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

Six Degrees of Separation

There is a theory that everyone is  separated  from each other  by only  six connections  or less. The connections of people are possibly of affiliation or kin.   This is known as six degrees of separation.  I became more cognizant of personal connections   every time I have logged onto Facebook or Linkedin.  I know someone who knows some else, who knows someone else ---who now I know.   In the process of my ancestral search, I have tried to use similar associations and links.  I have followed many family trees because of these links to my ancestral family tree. 

In the southern counties of Mississippi and adjacent northern parishes of Louisiana, clusters of the same surnames have appeared in my research.  I have made the hypothesis that 1) most of the members of the trees were slaves 2)they were connected by geography  3) lived  during the same time  4) they might know each other or the  slave holder 5) did not relocate after the Civil War  6) they did not die prematurely prior to 1870 census.   I know my hypothesis has many gaps.

In 1860 Federal census southern counties in Mississippi there were Pike, Marion, Amite, Wilkinson and Hancock. T he northern border of Louisiana in Washington Parish, St Helene, Tangipahoa, East Feliciana and West Feliciana. 

Genealogist Michael Hait  research  “Mississippi had the highest number of slaveholders relative to its total population, but the number of slaveholders even in Mississippi was only 3.91% of the total population of that state. Over 55% of the total population of that state were slaves.”

MISSISSIPPI   NUMBER OF SLAVES IN 1860*

County	Slaves	Male	Female
Pike	4,935	2441	2494
Amite	7,900	3972	3928
Wilkinson	13,132	6541	6591
Marion	2,185	1104	1081
Hancock	19,241	9924	9317

 LOUISIANA   NUMBER OF SLAVES IN 1860*

Parish	Slaves	Male	Female
Washington	1,690	845	845
St Helene	3,711	1,906	1805
Tangipahoa	0	0	0
East Feliciana	10593	5162	5431
West Feliciana	9,571	4,852	4719
St Tammany	1,841	989	845

*Source University of Virginia Library Census Browser

I am seaching through these counties for connections.      The Tree Gardener