Lewis Weathersby Couldn't Prove Meritorious Service

Siblings James Pearly Crossley and Mazie Crossley Robinson
Children of Nathaniel Crossley, Sr
Grandchildren of Andrew Crossley
Great Grandchildren of Sylvester Crossley
Great Great Grandchildren of Thomas and Lucy Crossley

Lewis Weathersby tried to emancipate six family members of one slave family prior to his death in 1843 but was deterred by the laws of Mississippi, which required the consent of the legislature upon proof of meritorious service.

Meritorious manumission could be granted to a slave who distinguished himself by saving the life of a white master or his property, inventing something that a white slave master could make a profit from or snitching on a slave rebellion. The laws of Mississippi specified that the owner had to cite some meritorious service by the slave as the ground for his petition.

Lewis Weathersby did not prove meritorious service; manumission for the family was denied. Lewis did not give up on emancipating the family, parents Thomas and Lucy, and their children Matilda, Sylvester, Andrew and Dicy. He made provisions in his will for the family to be nicely situated, offering them quasi freedom which his heirs saw as emancipating the family, circumventing the decision of the Mississippi legislature.

Between the state of Mississippi protecting the institution of slavery, deaths, and the greed of the family, the portion of Lewis Weathersby's will concerning the family was never fulfilled.

How are the siblings connected to my family?
The siblings' mother was Estella Scott Crossley
Estella Scott was the daughter of James Pearly Scott and Catherine Markham.
Catherine Markham Scott and my great grandfather Monroe Markham were siblings.

SOURCE
A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your African American Roots
by Franklin Carter Smith and Emily Anne Croom
The Slaves of Liberty, Freedom in Amite County, Mississippi 1820-1868
by Dale Edwyna Smith
Amite County Chancery Court Records, Case Number: 4588, Lewis Weathersby
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Answers.com
Photograph Courtesy of Nathaniel Thomas

The Will of Lewis Weathersby 1843

Amite County Courthouse
Courtesy of J Stephen Conn, on Flickr

The ancestors of my Crossley cousins were bequeathed a quasi freedom, land and provisions in the 1843 will of Lewis Weathersby. The Weathersby heirs were not thrilled with this provision in the will.

Extraction of Lewis Weathersby Will Pertaining to the Crossley Slaves

In the name of God Amen I Lewis Weathersby of the County of Amite and State of Mississippi being of sound mind and disposing memory do make ordain and publish this my last will and testament hereby revoking all former wills and codicils by me made...

15th I give and bequeath to my son Lodwick L Weathersby my faithful servants Thomas and his wife Lucy and their children Matilda, Sylvester, Andrew and Dicy in trust and under the following conditions, "to wit" in as much as the said Thomas and Lucy have served me for several years with great fidelity, it is my earnest desire and I do hereby enjoin it upon my said son Lodwick L Weathersby and that he enjoin it upon his heirs executors and administrators to make the said Slaves Thomas and Lucy as comfortable in life as possible, that he furnish them and their children with a house separate from others, that he provide a horse, farming tools, a small tract of land for their separate use, and that they have suitable time to work the same, and he attend to the sale of their little crops, furnish them with a cow for milk, and two hundred pounds of sugar, and one hundred pounds of coffee yearly, and that in consideration of these things, he require of them reasonable service and should the said slaves Thomas and Lucy at any time be able to raise a sum of money sufficient to compensate said Lodwick Weathersby say three hundred dollars for each, for the services of their daughters, Matilda and Dicy These he shall give to the said Matilda and Dicy to said Thomas and Lucy to serve and comfort, them in their old age.

SOURCES
Amite County Will Records 1818-1848, Vol 1, Pages 248-252, Microfilm Number: 6217
Microfilm found at Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Case Study of the Crossley Family

Wordless Wednesday Luau in a Chicago Backyard

The Neal-McDaniel Family and Friends

Photographs Courtesy of Tony Neal

Unraveling Grandma's Paternity Dilemma Using DNA Tests

Richmond Overton
1856-1928

Paternity issues are complicated. My paternity issue is over a hundred years old, which makes it more complicated. One woman, two men and eleven children are involved. I will concentrate on one of the eleven children, my paternal grandmother.

Three years ago I wrote a post concerning my paternal grandmother's paternity dilemma, Who is the Daddy. Grandma Gertrude's mother died when she was 7 years old and the question of her paternity would not be answered by the mother but by speculating family and friends. Two names were given as grandma's father, Richmond Overton and Elijah Usher.

My grandmother Gertrude Overton-Usher Durr was born between 1893-1895 to Jane Furnace.

I am hopeful my 23andMe DNA test will solve grandma's paternity question. I have four matches linked to my grandmother's family and other cousins are promising to test.

Documents and oral history claim Match 1 is a descendant of Jane Furnace and Elijah Usher.

Match 2 is a third great granddaughter of Peggy Demyers, Richmond Overton's grandmother.

Matches 3 and 4, siblings, are the 4th great grandchildren of Peggy Demyers, Richmond Overton's grandmother.

Matches 2, 3 and 4 are not related to Jane but they match with Match 1.

Looking over our family trees, it appears that Elijah Usher may not be the father of Jane's child, Match 1's ancestor. DNA is pointing to Richmond Overton as my ancestor and also the ancestor of Match 1. I am waiting for other cousins to test before putting the question to rest.

Tombstone Tuesday A Nice Cover

Grand Gulf Military State Park Cemetery
Summer 2013
Grand Gulf, Mississippi

Mad Men of Color

L to R: McKinley Winfield, Leroy Shephard and James Shephard
Leroy Shephard married paternal cousin Dora Overton.

I love the way my dapper Dans are dressed and groomed. They look like they walked off the set of Mad Men, all clean shaven with their white shirts, thin ties, suits, and hats.

Photograph courtesy of Shelia Easley
Taken in the 1960s, Detroit, MI

The Brick Makers of Windsor

Standing amidst the picturesque Windsor ruins, you can't help but think of the grandeur of the Old South but I also think of those who were enslaved, the nameless brick makers who labored with no payment.

Smith Coffee Daniell, II, per a newspaper article, vast holdings included 800 slaves. He was a property owner almost without peer in the Deep South. At one time he owned 21, 789 acres of land - much of it in the finest farming belts of the state: 400 acres in Attala County, 1440 in Bolivar, 800 in Carroll, 3211 in Claiborne, 1040 in Issaquena, 1500 in Leflore, 3440 in Sunflower, 3440 also in Washington and 6510 in Louisiana. According to Daniell's will, he asked that overseers be hired for his three plantations in Louisiana.

1860 Slave Schedules for Smith C Daniell II

Plantation	No. of Slaves	County
-	150	Claiborne County, MS
Locustwood	164	Tensas Parish, LA
Brierland	107	Tensas Parish, LA

Smith was an only child whose wealth was partially built on inheritance from his parents and in-laws. His father's estate in 1836 equally divided Negroes, lands in Mississippi and Arkansas Territory to Smith Daniell and his mother Priscilla Skinner Daniell.

Catherine Freeland Daniell, Smith's wife, inherited 44 slaves upon her father's death. The slaves were divided by what appears to be family groups. Listed below are their names. There must be a brick maker or two among this list.

Jim Smothers, Patsey, Pricilla, Ned, Little Jim, Cordelia, Little Patsey, and Rachel

Elisha, Julia and Bill McIntosh

Grigg, Kate, Henry, and Jacob

Henry Thomas, Abram, Susan, Nancy, and Jim Green

Bill McAllister, Hannah & child, Mary

Manuel Dorman, Sally & child and Alex

Old George, Rachel & child, Little George, Eli, John, Bob, Hetty, Bedley, and Mirley

Priscilla & infant

Here are additional Windsor posts:
The Magnificent House ~ Windsor
Cecilia Beall's Letter ~ 1854 Reunion of Slaves
E. M. Ross's Letter - 1860 Go Without a Servant
E. M. Ross' Letter ~1867 All Our House Servants Left Us
E. M. Ross Letter ~ 1867 No One to Protect Us

SOURCES
Thomas Freeland's Claiborne County Probate Records - 1857
Smith Coffee Daniell, Sr.'s, Will - 1836
Smith Coffee Daniell, Jr.'s, Will - 1862
Vertical File - Smith Coffee Daniel II
All records found at Mississippi Department of Archives and History