The Settlement Louie Heirs vs Washington Heirs

George Washington and and his wife Leah Beasley Washington, who did not have children together, died intestate. Fifty acres in Copiah County, Mississippi, were at dispute among their heirs.

The complainants in the case were George's grandchildren, children of his deceased son from a previous relationship. They claimed Leah Washington never held title to the land, therefore her kin could not inherit the property.

The defendants in the case were Leah's nieces and nephews. They charged Leah was the only heir at the time of George's death and they also questioned the paternity of Jim Washington. They believed Jim was not a son of George Washington, thus, Jim's children were not heirs of George Washington.

The complainants filed the case in Copiah County Chancery Court, October 1903.

George and Leah purchased the land jointly, thus, when George died in 1900, Leah became the absolute or sole owner of the property. The questions of George's heirs, title and paternity did not need to be addressed. Leah was the sole owner and it would be her heirs, the Louie family, who would inherit the 50 acres of land when she died in 1902.

Source
Copiah County Chancery Court Records
Case Number: 3260
Microfilm Number: 8245
Record found at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History

The Defendants - William Louie et al.
The Complainants - Lawyer Washington et al.

The Defendants William Louie et al.

Leah Beasley married George Washington on the James Beasley's place before the Civil War. Their marriage was never legalized but they were married according to the customs of slavery. Leah and George did not have children together. They both died intestate, without a will, leaving 50 acres in Copiah County, Mississippi, at dispute among their heirs. George died in 1900; Leah in 1902.

The defendants in the case were the nieces and nephews of Leah Beasley Washington.

Leah was born about 1815 in Tennessee. She was the daughter of a white man named Louie from Texas and a slave woman Dina. She chose the surname Beasley as this was her owner's surname.

James Beasley, Leah's slave owner, owned 15 slaves per the 1860 Copiah County Slave Schedule.

Leah's husband George lived on the Hooker's place which was about two and half miles from Leah's home. According to the tradition in this community, husbands were allowed to visit their wives Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday nights, known as "wife nights." On those nights, the "patta rolls" could not bother them.

Beliah Louie and Aaron Beasley/Mitchell were Leah's brothers. Beliah Louie and Leah shared the same set of parents, Aaron and Leah shared the same mother but not the same father. The brothers' children were Leah's heirs, the defendants.

The Louie defendants were: Bert Louie of Lincoln County, MS; William Louie of Windfield, Kansas; Ida Louie Hartly of Sunflower County, MS; and James Louie, Preston Louie, Nancy Louie Mack, Lizzie Louie Cason, Wade Louie, Burrel Louie, John Louie, and Allen Louie all of Copiah County, MS.

The Mitchell defendant was Jennie Mitchell Robinson of Copiah County, MS.

The defendants charged that George Washington left only one heir at the time of his death, his wife Leah. The defendants also questioned the paternity of George Washington's son Jim Washington. They believed Jim was not a son of George Washington, thus Jim's children were not heirs of George Washington.

Source
Copiah County Chancery Court Records
Case Number: 3260
Microfilm Number: 8245
Record found at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History

How do the defendants connect to my family tree?
My granduncle, Haber Overton of Copiah County, married a Rosa Louie. At this time, I don't have enough information to connect Rosa to this Louie family.

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