Gale (Gayle) Brumfield Part 3

 

Gale Brumfield established a homestead in Washington Parish, Louisiana filed December 10, 1869 and finalized June 13, 1876. He continued to work as a farmer on the homestead which can be verified at least to October 23, 1879.  Gale Brumfield and Ned Brock served as witnesses for the homestead of Sampson Dyson in Washington, Parish, Louisiana. 

St. Tammany Farmer
Covington, Louisiana
01 Nov 1879, Sat  •  Page 3

In March 22, 1883 in the Magnolia Gazette in a Petition For Retail License Gale Brumfield name is listed along with other residents of Pike County, Mississippi. It is not clear why he left his homestead and moved to Pike County. Gale and his children listed in the Pike County, Mississippi 1885 school census. Image of the school census seen in prior blog. 

 Gale is  later found in the 1900 Federal Census for Yazoo County, Mississippi. Enumeration of his family at the bottom of the page.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Green Hill, Yazoo, Mississippi; Page: 6; Enumeration District: 0123; FHL microfilm: 1240835

 Household Member               Age           Relationship

Gale Brumfield	80	Head
Harriet Brumfield	64	Wife
Joseph Brumfield	20	Son
Jennett Jones	34	Daughter

I have been unable to locate a death certificate for Gale or Harriet Brumfield.  From the Social Security information for their child Joseph (Broomfield) Brumfield, Harriet's maiden name is Sanderson. I have obtained a death certificate of  Grant Brumfield their son and his mother's surname is Washington the informant was Oscar Brumfield  both older brothers of Joseph.

  From research, several of his children continued to reside in Washington Parish, Louisiana as adults. I have not been able to establish a family connection of Liddie Brumfield Caston or Calvin Caston.  From the 1885 Pike County school census , it is clear that Gale Brumfield knew Liddie's children.   Descendants of  Gale Brumfield married into the family descendants of Ned Brock, Washington Jackson and Van Causey.

---- The Tree Gardener
  

A Dream Fulfilled

 

 

Today is Resurrection Easter Sunday April 4, 2021.  It is also the day 53 years ago that Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot in Memphis, Tennessee. This year his dream was fulfilled by my family. 

After over 25 years, I was able to break through a brick wall.   I had been stymied and tried many techniques and research to overcome the brick wall in front of me. My success had come from an unlikely source that I had not previously known.  Let me start from my genesis the beginning to tell of my revelation.

Years ago I was inspired by Alex Haley and the television mini-series ROOTS.  In the television presentation, Alex Haley a Black African American  man traced his family tree from the enslavement of his ancestors in America to the kidnapping of his ancestor from Africa.  I believed  that my ancestors had  interesting lives and a story for me to tell.    I became my family’s  self-elected family historian. I attended many family reunions, genealogy conferences, archives and libraries in search of information about my ancestors. I created a blog an online journal of my family’s history in 2012.   During the Covid-19 pandemic, my cousins established a nightly family ZOOM  video conference meeting. Three nights a week we discuss our genealogy, family stories and make additions to the family tree using Ancestry.com and compared DNA analysis.

One of the major challenges in African American genealogy research is obtaining information prior to 1870. This date is particularly important because prior to that time enslaved black people were not included in the United States federal census. Identifying the former slave owner and information prior to 1870  is considered a brick wall.  Through the serendipity of fate a brick in my wall had fallen. My great discovery was a picture posted on Ancestry.com of my great-great-grandmother an enslaved woman born in 1825 with 3 other relatives.   I was ecstatic, thrilled and excited. After years of research, I could now associate a name with an image.

On the photo also was a picture of the male former slave owner.  The picture had been posted on Ancestry.com by a descendant of the former slave owner.  I wanted to learn more so I contacted the slave owner’s descendant a great-great granddaughter. Without hesitation, I asked her to write about her ancestor on my blog and join the family ZOOM for one night. She accepted my invitation.  Maybe she could share more information. Possibly my cousins had questions that I had not considered. My cousins should be excited.  At least I thought. Well, my cousins were suspicious and felt the safe space of the family ZOOM had been disrupted, invaded and violated by my invitation. From their discussion, I felt like my naked body had been dragged over hot coals. It was too late the date and time had been set for the ZOOM meeting. I had no intentions of rescinding the invitation.

The great-great-granddaughter and her daughter logged onto the ZOOM call. These 2 Caucasian women I knew would be facing an encounter with 10 Black people. There were introductions of family members including locations. The conversation was pleasant, informative and copacetic.  There were a few jokes and some laughter.  Our ZOOM guest however mentioned that one of her ancestors fathered a child with a black woman. There was more to the story of our ancestors than the picture. More information for a later day. I hoped to be able to continue our communication and maintain a relationship. I will be forever grateful that she posted what I have dubbed "The Ancestral Picture."   

Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963 in Washington D.C. said   I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.   Well, 58 years later my family members descendants of former enslaved were able to have an enjoyable ZOOM conversation with descendants of the former slave owners. A dream has been fulfilled.

 

----- The Tree Gardener

     

Gale (Gayle) Brumfield part 2

Gale Brumfield Homestead 

Gale Brumfield was a farmer in Washington Parish, Louisiana.   He obtained his land through the homestead application  #1153 which was initially filed in December 10, 1869. 

According to the 1870 census , Gale Brumfield would have been 44 years old at the time of his application.  In the Final Proof document of the homestead application, he had a wife and eight children and cultivated 40 acres with the improvements of a corn crib, smoke house and stable.

 March 14, 1876  almost 7 years after the initial application  he later satisfied the necessary requirements for the homestead. Gale Brumfield was able to receive final approval June 13, 1876 of 153 acres of land in Washington Parish, Louisiana. 

Gale Brumfield continued to work his homestead. He is enumerated in the 1880 Federal Agriculture census for Washington Parish, Louisiana. His name is the second name listed.

----- The Tree Gardener

Gail (Gayle) Brumfield

 

I  first identified Gale Brumfield with his children  in the 1885 Pike County, School census. He is listed with  Edmund Downs, Frank Brumfield, Eli Brumfield, Robert Brumfield, Irvine (Irvin) Brumfield, Tom Brumfield and Calvin Caston. It is from this school record I am convinced he knew these men and their families. I decided to search for more information about Gale Brumfield.  

I was able to locate Gail (Gayle) Brumfield in the 1870 Federal Census in  Washington Parish, Louisiana. It is important to note that everyone was born in Mississippi except William 2 years old born in Louisiana. It is inferred that  Theonise Brumfield is his wife. She however was not his wife from other information to follow. The children's names which are enumerated with Gayle Brumfield correspond to the names in the 1885 Pike County, Mississippi school census. 

Year: 1870; Census Place: Ward 2, Washington, Louisiana; Roll: M593_535; Page: 224A; Family History Library Film: 552034

Household Members	Age
Gayle Brumfield	45
Theonise Brumfield	28
George Brumfield	14
Louisa Brumfield	12
Sylvia Brumfield	10
Rosellia Brumfield	8
Martha Brumfield	6
Jeannette Brumfield	4
William Brumfield	2

Gale Brumfield is enumerated in the 1880 Federal census in Edward Dykes, Washington Parish, Louisiana. In this census record his wife is identified as Harriet. Also, Willie 10 and Sylvia 21 are identified as Gale Brumfield's nephew and niece. Theonise Brumfield who is no longer enumerated was possibly Gale Brumfield's sister.

Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: Edward Dykes, Washington, Louisiana; Roll: 473; Page: 167D; Enumeration District: 194

Household Members	Age	Relationship
Gale Brumfield	60	Self (Head)
Harriet Brumfield	48	Wife
George W. Brumfield	25	Son
Sylvia Brumfield	21	Daughter
Rosellia Brumfield	19	Daughter
Martha A. Brumfield	17	Daughter
Jennetta Brumfield	14	Daughter
Grant Brumfield	11	Son
Wesley Brumfield	9	Son
Oliver Brumfield	7	Son
Oscar Brumfield	5	Son
Joseph Brumfield	1	Son
Willie Brumfield	15	Nephew
Sylvia Brumfield	21	Niece

From labor contracts from Washington Parish, Louisiana (seen in previous blog), I was able to identify the wife Sarah (Sally) and two children Keziah (Kizzie) and Charlotte (Lottie) of Eli Brumfield. Eli Brumfield was enumerated with them in the Federal Census of Pike County, Mississippi.  Gale Brumfield’s wife Harriet was identified in the labor contract and the 1880 Federal census for Washington Parish, Louisiana.  I do not know at this time if Gale and Harriet Brumfield are related to Eli, Isham, or Charlotte. Their lives and children however are intertwined with each other.    

----- The Tree Gardener