Henry and Eudora Coleman

Henry H Coleman was born, 04 Jul 1877, in Franklin County, MS, to Philip Coleman and Jane Williard. He married Eudora "Dora" Markham, 16 Dec 1896. She was born, 17 Jan 1877, in Lincoln County, MS, to Monroe Markham and Mary Jane Byrd.

Dora was the fourth child, first daughter of 17 children born to her parents. Dora's younger sibling called her Sister Dora because she was a married woman with children close in age of some of her siblings.

Education was important in the Markham's household. According to oral history, Dora taught her husband how to read at the end of their long days. They were both active in church and community activities. Henry held the office of pastor, Class Leader and Sunday School Superintendent. Dora was president of the Stewardess Board and the Missionary Society.

The couple were successful farmers and land owners. Their land is held by their descendants.

The couple were the parents of fourteen children. The children were:
Smylie Coleman (1897-1991) married Joanna Benson
Nellie Coleman (1899-?)
Clara Jane Coleman (1900)
Emmet Coleman (1901-1976) married Estella Williams
Grover Coleman (1903-1965) married Amanda Brooks and Ollie Bell Justice
James Coleman (1904-?)
Henry Webb Coleman (1906-1992) married Mattie Lee Baker and Ethel Myers
Anderson Coleman (1908-?)
Albert B (1909-?)
Dorcus Ethel (1910-2000) married Ulysses Williams
Gladys Coleman (1912-1981) married Johnny Hughes Jr
Lewis Larry Coleman (1914-1976)
Ida Coleman (1917-?)
Woodrow Coleman (1919-2010) married Odessa

How does the couple connect to my family tree?
Edudora Markham Coleman and my grandmother, Alice Markham Marshall, were sisters.

Picture from Cory Broadnax
Another Photograph of the Couple

Men and their Overalls

Overalls were the uniform of southern farmers, and elsewhere.

Aunt Ada Markham Spencer and her husband Ernest (1881-1971)
Ernest was a farmer in Copiah County, Mississippi.
He was the son of Lewis Spencer and Emaline/Emma Smiley.

Cousin Sam Baker (1927-2009) of Brookhaven, MS
He was the son of Gilbert Baker and Nannie Benson.

Cousin John Henry Jordan (1900-1991) and his wife Frances Davis
He was a farmer in Copiah County, MS.
He was the son of William Burl Jordan and Mariah McGrew.

Cousin James Pearly Scott, Jr (1900-1992)
Farmer in Caseyville, Lincoln County, MS
Son of James Pearly Scott and Catherine Markham

Photographs courtesy of Anita Christopher and Rance Brown
Cory Broadnax
Shawnmarie Jordan Gonzalez
and James Earl Scott

Barbara Markham Thompson Coleman Born About 1865

Wife of Thomas Thompson and Cupit Coleman, Jr
Mother of Henrietta Thompson and Dora Thompson Roberts
Daughter of James Markham and Marilda Whitney

How does Barbara connect to my family tree?
She was a sister to my great grandfather, Monroe Markham.

Photograph courtesy of Anita Christopher and Rance Brown.

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.