Tombstone Tuesday Willis Brumfield and Neathie Gatlin Brumfield

CASTON CEMETERY

Willis Brumfield and Neathie Gatlin Brumfield 

Some of  ancestor graves the of the African American Brumfield and Caston families are found at the Caston Cemetery.  The cemetery is an old cemetery about fifty feet off the road at  4022 Old 24 Extension Magnolia Mississippi according to GOOLE maps. There is no sign on the highway to identify the existence  of a cemetery. There is  however a cyclone metal fence gate at the highway entrance. Thanks to my cousin he showed me the location. The cemetery has old headstones with time and erosion the names have faded through the years.  Some graves are unmarked with the passage of time headstones are absent.  I located the headstones of Willis and Neathie Brumfield. In this blog, I have included the names of their children and their known spouses. I have recounted information in prior blogs about the family. Eddie Brumfield Sr. was their oldest surviving child and featured in earlier blogs. Their children are descendants of  Brumfield, Conerly, Cowart and Gatlin families. 

 Eddie's siblings:

-Ethel Brumfield  26 Apr 1904 to Mar., 1985 spouse Roy Nichols 28 Jan 1898 to  2 May 1981

-Bertha Brumfield 10 Dec 1905 to Mar., 1974 spouse Charley Barnes 24 Oct 1901 to 15 Apr 1990 

-Bessie Brumfield 23 Apr 1908 to 23 Mar 1991 spouse Eddie McEwen (divorced) ; Abraham Jackson 

-Essie Brumfield  19 Feb 1910 to 06 Jun 1971 spouse Deleon McEwen 18 Jul 1909 to 7 Jul 1990
-Gussie Brumfield 1909 to 1911

-Agusta Brumfield 1910 to 1910

-Wilcous Brumfield 17 Apr 1912 to 22 Oct 1994 spouse Ada Sibley 4 Apr 1912 to 17 Mar 2003

-Herman Brumfield 1921 to1936

-Thad Brumfield Sr. 08 Sep 1923 to 17 Oct 2006 spouse Mildred Hodges 9 Apr 1930 to 14 Jun 1982

-Milton Brumfield 1915 to 1928

Willis C. Brumfield  and Neathie Gatlin Brumfield 

Willis C. Brumfield and Neathie Gatlin Brumfield graves at the Caston Cemetery. 

Willis Brumfield Born Sept 15, 1883 Died Sept 1, 1948 LET OUR FATHER WILL BE DONE

Neathie C. Brumfield Born Sept 23, 1882 Died Sept 25, 1954 A TENDER MOTHER AND A FAITHFUL FRIEND  

----The Tree Gardener

Eddie J. Brumfield Sr Birthday

 Eddie J. Brumfield Sr.

On April 12, 2017,  Eddie J. Althea and Kim 

 I had an opportunity to visit with my cousins Eddie J. and two of his daughters Althea and Kim on April 12, 2017 at his home in New Orleans. He was sitting at a computer playing solitaire with a bright smile and sharp mind. We talked about family and laughed about the past. 

Eddie J. Brumfield Sr. April 12, 2017

Eddie J. was to celebrate his 100th birthday on May 6, 2017. A great celebration was planned by family and friends for a man who had an incredible life. He passed on Thursday evening May 4, 2017 two days before his birthday.   

I am grateful for knowing and having an opportunity to spend time with my cousin Eddie J. Brumfield Sr. May the love of GOD enfold the family and wonderful memories sustain during this time.  I know he is resting in the arms of GOD.

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens a time to be born and a time to die ...Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NIV

-------The Tree Gardener

Eddie Brumfield Sr. Part 5 On Raising Children (and other family vices).

This is the last of the video series recorded  in 2013 of Eddie Brumfield Sr.  It is a continuation of his conversation about his family. 

Eddie Brumfield Sr. discuss how he wants to be remembered and how he provided for his family.  He tells several family stories about his brother Thad, wife, son and other family members. In these stories, he describes the hazards and perils of giving children too much.   Eddie Sr. explains how he is related to the Gatlin family. He also affirms that his paternal grandparents were not married. His paternal grandfather Tom Brumfield used his money and influence to help his cousin who committed a crime.   His father Willis Brumfield always had the protection of  the "white folks  and Mr. Henry"  in the community. Eddie Sr. characterize his mother as a hard worker.

Eddie Brumfield Sr. Part 4 Principles of Work

Eddie Brumfield Sr. at 93 years old discussed his work ethic. He performed  piece work handling cowhides for 4 cent each.  He latter started working daily on the river as a longshoreman. He tried to learn every aspect related to his job.  With much humor Eddie Sr. explains how he progressed from a worker to crew foreman supervisor of 23 men. 

 In this episode he also divulge his secret to maintaining a sharp mind. He discusses his relationships and family. Eddie Sr. talks about his enjoyment of playing Dominos and card games Tonk and Coon-can. Coon-can also known as Conquian  is regarded as one the oldest form of Rummy. Tonk or tunk is a fast moving card game with features of Rummy.

Eddie Brumfield Sr. Life and Times Part 3

In 2010 interview Eddie Brumfield Sr. continues to discuss his family and children

https://youtu.be/EtNf9AyQJR4

Eddie Brumfield Sr. Part 2 In His Own Words Early Years

https://youtu.be/R8tqsSdqQJk

Eddie Brumfield Sr. Early Years Part 2

Eddie Brumfield Sr. born in 1917 grew up in Pike County, Mississippi. In the Part 1 video, Eddie talks about his parents and grandparents. He discusses growing up and working on the farm. At the age of seven or eight, he attended school  which was a long walking distance from home. The school used the "white folks" old schools books.  The stories in books such as Baby Ray, Little Boy Blue ,  Lucy Locket, and Epaminondas  didn’t make sense to him at the time. He left school in the fifth grade to work to help the family.  

As a child he experienced tragedy with his second oldest brother Milton Brumfield killed at the age of 12 years old and a childhood accident of his brother Thad Brumfield. John Williams a family friend took him and his siblings hunting and fishing. He had an adventure at 17 years old going to the Mississippi Delta; arrested for loitering near a white neighborhood resulting in a short experience on the chain gang. 

The names John Downs, Joe Downs , Cal Rayborn and Uncle Gene are mentioned. 

I am excited to be able to share this  interview

In Part 2 video he talks more about his early life.

------The Tree Gardener

Eddie Brumfield Sr. His childhood in his own words Part 1

Eddie Brumfield Jr. In His Own Words Part 1

I have a guest blogger Kerry Shelton, grandson of Eddie Brumfield Sr. He describes why he interviewed his grandfather. 

About six years ago, I decided to interview my grandfather Eddie Brumfield Sr. after listening to a series of interviews on NPR (National Public Radio) highlighting the historical perspective of older Americans. It had been my intention to record my grandfather for some time as a result of my growing knowledge of African/African American history and to learn more of my own personal family history. I thought it might be a good idea to interview Big Daddy, especially since he enjoyed sharing his stories and because I was so impressed with his razor-like ability to recall dates, people and events, even at the young age of 93. I had heard a number of the stories during previous visits with him, but I was aware that there were many more stories of which some family members were aware and others were not. So, in the Spring of 2010, I decided to craft a series of questions, conversation prompts mostly, to help direct me through a series of major periods of his life. Once he started the talking, there was very little I really needed to ask.

Upon completion of the interview, about six hours of video recording, I wasn’t sure what I would do with the information. My initial thought was to just hold on to the video and at some future date, when he was no longer with us, we could gather the family together and relive the stories and celebrate the life of our beloved Big Daddy. Some years later however, during a discussion at family funeral, my uncle initiated a conversation about his young daughter, in elementary school at the time, who had been assigned a school project to interview her grandfather (her teacher, having found out that her grandfather was a nonagenarian, exhorted her to interview him). I informed my uncle that I had the video recording of Big Daddy that I could email to him, but since the file was too big to email, I decided to upload the video to Youtube, and thus publish the information to any and all family and friends desiring to view the living history of Big Daddy. 

.https://youtu.be/V0ALMFMi3-w

-----Tree Gardener

How we are related? Part 2

The Removed, Half , Step and Blend

In the process of determining family relationships, I found the term “removed” when describing a relationship between cousins. First cousins share the same grandparents. Removed means that there is a generational difference between the cousins. What is considered a generation? I found two definitions that can apply. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary a generation is the average span of time between the birth of parents and that of their offspring. The English Oxford dictionary defines a generation as the average period, generally considered to be about thirty years, in which children grow up, become adults, and have children of their own. I have recently found my second cousins because we share great grandparents Gerald Hollins and  Eddie Brumfield Sr. is my second cousin one time removed.

A half brother or half sister means you have one biological parent in common. A step brother or step sister have no blood or genetic relationship. Step siblings are related by marriage because one parent with children married another person with children. Step siblings usually cause the formation of another family tree. 

A blended family is a family consisting of a couple from this and all previous relationships. In my family tree, Liddie and Calvin Caston had a blended family with two sets of children Brumfield and Caston who are half siblings.  

----- The Tree Gardener

Irvin Brumfield Identified

 I have been trying to identify the Brumfield children of Liddie Brumfield (Caston) and Louis Brumfield.  One of Liddie’s children  was Tom Brumfield. In my genealogy research, I have found several men with the name of Irvin Brumfield who lived in Pike County, Mississippi. I have been trying to ascertain if Irvin Brumfield born August, 1846 is a child of Liddie .

I have established that Irvin Brumfield definitely knew Liddie Brumfield's second husband Calvin Caston. Calvin Caston was a sworn witness on Irvin Brumfield’s homestead application. Tom Brumfield was a sworn witness on Calvin Caston’s homestead application.  The children of Tom and Irvin Brumfield and Calvin Caston are listed on the 1885 Pike County, School record.  Irvin’s children’s names were Martha Ann, Irvin Jr., William, Sherman, Louis, George, Isom, Mamie, Daisy and Mattie.

It was exciting for me to meet Eddie Brumfield Sr.  His grandfather was Tom Brumfield son of Liddie and Louis Brumfield. Irvin Brumfield Sr. died in 1900 before Eddie Sr. was born. Eddie Brumfield Sr.  however knew the some of the children of Irvin Brumfield Sr. They were  Irvin Jr., Isom, Sherman, Louis, Mamie and Mattie who were his father’s Willis age and his cousins.  I believe Tom Brumfield and Irvin Brumfield were brothers.

         

Irvin Brumfield Sr. would be Eddie Brumfield Sr. grand-uncle .

----The Tree Gardener