In this continuing case study, we have explored the use of online resources to research the family of a former slave, Jefferson Clark, of Leon County, Texas. Having learned quite a bit of information about this family using vital and census records, and the 1867 Texas voter registration lists, we then outlined a plan of action for identifying his final slaveowner before being freed, the most important part of researching former slaves. This plan consists of six steps:
1. Search the 1870 federal census of Precinct 3, Leon Co., Texas, for any landowners born in Virginia and Alabama, who are old enough to have owned land in 1858.
2. Search the 1867 voter registration of Precinct 3, Leon Co., Texas, for all men native to Alabama or Virginia, who had also lived in the state, county, and precinct for nine years; and all men identified in Step One.
3. Compare these two lists to the 1860 population schedule for Precinct 3, Leon Co., Texas, to identify which of these men also owned slaves. Identify any other slave owners living in Precinct 3 who were born in Alabama.
4. Search the 1860 slave schedule for each of the slave owners on the list to identify which owned males of the age of Jefferson Clark, and possibly his wife and two children.
5. Search the 1850 population schedule in Alabama, for each of the remaining possibilities.
6. Search the 1850 slave schedule for any of the possibilities to identify which owned males of the age of Jefferson Clark, and possibly his wife and two children.
This part will discuss the first two steps in this plan.
Step One: Search the 1870 federal census of Precinct 3, Leon Co., Texas, for any landowners born in Virginia and Alabama.
The purpose of this step is to identify any people who share the same life history as Jefferson Clark. If Jefferson was a slave, for example, he didn't move from Alabama to Texas by himself. He was brought there by his owner.
We have identified the following men in the 1870 federal census who bear at least some of the qualities that we are seeking:
· N. R. BARNES, age 32, born Alabama; real property value (none), personal property value $550.[1]
· W. R. BOYKIN, age 55, born Alabama; real property value $690, personal property value $500.[2]
· A. COLBERT, age 37, born Alabama; real property value $2000, personal property value $800.[3]
· JAMES JOLLY, age 52, born Virginia; real property value (none), personal property value $1000.[4]
· L. B. JOHNSON, age 41, born Alabama; real property value (none), personal property value $500.[5]
· J. A. MASIE, age 45, born Alabama; real property value (none), personal property value $200.[6]
· M. W. McANELY, age 38, born Alabama; real property value $2000, personal property value $500.[7]
· THOMAS ODIN, age 40, born Alabama; real property value $700, personal property value $500.[8]
· G. ORENBURN, age 48, born Virginia; wife born Alabama; real property value $1500, personal property value $1000.[9]
· T. R. ORENBURN, age 46, born Virginia; wife born Alabama; real property value $1000, personal property value $500.[10]
· R. M. RADFORD, age 49, born Alabama; real property value $1200, personal property value $800.[11]
· T. SIMON, age 34, born Alabama; real property value $1000, personal property value $100.[12]
· G. W. TUBBS, age 52, born Alabama; real property value $3000, personal property value $600.[13]
· WM. WHITLEY, age 38, born Alabama; real property value $320, personal property value $250.[14]
Step Two: Search the 1867 voter registration of Precinct 3, Leon Co., Texas, for all men native to Alabama or Virginia, who had also lived in the state, county, and precinct for nine years; and all men identified in Step One.
This step will help us learn more about those men identified using the 1870 census, and will help us to identify any other men who might share the same life history as Jefferson Clark, using a resource that is closer in time to the era of slavery.
· N. R. BARNES, entry no. 108, Precinct 7; residence in state, 13 years; county, 13 years; precinct, 1 month; native of Mississippi.[15]
· W. J. BOYKIN, entry no. 981, Precinct 7; residence in state, county, and precinct 10 years; native of Alabama.[16]
· C. C. COLBERT, entry no. 754, Precinct 4; residence in state, county, and precinct 16 years; native of Alabama.[17]
· BEN HOGAN, entry no. 15, Precinct 7; residence in state, county, and precinct 9 years; native of Alabama.[18]
· JAMES R. JOLLY, entry no. 744, Precinct 5; residence in state, county, precinct 4 years; native of South Carolina.[19]
· L. B. JOHNSON, entry no. 758, Precinct 5; residence in state, 12 years; county, 8 years; and precinct, 5 years; native of Alabama.[20]
· M. V. McANELLY, entry no. 608, Precinct 4; residence in state, 30 years; county, 25 years; and precinct, 25 years; native of Alabama.[21]
· THOMAS ODIN, entry no. 359, Precinct 1; residence in state, county, and precinct 12 years; native of Mississippi.[22]
· G. C. ORNBAUM, entry no. 690, Precinct 5; residence in state, 20 years; county, 15 years; and precinct, 15 years; native of Virginia.[23]
· R. M. RADFORD, entry no. 683, Precinct 5; residence in state, county, and precinct 16 years; native of Alabama.[24]
· G. W. TUBB, entry no. 142, Precinct 4; residence in state, 9 years; county, 19 years; precinct, 9 years; native of Alabama.[25]
We were able to narrow down the list of potential owners for two reasons: (a) they did not appear (or were unidentifiable) in the voter list, and (b) they did not live in Leon County at the time of the registration. Though we can seemingly also dismiss some of these men from our list of possibilities because they do not match the profile of Jefferson Clark’s probable owner, it would still be best to delay judgment as we obtain additional information.
The next column will address the third and fourth steps of our research plan.
[1] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 2, dwelling 12, family 12, N. R. Barnes; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[2] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 9, dwelling 73, family 73, W. R. Boykin; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[3] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 20, dwelling 159, family 159, A. A. Colbert; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[4] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page, dwelling, family, James Jolly; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[5] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 14, dwelling 109, family 109, L. B. Johnson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[6] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 3, dwelling 80, family 80, J. A. Masie; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[7] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 17, dwelling 131, family 131, M. W. McAnely; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[8] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 10, dwelling 85, family 85, Thomas Odin; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[9] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 17, dwelling 134, family 134, G. Orenburn; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[10] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 6, dwelling 54, family 54, T. R. Orenburn; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[11] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 18, dwelling 137, family 137, R. M. Radford; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[12] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 3, dwelling 21, family 21, T. Simon; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[13] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 12, dwelling 95, family 95, G. W. Tubbs; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[14] 1870 U. S. Census, Leon Co., Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 3, Centerville post office, page 24, dwelling 192, family 192, Wm. Whitley; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Feb 2010); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1596.
[15] Leon County, Texas, Voters’ Registration, 1867, folio 111, entry 108, N. R. Barnes; digital image, reproduced in Michael Hait, compiler, Leon County, Texas, 1867 Voters’ Registration Lists, pub. 2009; e-book/PDF download, Scribd (http://www.scribd.com/doc/23695411/Leon-County-Texas-1867-Voters-Registration-Lists : accessed 5 Jan 2010), pp. 11-12.
[16] Leon County, Texas, Voters’ Registration, 1867, folio 133, entry 981, W. J. Boykin; digital image, in Hait, comp., Leon County, Texas, 1867 Voters’ Registration Lists, pp. 55-56.
[17] Leon County, Texas, Voters’ Registration, 1867, folio 133, entry 754, C. C. Colbert; digital image, in Hait, comp., Leon County, Texas, 1867 Voters’ Registration Lists, pp. 43-44.
[18] Leon County, Texas, Voters’ Registration, 1867, folio 109, entry 15, Ben Hogan; digital image, in Hait, comp., Leon County, Texas, 1867 Voters’ Registration Lists, pp. 7-8.
[19] Leon County, Texas, Voters’ Registration, 1867, folio 133, entry 744, James R. Jolly; digital image, in Hait, comp., Leon County, Texas, 1867 Voters’ Registration Lists, pp. 43-44.
[20] Leon County, Texas, Voters’ Registration, 1867, folio 133, entry 758, L. B. Johnson; digital image, in Hait, comp., Leon County, Texas, 1867 Voters’ Registration Lists, pp. 43-44.
[21] Leon County, Texas, Voters’ Registration, 1867, folio 124, entry 608, M. V. McAnelly; digital image, in Hait, comp., Leon County, Texas, 1867 Voters’ Registration Lists, pp. 37-38.
[22] Leon County, Texas, Voters’ Registration, 1867, folio 117, entry 359, Thomas Odin; digital image, in Hait, comp., Leon County, Texas, 1867 Voters’ Registration Lists, pp. 23-24.
[23] Leon County, Texas, Voters’ Registration, 1867, folio 126, entry 690, G. C. Ornbaum; digital image, in Hait, comp., Leon County, Texas, 1867 Voters’ Registration Lists, pp. 41-42.
[24] Leon County, Texas, Voters’ Registration, 1867, folio 126, entry 683, R. M. Radford; digital image, in Hait, comp., Leon County, Texas, 1867 Voters’ Registration Lists, pp. 41-42.
[25] Leon County, Texas, Voters’ Registration, 1867, folio 112, entry 142, G. W. Tubb; digital image, in Hait, comp., Leon County, Texas, 1867 Voters’ Registration Lists, pp. 13-14.
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