Amanuensis Monday The Will of Philip Christmas 1904

Photograph Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Phillip was born about 1840 in Mississippi. He may be the son of Richard Christmas. He was first seen in the 1852 inventory and disbursement of Peachy Ridgway Taliaferro. He was valued at $500 on the inventory and $1300 on the disbursement. After Peachy's death he was given to Peachy's eldest son, Richard Taliaferro.

Phillip married Ann Brown, 10 Jun 1871, in Copiah County. The couple had at least two children Artie and Richard.

State of Mississippi
Copiah County

Well knowing the uncertainty of this life, and desirous of arranging my property affairs, I, Phillip Christmas, being of sound and disposing mind and memory, do make publish and declare this instrument of writing, to be my last will and testament.

I, direct that my funeral expense and all my just debts be paid first paid by my executrix herein to be named,

I, give, devise and bequeath unto my wife Ann Christmas all the property real and personal and mixed of which I, shall die seized or possessed or in which I, have any interest what-ever.

I, hereby appoint my wife Ann Christmas as executrix of this my last will and direct that she be required to give no bond as such I, direct that she be not required to make any inventories of my estate or render any accounts to the court of her management of the same as such executrix.

In testimony of which I have hereunto set my hand and signed my name this the 30th day of April A. D. 1904.

Phillip x(his mark) Christmas

We the undersigned witnesses to the above instrument of writing at the request of Phillip Christmas witnessed his signature to said instrument and heard his declaration of the same as his last will and testament, and we signed the same at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other on this the 30th day of April, 1904.

John H. Long, Jr.
Hugh Barr Miller

Filled & admitted to probate & record 19th, August, 1904

J. H. Long, Clerk.

How does Phillip Christmas connect to my family tree?
Phillip Christmas' daughter, Artie Christmas, married Shelby Sanders.
Shelby Sanders' brother
Luther Sanders's grandson
McNesse Sanders married my paternal grandmother's sister, Alice Overton

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
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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

Amanuensis Monday Affidavit in the Case of Harriet Christmas

Southern Division
Widow No 703285
Benjamin Christmas
Co H 50 U. S. C. Infantry

Personally came before me A. W. Russell a Justice of the Peace in and for the County of Copiah and state of Mississippi, Robert Austin and Andrew Winston, who having been be me first duly sworn on oath say: That their first post office address is at Spencer, Copiah County, Mississippi, and that they are both above the age of sixty two. That they personally know the claimant, Harriet Christmas, and know the property that she owns and has had since the 7th day of August that the property consists in the entirety of one cow, and two mules, and two horses; and that these is all the property that the said claimant owns or has had since the 7th day of August 1899. That the said claimant has no income by and that of her daily labor, and no means of support other than that.

Witness our signatures this 29 day of Nov 1899.

Robert his mark x Austin
Andrew his mark x Winston

Personally came before me A. W. Russell a Justice of the Peace in and for the County of Copiah and state of Mississippi, Robt Austin and Andrew Winston, each of whom states on oath that he knows the contents of the forgoing affidavit and that the same is true as stated.

Witness my offical signature this 29 day of Nov 1899

A. W. Russwll, J. P. (Seal)

Harriet Ashmore/Brown was married to Benjamin Christmas who served with Company H, 50th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry. He enlisted 14 Dec 1863 at Vicksburg, discharged 20 Mar 1866 at Vicksburg.

Harriet and Benjamin married about 1860. They had several children: Fanny born about 1860, Bettie/Elizabeth born Nov 2 1862, Silva born about 1865, and Amanda born June 18 1868.

Benjamin was a slave of Peachy R Taliaferro. After Peachy's death in 1852, Benjamin was allotted to Peachy's eldest son, Richard H Taliaferro. Benjamin was valued at $1300 in 1858.

Benjamin died 01 Jul 1899, Harriet died 16 Jul 1916.

Source:
Federal Pension Case of Benjamin Christmas
Peachy R Taliaferro's Probate Records
Harriet Christmas' Death Certificate