Lydia (Liddie) Brumfield Caston

 

Lydia was an enslaved black woman born in December 1825 in Mississippi and died July 5, 1916, in Pike County Mississippi. Lydia had offspring from two men with Brumfield and Caston surnames.   Enslaved individuals were not allowed to marry. Some of her children were born before the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 which freed the enslaved in southern states.  

  Her first consort Louis Brumfield was identified from the death certificate of her son Richard Brumfield born between 1841 and 1843.  Louis is thought to be an enslaved black man.  What ultimately happened to Louis is presently unknown at this time.

Mississippi Death Certificate of Richard Brumfield

Lydia Caston was identified as the mother of Thomas Brumfield on his death certificate. 

Mississippi Death Certificate of Tom Brumfield

Headstone of Irvin Brumfield in the Caston Cemetery

 Irvin Brumfield was born on August 13, 1844,  died on August 27,1900 and Frank Brumfield's death certificates have not been found. Identification of Frank Brumfield is pending.  Autosomal DNA analysis and genealogy research of descendants of Richard, Irvin, and Tom Brumfield have correlated a familial relationship.  The Brumfield children may have different fathers. DNA "Y" chromosome analysis of male descendants is pending. 

Her second husband Calvin "Cad" Caston has been identified through the census, vital records, and his will in previous blog posts. Lydia has been identified by her descendants as Liddie Brumfield Caston.

Henry Sims Brumfield born Feb 5, 1835- Dec 5, 1915, has been identified as the former slave owner of Richard Brumfield Liddle's son. Henry Sims Brumfield was the son of Jesse Kelly Brumfield who was born in York District, South Carolina Mar 12, 1807-July 25, 1884.  They moved to "Love Plantation" near the Bogue  Chitto River south of Holmesville which was previously settled by William Love in 1809. William Love 1758 or 1765 -1839 was born in South Carolina.  The plantation was passed down to Henry Sims. Jesse Kelly Brumfield in 1856 moved to the "Brumfield Plantation"  3 miles east of Liberty Amite County, Mississippi residing to his death.  In the 1860 Pike County, Mississippi slave census enumerated 62 enslaved individuals for Jesse Kelly and 12 individuals for Henry S Brumfield.    It can be inferred that Henry Sims or his father Jesse Kelly were the probable owners of Liddie, Louis, and Calvin. 

 Details concerning how Calvin and Liddie Caston become owners of 80 acres of land in Pike County and information about  Richard, Irving, Tom,  Frank Brumfield,  Elvira, and Rosann Caston have been given in prior blog posts. Liddie continued to maintain the family home with Calvin.   Calvin died July 19, 1912.   In his will, he appointed Silas Caston to be Lydia's guardian without bond.    Lydia continued to live on their land until her death on July 5, 1916, at 90 years old.

 After the death of Liddie, the homestead land still had her name on the deed. A notice for the sale of land for taxes for Pike county, Mississippi was published in the newspaper on the first Monday of July, 1931. The sale of land was to be on the Magnolia court house for cash for unpaid taxes. Property with Silas and Lydia Caston's names is listed for sale. 

Semi-Weekly Journal 

McComb, Mississippi

 13 Jun 1931, Sat  •  Page 8

Taxes were paid in 1931.  On the third Monday in September, 1935 property with Lydia Caston's name is listed for sale for outstanding unpaid taxes.  I have not researched land records to determine the present land ownership.  

Semi-Weekly Journal  

McComb, Mississippi

 05 Sep 1935, Thu  •  Page 6

----The Tree Gardener

Footnote

Charlotte J. Stewart, Brumfield Blossman Printing Inc. Ocean Springs, Mississippi pages  25, 32

Six Degrees of Separation Caston & Brumfield Families Part 4

Richard Brumfield

Richard Brumfield was a child of Liddie and Louis Brumfield. He is thought to have been born in Pike county, Mississippi between 1841 to 1843. Liddie would have been 16 0r 18 years old at his birth.  When the school census in 1878  was taken, he would have been 31 to 33 years old.  This was well beyond school age.  A black male  Richard Bromfield  27 years old  a farm hand  was enumerated August, 1870 in the  federal census for Township 2 Range 9 East Pike county, Mississippi.   Details of the meridian and the direction of the township are not listed in the census record.  In order to identify the  location where  Richard Bromfield was enumerated,  I looked on the same census page for individuals who were homesteaders.  Thomas Simmons white male 33 years old and John R. Simmons white male 55 years old both  homesteaded land at Washington meridian, Township 2 North and Range 9 East.  Because census records identifies the location where individuals lived, Richard Bromfield lived in this location.



United States Census, 1870," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/MHBP-LCN : accessed 13 Jun 2014), Richard Bromfield, Mississippi, United States; citing p. 6, family 41, NARA microfilm publication M593, FHL microfilm 000552244.

Richard Bromfield name is on line 3 of the census record.

This location is significant because Calvin Caston, Edmond Downs, Jack Gatlin, Irvin (Ervine) Brumfield and Robert Brumfield,  homesteaded  land in the same Washington meridian, Township 2 North  and Range 9 East.  The compelling evidence suggests that the Richard Bromfield  listed in the 1870 census birth year is 1843 and  working in the same geographic area of  Calvin Caston is presumptively the Richard Brumfield son of Liddie.


Richard Brumfield  family is also enumerated in the 1880 Federal Census in  Byran and Terry in Hinds county. Mississippi. Richard was farm laborer at that time.




"United States Census, 1880," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/MWVV-XDS : accessed 12 Jun 2014), Richmon Brumfeel, Byram And Terry, Hinds, Mississippi, United States; citing sheet 422D, NARA microfilm publication T9.

Name	Color	Sex	Age		Birthplace	Birthplace Father	Birthplace mother
Richmon Bromfeel	B	M	37		Mississippi	Miss	Miss
Cathrin	B	F	25	Wife	Louisiana	S C	SC
Edner	B	F	5	Daughter	Mississippi	Miss	La
Percie	B	M	2	Son	Mississippi	Miss	La
Cathrin	B	F	7/12	Daughter	Mississippi	Miss

Link  https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M4G8-67Q

He latter returned to Pike county with his family. His children  Edna 9 years old and Percy age 7 years old are listed in the 1885 Pike county, Mississippi school records.

             Child      Age      Sex       Parent
            Edna         9          F           Richard Brumfield
            Percy        7          M         "                            "                                 

   Richard Brumfield is also enumerated in latter census records which I have not included. He died February 13, 1935 from the infirmities of old age at 94 years old based on prior census information.  It is on his Mississippi death certificate, his father was Louis Brumfield at birthplace unknown and mother Litter Brumfield birthplace Pike county are identified. At the time of his death, he was thought to be 99 years old widower with his wife’s name Catherine which corresponds to the census enumeration.  The informant was his son Dudley Brumfield.

Six Degrees of Separation Caston & Brumfield Families Part2

Where's the proof?  The Census

I have been searching for information to support the early relationship of the Caston and Brumfield families. Liddie born in 1825 was the mother of Caston and Brumfield's children. Her first husband was Louis Brumfield and her second was Calvin Caston. What documents are available to substantiate the whole story of this blended family? The 1870 census is the first census that freemen or former slaves are listed. In the 1870 census, all of the children of Liddie and Calvin's surname are listed as Caston. An additional child not previously mentioned in the blog Elvira Caston, is also listed in this census. She may have been a Brumfield.

  

Source Citation: Year: 1870; Census Place: Township 2 Range 9 East, Pike, Mississippi; Roll: M593_745; Page: 128B; Image: 262; Family History Library Film: 552244.

NAME	AGE
Caston, Calvin	38
Lydia	41
Thomas	17
Elvira	15
Rosann	14
Isham	12
Greene	10
Silias	7
Jesse	4
Adiline	3

Richard, Frank and Irving are not listed in the census record. More information to come.