Six Degrees of separation The Edmund (Edmun) Downs Family Part 3

I was able to locate the Edmund Downs children in the 1885 Pike County in Holmesville School census. The children Milford, Jeremiah and W Buckhalter with Edmund Downs designated as "Gdn" guardian are located in the census separately from the Downs children.  These records show that Edmond Downs was responsible for Caroline his wife's children.  The following is the transcribed information.

"Mississippi Enumeration of Educable Children, 1850-1892; 1908-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939F-PV9F-WD?cc=1856425&wc=M6NC-7P8%3A167436801%2C167437202 : 18 September 2015), Pike > 1885 > image 6 of 178; Government Records, Jackson.  EDMUND DOWNS Gdn

"Mississippi Enumeration of Educable Children, 1850-1892; 1908-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939F-PV9F-7F?cc=1856425&wc=M6NC-7P8%3A167436801%2C167437202 : 18 September 2015), Pike > 1885 > image 8 of 178; Government Records, Jackson. EDMOND DOWNS

CHILDREN	AGE	SEX	PARENT/ GUARDIAN Edmund Downs
Richard	19	M
Ann	17	F
Thomas	15	M
Mary	11	F
Edmund	5	M
Buckhaltter  Milford	16	M
Buckhalter  Jeremiah (Jerry)	12	M
Buckhalter  W	8	M

The homestead of Edmun Downs was also identified in the 1880 Federal Agriculture Census located on line 6 and Frank Brumfield on line 9. 

From the labor contract, population and agriculture census and school records, I have been able to identify the Edmond Downs family and break down the 1870 brick wall.

--- The Tree Gardener

Updated October 4, 2022

Going to School

It was through school records that I looked for genealogy information.  In previous posts, I made some connections in the Brumfield tree. In the segregated post-Civil War south, racial designations of colored and white are present in many records. School records were not an exception. The geographic locality of many families can often be found by race in the school records. I have started my research with Pike County, Mississippi school reports.

This division of races has helped me find information. The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandon Lands established from March, 1865 to April, 1872   was established to help impecunious survivors of the Civil War.  The Freedman’s Bureau helped launch early schools. Pre-Civil War laws precluded slave education which increased dependency on the slaveholder.  Literacy allows autonomy that is beyond the physical ties of slavery. 

1870 CENSUS

County	COLORED POPULATION		COLORED MALES 10-14 WHO CANNOT WRITE	COLORED FEMALES 10-14 WHO CANNOT WRITE	COLORED MALES 15-20 WHO CANNOT WRITE	COLORED FEMALES 15-20 WHO CANNOT WRITE	COLORED MALES 21 AND OVER WHO CANNOT WRITE	COLORED FEMALES 21 AND OVER WHO CANNOT WRITE
PIKE	5,312	363		340	292	336	872	945

 Many families including their children had signed labor contracts and initially did not attend school.  The necessities of life food, clothing, and shelter were the priorities at that time. I, however, was able to find family trees and branches in later school records.    

1870 CENSUS

County	COLORED POPULATION	COLORED MALES ATTENDING SCHOOL	COLORED FEMALES ATTENDING SCHOOL
Pike	5,312	33	45

Six Degrees of separation The Edmund (Edmun) Downs Family Part 2

Several of the ways I analyze genealogical data are by geographic location and clustered groups of names. I am still trying to break the 1870 brick wall. Edmund signed the labor contract in May 1865. The next area I investigated was the census records. 

In the 1870 Federal Census for Pike County, Mississippi a Edward Downs is enumerated with Courtney Downs and children. Edward and Edmund are the same individuals.   An important fact to remember is that in the 1870 census, individuals' relationship to each other is not identified.

1870 Federal Census Pike County, Mississippi Township 2 Range 8 Dwelling 193 family 194

Name	Age	Sex	Race	Occupation	Place of birth
Edward	24	male	black	Farm hand	Louisiana
Courtney	26	female	black	Keeping house	Mississippi
Richard	4	male	black		“
Ann	3	female	black		“
Thomas	10/12	male	black		“
Jesse	15	male	black		“

1870 Federal Census Pike County, Mississippi Township 2 Range 8 Dwelling/family 193/194870 F

The children listed were not born in 1865 except Jesse who would have been 10 years old.  In the labor contract, 7 male and 8 female children without names are listed. These children may have been related to Edmund Downs.

In the 1880 Federal Census for Pike County Mississippi, Edmun Downs is listed with Caroline Downs as wife and additional children.  Courtney Downs who was enumerated in 1870 with children Jessie, Richard, Ann and Thomas (Tom) probably died.  Jessie in 1880 would have been 25 years old and possibly living elsewhere or dead.  Edmund has three children enumerated as step-children. Caroline was probably married to Mr. Buckhalter.  Mary Downs and Jerry Buckhalter are both 6 years old and Willis Buckhalter is 3 years old. The age of these three children suggests that Courtney Downs and Mr. Buckhalter died 3 years previously approximately 1877.

1880 United States Federal census Pike County, Mississippi SD 3, ED 37 page 29 dwelling 40 family 41  



Name	Age	Sex	Race	Relationship	Occupation	Place of birth
Edmun Downs	36	male	black		Farming	Louisiana
Caroline Downs	27	female	black	wife	Keeps house	Louisiana
Francis Downs	18	male	black	son	Field hand	Mississippi
Richard Downs	14	male	black	son	Field hand	“
Annie V. Downs	12	female	black	daughter	At home	“
Tom H. Downs	11	male	black	son	“	“
Mary Downs	6	female	black	daughter	“	“
Edmun Downs Jr.	1/12	male	black	son	“	“
Melford Buckhalter	11	male	black	step-son	“	“
Jerry Buckhalter	6	male	black	step-son	“	“
Willis Buckhalter	3	male	black	step-son	“	“




More information on Edmund Downs will be in Part 3

----The Tree Gardener  

Post updated February 9, 2022



Six Degrees of separation The Edmund (Edmun) Downs Family Part 1

The one major brick wall in black African American genealogy is events before 1870. In my search for my family roots, I have looked for names, locations and relationships with other families. Possibly through this search, I might find more information about my family. I have found families who lived in Mississippi and Louisiana who married or were neighbors of my ancestors.  Following the end of the Civil War in May, 1865 freedmen signed labor contracts to earn a living.  In the reviewing the Mississippi Archives for Pike County, Mississippi, I found the Edmund Downs family.

Name	Age	Planter	Date
Greene	16	Bacut? , Levy	10/12/1865
Edith	18	Bacut?, Levy	10/12/1865
Matilda	24	Bacut?, Levy	10/12/1865
Sarah	28	Bacut?, Levy	10/12/1865
Courtney	15	Bacut?, Levy	10/12/1865
Charles	17	Bacut?, Levy	10/12/1865
Caroline	35	Bacut?, Levy	10/12/1865
Edmund	35	Bacut?, Levy	10/12/1865

Edmund Downs Freedmen labor contract

How do I know this is the Edmund Downs Family? I will show evidence that this is the Downs Family in Part 2