Where Were They in 1808?

Awhile ago, the challenge issued by Lisa was to describe where one's ancestors were in 1908. I blogged about that here. Now the topic is where one's ancestors were in 1808. Many bloggers have written about this already; I'm just getting caught up.

1808 was a signal year for some of my families. That was the year that Congress banned the Atlantic slave trade from the United States. The U.S. Constitution of 1789 had provided in Article I, section 9:

The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person.

This somewhat obtuse sentence was one of the several compromises in the Constitution on the issue of slavery. The importation of slaves could not be banned by Congress for two decades after the Constitutional Convention. Note that states were free to ban slavery at any time; and several had done so prior to 1808.

Manson: Charlotte Manson, the likely first ancestor born in America, was probably still with her Scots-Irish parents in South Carolina or northern Georgia. We have not yet discovered her parents' names.

Gines: I have no information about the Gines family that goes back to 1808. I do know that they likely came from the Carolinas.

Bowie: James Bowie, free man of color, is believed to have been born in the 1790's in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, and probably was living there in 1808.

Brayboy: William Brayboy was born into slavery in South Carolina in the 1790's. I do not know where in South Carolina.

Johnson/Carpenter: Benjamin Carpenter had been born in 1745 in Gloucester, New Jersey. In 1808, he and his wife, Elizabeth McFarland Hughes, lived in Harrison County, Virginia (now in West Virginia). Their son William, grandfather of Ezekiel Johnson, was born in Harrison County in 1790.

LeJay: I am reasonably certain that my LeJay ancestors were held in bondage in South Carolina in 1808. They were most likely in the eastern part of South Carolina.

Birdsong: John Birdsong III and his wife, Elizabeth Latimer, had moved to Oglethorpe County, Georgia, by 1808.

Sanford: The earliest known ancestor in this family, William Sanford, was born into slavery in Virginia in 1809.

Bryant, Long, Gilbert, Martin: I have no information on these families in 1808.

Where Was Your Family in 1908?

Lisa, who has the energy to write several interesting blogs, posed the question, "Where was your family in 1908?" on, appropriately enough, her 100 Years in America blog.

A century ago, neither of my paternal grandparents had been born yet, although one, my grandmother Jessie Beatrice Bowie, was just a year away. Her parents, my great-grandparents, Hattie Bryant and Elias Bowie, Sr., had recently met and were living in San Antonio, Texas. Hattie's and Elias' parents were also in Texas. Guy Bryant and Maria Martin lived in Rockport, Aransas County, Texas, in 1908. Guy was a butcher. John Wesley Bowie and Amanda McCray made their home in the east Texas town of Longview in Gregg County. They lived at 114 Morgan Street and 63 year old John did "odd jobs."

My other paternal great-grandparents, Otis Manson and Bettie Sanford, lived on a farm near Rockdale, Milam County, Texas. My great-great-grandmother, Matilda Manson, lived near them. Bettie's father, Billie Sanford, a 98 year old former slave, was still alive, also in Milam County. Billie would live to be 106 years old.

My maternal grandfather, Eddie Gines, was 10 years old and lived with his parents, Richard William Gines and Sylvia LeJay, at 1540 Ashton Street, Shreveport, Louisiana. Great-grandpa Dick was a fireman at Shreveport's electric powerhouse. I know nothing of Dick's parents. Sylvia's parents were Lewis LeJay and Syntrilla Brayboy. By 1908, Lewis had probably passed away. Syntrilla, however, still lived in De Soto Parish, Louisiana, not far from where she had been held in slavery.

My maternal grandmother, Annie Florida Corrine Long, was six years old and lived with her parents, James William Long and Mary Elizabeth Johnson. Their house was at 2711 Wyoming Street, on the west side of Kansas City, Missouri. Great-grandpa James was a Baptist preacher and in 1908 was the pastor at Kansas City's Sunrise Baptist Church. His parents, Richard and Pauline Long, were deceased. My great-great-grandfather, Zeke Johnson, was still alive and well in Kansas City. My great-great-grandmother, Sarah Gilbert, may have been alive in 1908, but this is not certain. Zeke's father, Dan Carpenter, was alive at age 83, in Clay County, Missouri, just north of Kansas City. He died at age 95. There is some evidence that Zeke's mother, Harriet Mitchell, was alive and living in Johnson County, Kansas, but this is not certain. She would be about 83 years old as well.

In 1908, none of these ancestors could have foreseen me and life as it is today.

Can DNA Solve "The Lumbee Problem"?

How does a group of people who have American Indian ancestry but no records of treaties, reservations, Native language, or peculiarly "Indian" customs come to be accepted--socially and legally--as Indians?

That question is asked on the jacket of the 2001 printing of The Lumbee Problem--The Making of an American Indian People by anthropologist Karen I. Blu (University of Nebraska Press, 2001; copyright 1980, Karen I. Blu). And that's just the surface of "the Lumbee problem."

Suppose Scots-Irish settlers in North Carolina in the early eighteenth century came upon a group of people who in some ways seemed to be indigenous, but spoke seventeenth century English and had English names. History or an episode of the Twilight Zone?

Indeed, this seems to be the history of the Lumbee Indians of North Carolina. But who are they really? Are they Indians? What is their origin?

A prominent theory is that the Lumbees are descendants of Native Americans and survivors of the Lost Colony of North Carolina.

In 1587, a group of colonists under Sir Walter Raleigh's charter landed in the Outer Banks of what is now North Carolina. This was the second or third group of colonists in the area. One group had returned to England with Sir Francis Drake. The latter group was headed by Governor John White. White returned to England to re-supply the colony; his voyage back to America was delayed by the complications of the English war with Spain and the winter weather. When White did return in 1590, the colonist were gone, but strange "clues" were found. The word "Croatan" was found carved in the wall of a structure that had been built by the colonists. The colonists were never found.

In the early 1700's, Scots-Irish settlers came upon English-speaking people in the interior of southeastern North Carolina. These people appeared to be of mixed race. It is said that in the early censuses, these people were enumerated as "mulattoes" or "free Negroes." The people themselves claimed to be Indians. They waged a legal and political struggle in t he nineteenth century for recognition as Indians.

The federal government never has recognized the Lumbee as tribal Indians. In the late 1800's, the state of North Carolina recognized them as the "Croatan Indians." This name was not fully satisfactory to the people so designated and in the 1950's, the name was changed to Lumbee.

The truth of the origins and identity of the Lumbee has been complicated by a number of political and sociological problems. Among these problems would be the fact that there were black people in the area where the Lumbees were found and it may be difficult to tease out which of the "mulattoes" or "free Negroes" were Indian and which were of African descent.

There are several distinct surnames that occur among the Lumbee. These include Oxendine, Chavis, Locklear, Dial, Lowry, and Brayboy, among others. Some of these surnames occur with high frequency among Africian-Americans. Brayboy, for instance, is one of the surnames in my family tree.

My Brayboy ancestors lived in Louisiana and South Carolina. They had been taken to Louisiana in bondage from South Carolina. The question, however, is whether they are related to the Lumbees. Perhaps DNA can solve my Lumbee problem.

I understand that DNA generally cannot pinpoint a specific Native American tribe. But the Lumbee are an especially insular people, thought to number about 40,000, mostly in Robeson County, North Carolina. Under these circumstances, perhaps DNA can tell us about links to the Lumbee.

A Brayboy Challenge

One genealogical feature that I've come to enjoy recently is Chris Dunham's "Genealogical Challenge," which appears from time to time at The Genealogue. Chris challenges readers to find some interesting or obscure genealogical information about an historical or pop culture figure.

These challenges and their solutions serve to refine research skills and open up many sources that one might not ordinarily look into. [And the subjects of the challenges are always interesting!]

Since I'm a West Coast resident (and a late-rising one, at that!) I'm seldom among the first few to get the right answer. But I take the challenges on without looking at the solutions in the comments anyway!

It occurred to me that perhaps a "challenge" would be a way to have folks weigh in on a difficult actual research problem. Sooo, here we go . . . .

A few days ago, I heard from one of my New England Brayboy cousins. She was trying to figure out the paternal lineage of one Earley Brayboy, who was born in South Carolina on July 10, 1888, and died in July, 1956. He was born in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, and died in nearby Lake City in Florence County, South Carolina.

I've written about the Brayboys before. My Brayboy line originated in South Carolina on the Darlington plantation of Boykin Witherspoon. In 1854, Boykin Witherspoon re-located his family and slaves to De Soto Parish, Louisiana. In South Carolina there remain a large number of the Witherspoon family and the Brayboys. The descendants of some of the South Carolina Brayboys found their way to the Northeast.

Anyway, in the 1930 census of Williamsburg County, South Carolina, I found Earley "Braboy," age 43, with wife, 33 year-old Elma, living in the town of Sumter. Their children with them at that time were Vernell, 18; "Rolley," 16; Darby, 14; "Blanch," 12; Willie, 9; "Rush," 7; Harold, 5; "Cotell," 3; and "Earl," 2. [An issue researching the Brayboys is the shifting spelling of the surname].

The 1920 census of Williamsburg County shows "Early J. Braboy," age 31, with wife Elma, 22; and children, "Vernel," 8; "Raleigh," 6, "Darbie," 4; and "Blanche," 2.

Then I found the World War I draft card for Earley Brayboy. This document, dated June 5, 1917, indicates that Earley Brayboy had a wife and three children at that time. His occupation is listed as farmer.

After the draft card, records got tougher to find. I went to the SSDI and found death dates for six of Earley Brayboy's children. Then I went to a newspaper archive and found an obituary for Vernell Brayboy. The obit said that Vernell, the son of "Earl J." and Elma Montgomery Brayboy, was survived by six brothers, Harold, David, Willie, Darby, Earl, and Kotell; and two sisters, Blanche Burgess and Annie Laura Dupres. I found in the Connecticut marriage records that Annie Brayboy had married Dupres Branch. [Thus, the obit was in error as to her name.] Then I found in the SSDI death dates for Blanche Burgess and Annie Branch.

None of this was leading back to the main issue--the paternal lineage of Earley Brayboy. So I started going back through the census records. No Earley Brayboy turned up. But in the 1880 census, I found a Jacob Brayboy, age 39, in Williamsburg County, South Carolina. He was married to 23 year old Dora. The age of the children listed suggests that Dora was a second wife to Jacob. The children were: Jessie, 20; Ellis, 19; Billie, 18; George, 15; Margaret, 13; Betsy, 11; "Jennett," 8; "Lela," 7; "Sofronie," 6; and Martha, 1. There is also a step-daughter, Sarah Dinckins, age 7.

This Jacob Brayboy would be old enough to be the father of Earley Brayboy, born in 1888. A way to check if this is the right family is to go to the 1900 census, when Jacob would be 59 and Earley about 12 years old. Unfortunately, no Braboy or Brayboy on the 1900 census seems to match up with Jacob or Earley. And the disadvantage of not having an 1890 census becomes apparent right away.

Not only is Jacob old enough to be Earley's father; he's old enough to be Earley's grandfather. Additionally, in 1888, when Earley was born, Jessie would be 28, Ellis would be 27, Billie would be 26, and George would be 23. Thus any one of them might be Earley's father.

There is one potential hint: in the 1920 census of Williamsburg County, Earley's family lives next door to one James Braboy and family. James is either a year older or a year younger than Eraley. On the other side of Earley's house, Dora Braboy lives as a boarder. Then, in the 1930 census, Dora lives with a 32 year old Sam Braboy and is listed as his mother. In 1930, neither Earlery nor James is old enough to have a 32 year old son. So the suggestion here is that Dora is the mother of Sam, James, and Earley. This would make Jacob their father.

Now who is Jacob's father? The hint is that in the 1850 census, Jacob is listed as a seven year-old in a household headed by Mary Braboy, 52. Also in the household are Samuel Brayboy, 22; Martha Brayboy, 28; Margarett Brayboy, 9; William, 5; and Polly, 3. The 1870 census does not show relationships. There is a strong inference here that Mary is Sam's mother and that Sam and Martha are the parents of the children.

So with this information, one might surmise that Earley Brayboy's father was Jacob Brayboy and his grandfather was Samuel Brayboy.

Am I right? How would you bring this within the Genealogical Proof Standard?

UPDATE (10/06/07, 1:45 PM PDT): In the comments, Teresa says:

I think I've found your folks on the 1900 census in Williamsburg County, SC (HeritageQuest, Series: T623 Roll: 1544 Page: 286) - Jacob must have passed away by then, but Dora is listed as "Dora Braveboy", living with son Elliot. On the next page are: Lela Pendergrass, daughter; Samml B?boy, son; James B., son; Early, son; and Lila (or Lula?), daughter.

Thanks, Teresa! I have a couple of comments on the comment. First, I think Teresa is right. This appears to be the family of Early Brayboy. Second, let me eat some crow here. I certainly knew that "Braveboy" was an alternative name (some say it was the original name from which "Brayboy" and "Braboy" were derived). But I had gotten into the mindset of thinking that by about 1900, the spellings and names had somewhat stabilized and that it would be unusual for a family that had been "Brayboy" to go back to "Braveboy." So much for thinking how smart I am! Third, Ancestry.com does not index "Dora Braveboy" or any of her children on the 1900 census, although as Teresa says, HeritageQuest does!

A "Relatively" New Blog of Interest

Karen Burney, who's one of my Brayboy cousins, has a new blog up called Louisiana Lineage Legacies. Karen shares the stories of her 15 years of genealogical research. Although it is focused on Louisiana, she has a wealth of information about her research in other states, like South Carolina. The surnames she's studied include Brayboy, Morris, Jefferson, Chestnut, Hines, and Pressley, Smith, Green, Greene, and Brittentine, among others. (Brayboy, Jefferson, and Pressley occur in my family tree, too). She's got a lot of very interesting historical materials from Louisiana and South Carolina on the site, too. And check out so me of her research resources, as well!

I ran into Karen a few nights ago at the Family History Center in Arden Arcade, California, not far from my home in Carmichael. She told me a bit about the family reunion she went to in Kansas City a few weeks after I had been there. And she mentioned this new site. If you have any connections to Louisiana, you'll find something worthwhile there.

Research Resource: National Register of Historic Places Nomination Forms

Many are familiar with the National Register of Historic Places. A good resource for research is the set of nomination forms for places on the Register. These are available from the National Park Service at the address on this page.

The Park Service hopes eventually to have all of the nomination forms online. But until then, a e-mail to the Park Service will get you the materials. They responded to my e-mail within a day or two and sent me materials in less than three weeks. I was not charged for the material.

So what does one get? Well, I sent for the nomination package for Buena Vista, the plantation in De Soto Parish, Louisiana, where my Brayboy, LeJay, and probably Gines, ancestors were held in bondage by the Boykin Witherspoon family. The nomination papers included a written statement of significance prepared by the nominator. This statement described the property and included an historical note that contained a transcription of the1859 contract to build the estate. There were also three pages of photographs and two pages of diagrams.

Information similar to this can be found in the nomination papers of any of the properties on the National Register. If your family had any connection to a National Register property, these papers may add to your understanding of the family.

Once Again, The Thrill of Discovery

In the post about the Brayboy surname, I rather blithely mentioned that I had found photographs of Buena Vista plantation in De Soto Parish, Louisiana, where my great-great-grandparents Brayboy (and likely LeJay) were enslaved. I glossed over my feelings about that discovery. I was very much surprised and thrilled! The discovery was so unexpected!

A few months ago, I had run into a previously unknown cousin at a genealogical workshop. I learned from her for the first time that the Brayboys (and likely the LeJays) were slaves of a man named Boykin Witherspoon, who had relocated his operations from South Carolina to Louisiana. This information was pretty exciting and set me off to discover all I could about the Witherspoon family. I ascertained the location of some primary sources and found other information. But what I didn't find was information about the plantation, strangely enough.

When I decided to do a piece on the Brayboy surname, I made a quick, and I thought, pro forma, Google search of the Witherspoon name--expecting to find nothing new. But there was a document that I did not recall having seen before. It turned out to be linked to the National Register information about Buena Vista. The document appears to be part of the National Register nomination package for Buena Vista. It includes the following contract between Boykin Witherspoon and M. Robbins:

State of Louisiana, Parish of DeSoto
Nov 29 1859

Memorandum of an agreement or contract this day made & entered into between M. Robbins of the one part & Boykin Witherspoon of the other part (both citizens domicitited [sic] in the State & Parish above written). Witnesseth that the said Robbins on his part agrees and binds himself to do the carpenters work in a workman like manner according to such plan and specifications as said Witherspoon may furnish or desire, the said Witherspoon on his part obligating himself to pay said Robbins one hundred dollars per month together with board & lodging for himself & horse and to pay monthly for the hands now in the employment of said Robbins or such of them as he may wish to keep, the same wages as he may have to pay the owners of said hands. The said Witherspoon having the right to put such of his own negroes as he may wish to work on said house under the direction & control of said Robbins.


B. Witherspoon
M. Robbins

Witness: C.A. Edwards


It shows once again that it's almost always worthwhile retrace your steps in this endeavor.

My Unusual Surnames: Brayboy

Syntrilla Brayboy married Lewis LeJay in De Soto Parish, Louisiana, in about 1870. Their daughter, Sylvia LeJay, married Richard William Gines in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, in about 1883. The Brayboy, LeJay, and Gines families came to Louisiana from South Carolina.

These are the most unusual surnames in my family tree and they have proven to be the most elusive ancestors as well.

The surname "Brayboy" is said to derive from the name "Braveboy." A variation in spelling is "Braboy." The surname appears to be concentrated in just a handful of states in the U.S.: the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, and Kentucky. Interestingly, the geographic distribution seems to have a racial component. In North Carolina, most Brayboys are American Indians, primarily of the Lumbee Tribe, which consists today of the descendants of Cheraw and other Siouan-speaking peoples. In South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas, the name "Brayboy" appears predominantly among African-Americans. In Kentucky, the Braboys [note the missing "y"] are nearly all white. The name "Brayboy" is one of a handful of surnames predominant among the people of the Carolinas known as "triracial isolates."

[Note: There are "triracial isolates" all over the Southern United States. Theories about their origin and ethnicity are controversial. Some self-identify with other groups such as American Indians, African-Americans, or whites. Others self-identify as "Melungeons." Other surnames prominent among the Carolina triracials are Locklear, Oxendine, Chavis, Lowry, Hammonds, Brooks, and Revels. Probably the most well-known descendant of these people is the actress Heather Locklear.]

The African-American Brayboys of South Carolina and Louisiana are the descendants of slaves owned primarily by Boykin Witherspoon (1814-1898). Witherspoon moved to De Soto Parish, Louisiana, from South Carolina in 1854, with more than a hundred slaves. It is unclear to me how the slaves acquired the Brayboy name, which they may have had before Emancipation.

Witherspoon built Buena Vista plantation in Stonewall. Witherspoon's general contractor, identified in documents that I have seen only as "M. Robbins" [Miriam: a relation?], created homes for a number of wealthy planters in Louisiana. Buena Vista (not to be confused with a plantation of the same name in St James Parish) is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

My great-great grandmother was Syntrilla Brayboy, born in about 1843. She was the daughter of William (b. 1795, South Carolina) and Bettie (b. 1800, South Carolina) Brayboy. Syntrilla married into the LeJay family of De Soto Parish, Louisiana. She and her husband, Lewis LeJay, had 14 children, at least nine of whom who survived to maturity. One of them, Sylvia LeJay Gines, became the matriarch of the Gines family described below. Syntrilla Brayboy LeJay died in Louisiana in 1922.

I had written most of this post several years ago at a time when I did not know about Boykin Witherspoon, the slaveowner. I learned his name just about three months ago. Then while updating this information today, I came across the information about Buena Vista. Below are photographs of Buena Vista.

M. Robbins created this plantation house for the Witherspoon family in the 1850's.


















Slave Cabin on Buena Vista Plantation,
Stonewall, Louisiana. Did my great-
great-grandparents live here?

Another Cousin Found!

A few weeks ago, I met a cousin from the Brayboy branch of the family at a genealogical conference in Sacramento. That was a very fulfilling meeting on a number of levels and I'm still processing some of the information she gave me. One thing, among many, about that chance meeting, was that it was the first time ever that I had come face to face with a Brayboy cousin. A few days ago, a person left a comment on an older post here concerning the LeJay branch of the family. The LeJays have been the most difficult family to find. The commenter said she was researching the LeJays as well! Turns out that the commenter, a college student, is also a descendant of Sylvia LeJay Gines, my great-grandmother (and of course, therefore, also a descendant of Syntrilla Brayboy LeJay, Sylvia's mother). This cousin belongs to the Nacogdoches, Texas, branch of the Gines family. Richard William Gines (1860-?) and Sylvia LeJay (1863-1940) lived in Shreveport and had ten children, the oldest being Frank Gines (1883-1946). He married Willie V. Cole (1890-1983) and they ended up in Nacogdoches. The third of their eight children was Jennie V. Gines (1918-2006). Jennie became the great-grandmother of my commenting cousin. (And since it appears that the rest of that branch is still alive, I'll stop there). I'll be sending my newly discovered cousin further information on her family tree. It's a bit unusual to find someone at her stage of life interested in her ancestry. But she is a person with a bright and active mind (as I can tell from reading her own [non-genealogical] blog).