Samuel and David Markham were the first set of twins born to Monroe and his wife Mary. The boys were the couple's 13th and 14th child, the last sons born to them. They were born on 04 Oct 1898 in Caseyville, a rural community in Lincoln County, Mississippi. David died shortly after birth and the couple decided to combine the names of their sons for the surviving son, Samuel David would be his name. The census records show he like the rest of Monroe's children could read and write.
He married Rosanna Thomas, daughter of Alex Thomas and Roxanne Smith, in 1922.
Monroe maintained a relationship with the David Buie family until his death in 1931. David Buie was the Markham's family enslaver. Monroe b. 1852 was given to Prentiss Buie b. 1850 when they were both young children.
Hallie Buie, Prentiss Buie's daughter, shared this> about Samuel in a 1936 letter she wrote to her sister Prential.
The Old Home
July 21, 1936
My Dear Prential,
The box came alright, thank you. I know you are wondering how I get things done. Well, I have found out that is all right for Samuel Markham to come down here, he has a corn field rented from Estelle and comes to get their corn to have ground. I just don’t know what they could do without him. I hope you will not mention this--he has a mailbox and if we need him for anything we drop him a card and he comes right over. He lives on the Adams place. His house is located about a mile from this one. He charges ten cents for bringing things from Mr. Smith’s and twenty cents from Lamar’s, charges for the time and not the size of the package, large or small the same price, he certainly is nice about it. He just happened to come along the day the box came. he said, “Dat box aint hebby.”
Samuel and his wife Rosanna had four children. Their first child, an unnamed daughter, was born prematurely and died one day after her birth in 1923. Jessie Mae was born in 1925, Velma "China" in 1928, and Samuel David Jr., in 1932.
Samuel was a farmer who eventually owned his own land, which remains in his family.
Samuel died on 02 Jul 1981 in Brookhaven, Mississippi.
