Alice Conerly Gatlin Part 2

Alice Conerly Ancestors

Alice Conerly was the daughter of  Jeremiah and Leathia Conerly.  It is though the homestead testimony  for Jack Gatlin by Jeremiah that this relationship is identified.  Jeremiah was enumerated with William Conerly in the 1870 Pike County, Mississippi Federal Census. No familial relationships are identified in 1870 census. In the 1870 census William age is 68 and Harriet is 60. It is in the 1880 Pike County, Mississippi Federal Census that the probable father and grandfather of Jeremiah and Alice Conerly are identified.  In the 1880 census, William Rials and Dinah Rials are enumerated with their children and a father Will Conerly.

Source Citation

Year: 1870; Census Place: Township 2 Range 10, Pike, Mississippi; Roll: M593_745; Page: 153A; Family History Library Film: 552244

Source Citation

Year: 1880; Census Place: Pike, Mississippi; Roll: 662; Page: 348A; Enumeration District: 037

The father enumerated in the 1880 census is Will Conerly on the last line of image. This suggest that Will Conerly or William Conerly in the 1870 is the father of Dinah Rials. Dinah Rials is 28 years old in the 1880 census with date of birth 1852. Dinah was not listed in the 1870 census with William Conerly possibly because she was already married and living with her husband William Rials. From the information I found Alice Conerly parents were Jeremiah Conerly and Letha "Neathie" and paternal grandparents William Conerly and Harriet.  I have been unable to determine the parents of Jack Gatlin.

----The Tree Gardener

Jack Gatlin Homesteader Part 4

Robert Brumfield Testimony

In the process of a homestead application, it was necessary to have at least two people to testify that the applicant had lived on the land.  Robert Brumfield was the second witness to verify that Jack Gatlin was a homesteader.  Jerry Conerly was the other witness. At the time of Robert Brumfield's testimony, he was a 51 year old farmer. His birth year would have been 1836. 

There were a series of testimony questions.  In question 3 Are you related to the claimant or in any way interested in the claim, or are you connected with him in business of any kind?   "I am not--- no way interested or connected with him. I am only a neighbor of his." 

 In questions 4 through 8,  Robert explains that he lives about a half mile away from Jack and he has lived on his property for 16 years which would have been in 1871. Two other neighbors are Tom Magee and Gail Brumfield live  further away.  He lives nearer to him than any one else. Robert can not give a description of the land. He has known Jack Gatlin for 17 years.

Robert Brumfield's testimony agrees with that of Jerry Conerly. Jack Gatlin a farmer, has lived with his family on his land  since March, 1879. He has seen him working on the land.  "Saw him many times, too many to remember and every time I passed,  I saw him at work ... I saw him building his house there. He has lived there seven years and lives there now." 

 His description of improvements made on the homestead correspond to that given by Jerry Conerly. In question 23, Robert states "I think the land is worth $300.00 and has never offered for sale that I know of." The value of three hundred dollars in 2017 is $7468.05.  Robert Brumfield states in questions 26 through 28  Jack has planted crops for the season and "I think he intends to remain on the land after making final proof. 

Jack provided witnesses concerning his homestead yet almost failed to receive his homestead. More information to come.

----The Tree Gardener

Jack Gatlin Homesteader Part 3

Jerry Conerly Testimony

In the process of a homestead application, it was necessary to have at least two people to testify that the applicant had lived on the land.  Jerry Conerly was one of the witnesses to verify that Jack Gatlin was a homesteader.  At the time of his testimony, he was a 50 year old farmer. His birth year would have been 1837. He states that Jack Gatlin was his son-in-law.   Jerry Conerly lived on his land for 12 years and Jack lived about a mile away. Tom Magee and Gail Brumfield are Jack Gatlin’s neighbors who live about a half a mile away. 

Jerry states that he has known Jack for about 18 years living in various places in Pike County.  Jack Gatlin was 34 years old in 1887 at the time of his testimony therefore Jerry Conerly knew him since he was 16 years old. 

Jerry Conerly states that Jack is a self-employed farmer with no boarding place on the land.  He describes the homestead as pine land, timber and farming.  The timber on the land has been used only for fencing and farming purposes. Jerry states that he has “been on the land a number of times too many to remember.” 

 In Question # 21 State in detail the character of the improvements; what they consist of, and when they were made; the value of each distinct improvement, fully describing the same; also weather they were made by the claimant or by some other person.

Jerry’s testimony gives a detailed description of Jack’s family house. The ”Dwelling house , a boxed house of one room with a gallery, with 3 doors and 2 windows, a dirt chimney, a kitchen”   On the homestead, there also was a “ log house with one door dirt chimney, a smoke house built with logs; a chicken house made of logs and split pickets; log corn crib with double slabs and a loft overhead; 3 log cotton houses; they were built at different times during the seven years by the claimant, but do not know when each house was built.  He has fences and cleared lands. They are valued as follows: Dwelling house worth about $35 ($871.21 in 2017), kitchen worth about 10 dollars ($248.94 in 2017), smoke house $10 ($248.94 in 2017), chicken house $5 ($124.97 in 2017), corn crib, stables worth about $30($746.81 in 2017) , cotton house about $30 ($746.81 in 2017)."    

In Question #23 and 24  inquires about the estimated value of the land and how long the claimant has lived on the land. Jack Gatlin and his family have occupied the land since March, 1879. “The land is worth $300 and never been offered for sale that I (Jerry) know of.”

Jerry states he believes that the family resides on the land and “by seeing him there and at work, and seeing his family there I know he has been living there.

Jerry Conerly signs his testimony with an X.

----The Tree Gardener

Jack Gatlin Homesteader Part 1

Jack Gatlin was a farmer in Pike County, Mississippi.   He obtained his land through the homestead application  #10323 which was initially filed in June 26, 1880. He was 21 years old at that time. On the application, it states "that I prevented from attendance at the land office in person by reason of distance and want of means." It is not clear who actually submitted the application. 

The filing fee of seven dollars was received by the receiver's office July 1, 1880. Seven dollars in 1880 would be equivalent to $158.97  now in 2017. 

 The homestead process to obtain land consisted of filing an application, improving the land and filing a deed of title.  The homesteader had to live on the land for 5 years, improve the land by planting crops and build a dwelling 12 feet by 14 feet size. Proof of residency also had to be established before the deed was issued. To prove residency on the land. witnesses had to testify the homesteader had been on the land.

Jack Gatlin witnesses where Jerry Conerly, Robert Brumfield, Henry Brumfield and Robert Collins. In the Bureau of Land Management records, the testimony of the claimant Jack Gatlin and two of his witnesses Jerry Conerly and Robert Brumfield are written.  I will share the testimonies in following posts. 

Eddie Brumfield Sr. Family Tree

Family Tree

Eddie Brumfield Sr. born in  Pike County, Mississipp in 1917 is a child of Willis Brumfield  and Neathia Gatlin Brumfield.   

Eddie's siblings:

Ethel Brumfield  26 Apr 1904 to Mar., 1985

Bertha Brumfield 10 Dec 1905 to Mar., 1974

Bessie Brumfield 1909 to unknown

Essie Brumfield 1910 to 06 Jun 1971

Agusta Brumfield 1910 to 1910

Wilcous Brumfield 17 Apr 1912 to 22 Oct 1994

Herman Brumfield 1921 to1936

Thad Brumfield Sr. 08 Sep 1923 to 17 Oct 2006

Milton Brumfield 1915 to 1928

Eddie Brumfield Sr. family roots were in Pike County, Mississippi for three generations. Jeramiah Conerly parents are not listed.  Jeramiah "Jerry" Conerly parents were William "Will" and Harriett Conerly 68 and 60 years old respectively listed in the Pike County Federal 1870 census both born in North Carolina.

1870 Pike County, Mississippi Federal census William and Harriett Conerly listed lines 21 and 22 Jeramiah and family also listed 1870; Census Place: Township 2 Range 10, Pike, Mississippi; Roll: M593_745; Page: 153A; Image:366049; Family History Library Film: 552244

William "Will" Conerly 70 years old widower is also listed in in the Pike County Federal 1880 census. Harriett apparently died between 1870 and 1880.  Will and his mother place of birth are listed  as North Carolina and his father Africa.  His date of birth has a discrepancy being 1810 or 1802.   Jeramiah Conerly and his family are also enumerated on the same page. 

Will Conerly and Jerry Conerly enumerated "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4G1-JTG : 11 August 2016), Will Conerly, Beat 1, Pike, Mississippi, United States; citing enumeration district ED 37, sheet 348A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0662; FHL microfilm 1,254,662.

One couple of Eddie Brumfield Sr. great-grandparents have been identified.

----- The Tree Gardener