This is my 4th year participating in the A-Z Challenge.  I am writing about people who were born into slavery and  lived to be free.

I was looking for one of my enslaved ancestors named William Graham when I found an 1860 estate file on Familysearch.com for Judge William A. Graham  with a list of slaves to be divided between his heirs.  I hoped my great grandfather was one of those named.  I decided to go through the list of 60 plus and see what I could find out using online records. I still don’t know if the William on the list is mine or not, but it has been interesting to find out what happened to those listed after they were freed in 1865.

Kate appears on page two of the 1860 estate file of Judge William A. Graham.  She was three years old and valued at $300. Kate was not in a family grouping.  She was among a group of children that appeared to be without parents.  Kate was placed in lot 4 along with 16 year old Emily and child, six year old Jane and 18 year old John.  They were to go to William A. Graham of Autauga County, Alabama.  Out of that group I have only been able to trace John, who I wrote about at Betsy & John Graham.I was unable to find Kate in the 1870 census or beyond.

This is my 4th year participating in the A-Z Challenge. I am writing about people who were born into slavery and lived to be free. I was looking for one of my enslaved ancestors named William Graham when I found an 1860 estate file for Judge William A. Graham with a list of slaves to be divided between his heirs. I hoped my great grandfather was one of those named. I decided to go through the list of 60 plus and see what I could find out using online records. I still don’t know if the William on the list is mine or not, but it has been interesting to find out what happened to those listed after they were freed in 1865.

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I wrote a bit about Emanuel Graham and several generations of his descendants here.  Today I am going to take a closer look at Emanuel’s son James.  James Graham was born into slavery in 1848, probably on Judge William A. Graham’s plantation. His parents were Emanuel and Elsie Graham.  In the 1860 estate file, James appears with his family group as a six year old valued at $700. James, his parents and his two year old sister Clara were in Lot 2, which was to go to to the Judge’s daughter Ellen Graham Strain in Shelby County, Alabama. James older siblings were in separate lots. Ten year old Betsy was in Lot 6 to go to Alfred Graham in Rusk, Texas. Eleven year old Harris was in Lot 9 to go with Sarah Graham Sims in Macon County, Alabama. Thirteen year old Charles was in Lot 7 to go with Lenora Graham in Prattville, Autauga County, Alabama.  The settling of the estate seemed to drag on for several years and I am not sure if they were separated.

In 1870 Harris, 22; Betsy, 20; James, 16 and Clara, 12 were all living with their parents in Prattville.  Clara was the only one attending school. Emanuel was a farmer with $100 worth of personal estate. Elsie was keeping house. Harris and James worked as farm labor on the family farm. Betsy was a domestic servant. Nobody could read or write.

James married Cynthia Gibbons in 1877. They were both about 23. In 1880 they were working for the Northington family.  They had two children, two year old Mary and one year old Christopher.

By 1900 they owned their own farm free of mortgage. James was farming. Cynthia had given birth to ten children and all were still living,  nine in the family home.  Their ages ranged 22 down to four year old Samuel. Nobody had attended school that year. Viola and Elsie were able to read. Manuel and Albert were laborers on the home farm. Cynthia’s brother Robert owned and farmed the land next to them.

In 1910  Five of James and Cynthia’s sons were living at home and working on the farm. They were all literate. One of the children had died.  James does not appear in any other records after 1910.

In 1920 Cynthia and the youngest son, Samuel were working the home farm. Son Manuel and his family owned land and were farming next door. Son Haywood and his family rented and farmed next to Manuel.

Samuel died in 1926. His mother Cynthia does not appear in any more records. I was unable to find death records for James or Cynthia Graham. Of the children that I was able to follow, all remained in Autauga farming except for Haywood who moved with his family to Youngstown Ohio where he worked as a laborer until he died in 1979.

This is my 4th year participating in the A-Z Challenge.  I am writing about people who were born into slavery and  lived to be free and their descendants.

Today I will write about Henderson Graham of Alabama. This is another case of the name appearing in the estate file of William A. Graham of Autauga County and then turning up with his family in 1870 in Elmore County. Elmore County was created from parts of several other counties, including Autauga. I need to look and see who the Graham slave holders were in that area. William A. Graham and his children can’t have been the only Graham slave holders in the area. Or maybe they were. At any rate, here is the story of Henderson Graham as pieced together from records.

Henderson appears in the 1860 estate file as a seventeen year old young man given a value of $700.00. He was born about 1843.  In 1870 the only Henderson Graham in the area is found living with his family in Elmore County. The family includes Eli Graham, 48; Hester Graham, 47; Henderson, 15 and 12 year old Eli.  Eli senior was a farmer. Hester was keeping house.  Living next door were John and Anna Graham and their two children Otis and Ester. John was also a farmer.

 On October 23, 1873 Henderson married Caroline Duncan in Elmore County.  When I looked at the marriage license, I noticed that Griffin and Texas Jackson were the couple above them.  Griffin was Prissa Jackson’s son. Both couples were married by George Washington.

In 1880 Henderson was farming.  He rented the land for shares, that is he had to give part of his crop in payment. His father and brother Eli were also farming this way.  Henderson worked 50 acres. He had $90 worth of livestock. The estimated value of everything produced on the farm in 1879 was valued at $400.  He had one milch cow and one other cattle; six swine; ten barnyard fowl who produced 20 dozen eggs in 1879. He planted 18 acres of Indian Corn which produced 180 bushels and 36 acres of cotton which produced six bales. He grew 15 bushels of sweet potatoes on a quarter acre.

Henderson and Caroline had two small children, a daughter Alice three years old and a son Judge one. His niece Otis lived with them.  She was eleven and attending school. Hester Duncan, Caroline’s fourteen year old sister lived with them and worked on the farm, as did Mary Long.  Henderson did not live far from his father and his siblings. His dwelling was #279 on the 1880 census and his father was #311.  None of them were literate.

Between 1880 and 1900 three more sons were born, Eli in 1885; Butler in 1887 and Clinton in 1889. Caroline died sometime after the birth of Clinton. In 1899 Henderson married Patsey, who had one daughter, Minnie King.  In 1900 Henderson was farming. He owned his farm but it was mortgaged.  His four sons and step-daughter, ages 22 to 13 were living on the farm.  Only the oldest, Judge, was able to read and write.  They were all listed as farm labor and none were in school.  Patsey had birthed five children and four were still alive.

Henderson’s daughter Alice, her husband William and their three year old daughter Rosa lived next door. They had been married three years. Alice had birthed two children and one was alive. William was farming on his own mortgaged farm. He was illiterate while Alice was able to read and write. Nine year old Alfried Owens lived with them and is listed as ‘nurse’.

In the 1910 Henderson is listed as 62 years old. Every year he gets closer to that birth year in the estate file. He and Patsey had been married nine years. It says this is his 3rd marriage and her 4th. I take this with a grain of salt as I have found no other marriages. He now owns his farm free and clear (Yay!) His son Clinton lives with them and works on the farm. Two step-grandchildren, Patsey and Peter Duncan live with them. Fourteen year old Patsey attended school while eleven year old Peter did not. Both Clinton and Patsey are literate.  Henderson’s son Eli rents a far down the road and farms with his wife Mary.

Patsey died in Montgomery in 1915. Henderson died on January 4, 1925 in Elmore County, Alabama.  He was buried in Goodship Cemetery. He was 82 years old and his birth year is given as 1843, which finally gets us back to the birth year in the 1860 estate file.

I saw a lot of tangents to go off on while researching Henderson and I plan to come back to this family later in the month. I especially enjoyed finding the connection with an extended family member of mine in the marriage record book. I am glad he was able to own his farm free and clear.

This is my 4th year participating in the A-Z Challenge.  I am writing about people who were born into slavery and  lived to be free.  Sometimes I also write about the descendants of slaves who were born free.  Today I will write about Georgia and Mitchell Graham of Alabama.

I started by searching for the Georgia listed among the enslaved in the estate file of Judge William A. Graham. In 1860 she was 8 years old and valued at $700. I found a Georgia in 1870 living with her mother Millie Washington and Millie’s husband George and seven year old George, in Elmore, Elmore County, Alabama, ten miles from the Judge’s plantation in Prattville. There was a Millie listed in the estate file.  In the file she was “not valued” and no age or monetary value was given. Millie Washington found in 1870 was 58, which would have made her only about 48 in 1860. I wasn’t sure if these were the people from the Graham plantation, but I followed them anyway because her name started with “G” and because their story was so varied and interesting.

Mitchell Graham and Georgia Washington were married in Elmore County on January 8, 1876. Four years later we find them with three small children. Georgia’s widowed mother lived with them. They were farming their own land. Fifteen acres were improved and 25 acres were wooded.  The value of his farm, including land, implements and animals, was $150.  He had $3 worth of farm implements and $75 worth of livestock.  The value of all farm products (sold, consumed and on hand) for 1879 was $125.  He had one working ox, no milch cow, 1 swine and 4 barnyard fowl.  Mitchell planted four acres of Indian corn which yielded 40 bushels. He planted 15 acres of cotton and got two bales.

By 1897 the family had left the farm and moved 108 miles north to the city of Birmingham, Alabama. They rented their home. In 1900 Mitchell, 46, was working as a laborer in a rock quarry, as did one of his sons. Georgie was 44 had birthed 12 children. Eight were living.  Seven of the children, from age two to age 22 were living at home.  They had been married 24 years. Everybody in the household was literate.  Georgia didn’t work outside the home. The oldest son worked as farm labor. The oldest daughter worked as a cook. The fifteen year old son was an errand boy and the next two children were in school. The baby was two.

Ten years later Georgia, 49, and Mitchell, 50, owned their home, although it did have a mortage. Mitchell and one of his sons worked as a builder at a pipe shop and had been out of work for 16 weeks.  Three of the children were still home, including 12 year old Stella who attended school. Two grandchilden, ages six and three, lived with them and they had a border.  Georgia worked as a laundress from home and had not been out of work at all.  One of the sons and the border were coal miners and had not been out of work.

In 1917 and 1925 Mitchell appears in the City Directory as an Evangelist and a minister. I could not find them in the 1920 census.  Mitchell died on October 29, 1925.  He was 73.  Georgia died on January 15, 1928.  She was 76.  I found it inspiring that they were so open to change.  And I loved finding so much information about them.

Special note to my husband who is my proof reader:  Take the age changes from census to census with a grain of salt.

This is my 4th year participating in the A-Z Challenge.  I am writing about people who were born into slavery and  lived to be free.  Sometimes I also write about the descendants of slaves who were born free.  Today I will write about Frazer Lane, who was mentioned in my A post about Allen Lane.

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“…It is my will that my four Negroes be free at my death, namely Perry, Allen, Frazer, and Mariah, and that my sons Henry S. Lane and Higgins Lane by my Executors to execute this my will. In witness thereof I hereunto set my name this 22nd day of July 1841.“

James H. Lane

“I also will that Samuel Stone and Newton Reid be my Executors in connexion with Henry S. Lane and Higgins Lane as aforesaid. In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 28th September 1846. I also do will to Perry (note: from census records I believe this name should be Jerry) and to Allen and to Frazer their Horses as known by the name of their horses at present.“

James H. Lane, the slave owner who wrote the above Will, was born in Virginia and moved to Kentucky where he farmed. He outlived 2 wives and left a third a widow when he died in 1846. He had 8 children and 4 slaves.

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Frazer was born into slavery in 1808.  Slaves were not enumerated by name in censuses. In the 1810 through 1840 census no one in the household was enumerated by name except the head of household.  Looking at those censuses we find that James Hardage Lane had 4 slaves.

In 1850 Frazer was enumerated by name along with all the other free people, including 165 other black people, in Montgomery, Kentucky.  He was 42 years old and shared a house with Allen and Jerry.  They were laborers, probably on nearby farms.

In 1860 Frazer, age 53, owned $600 worth of real estate and had personal estate worth $285. He was farming and married to Nellie, who was 50 years old.

In 1870 Frazer was 65 and farming. There is no value for real estate but he had $308 personal estate. Nellie was 60 with no occupation given. Also sharing the house was Jerry, 76, listed as a laborer. And 23 year old Mary Lane. All are listed as unable to read or write and born in Kentucky. There were still no relationships listed so I can speculate that Mary was his daughter, but I don’t know.  Jerry and Frazer were listed as black while Nellie and Mary were listed as mulatto.

The 1880 census was the last I found for Frazer and Nellie Lane.  They were now 72 and 71.  They are in Montgomery county, Mt. Sterling post office.  Frazer is still farming. Nellie is keeping house. Living with them is ten year old Horace Borne with occupation of houseboy. Frazer and Horace are listed as born in Kentucky while Nellie and her parents are listed as born in Virginia.  I wonder if this was the first time she actually spoke to the enumerator.  Nobody could read or write.

You will notice that there is not an even ten year age gain between the ten year censuses.  That could be because different people gave information to the enumerator. In this case the difference is actually minimal.  Sometimes people gain 20 years or only two years during that ten year period.

What I wish I could have found – If Mary was their daughter and what happened to her. If Horace was a relative and what happened to him. When they died and of what.  What happened to the farmland he owned in 1860.

This is my 4th year participating in the A-Z Challenge.  I am writing about people who were born into slavery and  lived to be free.  Sometimes I also write about the descendants of slaves who were born free.

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Ellen Logan was born into slavery about 1835 in Louisville, Kentucky. She cooked for the Peaslee family both during slavery and after. Ellen had an independent streak and stood up for herself even during slavery. In Chapter 12 of the book “Slightly Historical”  written by Peaslee family member Alice Norcross Cane, Ellen was described this way,

“Ellen was the cook. She was argumentative and could answer her mistress’s reproaches glibly. These reproaches were mainly regarding Ellen getting in a family way no matter what measures were taken to protect her.”

In 1870, Ellen continued to live in the Peaslee household.  Her five children also lived there, Cary Logan 15, was a servant; Libbie Logan 6, Frank Logan 4 and one month old Ellen Logan. Neither Ellen or Cary could read or write.

Just three years later, in 1873 Ellen Logan died in childbirth.  She was ill for 9 days before she died on August 12.  She was listed as married. Her address was on 5th near Chestnut, which was the Peaslee house. Ellen was 38 years old.  On the page before the one on which Ellen Logan’s death appeared, there is an entry for a premature baby girl with only the name “Ellen”. The address is the same as Ellen Logan’s. The baby was born nine days before Ellen died and lived one day.

Ellen was buried in Eastern Cemetery on the 13th of August.  Eastern Cemetery is one of the oldest in Louisville. It was one of the first to allow black and white to be buried in the same cemetery.

“Originally owned by Fourth Street Methodist Church (now known as Trinity Temple United Methodist Church), it was one of the first cemeteries to bury Blacks and Whites on the same property. The grounds are the final resting place for individuals from all walks of life. Slaves, Odd Fellows, Free Masons, Louisville’s famous Black ministers, Union and Confederate veterans, and Servicemen and women from wars all the way up to Vietnam are all interred at Eastern.”  Eastern was neglected for many years and became overgrown with gravestones damaged and falling down. There is a group now dedicated to putting it in order. You can read more about it and see recent photographs at this link History of Eastern Cemetery.

Ellen Logan’s oldest daughter Cary worked as a servant and died in 1894. Her daughter Libbie grew up, worked and got married and lived into her 80s. The little boy Frank followed the Northern troops when they left town and was never heard from again. This is according to the book quoted above. I have not found the first baby Ellen from the 1870 census living with either of her older sisters.

Resources used in writing this were: The 1870 Census and Kentucky Death Records from Ancestry.com.  I would like to thank my friend Zann Carter for sharing the information from the book “Slightly Historical” by Alice Norcross Cane, that helped put meat on the bones of this story.

This is my 4th year participating in the A-Z Challenge.  I will be writing about people who were born into slavery and were later free.  In a few cases I will be writing about the descendants of enslaved people who were born free.  I believe Prissa to be my 2x great grandmother.  I am still working on proving it.

Today I am going to write about census records I found for  Prissa Jackson. Some of them are speculation because there are no names.  Prissa Jackson was born into slavery about 1838 in Alabama on Lunceford Long’s plantation in what was then Autauga County Alabama and in 1866 became Elmore County.  The first census we will look at will be Long’s 1840 Census.  Nobody is named except for Lunceford Long. Page 2 of the 1840 Census for Langford Long shows the enslaved members of the household and tells in what industry and how many are employed. In this case 45 employed in Agriculture.  Prissa would have been one of the enslaved 18 females under 10.

The 1850 slave census for Lunsford Long starts on page 56 and continues on the next page with 21 more names. Prissa would have been one of the unnamed female slaves about age 12.

1860 Census for Lunceford Long’s household. He is listed as a planter with real estate worth $15,000 and personal property worth $240,000. In the same household, his son James is also listed as a planter with personal property worth $34,000. His widowed daughter, Tempe, also in the household is listed as a planter with real estate worth $6,000 and personal property worth $34,000. Personal property included the value of people you enslaved.

In 1860 the number of slave cabins was added to the census. Long had 25 cabins for 160 people.  Prissa would have been about 22 in 1860, give or take a few years.

Next there should be the 1866 Alabama State Census. It was the first census taken after the the Civil War. It included both the black and white population, seperatly.  Unfortunately the census for Elmore County isn’t online. Maybe there was confusion as Elmore County was formed in 1866 from parts of Autauga, Coosa and Montgomery counties.  The form for the 1866 census was similar to the 1840 census and only included the name of the head of household.

Prissa finally appears by name, with the rest of her household in the 1870 census.  Click to enlarge. Unfortunately I have not found Prissa in any other censuses.

1870 United States Federal Census

Name: Prissa Jackson
Age in 1870: 38
Birth Year: abt 1832
Birthplace: Alabama
Home in 1870: Township 17, Elmore, Alabama
Race: Black
Gender: Female
Post Office: Wetumpka

Name               Age
Joseph Jackson     32
Prissa Jackson     38
Abba Jackson       24
Griffin Jackson    18
Frank Jackson      16
Mary Jackson       14
Lizza Jackson      12
Victor Jackson     10
Jams Jackson        9

Source Citation
Year: 1870; Census Place: Township 17, Elmore, Alabama; Roll: M593_15; Page: 20B; Image: 231; Family History Library Film: 545514