Sylvester Bearden

 Dennis and Charles Bearden's occupation were documented in census records as farming from 1870 to 1900 in Pike County, Mississippi. Dennis' 1881 property assessment consisted of 4 cows value fifty dollars, 1 horse 70 dollars, and 1 carriage 30 dollars.    Charles and his sons, Chalmers, Estes, and Jonas,  worked later in the lumber industry, except for Sylvester. Sylvester Bearden (Silvestus Bearden) was born in January 1887, as recorded in the 1900 Federal Census.    

Charles Bearden and his wife  with his  children and spouses

 Sylvester attended school with his brothers in 1890 in Pike County.

                    Transcribed 1890 Pike County School Census

Parent or Guardian	Name of Children	Age	Male
Chas Bearden	Bearden Chalmers	10	/
	Sylvester	8	/
	Estes	6	/
	Jones	5	/

           Transcribed 1890 Pike County School Census

Sylvester was enumerated in the 1900 Pike County Federal census with his parents and siblings.

      

      Transcribed 1900 Pike County, Mississippi Federal Census

 

According to accounts passed down by family members, Sylvester Bearden had been working on the farm of George Walker and had been courting Walker’s daughter, Evie. Sylvester hoped to marry her and obtained a marriage license on February 10, 1910. 

 

 

Family accounts state that Sylvester went to the Walker home to propose marriage to Evie. George Walker refused to consent to the marriage and ordered Sylvester to leave. An argument reportedly followed, ending in tragedy. Sylvester shot and killed George Walker and Evie. He was also reported to have shot another daughter and struck some of the children who were present with the butt of a shotgun.

The incident attracted considerable attention and was reported in newspapers around the country. Authorities attempting to locate Sylvester may have followed travel routes and questioned family members, friends and  acquaintances. There was no national FBI fingerprint database at the time, and photographs were relatively expensive and uncommon among ordinary people living in rural communities. I have not found a photograph of Sylvester.

Sheriff Holmes of Pike County made efforts to apprehend Sylvester, but those efforts were unsuccessful. Sylvester Bearden disappeared and, as far as I have been able to determine, was never found.

I may never know exactly what happened in those final moments or what became of Sylvester after he disappeared. Some questions may never be answered. My genealogy research has been about recovering the stories of real people—their hopes, relationships, hardships, choices, and losses. Even when the past cannot be fully explained, it does not have to be forgotten.

---- The Tree Gardener

Follow me for updates