Servants Have Boils and Risings - 1861

The Great Grandchildren of Patience Bradley

The mistress of Spring Hill Plantation, Sarah Frances Adams Taliaferro, wrote a newsy letter to her son Henry during the first year of the Civil War. Below is an excerpt from that letter mentioning the servants and their suffering with boils and risings. A boil is a painful, pus-filled bump under the skin caused by infected, inflamed hair follicles.

The Excerpt of the Letter
Sarah Frances Taliaferro to her son Henry (Richard Henry Taliaferro)
Spring Hill Plantation
November 16, 1861

"We are getting on now pretty well picking cotton but have been much hindered by the servants having boils & risings. Edmond has had his hand in a sling for 6 weeks - Rachel and Gilmer have done nothing for 2 months - Patience with one finger - Sam with sore back - no fevers or chills on the place the whole summer - the cotton is indifferent they say it is rotten in the bolls."

Sarah Frances was married to Peachy Ridgway Taliaferro of Copiah County, Mississippi. After his death in 1852, she was allotted several slaves including the ones mentioned in the letter. Edmund was appraised at $1500, Rachael $1000, Gilmer $1300, Patience $600, and Sam $700.

Patience, along with her husband Arthur, and five of their children were also named on Peachy R Taliaferro's probate records.

How does Patience connect to my family?
Patience Bradley's grandson, James Howard Bradley, married Ella Demyers. Ella Demyers was the daughter of Peachy Demyers.
Peachy Demyers was the brother of my 2nd great grandmother, Alice Demyers Overton Usher.

Letter Excerpt Shared by Beverley Ballantine from Family Letters
Photograph Courtesy of Melvia Ella Cherry Dean

The Interview of Sallie B Williams - 1999

The House of Sallie's Childhood

SALLIE B. WILLIAMS
Daughter of Hilliard Williams
Interview: November 1999
Across the road from the entrance to Spring Hill
Present: Carol Murff Oates, Georganne Murff Johnson, Beverley H. Ballantine

Blogger's Comments

Sallie B Williams was the daughter of Hilliard and Johnnie Overton Williams. Sallie was born 05 May 1915 in Copiah County, Mississippi. She died 11 Feb 2002 in Hazlehurst, Copiah County, MS.

The interviewers are the descendants of Peachy Ridgway Taliaferro.

BB: How long have you been living here?

SW: Been livin’ here all my born days.

CO: How old are you?

SW: I’m 83 years old.

SW: Yes’m I knew the Taliaferros. Miss Betty Taliaferro.
Elizabeth "Betty" Macon Rice Taliaferro was the widow of Charles Adams Taliaferro. Betty was born in 1846, died in 1931. Charles' father was Peachy Ridgway Taliaferro, a slave owner of my family.

CO: She must have been pretty old when you knew her.

SW: Miss Pearl – her daughter – Miss Pearl took her out in the automobile. Miss Balmayne, Miss Edwynne (pronounced EdWeen), Miss Fay, and another one named Miss Josephine was the nurse.
The children of Charles and Betty Taliaferro were: Mariella, Bessie Pearl, Balmayne, Sarah Frances, Charles Jr., Edwynne, and Josephine.

CO: That’s right. She went and nursed people’s children for them. And my daddy came as a little boy. He was about – Josie B’s son was Billy Gordon and my daddy was Tolly Murff and he came here and spent his summers, too. He was about Billy Gordon’s age. And her daddy [pointing to Georganne Murff Johnson] was Harvey Murff; he was a little bit younger.

SW: Taliaferro Murff. And then the baby boy was named Harvey. (pronounced Hahvee)

GJ: That was my daddy and they lived down there.

SW: Yeah, they lived down there him and his wife.

BB: What do you remember about any of them?

SW: One of them sold – Miss Balmayne and her sold.

BB: They sold the place.

SW: Sewed. Made different things for people.

BB: Oh, they would sew things with their hands and sewing machine?

SW: Yes, ma’am. Miss Balmayne and Miss Edwynne.

BB: And who did the garden? That was Balmayne, wasn’t it?

SW: Miss Balmayne did the garden.

CO: She won the state contest for that garden.

SW: Yes, she had a garden. She raised chickens and turkeys.

CO: Do you know the Christmas family? There’s another cemetery over there at Spring Hill.
The Christmas family were slaves of Peachy Ridgway Taliaferro on Spring Hill Plantation.

BB: Who are the Christmas people? Why would they be buried over there?
I recognized three Christmas men and a wife named within the probate records of PRTaliaferro. Richard "Dick" valued at $1000 and his wife Leanna valued at $1100, and Albert valued at $1000, given to Peachy's daughter Sarah Frances. Ben valued at $1300 was given to Peachy's eldest son Richard. I believe Ben and Albert were the sons of Dick and Leanna.

SW: They’s buried over there when I was younger.
There are two headstones with the Christmas surname in the Spring Hill Cemetery. Albert and Irene Christmas's daughter Arlosia E born 1878, died 1901; and Ben Christmas born 1841, died 1889.

CO: Did they live on Spring Hill?

SW: Un-uh. They lived on their own place, but buried over there. Spring Hill was they family cemetery.

BB: For the Christmas. Was there ever a Dick Christmas?
Yes, Dick Christmas was named in PRTaliaferro's probate records. Richard Christmas served with the 5th Regiment, United States Colored Heavy Artillery. Ben Christmas served with the 50th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry. Albert Christmas served as a body servant to Calvit Roberts who was a son-in-law of PRTaliaferro.

SW: I don’t know. There could’a been.

BB: One of the stories was that during the war times, the civil war times, that Dick Christmas buried the silver in the pond. Nobody told you anything about that?

SW: No, nobody told me anything about it.

CO: Can you come and sit down? Are you gettin’ tired?

[We all sit down and BB goes to get camera]

CO: Did your daddy build this house?

SW: No, he didn’t build this house.

CO: Whose house was this?

SW: This was a lady that he stayed with. His uncle’s house.

CO: What was his name – the uncle’s name?

SW: John Demise. And his wife was named Virginia Demise [voice too far away]. This old house my momma stayed when she was a girl. Her mother raised my momma. [Voice too far away – but she says something about grandaughter.
John Demyers was the son of Tom and Peggy Demyers. John was born about 1839. He married Virginia Williams/Taylor. Virginia was born about 1850 to Hardenia Williams. John and Virginia raised Johnnie Overton, Sallie's mother. I don't know the names of Johnnie's parents. Johnnie was first seen in the Demyers' house in 1900 as a 15 year old.

CO: She raised her own grandchild as her daughter.

SW: And my daddy come in - and his uncle made him stay here he’s out runnin’ off on they momma. He didn’t like his stepdaddy. He’d see him in the road and my daddy’d say he made us come Come in here, come in here you naughty boy. Go yonder and ask my wife if she got
Hilliard Williams was Sallie's father. Hilliard was born about 1864 to John Weldon Williams and Emma Demyers. By 1900, Hilliard is in John T Demyers' household and thereafter. John T Demyers was Hilliard's uncle.

CO: So that’s the way your mother and your daddy got to know each other?

SW: And they got married.
Hilliard Williams and Johnnie Overton married 18 Dec 1901 in Copiah County, MS.

CO: And a few years later they got married.

SW: She wouldn’t let ‘em move out of the house. She told ‘em, no you ain’t carryin’ my daughter no where. Her daughter she raised
The couple did remain in the home per the census records. John Demyers died between December 1909 - April 1910. He left one third of his property to his nephew Hilliard who he said he loved as a son.

CO: If you’re going to marry, you’re going to live here, hunh? That’s a pretty old tree. That’s been around a while.

SW: That’s a pecan tree. My daddy put them pecan trees in and Miss Pearl. Miss Pearl Taliaferro ordered trees and had him help her set ‘em out and so she [voice too far away].

CO: Her daddy built it. [don’t know what – something about a little house] [voices garbled - too far away] We have an aerial photo taken from an airplane about 1920 or 1930 and maybe you can look at that and tell us what was what. There are several structures on it, but we didn’t really know what was what.
[At this point only Carol’s voice can be heard. She asks about the pecan trees and if they give Ms. Williams a good crop. She asks who built the new house across the street (answer may be niece’s daughter) Does she come over and see about you?

SW: They ain’t moved out there yet. [a lot of conversation that can’t be heard] Now you’ve got people living here with you.

SW: Yes. [too far away] GJ: Who owned that land where they built the house

End of Transcription
____________________

How does Sallie connect to my family tree?
My 2nd great grandmother Alice Demyers Overton Usher's sister
Emma Demyers Williams's son
Hilliard Williams had a daughter, Sallie B Williams

Sources
Albert Christmas Confederate Pension Application
Ben Christmas Federal Pension Records
Copiah County Marriage Records
Copiah County Probate Records of Peachy Ridgway Taliaferro
Interview Contributed by Beverley Ballantine
Obituary of Sallie B Williams
Research Notes of Beverley Ballantine
Research Notes of Suzanne Brown
Richard Christmas Federal Pension Records

You might be interested in these posts:
Affidavit in the Case of Harriet Christmas, Ben Christmas' Wife
Copiah County Body Servants List
John T Demyers' Will
Virginia of Somerset Plantation

Robert Austin 50th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry

Spring Hill Plantation circa 1930s
Built after fire destroyed the original.

Robert Austin was named as a fellow slave and comrade in the pension records of Thomas Taliaferro. Robert was a slave on the Peachy R Taliaferro's Spring Hill Plantation in Copiah County, MS. Robert was born about 1835 in Mississippi, described as a mulatto in the 1870 and 1880 Copiah County censuses.

After Peachy's death in 1852, Robert was given to Peachy's son Charles Adams Taliaferro. Robert was valued at $700 on Peachy's inventory list.

He enlisted with Company D, 50th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry.

I have seen Robert's name on other comrades pension records as a witness but I did not find a pension record for Robert.

Robert married Lucinda Bradley, a daughter of Harrison and Patience Bradley. The couple children were: Ella, Sallie, Ann, Dora, Eliza, Rachael, Patience, Harrison, Bettie, Robert, Jr., and Andrew. Benjamin L Austin was born about 1864 to Robert and Fannie Grant or Fannie Sims.

Records for Robert
1852 - Inventory Listing of Slaves for Peachy R Taliaferro - Robert, Jr., Valued at $700
1858 - Disbursement of PRT's Slaves - Yellow Bob/Bob Valued at $1500/$1450 - Distributed to Charles Adams Taliaferro
1863 - Enlisted with Colored Troops
1866 - Disharged at Vicksburg
1870 - Copiah County - Robert Austin, 35, with wife and children
1880 - Copiah County - Robert Austin, 43, with wife, children and other relatives.
1900 - Copiah County - Robert Austin, 65, with wife and children

Robert's Children Marriages
Ella married Robert Newsome
Sallie married Lewis Newell
Ann married Moses Thompson
Bettie Austin married George Lynch
Robert, Jr., married Donie Smith
Andrew married Mariah Copeland
Benjamin married Lucy Frenzley, daughter of Thornton Frenzley and Mariah Lee. A Thornton and Mariah were named on the inventory, Thornton valued @ $900, Mariah @ $800. Thornton was not named during the disbursement of slaves. Mariah was named, valued at $1150, allotted to Peachy's son Charles. Thornton and Mariah, with their daughter Lucy, were found in the 1870 and 1880 Copiah censuses.

Robert died before 1913. Lucinda died 01 Jul 1913 in Copiah County. She was buried in the Spring Hill Cemetery.

Read the general affidavit of Robert Austin in the pension case of Thomas Taliaferro. Robert explains his relationship with Thomas.

Left the Plantation to Join Federal Army

Unidentified African American Soldier

Thomas Taliaferro testified he was born August 1845, on Spring Hill Plantation, a slave of Peachy R Taliaferro in Copiah County, MS. After Peachy's death in 1852, Thomas was allotted to Peachy's son Charles in 1858.

Thomas' parents were Hilliard Taliaferro and Queen. His mother Queen was married to Shadrack Spotswood, likely a second husband. In 1870, Queen was living in the household of her son-in-law Jackson Brown and daughter Jenny Lind Spotswood Brown. Also in the household were Armstead and Gladden Spotwood, Queen's sons. Thomas was living with his father Hilliard Taliaferro in the 1870 household of Lawrence Sims, Copiah County, MS.

Large portion of Mississippi was in Union hands when Thomas Taliaferro left the plantation to join the Union army. He enlisted Nov or Dec 1863 with Company H, 50th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry. He was described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, complexion yellow, hair sandy, and eyes grayish.

Spring Hill Plantation circa 1930s
Built after fire destroyed the original.

Thomas Taliaferro was accidentally wounded by a comrade's bayonet, piercing through his left arm into the side near the heart. This incident happened on a march from Jackson, MS, to Port Gibson, MS, in May 1865. He was confined to his bed for about three months. He fulfilled his duty and was discharged at Vicksburg, March 1866.

He married Ann Lockwood around 1874 in Jackson or in Louisiana. The couple had several children: Thomas, Jr., Roxie, Hilliard, Henry, Minnie, Sallie, Eddie Bee, Annie, Vernon, Alfredia, Frederick, and Mattie. Thomas' wife Ann died of breast cancer October 1898 shortly after the birth of their last child Mattie.

Thomas married his second wife Bertha Welch Williams in 1901. Together, they raised his younger children.

Unable to do a full day of manual labor, suffering from fainting spells, rheumatism, epilepsy, and the injury during the war, Thomas filed for his invalid pension at the age of 45, which he received. Several people gave depositions or affidavits in his case including the slave owner's wife.

Charles Adams Taliaferro
Husband of Elizabeth "Betty" Macon Rice Taliaferro
Thomas Taliaferro's last Slave Owner

Elizabeth Rice Taliaferro testified that she "personally knew the soldier, Thomas Taliaferro from his boyhood to the day of his death; that prior to the war he was a slave of affiant's husband and left the plantation to join the Federal army. Shortly after the war closed he returned to our home community and from then on she knew him until the day he died."

Thomas died 04 May 1917 in Copiah County, MS.

Thomas and my ancestors were slaves of the same slave owning families.

Other Links Concerning Thomas Taliaferro
Bertha Taliaferro - How Many Marriages
Thomas Taliaferro's Letter - 1915
Will of Thomas Taliaferro - 1917
To the Casket Dealer

Sources:
Federal Pension File of Thomas Taliaferro
Soldier's photograph from: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.printUnidentified African American soldier in Union uniform and Company B, 103rd Regiment forage cap with bayonet and scabbard in front of painted backdrop showing landscape with river
Charles A Taliaferro's photograph is courtesy of Suzanne Brown.
Plantation photograph courtesy of Beverly Smith.
Research Notes of Beverley Ballantine

Wordless Wednesday Unknown Woman

She worked for the Taliaferro family near Hazlehurst, Copiah County, MS. I would love to know her name.

Photograph courtesy of Beverley Ballantine.

Mary Winston's Land

Finding the will of Mary Peachy Demyers Winston, my half 2nd great grandaunt, where she bequeathed 290 acres of land to her heirs in 1895 made me curious how Mary obtained the land. Since she was married, I was also curious why her husband Andrew was not a joint owner.

Mary Peachy Demyers Winston and her husband Andrew and their children were the slaves of Peachy Ridgway Taliaferro. The Winston family were named on the 1852 inventory listing of Taliaferro, her alleged father.

One of Taliaferro's desires in his will, after his death, was that all his slaves remain on his Spring Hill Plantation for three years and the proceeds from their labor pay his debts. After the debts were paid, the slave property was divided into three lots. One third of his property was to be given to his wife Sarah, one third to his eldest son Richard, and one third to be equally divided between his children Sarah and Charles. The slaves was named and divided. Mary, her husband Andrew, and their three children were named in Lot 3, Richard's portion of his father's slaves.

Andrew Winston's occupation was described as a farmer in the Copiah County 1870 census, meaning he farmed his own land or he farmed land owned by someone else using his own tools. Andrew is also named on the 1870 agriculture schedule. He farmed 35 acres of land, had 1 horse, 5 mules, 2 milk cows, and 15 swine.

Winston Family in 1870 Census - Copiah County, MS

Mary and Andrew made their first land purchase from Samuel J Morehead and his wife Amanthis. The deed for this purchase is puzzling. It is dated May 18 1878 but the terms of the deed are for the years 1867 - 1869. The Winston couple purchased 208 acres of land for a total of $960. They paid $100 down and were to pay three equal payments of $286.66, payable 01 Dec 1867, 01 Dec 1868 and 01 Dec 1869. The deed was filed 30 Jan 1880.

Deed between Winston and Morehead

Samuel J Morehead was named as one of two executors of Peachy R Taliaferro's estate. Apparently, there was a close bond between the two men. Taliaferro entrusted Morehead to oversee his estate for the benefit of his family. Did Morehead and the other executor Richard Henry Taliafero, Peachy's eldest son, help Mary Winston with the purchase of her land?

African Americans made great strides during Reconstruction. Mary and her family may have secured their land independently of help from outside the family. Cousins share stories of how entire families worked together. Parents, children, and the children's spouses would pool all their monies to purchase land. There were several people in the Winston 1870 household capable of work to pool money.

The Winston couple purchased 80 additional acres 20 Jan 1891 from J J Holiday and his wife Mary for $560. They paid $240 down and four equal payments of $80 due 01 Jan 1892, 01 Jan 1893, 01 Jan 1894, and 01 Jan 1895. The deed was filed 05 Feb 1891.

Deed between Winston and Holliday

J J Holliday died in 1838 per information found on the internet. In 1880, his widow was living in the household of her daughter Sarah Jane and son-in-law Isaiah Rembert. It is likely Mary Holliday or one of her children sold the land to the Winston couple.

The deeds of the Winston transactions indicate Andrew and Mary were joint owners of the land, Mary's will tells another story, she was the sole owner of the land. I didn't find a record where Andrew had relinquish his ownership. Whatever the reason, Mary and members of the community in which she lived, recognized Mary as the owner.

Samuel L Morehead married Amanthis L Harris 20 Oct 1840 Copiah County, MS. Samuel was born in 1807, died in 1891. Samuel L Morehead owned 45 slaves, trustee for minor, 6 slaves - Copiah 1860 Slave Schedule.
John Johnson Holliday married Mary Mangun Ainsworth 05 Dec 1825 in Copiah County, MS. He died 19 Jan 1838 in Copiah County, MS. John's widow Mary was found in the 1850-1880 census in Copiah County. Mary owned 11 slaves in 1860.
Richard Henry Taliaferro, son of Peachy R Taliaferro was the other executor to his father's estate. Richard owned 44 slaves in 1860

Three Intersecting Plantations

My father's maternal side of the family were slaves on these three intersecting plantations in Copiah County, MS. The slave owners were related and slave marriages were formed among the plantations.

Peachy Ridgway Taliaferro owned (yellow)Spring Hill Plantation. At the time of Peachy's death in 1852, he owned over 90 slaves. Peachy's daughter Mary Peachy Taliaferro married Hezekiah George David Brown who owned (blue)Lucky Hit Plantation. HGD Brown enslaved 46. Edwin Burnley, cousin to Mrs HGD Brown (Mary Peachy Taliaferro). HGD, owned (pink)Somerset Plantation. Per the 1860 Copiah County slave schedule, Burnley owned 60 slaves.

Map courtesy of Beverley Ballantine

Burials at Lucky Hit Cemetery

If all you have is circumstantial evidence when researching for the slave owner of ancestors, anything you discover can be a clue to add to your mound of evidence. I came across a few death certificates that list the burial place as Lucky Hit for a few members of my father's maternal family. The suspected slave owner, Hezekiah George David Brown, settled at Lucky Hit Plantation after his marriage.

"Hezekiah married Mary Peachy Taliaferro (born March 3, 1831) in a wedding that must have been planned well in advance with many attendants, including two sisters of Jefferson Davis. Hezekiah was 24 and Mary Peachy Taliaferro was 16 when the wedding took place on December 23, 1847, and was a major social event in plantation life of that day. After Christmas he returned to Annapolis and, as a married man, he was allowed to resign honorably, to the delight of Mrs. Taliaferro who urged the young couple to live with her at "Spring Hill" near Hazelhurst. His declining this invitation was a masterpiece of diplomacy and they settled at "Lucky Hit", a nearby plantation."
From Research Notes of Suzanne Brown

Today, Lucky Hit Cemetery is nonexistent. I contacted descendants of Hezekiah George David Brown and they have no idea where cemeteries are on the Brown property. Was Lucky Hit the burial place of former slaves on HGD Brown's plantation or was it a cemetery established after slavery ended?

Virginia Williams/Taylor Demyers - buried at Luckey Hit 18 Aug 1930
Virginia was born to Hardenia about 1850 in Copiah County, MS. Virginia and family were slaves on Somerset Plantation, a neighboring plantation to Lucky Hit. Virginia married John T. Demyers, my paternal grandmother's granduncle.

Albert Brown Spencer - buried at Lucky Hill 07 Apr 1927
Albert was born to John Spencer and Mary Trueheart (Hart) 05 Aug 1858, likely in Copiah County, MS.

Pedro Spencer - buried at Lucky Hitt 17 Apr 1927
Pedro was born to Albert Brown Spencer and Mary Brown in 1904 in Copiah County, MS.

Felix Williams - buried at Lucky Hit Cemetery 06 Mar 1923
Felix was born to John Weldon Williams and Emma Demyers about 1859. John Weldon Williams was a slave of Joseph and Elizabeth Rice Brown who were the parents of HGD Brown. Weldon was allotted to HGD Brown after his mother's death in 1855.

Felix is a nephew of the above Virginia, and a cousin of Pedro's wife Emsley.