Six Degrees of Separation

There is a theory that everyone is  separated  from each other  by only  six connections  or less. The connections of people are possibly of affiliation or kin.   This is known as six degrees of separation.  I became more cognizant of personal connections   every time I have logged onto Facebook or Linkedin.  I know someone who knows some else, who knows someone else ---who now I know.   In the process of my ancestral search, I have tried to use similar associations and links.  I have followed many family trees because of these links to my ancestral family tree. 

In the southern counties of Mississippi and adjacent northern parishes of Louisiana, clusters of the same surnames have appeared in my research.  I have made the hypothesis that 1) most of the members of the trees were slaves 2)they were connected by geography  3) lived  during the same time  4) they might know each other or the  slave holder 5) did not relocate after the Civil War  6) they did not die prematurely prior to 1870 census.   I know my hypothesis has many gaps.

In 1860 Federal census southern counties in Mississippi there were Pike, Marion, Amite, Wilkinson and Hancock. T he northern border of Louisiana in Washington Parish, St Helene, Tangipahoa, East Feliciana and West Feliciana. 

Genealogist Michael Hait  research  “Mississippi had the highest number of slaveholders relative to its total population, but the number of slaveholders even in Mississippi was only 3.91% of the total population of that state. Over 55% of the total population of that state were slaves.”

MISSISSIPPI   NUMBER OF SLAVES IN 1860*

County	Slaves	Male	Female
Pike	4,935	2441	2494
Amite	7,900	3972	3928
Wilkinson	13,132	6541	6591
Marion	2,185	1104	1081
Hancock	19,241	9924	9317

 LOUISIANA   NUMBER OF SLAVES IN 1860*

Parish	Slaves	Male	Female
Washington	1,690	845	845
St Helene	3,711	1,906	1805
Tangipahoa	0	0	0
East Feliciana	10593	5162	5431
West Feliciana	9,571	4,852	4719
St Tammany	1,841	989	845

*Source University of Virginia Library Census Browser

I am seaching through these counties for connections.      The Tree Gardener