife Amelia Smith who had were missing from the 1910 and 1920 US Census, miraculously were recorded on the 1930 Iberia Parish census. Their household included Oliver, 52; Media, 42; Livingston, 17; Olie (Oliver), 12; Solomon, 6; Charlotte, 15; and Cora, 10. Solomon was not Oliver’s son, but his grandson. Solomon’s mother was Elsie Jenkins. Olie (Oliver Jr.), Charlotte and Cora were recorded as being able to read and write. Oliver and Amelia’s children: Elzenia, Florence, Elsie, Gladys and Austin had all married and were living in their respective households in Iberia Parish and in California.
If you have been following my genealogy trek to find my early ancestors, you know that telling Amelia and Oliver’s story has been complicated by the fact that Amelia’s parents were missing from the 1880 census records as were Oliver, his brother Simon Felix and his father Henry Jenkins, Sr. Additional complications to telling Oliver’s story was that his mother, Elsie Edwards most likely died soon after his birth in 1878 and Elsie’s parents, Handy aka Anthony and Versy aka Olivia Edwards, were missing from the 1880 census as well. It is only because I found Simon Felix Jenkins social security card application that I know the name of his mother. Felix died in 1941, but not before he applied for a social security card in 1935. That application gathered information supplied by the actual applicant and is often the only time we find the maiden names of mothers. When Felix died in 1941, his half-brother Matthew Jenkins provided the name of Henry Jenkins as Felix’s father for the death certificate but said that the mother’s maiden name was unknown.
One of the greatest unknowns about Amelia and Oliver is where they and family were for the 1910 and 1920 census. I spent a great many unsuccessful hours sitting at genealogy libraries, painstakingly turning the microfilm reader wheel slowly, looking at every frame hoping to see the family. I used every genealogy search engine–searching for near matches on variations of their names. I searched for them living in different states but still didn’t find them until 1930.
In 2012, I found a book written by Amelia and Oliver’s granddaughter, Leanna Williams that detailed the family’s life in The House Surrounded by Sugar Cane. She painted a vivid and inspiring glimpse into our shared family story. She described the house as being situated at the end of a road, separated from the quarters where other plantation workers lived. She told of the many fruit and nut trees that surrounded the house in addition to the acreage devoted to food crops and to truck farming. So, I thought that perhaps census workers overlooked the house when on their rounds. Perhaps the road was too muddy or the house too isolated and so the house was skipped? But Leanna also wrote that an uncle named David and his wife Sarah had lived in the house and it was only after Sarah’s death did her father Livington Jenkins and family move in to help him with the farm. She placed the family moving in with David sometime shortly after her sister Theresa was born. That would have been about 1933 or so.
This confused me because Amelia and Oliver were still alive in 1933–why weren’t they living in The House Surrounded by Sugar Cane? I’d theorized that Sarah Smith and her husband William Davis were actually the Sarah and David mentioned in Leanna’s book, but they were living in New Iberia at the time of the 1930 census. Sarah died in 1939 and by 1940 William was living in Patoutville, which is where the family farm was located.
Did Amelia have a brother named David? Answering that question is a unanswered puzzle. Amelia was born about 1881 or so and first appeared on the 1900 Iberia Parish census. 1900 census data revealed that Amelia’s mother Charlotte had given birth to fifteen children of which 9 were still living. The problem is that through all of my research, I can only account for eleven children, living or deceased: Maria, Eliza, Ida, Lincoln, Louvenia, Ella, Charlotte, Oliver, Sarah, Amelia and Cora. Four of Charlotte’s children: Maria, Eliza, Ida and Lincoln were never seen after the 1870 census. Were any of these 4 children alive somewhere. I have only found 7 of the 9 children reported to be living in 1900: Louvenia, Ella, Charlotte, Oliver, Sarah, Amelia and Cora. After more thinking, I wonder if Charlotte was counting among the 9 living children, her daughter Charity who lived in Maryland? Charlotte had been born in Calvert County, MD and then sold and shipped to Louisiana in 1851?
I tossed out my assumption that Amelia and Oliver were not listed on census records in 1910 and 1920 because they were living in The House Surrounded by Sugar Cane. My focus now was on their children and on what became of them. I want to tell know their stories! I know some of their descendants moved to Texas, California and Arizona. But I suspect that we, the Guys/Jenkins/Bernards/Charles/McGees, are out there in every state, county and continent on this great earth!
Amelia and Oliver’s children
Elzenia Jenkins 1901-1952 Iberia Parish, LA & Louis Newchurch
Florence Jenkins 1905-1961 Shasta County, CA & Sidney Benjamin
Gladys Jenkins & Polite
Elsie Jenkins & Ivory Hills
Austin Jenkins 1913-1986 CA & Corinne Rosette 1912-1984 AZ
Livingston Jenkins & Reverta
Charlotte Jenkins & Andrew
Oliver Jenkins Jr. & Sarah
Cora Jenkins & Phillip
And so, I invite everyone who is a descendant of Amelia and Oliver to join me in gathering stories and photos as well as celebrations of birth and of lives well lived. I hope you join me if only to ask a question.
I was able to add branches to my Calvert County, Maryland families: the Phillips, Torneys, Watts, Taylors, and Kents, thanks to Ancestry.com shared profile matches and Gedmatch.com’s DNA chromosome comparison tool. The problem I faced was that I’d found Joseph aka ‘Young’ Smith and Charlotte on the 1870 census but had not been able to find them on the 1880 census. I did not find them again until the 1900 Iberia Parish census. In thirty years their children had grown up, married and moved out and started lives of their own.
Living with Joseph Smith and Charlotte Phillips in 1900 was nineteen-year-old widowed Amelia Smith, who according to census records had given birth to 1 child. In that household also was fifteen-year-old Cora Smith who was also widowed and the mother of 1 child and Alava Smith who was twenty-two years-old and married for 2 years. In the household also was eighteen-year-old Matthew Smith and 2 children age 1: Clarance and Agnes. Finding those children previously listed on the 1870 census: Maria, Eliza, Ida, Lincoln, Lavinia, Lincoln and Ella proved to be challenging.
Adding to the challenge was that according to the 1900 census, Charlotte had given birth to fifteen children, of which 9 were still living. Adding the 7 children listed on the 1870 census to the 3 listed on the 1900 census brought the number of children known to me to 10. So, there were 5 children whose names I did not know. Joseph was born in Kentucky and Charlotte in Maryland, so I looked in houses near them on the 1900 census for people with the correct names whose parents were born in those 2 states. I did not find any.
I looked at Familysearch.org for marriage and death records for all of the children from the 1870 census and found only 1 marriage but no death records. I found an 1882 marriage record for Lovina Smith to Charles Jean Louis. The witnesses were Alfred Spencer and ??? Coleman. J.B. Livingston was the minister. Was this my Lavinia?
I then searched among the death records for Joseph Smith in Iberia Parish and found a 1939 death record for Sarah Smith Davis. Her parents were recorded as Joseph and Charlotte Smith. I had never seen the name Sarah, but I’d now found 1 of the missing 5 children. I scrolled down and found a record for Ella Louise Johnson who’d died in 1949 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The certificate listed her parents as Joseph and Charlotte Smith.
I next searched in death records for Young Smith and found documentation for 2 of the 3 children listed on the 1900 census: Amelia Jenkins’ 1948 death in Iberia parish and Oliver Smith’s1930 death in Port Arthur. I still had 4 unknown children of Charlotte’s to find.
Searching on the name of the newly found child Sarah Smith, I found several Sarah Smiths living in St Mary and Orleans Parish for 1900. I looked at each one until I found a likely match–a Sarah Smith living on Eralto Street in New Orleans, Ward 2 in a rooming house with Lavinia Marshall 28 and her forty-year-old husband Nathan Marshall with whom she’d been married for 2 years. Also in the household was Priscilla Ely, 10. Sarah’s age was incorrectly transcribed as 3 even though the census taker wrote her birth information as Oct. 1876, which would have made her about 23. So, I had now found Lavinia and Sarah Smith as well as Lavinia’s daughter Priscilla.
Lincoln Smith
Lincoln Smith was a very hard person to track. I actually only found him alive on the 1870 Iberia Parish census when his age is listed as 5. I was not able to trace Lincoln or his family until 2018 when I found information on the auction and sale of the Young Smith Estate. Young and Charlotte purchased the land in 1872 from Lassoline Bonin and wife Cecile Broussard. I knew that the family had lost the land sometime about 1969 from parish tax assessor information and through records obtained from the Iberia Parish Court House. So, I looked in Iberia Parish Courthouse records online and searched on the name Young Smith and Joseph Smith. I found royalty payments from Dunlap Oil to descendants of Young Smith. Among the newly discovered names were: Lawrence Jacob; Pearl Smith Eglin, wife of Philip Eglin; Lizzie Walker, wife of Joseph Walker; Oscar Smith and Mamie Tibbs Hart.
So, I now had new names to research!
I found Lawrence Jacobs listed on the 1910 Calcasieu Parish census with his mother Lizzie Jacobs, a thirty-five-year-old widow and children Charlotte 26, David S 21, Alfred 10 and Lawrence 7. I searched the 1900 US census and found Lizzie Jacobs in St Mary Parish with her husband of 5 years, Alfred Jacobs. In that 1900 household were 2 older children: David 12, Charlotte 14. I assumed these 2 children were Lincoln’s children, because Lizzy had only been married to Alfred for 5 years. So, I looked for a marriage record for Lincoln Smith and Lizzie. I didn’t find one, so I looked for death records for David S Jacobs and his other siblings. I found a 1939 Beaumont, TX death record for David Lincoln Smith which listed his parents as Lincoln Smith and Lizzie Porter. David was born Feb. 15, 1892 in Jeanerette. All of the other children of Lizzie Porter took Jacobs as their last name.
Lizzie’s daughter, Charlotte Jacobs married a man named Julius Paul. She was listed on the 1910 Calcasieu Parish census twice; once with children Edward Paul, 8; and Lizzie Paul, 6. She was also listed as Charlotte P in the household with her mother Lizzie Jacobs. Charlotte Smith Jacobs Paul Lovett died 1937 in Calcasieu Parish. Lawrence Jacobs was a child of Lizzie Porter and was included in the estate of Young Smith. He and family lived in Beaumont until 1940. His family was included on the 1950 San Francisco census. I have not obtained any further information on Lawrence regarding his parentage.
The Lizzie Walker listed as recipient of Dunlap Oil royalty payments from the Estate of Young Smith was in fact Lizzie Paul, the daughter of Charlotte Jacobs Paul Lovett. Lizzie later married Jack Walker and continued to live in Lake Charles until her death, April 19, 1969. She was buried in Combre Memorial Park Cemetery.
I will stay on the look-out for information of any Lincoln Smith born about 1865 in Louisiana, but only as a back-burner item. Sometimes women and men say that that are widowed not because they actually are, but because they don’t know the location their husband or wife!
Sarah Smith Davis
Sarah had been in New Orleans in 1900 but must have returned to Iberia Parish soon after because I found an Oct. 10, 1905, marriage record for Sarah Smith and William Davis. Witnesses to the marriage were Thornton Tibbs, Pierre Domingue, Jr and Loulia Thompson. S (Stephen) Tillman married the couple. The 1910 US census recorded Sarah, husband William Davis and 3-year-old son William living in St Mary Parish, Ward 3. Census data indicated that Sarah could read and write, but that William could do neither. The family was next listed on the 1920 St Mary Parish census living on Alice B. Plantation Road. By 1930 Sarah and William had moved to New Iberia. The US census listed them at 537 St. Peter Street. The family of Celestine Bernard was also listed at that address. It is possible that William and Sarah lived in a rental unit adjacent to or in the rear on the property. William was sixty-nine years old and Sarah was fifty-nine. Census data recorded that Sarah as first married at the age of twenty-five and that William’s first marriage was at the age of nineteen. This indicated that his marriage to Sarah was perhaps his second marriage. Their son William Davis was not listed in their household for 1930.
Sarah died March 13, 1939. Her age was recorded as sixty. Sarah’s husband William was listed on the 1940 US census living Patoutville, Iberia Parish. According the Leanna Williams in her book, The House Surrounded by Sugar Cane, her parents Livingston Jenkins and wife Reverta moved into the home to take care of her Uncle David following the death of his wife Sarah. David was thought to be the brother of Amelia Smith, Livingston’s mother. I believe that the uncle Leanna wrote about was actually William Davis, husband of Sarah Smith.
Sarah’s son William Davis registered for WWII in Maringouin, Iberville Parish, LA. Interestingly, his birth date was recorded as May 8, 1896 in Patoutville, although he first appears in Sarah’s house as a 3-year-old on the 1910 census. On the registration, William’s nearest relative is recorded as Rosa Christian whose address was 540 St. Peter Street in New Iberia. I believe that William mistakenly reported his year of birth on all public records. His father, forty-five-year-old William Davis appeared on the 1900 Iberia Parish census with wife Mary and children: Allen 17, Rosa 12, Junius 6 and Samuel 3. Per census data, William’s wife Mary had given birth to 4 children, all of whom were still living. There was no child name William in this 1900 household suggesting to me that William Davis Jr. is the son of Sarah and William and the same son listed on the 1910 and 1920 census living in their household.
I found William Daniel Davis‘ name on the 1969 disposition of the Estate of Young Smith. William’s address was Maringouin, Louisana. I found him on the 1950 US census living on Gross Tete Bayou Road in Maringouin, Iberville Parish with wife Stella Winsey. Census data recorded that he worked on a cattle farm for sixty hours per week. His Nov. 1993 death records indicates that his parents were William Davis and Sarah Smith. I did not find any children for William Daniel Davis.
Louvenia Smith Marshall Perkins
Lavina (Louvenia) was in New Orleans for the 1900 census but in Calcasieu Parish for the 1910 census. In her 1910 household was: husband JA Perkins,39; daughter Effie Perkins, 9; son-in-law James Williams, 29; married daughter Priscilla, 19; and grandson Lee Howard Williams, 2. Everyone in the household could read and write with the exception of Lee. Census records indicate that JA Perkins owned his home.
Luvenia and Effie were listed on Calcasieu census records living together through 1930. Louvena is living alone by the 1940 census. Her death certificate records that she died Oct. 19, 1947 and that she was born in St Landry Parish. Her daughter Effie Perkins provided the names for Luvenia‘s parents: Joseph and Celeste Smith. The death date, (1947), on Luvenia’s death certificate is very interesting, because Luvenia was listed as a seventy-eight year old widow on the 1950 Chicago, Ill US census living in the household of John M, Luvena and Lee H Perkins.
I could not find Priscilla Perkins, husband John M Williams and Lee Howard on the 1920 census but was able to find them for US census years 1930-1950 living in Chicago. Per the 1930 census, John worked as a mechanic at a garage and Lee Howard as a laborer at a tractor company. The family lived on E. 43rd Street. By 1940 John’s occupation was sewer construction. He and Priscilla lived at 4212 Wabash Ave. The 1930 census data reported that everyone in the household could read and write. Priscilla’s death records her birth as Oct. 20, 1890, in Jeanerette and her death as Jan. 31, 1957.
Lee Howard Williams was born 1907 Lake Charles, LA. The WWII draft registration form described him as 5′ 8 1/2″ with a dark complexion. He was married twice. He and first wife Ruth Evelyn Harris had at least one child, Joy Lavern Williams. His second wife was Hibernis Dangerfield. Lee worked for International Harvestor and lived at 25 E. 23rd Street per the 1950 US census.
Louvenia’s daughter, Effie married Paul Lewis and was listed in the 1961 obit for stepfather James Perkins. That James died after Luvenia told census takers that she was a widow, highlights a thing that I’ve seen over and over again–people often record their marital status as widowed when they were most likely abandoned by a living spouse or separated and not divorced.
Mariah Smith Williams
Maria or Mariah Smith was born about 1854. I only found her on the 1870 Iberia census living with parents Joe and Charlotte Smith. What little I know of Mariah has been gleaned from other family member trees and through limited conversations with cousins. What I’ve been told is that the 1-year-old boy, Addison, listed on the 1870 census was not the son of Joe & Charlotte, but instead the son of sixteen-year-old Maria. Addison’s father was Peter Williams. I have not been able to find any records for Peter Williams and have not been able to trace Maria after the 1870 census.
Mariah’s son, Addison Williams was married twice, once to Alice Mary James. Their children were Sanders James 1896-1936 and Matthew James. His second marriage to Mary Nancy Turner produced at least 6 children: Tarleton, Timothy, Trinity, Sedonia, Beulah and Josephine.
Ella Smith Johnson
With newly found information, I was able to find Ella and husband Tom Johnson on the 1900 Iberia census with their sons: Edward, Abraham Lincoln ‘Foote’, Albert and Joseph. Ella and family were later found on the 1910 census and later years in Calcasieu Parish. Ella died 1949 In Lake Charles, LA. Her death certificate indicated that her father Joseph Smith had been born in Frankfurt, KY and that her mother’s name was Charlotte Smith. She was buried in East Side Cemetery. The informant was A.L. (Abraham Lincoln) Johnson.
Ella Smith’s Descendents:
Albert Johnson and Eva Woods ->Albert, Wilmer, Geneva, Curtis, Mary L and Victoria
Abraham Lincoln Johnson 1890-1964 Galveston adn Serena Washington ->Floyd, Lloyd, Abraham Lincoln, Fabiola, Leolo, Gracie Mae and Frankie
Joseph Johnson 1898-1963 Port Arthur & Blanche ->Ella Johnson born 1916
Edward Johnson 4/3/1890 Patoutville – 1972 Served as a Private, Co B, 522 Engineers Service Battalion, shipped out of Hoboken, NJ on 4/8/1918 on the Susquehanna and returned to Newport News on the USS Siboney on 6/3/1919
Charlotte Smith and Thornton Tibbs
I found an April 1, 1895 marriage record for Charlotte and Thornton Tibbs. Witnesses to the marriage were Charlotte Alexandria and William Metts. When I re-examined the 1900 census page that listed Joseph and Charlotte Smith and family, I now noticed that Charlotte and Thornton Tibbs were also listed on the same page with a 4-year-old daughter May E. The same family group was recorded on the 1910 census. By the time of the 1920 census, the household included a 5-year-old daughter named Thelma. Also included in the home was Charlotte’s sixteen- year-old niece, Florence Jenkins (Amelia Smith Jenkins’ daughter).
Charlotte’s daughter May appeared on the 1920 census as Mamie Self, married and living in Longville, Beauregard Parish, LA. I found a marriage announcement in the Era-Leader (Franklinton, LA) June 2, 1921 for Mamie Tibs and Henry Hart.
Charlotte, Thornton and family had moved to Bogalusa, Washington Parish by the time of 1930 census. Thornton worked at sawmill and the family lived at 620 Avenue S. Census data recorded that the family did not own a radio and that Thornton was married at the age of eighteen and Charlotte at the age of fifteen.
The 1940 US census recorded Charlotte, Thornton and children Thelma, Herman and Joy Dee living in Bogalusa, LA. I found something interesting in education data for the family. Charlotte had 2 years of high school education and Thelma 1 year. Thornton had a 3rd grade education and Herman a 6th grade education. Charlotte died Sept. 24, 1941 in New Orleans. The certificate recorded her father’s name as Joseph Smith. Thelma, husband Forest Whitaker and her father were listed on the 1950 US census still living at 620 S. Avenue S.
Mamie Tibbs 1896-1964 Bogalusa, Washington Parish, LA and Henry Hart
I first found Oliver on the 1900 Iberia Parish census recorded as Alava Smith, living with parents Joseph and Charlotte and his sisters, Amelia and Cora (Clora). His marital status was married for 2 years, but there was no woman included in the household with him that appeared to be his wife. I searched census records again and found another result for an Oliver Smith living in St Mary Parish. The St Mary household listed Oliver Smith, 21, married 2 years. Also listed in the household was Alzina Griffin Morris, 20, married 2 years and a 5-year-old Elsie Smith. I assumed the Alava Smith in Iberia Parish and the Oliver Smith in St. Mary Parish were the same man.
My assumption was proved to be correct. Listed on the 1910 US census living in St Mary Parish were: Oliver Smith, wife Elzenia, eight-year-old daughter Pearl and stepdaughter Elsie Haywood. Oliver, Alzena and Pearl were listed on the 1920 Jefferson County census living in Port Arthur, TX.
Pearl Smith and husband Philip Eglin were listed on the 1930 Jefferson County, Port Arthur, TX. They were still living in Port Arthur at the time of the 1940 census with son Theaphlus.
So, now I’d found eleven of fifteen children born to Charlotte Phillips and Joseph a.k.a. Young Smith. Charlotte’s known children now included Mariah Smith Williams, Eliza Smith, Ida Smith, Louvenia Smith Marshall Perkins, Lincoln Smith, Ella Smith Johnson, Oliver Smith, Charlotte Smith Tibbs, Sarah Smith Davis, Amelia Smith Jenkins, Cora Smith Henry.
I am not able to definitively say that I’ve found Eliza or Ida Smith after the 1870 census. I have several DNA matches who have an Ida Smith at the top of their maternal family lineage. I have not yet figured out the names of Ida’s parents. Ida was listed on the 1900 census in St Mary Parish with husband Jim Hines and children: Beulah, Pearly and Elias Johnson as well as 1-year-old son Joseph Hines. Ida most likely died between 1900 and 1910. The only child of Ida’s that I have been able to positively identify after 1900 is her daughter Beulah Johnson. Beulah was recorded on the 1910 US Census living with her stepbrother James Robinson, age twenty-five. Beulah married Horace Yelling and it is her descendants that are shared DNA matches a number of key Maryland descendants of Eliza Phillips Torney. Beulah’s death certificate listed her parents as Ida Smith and Jim Key.
I am on the lookout for the names of Charlotte Phillips’s 4 remaining unnamed children. At the time of the 1900 census, it was recorded that she given birth to fifteen children of which 9 were still living. Seven of those 9, that I know were alive in 1900 were: Amelia Smith, Charlotte Smith Tibbs, Ella Louise Smith Johnson, Louvenia Smith Marshall, Oliver Smith, Sarah Smith and Cora Smith. Who were the remaining 2 that were living in 1900? Was it Mariah, Eliza, Ida or Lincoln?
Bridget Guy and her union with the mysteriously invisible Robert aka ‘Little Bob’ Jenkins
He was referenced as ‘Little Bob’ because there was an older man on the Weeks’s plantation named Bob. I haven’t found any description of Bob to otherwise explain the diminutive.
In fact, I have not found Robert Jenkins alive on any census. He was listed on David Weeks’ 1835 probate as Bob, twenty years old. On the following line was Hannah, 18, wife of Bob. Twelve-year-old Bridget was included in that same probate.
A thirty-one year old Bob was listed in the partition of slaves allotted to Alfred Weeks in the 1846 finalization of David Week’s probate. Included in that partition is Bridget 23, and children Nancy, 7; Emily, 4; and Isaac, 1.
Hannah, previously listed as Bob’s nineteen-year-old wife may be the Hannah in the allotment given to William F Weeks. That Hannah is 29 and has a 6-month-old child named Nimrod.
Was thirty-one-year-old Bob, Robert Jenkins? I have not found any solid proof that he was. Alfred Weeks left with his slaves in 1862 for Texas during the Civil War. His journal listed the names of slaves that went with him. That journal listing pretty closely reflected names on the 1846 partition: Isaac, Spencer, Sheppard, Johnson, Bob, Somerset, Nancy and Violet to name a few. But missing from that list taken to Texas was Bridget. New names to Alfred Weeks’ partition were Stephen and Lewis. I theorize that Stephen and Lewis are Bridget’s sons.
Alfred Weeks died in in 1864. Most of the slaves that he brought to Texas were accounted for and back in Iberia Parish for the 1870 census. I found Bridget’s son Isaac living in Fort Bend County, Texas in 1870 and after when the others returned to Texas.
In 1870, I found Louis Jenkins on Iberia Parish census where I expected him. I also found a Stephen Hanking who I theorized was Stephen Jenkins. Bridget’s daughter Nancy was listed on the 1870 St Martin Parish Census with husband Martin Joseph. I have been unable to find with Emily with any certainty after she was listed on the 1846 probate. But I did not Bridget or Robert Jenkins. So, where was Bridget if she did not go to Texas with Alfred Weeks? And why wasn’t she in Iberia Parish in 1870 with Louis and Stephen?
I first found Bridget and daughters Dora and Caroline and their children on the 1880 Iberia Parish census in Patoutville, LA. I had scoured the Iberia and neighboring St Mary and St Martin Parishes for Bridget and children in 1870 but had been unable to find them. I knew that Bridget was also the mother of Louis and Stephen Jenkins. Their death certificates listed Robert Jenkins as their father and Bridget as their mother. Although in Stephen Jenkins’ case, someone started writing Bridget and then crossed it out.
I widened my search for Bridget, Dora, Caroline and Henry. I looked for a Bridget anywhere in Louisiana with a child name Dora and then a Bridget in Louisiana with a child named Caroline. And then I found a Bridget that had children with all the correct names, even though their ages did not quite match. I found Bridget on the 1870 St Charles Parish census in Boutte Station. In the household was Gabriel Thomas. Thomas was the last name for everyone in the household. Could there be another different Black woman named Bridget with children with the same names, Dora, Caroline and Henry? I am not a numbers person, so I am betting that the Bridget in St Charles Parish in 1870 is my Bridget.
Was Bridget in Iberia Parish when Bob returned? Did she and Robert Gibson head for New Orleans and he died along the way. Did Bridget meet Gabriel Thomas along the way? Who was Gabriel Thomas? And why was Bridget with him in 1870? Perhaps she followed the Union troops as they marched through Iberia and St Mary Parish and ended up in Boutte Station! But if she left in 1862, would she still be away from home in 1870?
Bridget’s youngest child Henry is the Guy/Jenkins branch from which I belong. In 1870, Henry’s age is listed as 2, but on later censuses his birth year is given as 1860 or 1862.
Until I find out something to the contrary, I am sticking with this telling of Bridget’s story! Bridget was in St Charles Parish at the time of the 1870 US census for some reason that I have yet to discover.
Bridget was born about 1821. I last found her on the 1900 Iberia Parish census, where she was recorded twice. The family owned a piece of property in Patoutville on the corner of Patoutville Road and Patout Road. Saint Matthew Baptist Church once stood on this property. The church has since burned down, but the cemetery is still is use. Bridget is most likely buried there.
Henry Jenkins, Where Was He in 1880 & How Many Wives Did He Have?
By 1880 when I find Bridget and daughters in Iberia Parish, Henry is not with them. I did a broad search for him and have not found him listed 1880 census anywhere.
Where was Henry Jenkins in 1880? Additionally, where were his 2 oldest sons Simon Felix and Oliver Jenkins as both were born about 1876 and 1878? Where was the woman reported to have been their mother Elsie Edwards? Where were her parents Handy aka Henry Edwards and wife Versy aka Octavia? And were Elsie’s siblings Lyman, Octavia and Florestine?
The Edwards family had been listed on the 1870 Iberia Parish census, and then totally missing on the 1880 census, only to be partially listed on the 1900 Iberia Parish census. The 1870 Edwards household included Handy 48, Versy 39, Octavia 18, Alcee 14, Florestin 9, Lyman 5, Cornelius 3, Elizabeth 4/12. Handy and Versy’s birthplace was recorded as Arkansas. All of the children were born in Louisiana. Fourteen-year-old Alcee was Elsie Edwards.
Nancy Jenkins was born about 1841 at Weeks Island, Iberia Parish. She was the first child born to Bridget and Robert Jenkins. She was listed on the 1846 final probate of David Weeks along with Emily and Isaac.
I next found Nancy on the 1870 US census living in St Martin Parish with husband Martin Joseph and children Vina 9 and Lloyd 5. Recorded on the same page with them is the manager of one of the Weeks’ family plantation, William Lourd as well as other newly freed Weeks slaves: Rachel Davis and family, Lewis Butler and family and Katy Butler.
By 1880, Nancy and Martin Joseph were living in Iberia Parish with children: William 7, Martin Jr. 5, Briddy (Bridget) 3 and 7-month-old King. They wer now surrounded by Nancy’s family members: aunt Amanda Guy and husband Jacob Williamson; first cousin Cina (Sinah Seaberry) and husband Phillip Joseph; second cousin Abraham Guy and family; second cousin Louisa Guy; uncle Louis Jenkins; and first cousin Mary Ann Seaberry and husband Isaac Rose.
By 1900, Nancy and Martin were living in a home that they owned with sons King and Jefferson. According to census data, Nancy and Martin had been married for twenty-nine years and neither could read or write. Nancy was reported to have given birth to fifteen children of which 9 were still living. Recorded in neighboring houses was daughter Bridget, husband Henry Anderson and their 3 sons; Julius, Houston and Henry; and son Martin Joseph Jr and wife Sindy.
Nancy and Martin were counted on the 1910-1920 census living near family or as extended family units. Nancy died May 9, 1921 at the age of 76. Her death certificate listed her place of birth as Weeks Island.
Nancy’s son Martin Joseph, Jr. and second wife Carrie Antoine were listed on the 1920 Iberia Parish census living on Henkle Street with children: King, Oliver, Clifford, Stephen, Leola and Neoma in a home that they owned. The family grew to include children: Frances, Lloyd, Leothel and Ning.
Nancy’s son Jefferson Joseph and wife Rose Coleman were listed on the 1910 and 1920 census with children: Sylvinia, Hilda, Warren, Flossie, Sarah and Jefferson Jr. He registered for the WWI draft and was described as medium height and weight. Jefferson had died by the time of the 1930 census, because his wife Rose is recorded as a forty-year-old widow living with children and grandchildren. Rose was employed as a washerwoman for a private family. Her 4 oldest children were all employed by a private family as cooks or as a yard boy or a house-girl.
Nancy’s son King Joseph married Jessie Miller in 1908. I could not find King on the 1910 census but did find him on the 1920 census living on Henkle Street in a home that he owned free of any mortgate. In his household were 2 children that were listed as orphans. One child was Helen Joseph whom he raised as his daughter. King’s occupation varied from saw mill laborer to gardener for a private family. He died in Dec. 29, 1950.
Emily Jenkins
The second child born to Bridget and Robert was Emily. I know the least about her. She was born about 1842 and I have not been able to find her on any census listings. I did find a marriage of an Emily Jenkins to Paul Davis in April 1895. The wedding was officiated by J.A. Rushaw at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Patoutville. I can’t confirm that this was Bridget’s daughter. I found Paul Davis on the 1900 Iberia Parish census, but he was recorded as a widower.
Isaac Jenkins
Isaac Jenkins was the third child of Bridget Guy and Robert Jenkins. He was born about 1845 In St Mary Parish. He was listed on David Weeks’ 1846 succession inventory and was in the partition provided to Alfred Weeks, son of David Weeks and Mary Clara Conrad. One year-old Isaac was listed with his mother Bridget, 23; and sisters Nancy, 7; and Emily, 4.
The next documentation of Isaac is in Alfred Weeks’ journal of slaves that he took with him to Texas in 1862 as the Civil War came to southern Louisiana. Included on the list of slaves with Isaac were Stephen and Lewis, his younger brothers. The list recorded only the first names of each slave.
I found Louis, Stephen, Emily and Nancy all in Iberia Parish, living in are near Patoutville in 1870, 1880 or 1900. I searched the 1870 census and found twenty-three-year-old Isaac Jenkins living in Fort Bend County, Texas. He was recorded on page 531A and described as working on shares. On page 531B was David Joe and wife Rachel as well as Orange, Hetta and Eliza Weeks. David, Orange, Hetta and Eliza had been listed in the 1846 probate allotment of Harriet Weeks, sister of Alfred Weeks.
Isaac Jenkins paid a state poll tax of $1 and a county poll tax of $.50 in 1867 and 1868 which means he registered to vote. He married Sylvia Williams on Jan. 31, 1871 in nearby Harris County. Per the 1879 Fort Bend Tax schedule, Isaac owned: 2 carts, wagons or buggies worth $45; 2 horses or mules valued at $30; and 4 cattle, valued at $20; and 6 hogs. His estimated property valuation was $116. I last found Isaac on the 1910 Fort Bend census. I have not yet found a death certificate for him.
Isaac’s children with Sylvia were:
George Jenkins Sept 7, 1874-1935 TX; and Roberta Carpenter
Josephine Jenkins born 1877 and wife of Jesse Peters
Emily ‘Emma’ Jenkins and James Lemons
Andrew Jenkins born 1871, last found on the 1900 Harris County, TX census
Dora Jenkins
Dora was born about 1854 and was the 7th child of the family. I found Dora Jenkins, husband Richard Robertson and 9-month-old son George on the 1880 Iberia Parish census. In neighboring houses were her sister Caroline Jenkins and family and their mother Bridget (Brigit) Jenkins. Dora had most likely died around 1890 because the 1900 Iberia Parish census data indicated that Richard Robertson had been married 4 years to wife Alice. The 2 youngest children in the household were Sealy (Celia) born 1889 and Ernest, 2, born 1897. Other children listed in Richard’s 1900 household were: Isaac, Stephen and Alex.
Dora Jenkins & Richard Robertson Descendants
George Robertson 1879-1951 Iberia Parish, LA & Odelia Alexander
Isaac Robertson born 5/25/1880
Stephen Robertson b 1882-1949 Iberia Parish, LA & Gertrude Frelow
Alexander Robertson 1885 LA-1952 Detroit, Michigan & Alzina Alexander 1888 LA – 1971 Michigan ->Anna May Robertson born 1914 ->Lee Alma Robertson 1915-2000 ->Aexander Robertson Jr b1916 ->Oscar George Robertson 1918-1997 ->Myle Robertson b1920
Celia Robertson 1889-1941 & Cornelius Hector
Caroline Jenkins
Caroline was born about 1851, the 5th child, to Bridget and Robert. Caroline Jenkins, husband George Epps, 1-month-old daughter Mary Epps were listed on the 1880 Iberia Parish census. Also in Caroline’s household was 5-year-old daughter Lina Robertson and 3-year-old Mandy Sutton.
Caroline was next listed on the 1900 Iberia Parish census with husband Louis Wingfield and 2 nephews Man Robertson 13 and Sidney Young 15. 2 households away was Bridget Jenkins 70 and Caroline’s daughters: Mary Epps 19 and Martha Epps 15. Caroline’s brother Louis Jenkins lived in the household following Bridget’s. Bridget was recorded as a seventy-year-old widow who had given birth twelve children of which 6 were still living.
The 1910 census recorded a forty-six-year-old widowed Caroline living on Rose Town Road. Her daughter Lena was living next door with her husband John Charles and their children: Willy, Theodore, Phillip, John, Caroline and Richard. On the same page was Caroline’s daughter Amanda, 31; husband Jonas Murray and son Allen Murray, 12.
Caroline and daughter Lena Sutton Charles and family were still living next door to one another for the 1920 through the 1940 census. Caroline was now recorded as Carolina Hopes as she was the widow of Riley Hopes. Her daughter Amanda Murray, son-in-law Jonas and granddaughter Gracie were enumerated on the same page.
I last found Caroline’s daughter Mary Epps listed on the 1910 Iberia Parish census with her husband Joseph Brown and son Oliver. I could not find Mary after the 1910 census, but I did find Joe Brown and family on the 1920 census. Most likely Mary had died. In the household with Caroline Hopes is a young boy named Oliver Hines or Hinds. He is recorded as an orphan, but not as Caroline’s grandson. I was not able to find Martha Epps after the 1910 census, but I did find a 1951 death record for her that listed her last name as Smith.
Caroline died April 21, 1949 and was buried in Jerusalem Cemetery.
Louis Jenkins and Mary Toliver
Louis Jenkins was 6th child born to Bridget Guy and Robert Jenkins. He and Mary Toliver had the following children: Robert, Northern, Prophet, Roselia, Campbell, Clinton, Aurelia, Horace and Ezekil. Louis Jenkins and great nephew Abraham Guy were trustees of First Jerusalem Baptist Church in 1902.
Louis was last found on the 1930 Harris County census living at 2411 McKinney Street in Houston with his son Robert and Robert’s wife Sophie. Also recorded in the household was Louis’ son Horace Jenkins who was listed as a single man who worked as a cook at a country club. Robert Jenkins‘ occupation was proprietor of a barber shop.
Louis Jenkins died Aug. 5, 1931 in Houston at the age of seventy-nine. His death certificate recorded his parents as Robert Jenkins and Bridget. Louis was buried in Jeanerette, Louisiana.
Robert Jenkins was last recorded on the 1940 census. He owned a barber shop at 2411 McKinney. His wife Sophia’s occupation was recorded as caterer. Robert died at the age of 65 in 1943 and was buried back in his hometown of Jeanerette, Louisiana. Sophia survived Robert and died in 1958 in Houston. Robert’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Geneva, died of cholera while a student at Wiley College.
Horace Jenkins, wife Leola and niece Ernestine all worked at his cafe. Horace lived at 2407 McKinney. He died April 24, 1957 and was buried in Paradise Cemetery. His death certificate details that he lived at 1117 Sampson Street and was proprietor of a rooming house.
Ezekil Lawrence Jenkins lived in Chicago with wife Aurelia Alexander. He worked as a cab driver and lived at 526 Browning Ave. in 1930. He registered for the WWII draft at the age of 47 and was described as 5′ 9″ with gray hair. Per the draft registration form, he worked for Lakeview Dairy. Ezekil and Aurelia were still living in Chicago in 1950. Ezekil died 1960 in Lafayette, Louisiana. I don’t know that Ezekil had any children.
Northern and Prophet Jenkins were both counted on the 1910 Omaha, Nebraska census. Prophet’s occupation was listed as barber. I found Chicago Defender newspaper articles that highlighted Prophet’s rise in the Omaha police ranks from patrolman to become the first Black detective in Nebraska.
Prophet registered for the WWII draft. He was described as 5′ 11′ with gray hair. He and Amanda had 2 daughters; Leola and Verdia. He and wife Amanda (nee Johnson) were last recorded on the 1950 census when he was described as a sixty-six-year-old retired policeman. Prophet died May, 1956 and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Northern Jenkins registered for the WWI draft in Omaha. Mrs. Ella Jenkins was listed as his nearest relative and his employer was Porter Bros. I found an obituary in the Chicago Defender for Northern. Northern died Oct. 23, 1935 and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Clinton Jenkins seemed to have always been on the move. I found a marriage record for 1907 between Clinton Jenkins and Pearl McDay in Iberia Parish but was unable to find the 2 on any census record. I did find a man named Clint Jenkins living in Dallas, TX at the time of the 1920 census. He was employed as a yardman by Leslie Waggoner and lived at Putnam Ave. Clinton married Susie Quick in 1923 in Vancouver, Washington. Per the 1930 census, Clinton and Susie were living in San Diego, CA. He died Nov. 10, 1939 and was buried in Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery. He served in the US Navy Reserve and received an honorable discharge in 1921.
Louis’s daughter Aurelia Jenkins married Louis Conway. Aurelia, Louis and 2 daughters: Mary and Maud were counted on the 1910 Iberia Parish census in her father’s home. I believe that Aurelia and daughters may have died of the 1918 Influenza Epidemic. I did not find a death record for her, but I found her husband Louis Conway and daughters Scelestine and Thelma on the 1920 Dallas, Texas census. Aurelia’s son Joseph Eugene Conway was recorded in the household of his grandfather Louis Jenkins for the 1920.
Aurelia’s children Scelestine, Thelma and Joseph were listed on the 1930 US census with their father in Amarillo, Texas. By 1940, Scelestine was married and living in Amarillo with her husband and children. Scelestine and family later moved to San Francisco. I found several inspirational articles written about Scelestine and family regarding their commitment to community and civic organizations. I even found a photo of Scelestine manning a phone bank during the campaign of presidential candidate Barak Obama as well as a news article in celebration of her 100th birthday!!
Louis’s son Campbell Jenkins and Cecilia Johnson had sons; Louis, Albert and Joseph and 3 daughters; Ernestine, Mary and Aurelia. Campbell died Sept. 23, 1950 in Jeanerette, LA.
Campbell’s son Louis Jenkins served in the military during WWII–he enlisted on May 11, 1942 and was discharged June 25, 1945. Louis owned a home on Akers Street. He died August 1975 in Jeanerette, LA.
Campbell’s daughter Ernestine was recorded on the 1940 Houston, Harris County, TX census in the home of her uncle Horace Jenkins with his wife Leola. Horace’s occupation was cafe owner/waiter. Ernestine died 1986 in Houston.
Campbell’s son Albert Jenkins registered for the WWII draft while in Orange, Texas. He is described as 6′ tall, with high cheekbones and slightly bald. I’ve seen many military registrations and have never seen another that mentioned anything like high cheek bones! Albert’s nearest relative was wife, Charlotte. He worked at the Texas Creosoting Company. Albert was counted on the 1950 US census living in Orange, Texas were he was employed as a railroad section hand. Albert died 1952 in Tyler, Texas of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Stephen Jenkins & Mary Jane Logan
Stephen Jenkins purchased 27 1/2 arpents of land designated as Isle Piquant from Mary McGuire in 1878. His land was bounded by that of Appoline Patout, Lassoline Bonin, Mrs. Derneville Minguez and Joseph Gary.
Stephen Jenkins and Mary Jane Logan had the following children: Mary Jane, Lizzie, Reverta, Stephen Jr, Prince, Miles, Dora and Laura.
Stephen died June 1924 at the age of 61 from acute dysentary. He was buried in Patoutville.
Stephen’s children were:
Mary Jane Jenkins & Stewart Wagner
Reverta Jenkins & Phillip Wagner
Lizzie Jenkins born 1881
Stephen Jenkins Jr. & Carrie Sophus
Prince Jenkins, lived in South Dakota in 1905 and registered for WWI in Minnesota
Abram Guy was a man on my family tree for whom I have found much written, but a man who did not live to see freedom. Abram was the son of George and Jenny Guy. It is difficult to know if Guy was George’s last name or Jenny’s last name. I know with a certainty that Abram’s last name was Guy because he was referenced as Abram Guy in a 1866 Freedmen’s Bureau complaint.
The beginning of what I know about Abram’s story is that his father George was a slave on the plantation of William Weeks sometime before 1817. On Oct. 2, 1817 William Weeks sold George and at least 48 other slaves to his son David Weeks. The sale was recorded in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, Parish Book A, Folio 491-492. In a separate recording of that same sale (Afro-Louisiana History and Geneaology), George was listed as George Elivin. This was a transcription error–George was valued at eleven hundred dollars. Two females named Jenny were sold in 1819 by someone by the last name of Weeks, most likely William Weeks who died Oct. 22, 1819 in St Francisville, LA. The sale is recorded in Estate Number: 26-A-088-033-1819.
George is recorded as a fifty-five-year-old Mulatto driver on David Weeks’ 1835 probate. Jenny, age thirty-four, is listed as his wife. Listed with Jenny are children Amanda, 9; George, 7; Abraham, 5; Lewis, 4; and Martin 1. Listed on successive lines beneath Jenny are Isaac, 17; Nancy, 15; and Bridget, 12.
This means that Abraham or Abram was born about 1830. His name next appears in the 1846 final partition of David Weeks’ estate. He is listed as eighteen-year-old Little Abram in the allotment to Harriet Weeks Meade. Also in that allotment are his brothers Lewis and Martin and parents George and Jinny (Jenny).
Abram’s name next surfaces in the plantation journal of William Taylor Palfrey. Palfrey’s first wife was Sidney Conrad, sister to Mary Conrad, wife of David Weeks. Palfrey’s plantation shared a boundary with the plantation of Harriet Weeks Meade. Palfrey wrote on June 9, 1861 that Abram was abducted while on Palfrey’s lane and about 100 yards from his sugar house, by 2 overseers who worked on the neighboring Bethel Plantation. Palfrey wrote that Abram was on his way to visit his wife and family who lived on Palfrey’s plantation, as he usually did without a pass. He detailed that he’d known Abram for fifteen years and found him to be a “harmless and inoffensive Negro.” Abram and 2 of Palfrey’s slaves were also taken and put in the stocks. Palfrey was able to secure the release of his own slaves, but not that of Abram. He described Abram as covered in his own blood, badly beaten and swollen.
William T. Palfrey kept an extensive journal that included slave births and deaths, weather reports, the comings and goings of neighbors including their slave births and deaths. It is from his journal that I know the names of Abram’s wife and children that lived on Palfrey’s plantation. He recorded 5 births to Elsy #1: Abram, Aug 27, 1854; Minerva, Feb. 10, 1857; Melissa, July 11, 1858; Ben, July 31, 1860; and John, May 29, 1863.
The last written report that I have found regarding Abram is the Aug. 14, 1866 Freedmen’s Bureau report in which Maria and son Sterling complain about the indenture of Richard and Tom Guy by Thomas H Weightman. Thomas H Weightman was the husband of Harriet Weeks Meade. Both boys are identified as the orphaned children of Abram Guy and Silvia. Silvia was the daughter of Maria and the sister of Sterling. I can not say with great certainty, but I think Maria and Sterling were listed on the 1870 St Mary Parish census as Maria and Sterling Ivah. In the household with them in 1870 were Delphine Garret and Roseline Ivah. I was able to find Delphine Garret in 1880 and a Roseline Isom in 1880. I believe Roseline Isom was the aunt of Richard and Tom but can’t verify it with any certainty.
I was able to find very little information about Abram’s sons, Thomas and Richard Guy. Thomas Guy married Martha Ann Burner January 13, 1875 in St Mary Parish. Tom Guy died Jan. 1880 in St Mary Parish at the age of 26. The cause of death was listed as heart disease. Richard ‘Dick’ Guy, 21, was listed on the 1880 St Mary census with wife Eliza age 20. The next record of a Richard Guy is the 1888 New Orleans marriage of a Richard Guy to Frances Brown. There is a death record for Richard Guy in New Orleans, dated Feb 6, 1890. His age was 28 and the cause of death was pneumonia phthisis (pulmonary tuberculosis). His widow Frances later married Mark Lawson and there seems to have no children from her marriage to Richard.
Abram’s wife Elsy was listed on the 1867 Freedmen Bureau work contract with William T Palfrey as the widow of Abram. Abram’s children with Elsy #1 appeared on the 1870 St Mary Parish census with the last name of Wilson. Henry Wilson was in fact their stepfather. Elsy Guy married Henry Wilson in St Mary Parish on Aug. 13, 1867. She last appeared on the 1880 St Mary Parish census when she is fifty-one years old.
Abram’s children were listed in subsequent census records and marriage records with the correct last name of ‘Guy’. Abram’s descendants and their spouses lived in St Mary Parish at least through 1900 and are listed below:
Abram Guy Jr & Francis Williams
Minerva Guy and Braxton Bolden Sr. & Stephen Manuel
Melissa Guy and Wesley Harding & Allen Murray
Ben Guy & Philomene Moore
John Guy & Alice M Hall
Palfrey’s plantation journal recorded Elsy #1 birth of a son John on May 29, 1863 suggesting that Abram did not die as a result of the beating on June 9, 1861. But I can say with great certainty that Abram was deceased by time of the 1866 Freedmen’s Bureau complaint. April 1863 is on the timeline when Civil War skirmishes and battles began near Franklin, Louisiana.
William T Palfrey and slaves hunkered down on his various plantations (Isle Labbe, Cypremort and Franklin) throughout the Civil War. But neighboring plantation owners, including Harriet Weeks Meade Weightman, fled with their slaves to Texas. It is likely that Abram was removed to Texas and died or was killed while away. I have not yet found out his fate.
My Maryland-Louisiana Roots 