Census Records for Prissa Jackson – Alabama

April 4, 2016A-Z Challenge 2016, African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry ResearchKristin

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.

1840 Long census pg 2 slaves — Click to enlarge.

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.

slave census 1850 lunceford long — 1850 slave census Click to enlarge.

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 Census including Prissa Jackson & her family. Her husband Joseph is a farmer. The younger children are in school.

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

Betsy & John Graham – Autauga County Alabama

April 2, 2016A-Z Challenge 2016, African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry ResearchWilliam A Graham's plantationKristin

List of enslaved from the estate file of William A. Graham 1860. Click to enlarge.

Betsey Graham was born into slavery about 1848 in Alabama. In 1860 she is found on the list, shown above, of Judge William Archibald Graham’s slaves. Her husband John is also listed. The list appears to be arranged in family groups with parents and their children in descending age together. Betsey’s parents were Manuel and Elsie Graham. John’s mother was Rose.

Judge Graham’s plantation in Autauga County Alabama was a far cry from James Hardage Lane’s farm in Montgomery County Kentucky that I described yesterday. Judge Graham’s plantation consisted of 300 improved and 700 unimproved acres. There were 4 horses; 14 asses and mules; 300 swine; 10 milch cows; 4 working oxen and 56 other cattle. $800 worth of stock was slaughtered. In 1850 the livestock was valued at $4,400. $1,000 in 1850 money equals about $30,000 of buying power today.

Crops included 30 bushels of rye; 4,000 bushels of Indian corn; 50 bushels of oats; 100 bales of ginned cotton weighing 400 lbs per bale; 400 bushels of peas and beans; 10 bushels of Irish potatoes; 400 bushels of sweet potatoes; 300 lbs of butter and 30 tons of hay.

In the 1860 census Judge Graham was a planter with $29,000 worth of real estate and $64,000 worth of personal property (which included slaves). His 39 slaves lived in six cabins. When his estate was being valued there were 56 slaves on the plantation. He was married once and had nine children. All of them were literate.

The first census taken in Alabama after the Civil War was in 1866. John and Betsy were married with two children under the age of 10. In 1870 they had three children. Martha was the oldest at eight, Alice was five and Richard was three. John worked as a farm laborer and Betsy worked as a domestic servant. They were both illiterate and remained so for the rest of their lives.

In 1880 John was working as a laborer. Betsy was working as a servant. Richard, was the only child still at home. He was 16, attending school and working as a laborer. He was literate. I realize that Richard was three only ten years before in the 1870 census.That’s the way it goes. You have to take the ages in the census with a grain of salt. He was probably 13. His parents had gained 20 years between 1870 and 1880.

In 1900 John and Betsy were no longer living together. John, 55 lived with his mother, Rose in a rented house. He worked as a laborer. Betsy, also listed as 55 and lived with Eliza Graham Fay, one of Judge Graham’s daughters. Betsy was the cook. She had given birth to three children and two were living. John and Betsy were listed as widow and widower. It was not uncommon for separated couples to claim their spouse was dead.

In 1900, of the three children, I could only find the daughter Alice who had married to Brag Green, a laborer. They had been married ten years and had two children ages nine and seven who were both attending school. They rented their house.

In 1910 John was living alone and working as a laborer on a truck farm. John listed himself as single. Betsy was living with the Booth family as cook. I did not look to see if the Booth family was related to the Grahams. Betsy listed herself as a widow. Daughter Alice was a widow working as a nurse for a private family and living with her 17 year old daughter, Bula in a rented house. Bula was literate, Alice was not.

The last time I found any of the family was in the 1930 census. Betsy 81, was living with her daughter Alice 62 in a rented house worth $1. Neither was working. The only death record I found was for Alice. She died in 1932 in Hayneville, Lowndes County Alabama. She had been working as a cook for a private family and was a widow.

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I found the information for this post in various census records; death records; marriage records on Ancestry.com and Family Search. The Estate file of William Archibald Graham was on Family Search.

Allen Lane – Born 1810 in Kentucky

April 1, 2016A-Z Challenge 2016, African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry ResearchKentuckyKristin

This is my first offering for the 2016 A to Z Challenge. This is my 4th year and 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.

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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.”

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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.

Allen Lane was born into slavery about 1810, Jerry about 1794, Frazier in 1808 and Mariah about 1816. 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.

Now I enter the area of speculation in creating a timeline for their lives. In 1810 age ranges were not given, just the total number so perhaps there was an enslaved woman. Three of them were probably baby and toddler Allen and Frazier, the child Jerry. Mariah was not born until 6 years later so perhaps there was a grown woman of childbearing age who was mother of the younger children.

In 1820 James H. Lane again still 4 slaves. This time age ranges are given and he had 2 males under 14 (probably Frazier and Allen), 1 male 14 – 25 (probably Jerry) and 1 female under 14 (Probably Mariah). These four slaves gained 10 years in the 1830 and 1840 censuses. In 1841 James H. Lane wrote the above Will. In 1846 he died and Allen, Frazier, Jerry and Mariah were free.

In 1850 they were enumerated along with the general population, as were 165 other free black people in Montgomery County, Kentucky. Allen(40), Jerry(56) and Frazier(42) were living together. They were laborers, probably on farms. Mariah(34) was nearby living with one of James H. Lanes daughters and her family, Evalina Lane Reid.

Allen Lane was the father of four children born during slavery. They were not living with him, either before or after slavery. I was unable to find them until the 1870 census. They were Maria born in 1837, Margaret born in 1838, Amelia born in 1844 and Thomas born in 1850. Although Allen Lane’s name appears on their death certificates no mother is named.

I was unable to find him in the 1860 census, but in 1870 Allen Lane was 60 years old. He was enumerated as a mulatto living in Sharpsburg, Bath county Kentucky in a large household. He was a laborer. Mariah Lane, 50 years old and a 10 year old girl, Malinda Lane were among the group. They were listed as black with no employment. None of the three were literate and Malinda was not in school.

In 1880 Allen Lane was enumerated in Hamilton County Ohio, College Hill with his daughter Amelia Lane Franklin and her family. This time his birth year is given as 1793 and his age as 87. According to the 1810 birthdate used before, he would have been 70. He is listed as a widower. Both Allen and Amelia’s husband Benjamin are listed as laborers. There are 5 children in the home, all born in Ohio. 15 year old Anna is working and literate. 9 year old Margaret and 8 year old Matilda are in school and can read and write. The two youngest children are 5 and 4 months and too young for school. The three adults are illiterate.

I have not found a death certificate for Allen Lane yet. He does not appear in the 1900 census.

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To write this I drew upon Census records, Death Certificates and the Will of James Hardage Lane. You can click on the link to see the whole Will. To find out more about free people of color, enslaved people and white people in Montgomery County before the Civil War in 1850, 1860 and in 1870, click this link Free and Enslaved in Montgomery County Kentucky.

Things I wish I knew – Who was the 4th enslaved person living with the Lane family in 1810? Who was Allen Lane’s wife and where were she and the children? What kind of crops James H. Lane grew on his farm. That I had photographs of everybody.

Playing Jacks – Idlewild 1982

March 26, 2016Photographs, sepia saturdayKristin

My oldest daughters, Jilo and Ife, playing jacks on Uncle Louis Cleage’s patio in Idlewild, Michigan. We were visiting after my mother died. We still lived in Simpson County, Mississippi.

Telling Their Story A-Z Challenge 2016 – Theme Reveal

March 21, 2016A-Z Challenge 2016, African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry ResearchKristin

This is my 4th year participating in the A to Z challenge. This year I will be telling the stories of people who were enslaved but made it to Freedom. I found them in photographs shared by friends, names in Bills of sale and Wills. They were from Kentucky, Alabama and Ohio. Some of them left a lot of information. Some left only a name on a photograph and the information in a census record. I discovered some while researching my own extended family history. They all left a story.

Pinkey Porter copyright Becky — Pinkey Porter holding baby William Turner. Photograph from the collection of Becky Leach.

Margaret Lane Alley. Photograph from the collection of Zann Carter.

Major Lee Zeigler — From a newspaper article.

Pearl Pats a Goat

March 17, 2016Detroit, Photographs, sepia saturday#Detroit, #Doris Graham Cleage, #Pearl CleageKristin

My sister Pearl patting goat while being held by my mother. The back of my head is visible on the lower right. This is probably at the petting zoo on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan. Taken in 1952 when Pearl was 3.

Three Generations

March 12, 2016Cleages, Photographs, sepia saturday#Albert B. Cleage Jr, #Celia Rice Cleage, #Henry Cleage, #Hugh Cleage, #Louis Jacob CleageKristin

Three generations of my Cleages. Front left is Henry, with Louis behind him, center is my father, Albert B. front right is Hugh. Behind Hugh is my great grandmother Celia Rice Cleage Sherman. Back left is my grandmother Pearl Reed Cleage holding baby Barbara Cleage Martin. This photograph was taken about 1921 somewhere around Detroit, Michigan, perhaps on Belle Isle. My grandfather took the photo. There is another from the same day with him in the photo taken by my grandmother.

Albert and Pearl Cleage Late 1930s

March 11, 2016Cleages, Photographs#Albert B. Cleage Sr, #Pearl Reed CleageKristin

I came across this photograph of my grandparents looking relaxed and happy the other day and it made me smile. It was in the black album of tiny photographs and I date it to be from the late 1930s when they lived on Scotten Ave. in Detroit.

Belle Isle 1947

March 2, 2016Grahams, sepia saturdayKristin

Here is a photograph of my cousin Dee Dee and her mother Mary V. Graham Elkins taken on Belle Isle in 1947. At first I thought the fuzzy black spot on the lower right was an ink spot, but when I looked closer I saw it was a little dog. Dee Dee is looking down at it a bit apprehensively.

There are several family photographs taken around the statue of James Scott, who donated the money for the Scott fountain and I grew up going to Belle Isle and seeing the fountain in all it’s glory but I never knew anything about James Scott until I was working on this post and found a piece on Historic Detroit that begins “The Scott Memorial Fountain is the jewel of Belle Isle – and a monument to a womanizing scoundrel.” and gets worse from there. Click the link for the full article.

A picture of the fountain with the James Scott statue. You can see a short video of the workings of the fountain underneath here “Underneath Belle Isle…”

Subject and Photographer

February 17, 2016Cleages, Photographs, sepia saturday#Albert B. Cleage Jr, #me, #Union StreetKristin

Me, 1949. My father is reflected in the mirror.

This shot was taken in our living room in the parsonage of St. John’s Congregational Church in Springfield, Mass. I just noticed the reflection of my father taking the picture last night. I looked everywhere for that teapot in later years but it was lost in one of the various moves. It was blue with a gold design over it. The couch was with us for many years. Eventually the cushions were covered in reddish leather, or something like it. I remember that table, which was also around for a long time. And those little plastic records my sister and I used to play on our little phonograph.

Bringing this back from August 2011 for this weeks Sepia Saturday prompt showing a mirror and the reflection of the photographer. If only I had a rose behind my ear like Billie Holiday.

Finding Eliza

Family history blog