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.

Next Post - The Settlement

The Complainants Lawyer Washington et al.

George Washington and his wife Leah, who did not have children together, died intestate. Fifty acres in Copiah County, Mississippi, were at dispute among their heirs. George and Leah had lived together for nearly a half century. Their marriage was never legalized but they were married according to the customs of slavery. George died in 1900; Leah in 1902.

The complainants filed the case in Copiah County Chancery Court, 1903. They were the grandchildren of George Washington.

George Washington was born about 1810 in South Carolina. He was a slave of the Hooker family, probably Zadock Hooker who owned 52 slaves per the 1860 Copiah County Slave Schedule.

George had only one child, a son, James/Jim Washington born about 1853 to Susan Fry.

James married Easter Davis, 01 Feb 1872, in Copiah County. By 1880, the family had added six children; William 11, George 7, Lawyer 5, Quilla 4, Elias 2, and Mary Ida 0. James and Easter died after 1880, and the couple's children were raised by George and Leah. By the 1900 census, George and Leah were living alone.

All of James' children, with the exception of George, were named as complainants. The complainants charged Leah Washington never held title to the land, therefore the defendants could not inherit land from Leah.

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 complainants connect to my family tree?
I am not sure how I connect to this group of Washington kin. I connect to them through DNA tests.

Next Post - The Defendants

Greater New Zion MB Church Down the Hill from Antioch

Greater New Zion Missionary Baptist Church

On the 18th of August 1873, David and Susan Bufkin sold two acres of land to the trustees of the New Zion Church, located in Copiah County, Mississippi. David and Susan were members of Antioch Baptist, just several feet from the location of New Zion. Antioch had a slave gallery and its slave membership was more than half, reaching 156 Negroes in 1865. By 1866, the Negro membership was zero. It is plausible several of those former members started New Zion after they left Antioch.

Looking at the 1860 Copiah County Slave Schedule, I didn't find David as a slave owner. There were two Bufkin slave owners, owning a total of five slaves between them.

Edwin Burnley, a slave owner associated with my family was a member of Antioch.

Going from Hazlehurst, before you reach Somerset you pass the old Antioch Baptist Church. Pa gave most of the money for the building and had his church membership there. A part of the auditorium was separated from the rest by pillars and reserved for the Negroes, and their amens and halleluiahs mingled with those of their masters. From Edwina Burnley Memoirs

Antioch Baptist Church
To the right, background, is Greater New Zion Church

This indenture made and entered into this 18th day of August AD 1873 by and between David Bufkin and Susan P Bufkin his wife, of the first part and Richard Rembert, Andrew Watson and Jefford Campbell, Trustees of New Zion Baptist Church of the 2nd part, all of the county of Copiah and the State of Mississippi...I have and to hold the promises herein conveyed for the sole and separate use and benefit of the said New Zion Church, and the members thereof to be used, owned and enjoyed by them for the purpose of erecting thereon a church of worship, cemetery and any and all other necessary improvements that may be beneficial or useful for said church...

How does this church connect to my family tree?
My maternal and paternal family are connected to this church. It was my mother's church during her youth. My mother's dad, Daniel Marshall, was a member and he is buried in the church cemetery in an unmarked grave. Several of my paternal grandmother's Overton family were members, many buried in the cemetery.

Come Let Us Worship
Legend of Antioch

The Baker Family of Somerset Plantation

Edwina Burnley Memoirs, written by Edwina Burnley and her sister Bertha, described life on the Somerset Plantation near Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Mississippi.

The owner of Somerset, Edwin Burnley, arrived in Mississippi with his brother Hardin in 1832. Somerset consisted of about 2300 acres of land, 1100 acres were in cultivation, and plenty of slaves to work the plantation. Burnley married his third wife Maria Louisa Baxter of New Jersey in 1852.

Edmund Staten Baker was a slave on the Somerset Plantation. Baker likely knew my people who were on neighboring Lucky Hit and Spring Hill Plantations. The owners of the three plantations were connected through kinship or marriage.

Researching Edmund has also revealed that Overton families, Overton is one of my direct surnames, were slaves on the Somerset Plantation.

Baker was born about 1810 in Virginia. He was the driver of a team of oxen, about six yokes, that he had well trained. His wife was Mary, a woman described as a tall, very black and a very religious. The couple had several children: Elijah, Wilson, Julia, Octavia, and Sylvester.

Elijah was the only child of the couple mentioned in the memoirs. He was born about 1848. Apparently, Elijah was a little sluggish when it came to being a waiter. His regular job was to stand against the wall and pull the rope that kept the fan moving to drive away the flies. One day when there was extra company for dinner, Elijah waited the table. When Burnley asked Elijah to pass a hot potato, he picked it up with his hands, tossing the potato from hand to hand before he asked his master to take the potato because it was burning him. Elijah never appeared in the dinning room again.

Soon after the dinning room incident, the overseer of Somerset was conscripted and Elijah went to the War with the overseer. Per the 1860 Copiah County census, Urban Buffkin was the overseer of Somerset. They both survived the War.

Next: After the War, Baker hires his children out.

Sources:
Edwina Burnley Memoirs
1860 Copiah County Slave Schedule

Bertha Taliaferro How Many Marriages

Bertha was the second wife of Thomas Taliaferro. There were discrepancies in testimonies concerning whether Thomas was Bertha's first husband. Thomas Taliaferro served with the 50th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry, during the Civil War. Thomas had received a pension as an invalid, his wife applied for her pension as his widow. An investigator from the United States Pension Bureau was sent to investigate the validity of Bertha's claim.

Eight children were born to Bertha who testified she was not married to any of the fathers. A couple of the witnesses, Jane Gray and Jennie Brown, testified that Bertha was married, maybe twice, before she married Thomas. Several others testified that Bertha only married Thomas. The investigator could not find a marriage record in Copiah County, MS, with Bertha's name for any of the men who fathered her children. He only found one marriage record and that was for Thomas Taliaferro, 20 Sep 1901 in Copiah County, MS.

I noticed on the marriage record that she was Mrs. Bytha Williams. It was discussed within the pension records that Bytha and Bertha was the same person but it was not mentioned that the title Mrs. was applied to her name.

Bertha and Thomas' Marriage Certificate

Would it had matter if Bertha was married before she married Thomas? It would only matter if previous marriages would invalidate her marriage to Thomas. The investigator would gather information confirming that the marriages ended in death, or divorce and a marital relationship no longer existed. If it had been proven that Thomas and Bertha's marriage was not valid, she would not receive a pension as Thomas' widow.

Bertha's Children
1. Carrie Highgate; Father - John Brandon; Husband - Ed Singleton
2. Leon Beasley; Father - Bush Beasley
3. Mary Williams; Father - Lee Henley; Husband - Jim Boyd
4. Print Henley; Father - Lee Henley; Wife - Blanche Winston Banks
5. Unnamed Child; Father - Lee Henley; Child died young
6. Unnamed Child; Father - Matt Williams; Child died young.
7. Unnamed Child; Father - Tom Greenley; Child died young.
8. Unnamed Child; Father - Calvin Nichols; Child died young.

Bertha said she was born five years after the surrender but census records indicate she was born about five to seven years before surrender between 1858-1865. She was the daughter of Henry and Beckie Welch, slaves of Dempsey Welch in Copiah County, MS.

Calvin Nichols married my 2nd great grandaunt Jennie Copeland.

Blanche Winston Banks Henley was my dad's half second cousin once removed.

Per the 1860 Copiah County Slave Schedule, Dempsey Welch owned 52 slaves.