Dennis Bearden Part 3

Dennis Bearden had two wives and children with each wife. 

I have tried identifying Dennis Bearden's occupation from the federal census records.   Information was enumerated on the 1900 and 1910 Federal Census for Dennis Bearden, didn't own but rented the land he lived on.   He may have been a tenant farmer or sharecropper. After the Civil War, the government agency  Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandon Lands  (Freedman's Bureau) established in 1865 supervised many of the former enslaved to sign labor contracts. The former enslaved (Freedmen) became an employee of a landowner who agreed to work in exchange for pay, clothing and medical care.  This was the precursor for the tenant farmer and sharecropper agriculture system, 

Tenant farmers and sharecroppers both farmed the land owned by another person.  A tenant farmer could contribute capital, own tools, and supplies, rent the land, and housing. The tenant farmer could sell the harvested crop and pay rent to the landlord. Sharecroppers didn't own or contribute anything except their labor.   They had to pay rent for tools, supplies, housing, animals, and seeds. The landlord sold the sharecropper's harvested crop and applied it to the sharecropper's rental account. Tenant farmers and sharecroppers hoped to make enough money from a harvest to pay their debts and earn a profit. If the crop yield or prices were low they remained in debt. Unfortunately, this system historically created a cycle of poverty that was true for Caucasians and Black people. The 1900  in a previous blog post and the 1910 census identify who lived in Dennis' household.  

The 1910 census

"United States Census, 1910", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPDF-XY1 : Sat Mar 09 08:29:24 UTC 2024), Entry for Dennis Bearden and Dilsie Bearden, 1910.

Transcribed 1910 Pike County, Mississippi Federal census of Dennis Bearden and Dilsie Bearden.

Dennis and his wife Delsie (Dilsie, Delsy) could not read or write. On April 17, 1891, they signed a labor agreement making them sharecroppers. The document is located at the Pike County Courthouse in Magnolia, Mississippi. The title of the record is Conveyance Record Book 11, 1893-1895 page 159(Family Search microfilm #008634974). 

The record as it appears below. Transcriptions and summary of portions of the record are given some words of the document could not be deciphered.

This deed of trust made this 17th day of April 1891. Witnesses that Dennis Bearden and Delsy Bearden, his wife of the first part are indebted to PL Barnes and the in the sum of $70 and forty-two cents. Having interest from said no date was given assign 17th. 1891. Where is said party of the first part from expect said PL Barnes to advance him money and sell supplies and merchandise during the year of 1891 and such finance as may be agreed upon at the time of delivery or-- at the usual and customary credit prices in the county of Pike and state of Mississippi, whereas said party of the first part has agreed to secure the payment of said indebtedness as also any further that may be advanced as for said….

The Party of the first part in consideration of the promises as well as for the for $10 to him paid by Jno Walker. 

The following described property situated in Pike County, Mississippi___ Any and all crops of cotton, corn and other agricultural products to be planted and raised by them in my hands they may employ during the year of 1891 on land belonging to him now…. or any other land that they may rent and cultivate during said year.

In trust, however, that if said party of the first part should on or before the 1st day of January 1892 pay what may be due said PL Barns for money advancement and supplies and merchandise sold all costs incurred on account after said and all cost incurred on account of said deed of trust thru this deed of trust will be void as to the indebtedness, _____ at that time; but in default of said payments or any part thereof or subsequent indebtedness under this contract the trustee will take possession of same property without notice of any kind. And having given ten day notice of the place and time of the sale by posting written notices at____ public place as in said county, sell said property or a sufficiency of said things to make said payment for cash at public auction at PL Barnes store or any place he designates PL Barns and his legal representatives can at any time they may decide_____Trustee in place of  Jno B Walker or any succeeding Trustee.

Dennis and Delsie signed up to work on a designated area of rented land. The land description given was in Pike County in the north half of the northwest quarter section 12, township number 4, range number 9 E 80 acres more or less. This land was owned by Jno (John) B Walker. They bought $70.42 of supplies and equipment from P L Barnes, a store owner, and received a loan of $10 from Jno B Walker. The sum of $70.42 is equivalent to  $2,436.04 and $10.00 is worth $345.93 inflation calculated for 2024. Jno (John) B Walker was responsible for the collection of crops. If Dennis and his wife did not produce enough crops to pay their debts, the property they obtained could be removed without notice and sold. I don't know the amount of profit Dennis ever made for his labor.  He was tied to the land as a sharecropper and, at best, a tenant farmer.  Sharecropping was a different form of enslavement.

--- The Tree Gardener

Mary Johnson Enslaved part 4

 Delia and Felix Stovall

Walter L. Campbell  Sale  of Mary Johnson to  Delia E. Stovall  of Pike County, Mississippi December 6, 1852

Transcribed Bill of Sale

 Delia Stovall born in 1838 in North Carolina was married to Felix Crawford Stovall born in 1822 in Mississippi. This is information was obtained from the Federal census records. In the 1850 and 1860 Federal censuses, there were two population schedules those individuals who were free and the enslaved.  Felix Stovall in the 1850 census is enumerated as a 28-year-old farmer with inferred parents Drury Stovall 79 and Lucy Stovall 69 years old. 

"United States Census, 1850," database with images, <i>FamilySearch</i> (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4LD-28V : 22 December 2020), Felix Stovall in household of Drury Stovall, Marion, Mississippi, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). 1850 Census Transcribed

Name	Age	Sex	Value of Real Estate Owned	Place of Birth
Drury Stovall	79	M	1500	N. C.
Lucy Stovall	69	F		Va.
Felix Stovall	28	M		Ms.

 Name

 Age

 Sex

Value of Real Estate Owned 

 Place of Birth

 Drury Stovall

 79

 M

 1500

 N. C.

 Lucy Stovall

 69

 F

 

 Va.

 Felix Stovall

 28

 M

 

 Ms.

The enslaved record gave the name of the slave owner, the number of people owned, their age, sex and sometimes skin color. The names of the enslaved were rarely given. Felix Stovall was also the owner of four enslaved people enumerated in the 1850 slave census.

The National Archive in Washington DC; Washington, DC; NARA Microform Publication: M432; Title: Seventh Census Of The United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29

Felix Stovall 1850 Slave Census  Transcribed

Male	28
Male	9
Male	5
Female	24

 Delia Stovall purchased Mary Johnson on December 6, 1852.

 Felix Stovall received his first homestead land patent for 40 acres of land in Pike County, Mississippi on August 1, 1853. By 1859, Stovall held homestead land patents for over 300 acres of land. In the 1860 Federal census, Felix Stovall is identified as F C Stoval along with his family. The value of his real estate was $3000   and value of his personal estate $ 7,000 which in 2022 would be  $107,715.18 and  $251,355.42 respectively.

The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Pike, Mississippi; Roll: M653_589; Page: 384; Family History Library Film: 803589

Felix Stovall 1860 Census Transcribed

Name	Age	Sex
F C Stoval	38	M
D E	27	F
G W	6	M
E S	5	F
N R	3	M

 In the 1860 slave schedule, Felix Stovall as a slave owner enumerated seven enslaved people.  Enslaved people were sometimes hired to work for other farmers. This was a source of income for the owner. The slave schedule may not identify a slave owner from an employer.   A female age 25 which was possibly Mary Johnson is identified on the schedule. It is noted that there is one slave house. 

"United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1860", database with images, <i>FamilySearch</i> (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WKLR-KRZM : 16 October 2019), Felix C Stovall, 1860

Felix Stovall 1860 Slave Census Transcribed

 Gender                           Age

Female	25
Male	18
Male	15
Female	5
Female	4
Female	3
Female	1

The timeline that followed during the enslavement of Mary Johnson.

• April 12, 1861 Civil War started with the Confederate Troops firing on Fort Sumter, South Carolina.        
•  April 16, 1862  Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery in Washington D.C.
•  January 1, 1863  Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery in states that seceded from the United States with the Emancipation Proclamation.
•  April 9, 1865 Civil War ended  R. E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House to U. S. Grant.
•   December 13, 1865 The 13^th Amendment was ratified by 27 of the 36 states by the Constitution of the United States.  It abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.

Mary Johnson at approximately 31 years old  was no longer a slave.

More information to come.

--- The Tree Gardener

Mary Johnson Enslaved Part 1

 

The port city of New Orleans, Louisiana was a vibrant slave destination since the early 1700s. Slavery in Louisiana was first established by the French, followed by the Spanish and English.  The development of the Cotton Gin in 1793 and the Louisiana Purchase by the United States in 1803 stimulated the agricultural slave economy. The distance between Pike County, Mississippi to the city of New Orleans is slightly over a hundred miles.  Because of the close geographic proximity, my assumption was most of my enslaved ancestors from Africa arrived in New Orleans and then were transported to Mississippi. The assumption may only be partially true. 

The Act of Prohibiting Importation of Slaves a United States federal law and Abolition of The Slave Trade Act passed by the British Parliament banned the import of slaves in the British Empire in 1807. This stimulated the domestic slave trade. The enslaved were also illegally imported into the United States from geographic areas that were not part of the United States after 1807. 

 The ship Amistad is a famous example of the illegal slave trade. The Portuguese ship Amistad in 1839 which held 53 African enslaved people initial route was Havana, Cuba. The Africans seized the ship and killed the captain and cook and tried to return to Africa. The ship was seized in New York and all on board were taken to Connecticut. The plantation owners were freed and the Africans were charged with murder. The murder charges were later dismissed. The plantation owners, the Spanish government and the captain of the ship Washington claimed the African people as property. The case was eventually adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court in 1841 with the Africans represented by former President John Q. Adams. The Supreme Court decided in favor of the Africans and they were released. Thirty-four Africans survived and with the financial help of abolitionists, they returned to Africa. 

It is from this historical background, that I have continued to look for my enslaved ancestors from the early transport before 1807 and the domestic slave trade. From the domestic slave trade, I have received from a cousin the documentation of the enslavement of Mary Johnson.

Walter L. Campbell  Sale  of Mary Johnson to  Delia E. Stovall  of Pike County, Mississippi December 6, 1852

Transcribed Bill of Sale

Walter L. Campbell a well-established slave trader in New Orleans, Louisiana sold Mary Johnson age estimated 18 years old on December 6,1852 to Delia E. Stovall of Pike County, Mississippi for $925.00 the equivalent of $35,655.51 in 2022.

More information to come.

---The Tree Gardener

Tombstone Tuesday Charlie Barnes and Bertha Brumfield Barnes

 Charlie Barnes and Bertha Brumfield Barnes

Charlie Barnes born on October 24, 1901 the child of Jerry and Jane Anders (Andrews) Barnes whose roots extend three generations in Mississippi. An extensive genealogy of the Barnes Family of Pike County, Mississippi by Rosie M. Polk is available  Genealogy.com.

 https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/p/o/l/Rosie-M-Polk/GENE4-0007.html

Bertha Brumfield was born  December 10, 1905. The family history of Bertha Brumfield's parents Willis C. Brumfield and Nethia Gatlin has been posted in prior blogs. Bertha Brumfield was the sibling of Eddie Brumfield Sr., Ethel Brumfield Nichols, Bessie Brumfield McEwen, Gussie Brumfield, Wilcous Brumfield, Milton Brumfield, Thad Brumfield, Herman Brumfield, Agusta Brumfield and Essie Brumfield McEwen.

Charlie Barnes and Bertha Brumfield were married in Pike County on January 23, 1926. Charlie and Bertha were farmers raised their children and remained in Pike County their entire lives.

Pike County, Mississippi Book Z/Page 173  file# 0034704

Bertha departed this life March 12, 1974 at 68 years old. 

Charlie Barnes Obituary

        

Enterprise-Journal

Comb, Mississippi

18 Apr 1990, Wed  •  Page 12

                  

They are in interred at the Pink Hill Church Cemetery 1154 Jewell Drive in McComb, Mississippi.

    --- Precious are our memories

---The Tree Gardener

Silas Caston

 

Silas Caston is the son of Liddie Brumfield Caston and Calvin Caston.  Silas was enumerated in the 1870 and 1880   Pike County, Mississippi  Federal Census along with his parents and siblings.   From the 1900 Pike County, Mississippi census, Silas was born on June 1864.  The 1870  Pike County, Mississippi Federal  Census does not identify familial relations. Thomas's surname is enumerated as Caston on the census but his surname is actually Brumfield a son of Liddie.

"United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MF3M-66G: 29 May 2021), Silas Caston, 1870.

Household members                       Age

Calvin Caston                                             38

Lydia Caston                                              43

Thomas Caston                                          17

Elvira Caston                                              15

Rosann Caston                                           14

Green Caston                                              10

Silas Caston                                                  7

Jesse Caston                                                 4

Adeline Caston                                             3

 In the 1878 school census record, the parents and familial relationships of the children are not identified. It is inferred from the record correlated with other documents that Silas Caston attended school with his siblings in Pike County.

"Mississippi Enumeration of Educable Children, 1850-1892; 1908-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK6W-DDPL: 2 March 2021), Caston in the entry for Silas Caston, 1878; citing School enrollment,, Pike, Mississippi, United States, Mississippi Department of Archives & History, Jackson.

       Names                 Sex                      Age
         Caston Green      male                          17

         Caston Silas           "                               14

         Caston Isham        "                               19

         Caston Jesse          "                               12

         Caston Adeline      female                     11 

Silas is enumerated with his parents and siblings in the 1880 Pike County, Mississippi Federal Census.

1880 U.S. Census Pike County, Mississippi ED 37, SD 3, page 34 Dwelling 282 Family 284 

Household member's                        Age            Relationship

Calvin Caston                                             47

Lydia Caston                                               50                   wife

Green Caston                                              19                     son

Silas Caston                                                 16                     son

Jesse Caston                               can not read                   son

Adeline Caston                                           13                  daughter

Monroe Caston                                            is 7                   son

Silas  24 years old married  Ruth Williams of Mississippi, on 18 Aug 1887 in Pike County, Mississippi (File #0042464 Book/Page B/300). She was the daughter of Sarah Ratliff and Joe Williams born in July 1865 in Mississippi. Silas worked as a farmer and continued to reside in Pike County and started a family.  Silas' children are recorded in the 1896 Pike County school census. Note Calvin his father and Green  Caston his brother's children are also on the school census.

"Mississippi Enumeration of Educable Children, 1850-1892; 1908-1957," database with images, Caston in the entry for Silas Caston, 1896; citing School enrollment,, Pike, Mississippi, United States, Mississippi Department of Archives & History, Jackson.

Parent/Guardian         Children                     Age              Male           Female

Calvin Caston                  Hollis                           6                 X

Silas Caston                     Fleet                             12               X

                                            Sara                              9                                         X

                                          Fred                               8                 X

Green Caston                 Angeline                        7                                         X

                                        Clarence                          6                 X 

 

   Silas and Ruth Caston were enumerated with their children in the 1900 Pike County Federal census. His occupation was a farmer and Ruth maintained the home and cared for the children. It is noted that it was recorded Silas could not read or write. In the census, Dora is 4 and Cora is 2 years old. The girls were actually twins. This information was obtained from Cora's granddaughter.

"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9XT-2H6: accessed 19 May 2022), Silas Caston, Beat 1 (part of), Pike, Mississippi, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 105, sheet 9B, family 143, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,825.

 Household                    Date of birth           Age          Relationship     

Silas Caston                    Jan  1864                   36               Head

Ruth Caston                    July  1865                  34               Wife

Fleet Caston                    Feb 1884                    16               son

Sarah Caston                    Jan  1886                  14             daughter

Fred Caston                      Apr 1888                  12                son

Hester Caston                   Feb 1890                  10             daughter

Robert Caston                  Dec 1892                    8                son

Thomas Caston                Dec 1894                    6                son

Dora Caston                     Oct 1896                    4             daughter

Cora Caston                     Oct 1898                    2              daughter

Lyda Caston                     Sep 1899                  9/12           daughter

Silas and Ruth Caston were enumerated with their children in the 1910 Pike County Federal census.  Fred (Frederick) Caston was not enumerated with his parents because he was living with his aunt Mary Ann Allen Caston along with his wife Carrie and son Harry. In the census records,  Ruth (Ruthie) had 13 children but 11 were listed alive. It is reported by the family that Fleet and Robert died as children.

"United States Census, 1910", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNTZ-NK6: 2 February 2021), Silas Coston, 1910.

Name                             Age            Relationship 

 Silas Caston                                     46                       Head

Ruthie Caston                                  44                       Wife

Restillier Caston                             18                     daughter

 Rosa  Caston                                   17                     daughter                      

Tom Caston                                     15                          son

Dora Caston                                    12                     daughter

Cora Caston                                     12                     daughter

Lidie Caston                                   10                     daughter

Fannie Caston                                 7                      daughter

Jesse Caston                                   7                          son 

Noah Caston                                   6                          son

More information to come.

----- The Tree Gardener