Tag Archives: #Louis Cleage

Louis Cleage – Work Day Wednesday

Cleages,
Louis Cleage was my paternal great grandfather.  Lewis was born into slavery about 1852 in McMinn County Tennessee on the plantation of Alexander Cleage.  I first found him in the 1870 Census in McMinn county, TN living with his family. His age was listed as 16 and he was neither employed nor in school.  His father, Frank, was a laborer. 

By 1880 Louis was married to my great grandmother, Celia Rice Cleage, and 4 of his 5 children had been born.  My grandfather, Albert, would not be born until 1882.  Louis’ age was listed as 28 and he was farming in Loudon County, Tennessee.

By 1900 Louis and Celia were no longer together. Celia lived in Athens, Tennessee with her second husband, Roger W. Sherman. The children lived with her and were attending school.  Louis was working as a furnace laborer in the iron and steel industry that had grown up in Birmingham, AL.  He had not been unemployed during the past year.  

 According to The Encyclopedia of Alabama: “The companies kept labor costs low by employing black workers, who came from depressed agricultural areas and supplied cheap labor. And the coal used to fire the furnaces was largely mined by forced convict labor leased to the companies at very low rates by the state and county governments.” 

The Sloss Blast Furnace in Jefferson County, Alabama

In the 1910 Census Louis Cleage was in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area working as a railroad laborer.  He was enumerated in a railroad camp.  He was listed as 54 years old and had been in his second marriage for 11 years. He was a wage worker and has not been unemployed during the past year, including the day before this census was taken, April 29, 1910.  At age 54,  there were only two men in the camp older than he was – 56 year old Lee McConnel and 70 year old Fate Parker.  Most of the men are in their 20s and 30s with a good number in their late teens.

Unidentified railroad workers
Louis could neither read nor write according to all the censuses.  On his death certificate in 1918 his occupation is listed as laborer.  His children all finished high school. Several of his sons graduated from college. My grandfather, grew up to be a physician.  Uncle Edward was a barber with his own shop. Uncle Henry was a teacher and, after his move north, a postal worker. Uncle Jake (Jacob) was a teacher and, after moving to Detroit, a Wayne County deputy.

I got the idea for this post on the Blog, Reflecting on Genealogy.

Louis/Lewis Cleage’s burial spot

Cleages,
 

Several weeks ago Megan Heyl took this photograph of my great grandfather Louis Cleage’s burial spot in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.  He doesn’t have a headstone and neither do the people buried around him.  I think it looks very peaceful.  So many of my ancestors do not have headstones.  I really appreciate Megan and her husband taking their time to photograph the burial spots for me.

Other posts concerning Louis Cleage

Louis Cleage’s Death Certificate

Lewis Cleage (Pronounced as if it were Kleg)

Louis/Lewis Cleage’s Death Certificate 1852 – 1918

African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research, Cleages,

I recently found out that my Great Grandfather Louis Cleage died in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1918 through a listing for Crown Hill Cemetery.  I previously found him listed in the 1918 Indianapolis City Directory living son Jacob Cleage.

The death certificate says he died in Marion County, Indianapolis, Center Township at City Hospital and his full name is Louis Cleage.  He was Colored and widowed.  He was born in 1852 in Tennessee.  He was a laborer.  According to the informant, his son Jacob Cleage, Louis’ father’s name was Frank. Mother’s name unknown.

There was an autopsy performed and he died on February 7, 1918 in the P.M. of Lobar Pneumonia.  His son Jacob lived at 925 Camp Street and Louis’ last address is listed as 828 Camp.  He was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery Feb. 8, 1918.

What new information did I learn or have confirmed from this death certificate?  I found that his father’s name was Frank Cleage.  In the 1870 US Census Louis Cleage, born around 1852, was living with an older adult named Frank Cleage in Athens, TN.  I assumed that Frank was Louis’ father, but relationships were not noted in the 1870 US Census.

Louis Cleage – Spelling His Name In Various Records

Cleages, Investigations

While looking for my great grandfather Louis Cleage I encountered various spellings of his name.

1870 United States Federal Census
Name:  Lewis Cleage
Home in 1870:  District 5, McMinn, Tennessee
Age in 1870:  16
In 1970 Louis Cleage was living in McMinn County with who I think are his parents and siblings.  I cannot be positive because relationships were not given in the 1870 census.  No job description but he was born in Tennessee. I can’t find them in the 1880 Census and by that time Louis was Clage and married.

Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002
Name:  Lewis Cloge
Spouse:  Sela Rice
Marriage Date:  25 Apr 1872
Marriage County:  McMinn

State of Tennessee, McMinn County
Marriage Bond
Lewis Cleage
23 day of April 1872

1880 United States Federal Census
Name:  Lewis Clage
Home in 1880:  Hackberry, Loudon, Tennessee
Age:  28

Tennessee Census, 1810-91
Year:  1891
Name:  Lewis Cleage
Township:  Dist. 7 Male Voters

1900 United States Federal Census
Name:  Louis Cleag
Home in 1900:  Precinct 8, Jefferson, Alabama
Birth Date:  Jun 1850

1918 Indianapolis Indiana City Directory
Living with his sons Jacob and Henry Cleage
Cleage, Lewis

I haven’t found him in the 1920 census and I haven’t found a death certificate yet. I do not know when or where he died.  I don’t have a photograph of him.

I later found his death certificate. You can see it here:  Louis Cleage’s Death Certificate and you may see his burial spot ->  Louis Cleage’s Burial Spot