Tuesday's Tip

Land Records

The United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management website has a treasure trove of information for genealogists. It is a time intensive and an educational trove for anyone who is interested in learning about land records and the history of public lands. Since I have been researching my paternal great grandparents, William Alfred Lee and Emma Meadows, I have wondered why they migrated from Alabama to Louisiana. There were events that I have uncovered while researching the Lee family, and one of those events could have been the reason for them leaving Alabama. However, I could not find the evidence to prove why they migrated. I thought possibly the Lee family migrated to Louisiana because of cheap land for sale.

I have reconnected with two of my Lee second cousins once removed and over the years we have shared research notes and family stories. Recently one of my Lee cousins messaged to tell me that she had land information for William Alfred Lee, her great great grandfather, and that she would email it to me. Well, I did the genealogy happy dance? This was a great find, and answered the question I have asked since I have been researching the W. A. Lee family. Did they own land? This is my first rich find for land records. With the assistance of my husband, I went to the Bureau of Land Management website. He has taught classes on using land records in researching our ancestors.

My cousin acquired the land information from another Lee cousin. He took a trip to the Jackson Parish Courthouse to look through the land records. He found the conveyance record for the W. A. Lee land in Jackson Parish, Louisiana. My cousin sent me the land description, not the actual conveyance record. I will soon make a courthouse trip and acquire of copy of the conveyance record. And make a trip to Ouachita Parish Courthouse to check out land records there. The cousin who found the record lives near the plot of land that W. A. owned, and wasn’t aware he owned the land or the location of the land until he found the record.

Armed with the new land information, I went to the Bureau of Land Management website , put in the location, land description and clicked on search patents. The results came up and the Accession number was LA1280 .356 Duke, Charles the date 5/10/1898, Doc# 7812, LA then the township range 015N-001E, then the Aliquots NE1/4, Section # 14, County Jackson.

You then click on the image and a copy of the certificate comes up, then you may print a copy of the certificate. 

When I put in the land description, the patent search results gave me a name for the original owner of the land, Charles Duke. Charles was issued the land May 10, 1898. When I looked at the Patent Details I noticed this was a Homestead Entry Original. You can check out the history of Our Record Keeping History here. Public Lands History Timeline here. Surveys takes you to the original survey description. Also, a map of the township is shown.

If you click on the Patent Details on that page where the copy of the certificate is, there are details of the land with a map. Where the words Land Description is on that same page, directly below those words, there is the word Map. Click on Map and the township map comes up. This is where you can use Irfranview to snip a copy of the map and save to your computer, or use the Snipping Tool that is installed on your computer.

This is my first rich find for land records. Learning how to use land description to plot out your ancestor’s property and locate it on a map isn’t difficult. It lets you see your ancestor in the context of his surroundings such as churches, schools and physical features of the land. Once you discover where your ancestor’s land located then you can take a virtual tour on Google Earth.

The question of did William Alfred Lee own land has been answered. Now my next three projects are to research Charles Duke to see if he is connected to the Lee family, make a courthouse trip to the Jackson Parish Courthouse to get a copy of the original conveyance record and any other records available, and make a courthouse trip to the Ouachita Parish Courthouse to look for land records for W. A. Lee in Ouachita Parish. Research for this project is ongoing.

Monday's Maps

Plot of William Alfred Lee's Land in Jackson Parish, Louisiana About 1905

1907 Parish Map of Louisiana

Current Map from Google Maps of Jackson Parish, Louisiana

Sunday’s Record

Land of William Alfred Lee

The Lee, Edwards, Winn, and related families arrived in Jackson Parish, Louisiana about 1903 from Elmore County, Alabama. William Alfred Lee and his wife and children left Elmore County after the enumeration of the 1900 census. The window of time when they arrived in Jackson Parish was estimated by looking at the birth dates and places of birth of the grandchildren of William A. Lee. Why did these families migrate to Jackson Parish? Were they looking for a better life? Were they running away from the law? Were they looking for cheap land? Were they job hunting? Trying to answer the question, why these families left Alabama and settled in Louisiana is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It won’t be found, unless there is a manuscript or records somewhere that hasn’t been uncovered in researching this family.

One question has been answered though, and the question was did William A. Lee own land in Jackson Parish. This question was answered because a Lee cousin thought possibly the Lee family owned land. So, this cousin recently took a road trip to the courthouse in Jackson Parish. At the courthouse a conveyance record was found for W. A. Lee, my great grandfather. Since I don’t have a copy of the actual conveyance record, I have a road trip planned to the courthouse in Jackson Parish. While I am on the road I also plan a trip to the courthouse in Ouachita Parish. It stated on the record that W. A. lived in Ouachita Parish about 1905.

April 15, 1910 William A. Lee was living in District 53, Ward 1, Jackson Parish, Louisiana near Pine Bluff and Columbia Roads. He owned forty acres described as NE ¼ of the NE ¼ Sec14, T15N R1E. Great grandfather William Alfred Lee paid seventy-five dollars for the land, and later was paid eighty-five dollars by the Tremont Lumber Company for the pine timber.

I looked for the original land owner of the property who W. A. Lee acquired the land from and found the original certificate on the U S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management in the General Land Office Records. It was originally homestead land. The land was acquired by Charles Duke through the Homestead Act.

How long did the W. A. Lee family live in Jackson Parish, Louisiana? Where did they go after leaving Jackson Parish? William Alfred Lee died 18 October 1917 in Oak Grove, West Carroll Parish and Emma died 11 November 1920 in Oak Grove, West Carroll Parish. They both are interred at the Oak Grove Cemetery in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana.

There are several unanswered questions about the William Alfred Lee family. The research is ongoing, and it may take years to find the answers. I will enjoy the hunt along the way for the answers.

Surname Saturday

The Mysterious Carmack

The challenge in researching the William R. Carmack family line is lack of records for that time in which I am researching. The other problem is that online family trees show William R. Carmack with no child named Drucilla, and those online trees show William R. Carmack with varying names for his parents. Drucilla, according to Lee relatives, was a Carmack. There are no historical records to link her to her parents,William R. and Pency Kent Carmack.

The question remains, who are her parents? How does Drucilla fit into the family? I recently connected with a descendant of one of Benjamin and Drucilla Lee's daughters. Connecting with a descendant of the daughter's was a confidence builder in that at least I have the children's names correct.

Who is Drucilla? This question is an easy one to answer if I look at the family trees for the Lee family; however, to prove she is a Carmack is an impossible research tasks because there are no records to link Drucilla to her parents. The link that I have made from Drucilia to William R. is an indirect link. There is a William Carmack on the 1820-1840 censuses. I have taken each of the censuses put the assumed children of William and Pency in the age categories and they fit the categories for each census year. The estimated ages for William and Pency also fit their categories. Drucilla, her husband Benjamin, and their children are listed on the 1850 Tallapoosa County, Alabama census and living in the area is William, Pency was deceased by 1850. Also, William’s son John and his family lived in Tallapoosa County. Then, there was an 1855 Tallapoosa County census with William, John and James Carmack listed on it. Using these censuses to make an indirect connection from Drucilia to William is the closest that I have come to connecting Drucilia to William Carmack. William R. Carmack didn’t leave a will, or one hasn’t been placed online yet. Wills sometimes have the children’s names listed in them, and the connection from the parent to the child is proven.

Drucilla married Benjamin Lee about 1830 give or take a few years. Elizabeth “Betsy” is the first child that was born, or is listed on the 1850 census. Although there possibly is another child that I am unaware of in researching the Benjamin Lee family.

Benjamin Lee was forty-three years old and wife Drucilla was thirty-two years and they are living in Township 24, Tallapoosa County, Alabama in 1850. Their children are Elizabeth age twelve years old and was born about 1838 in Georgia, Jourdin T. ten years old and born in Alabama about 1840, Benjamin W. eight years old and born in Alabama, Lety J. seven years old born about 1843 in Alabama, and the youngest child was Charlote C. two years old and born 1848 in Alabama. Probably, Benjamin and Drucilla were married in Georgia since Elizabeth was born in Georgia. It is inferred these are Benjamin and Drucilla's children since the relationship for the 1850 census doesn’t state the relationship.

Drucilla Lee is living in Youngsville, Western Division or Beat 2, in Tallapoosa County in 1860, and Benjamin is absent on the census with her and the children. However, living near her is a Patterson family and Drucilla and Benjamin’s son Thomas is living with the Patterson family. The Black family lives nearby Drucilla. Their son Henry married Sarah Ann Black and they live in dwelling 1357 and Drucilla lives in dwelling 1356 with Saphronia twelve years old, William A. ten years old, Washington seven years old, and two-year-old Francis. The mystery here is that William A. was born in Georgia and Saphronia was born in Alabama. Did Drucilla go back to Georgia to be  near family to have William A. Lee? Possibly she did go back to Georgia to be near her family to have her baby, William A.  Women sometimes would go back to be near family when they were expecting a child. Washington and Francis were born in Alabama. Where is Benjamin in 1860? Since the 1860 doesn’t state relationships or whether married, single, divorced, or widow I can only infer what happened to Benjamin before the 1860 census was taken.

In 1866 Drucilla and the three males and three females are living in Tallapoosa County and Drucilla is head of the household. Therefore, it is presumed that Benjamin Lee was deceased by 1866 since he isn't found on censuses after 1850.

I haven’t found Drucilia listed on an 1870 census; however, she may be living with one of her family members or a relative. In 1880 Drucilla was living with her daughter Fannie Thomason, husband Clem, daughter Alice, Sarah, and son Zacheriah B. in District 141, Hackneyville, in Tallapoosa County. Drucilla is a boarder and was born in North Carolina as were her parents. Again, Benjamin Lee is missing from the census and is presumed to have died before the 1860 census since he isn’t on any records after 1850.

The parentage of Drucilla Lee will remain uncertain until records are found that will connect her to her parents. However, the indirect evidence and family stories are as close as I can get in connecting her to William R. Carmack and Pency Kent as her parents. Research will continue, and possibly historical records and DNA evidence will prove or disprove the parentage of Drucilla.

Tallapoosa County, Alabama

Friday's Find

Sharing Our Photos

Six of the eight Holton children
from the author's private collection

This photo was tucked away in one of my archival photo boxes. Recently I decided to begin the process of scanning my photos. This photo was buried among all the photos, and when I came across it memories of my cousins came back that was stored away from long ago. The children from the oldest to the youngest: Dorothy Earline, Vernie, Henry, Rosa Lee, Joyce Marie, Mitchell Glendon, Rebecca Inez “Becka”, and Charles Holton. Those are the names of the eight children of John and Ellen Eley Holton.

This photo and the expressions on the children’s faces are a reminder of the difficult life they lived. Pictured here are Dorothy the oldest daughter who married at a young age. She remained married to the same husband until she died at the age of 69. Vernie is to Dorothy’s right and is holding Mitchell. Vernie is the only child living of Aunt Ellen’s eight children. Henry, the other boy in the photo died a tragic death, as did his younger brother Mitchell. Rosa Lee the girl on the left was the fourth from the oldest and died of cancer. Rebecca the youngest daughter died at the age of sixty-five from complications of various health problems. Their father died at the age of seventy-seven, and “drank himself to death” according to family stories. Aunt Ellen died of cancer at the age of seventy-five years.

Four years ago, my double first cousin who lives in Texas sent me this photo, and while looking at this photo, memories of my Aunt Ellen Eley Holton’s family came to life. Her children had many struggles and difficulties while growing up in rural West Carroll Parish, Louisiana.

Monday's Matriarch

Saphronia Emma Meadows

Great Grandmother Emma

Emma Meadows seemed to have been forgotten in the history written of her husband William Alfred Lee. Most research has been for William Alfred. I was mulling over this thought about Emma, and realized that while working on William Alfred and the children rarely did I give Emma any attention. Emma was the wife of William Alfred Lee and she was the mother of seven children and five of them survived and lived to be adults. Emma was born about 1849. I believe Emma was born in Troup County, Georgia.

There seems to be confusion about my great grandmother’s name. If you look at the Ancestry family trees that members have submitted, she is named Emmer Jane Sophronia, Emmer Emma Saphronia, and Saphronia Emma Meadows. There is no evidence that I have found to prove her name was Emmer Jane Sophronia. There are a limited number of records for my paternal great grandmother; however, the records that are available with her on them are used to support the name Saphronia Emma (Emer) Meadows. She is the daughter of John C. Meadows and Sara Ann Oliver. There are the 1850-1860 censuses, a surety note that I found on Family Search database written by Emma's father J. C. Meadows, her marriage records, and family stories.

On the 1850 census for District 699, Troup County, Georgia there is a Babe Meadows one year old and her place of birth is Georgia. I believe this Babe on the 1850 census is Saphronia Meadows who is age 9 on the 1860 Newsite, Western Division Ward 4, Tallapoosa County, Alabama census. On this census, 1860, her place of birth is Georgia. The Meadows family listed on the census down to Saphronia were born in Georgia. The other four children were born in Alabama.

By the time the 1870 census was taken Saphronia Emma Meadows had married William Alfred Lee. I noticed a conflict on the 1870 census with names. It showed a Saphronia age 12. When I looked at the family members on the 1860 census and compared them to the 1870 census there was an error in the listing for a daughter – Susan A. Meadows age 3. She was named  Safronia Meadow age 12 on the Daviston, Tallapoosa County, Alabama census. For whatever reason this is an error in the naming of this child on the 1870 census. If the child was still living by 1870 her name should have been Susan A. and not Safronia. Unless that was a nickname given her after her older sister Saphronia Emma left home to marry.


Emma married 5 September 1869 in Tallapoosa County, Alabama and by the 1880 census she was living in Newsite Beat 5, Tallapoosa County. She lived in Newsite with her parents and siblings in 1860. By the 1880 census Emma had two children James W. age nine. After analyzing the census records and marriage record several times, one day I noticed a very important detail that I had never noticed before when analyzing those records. James W. her oldest child was born, 3 July 1869, before she and William married, 5 September 1869. Perhaps that is the reason for the name from Saphronia to Emma.

Why is that detail important? I had one of Uncle James William Lee’s descendants YDNA tested. For almost two years there were no close matches at the 67-marker level. I was looking at all possible scenarios. One being a non-paternal event. That looked as though that was happening here with this situation. Then, last January there was a Lee male relative who YDNA tested at the 37 Marker level and he matched my male Lee cousin. The problem was solved there was no non-paternal event; however, my Lee line was not a match to any of the famous Lees, Maryland Lee, North Carolina Lee, but an ungrouped Lee line. Probably my Lee line was from a Lee who was the only Lee to immigrate or one of the three families in South Carolina from the beginning. More research needed to determine the Lee progenitor.

For now, back to Emma and her story. Emma was the daughter of John Calvin Meadows and Sara Ann Oliver. Emma was one of eleven children. Sara Ann died at a young age of about forty-five years.

Emma had one other daughter who was listed on the 1880 census and she was one year old. There was an eight-year span between the two children, therefore, I surmise that two children were born and died after James W. was born.

On the 1900 Elmore County census Emma states she is the mother of nine children; however, I have accounted for seven children. The family story has it that two children died when the Lee family migrated to Louisiana. Since we don’t have the 1890 federal census, the number of children they had will never be proven. Lee cousins who has more knowledge of our great grandparents only knew of seven children, and of the seven five survived.

By the time the 1910 census was taken the Lee family was living in Ward 1, Jackson Parish, Louisiana. On this census Emma states that she is the mother of eight children and five of them living. Those five children have been found and accounted for. What happened to the other children will remain a mystery unless there are records that will be uncovered and their story revealed.

Saphronia Emma Meadows Lee died 11 November 1920 in Oak Grove in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana.

This photo from the author's private collection. Dolly Ophelia,

Leakie Lee, sister-in-law of Dolly and Alice Lee, their brother 

Robert E. Lee's wife. In the back is Irma Eley, Alice's oldest 

daughter and Truman, Dolly's youngest child. 

Sunday's Sentiments

Clothes of swimmers hanging on a telegraph pole, 

Lake Providence,Louisiana. The children from

the nearby farms and neighborhoods go swimming,

on Saturday afternoon and Sunday, in the lake.

When my family lived in Oak Grove in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana in the 1940s to 1958, we lived near many of our relatives. There were paternal Lee relatives and related families and maternal Coon relatives and related families living near our family. East Carroll Parish was a neighboring parish south east of West Carroll. Lake Providence was in East Carroll and our relatives also lived there in the Lake Providence area. Daddy moved our family away from West Carroll Parish in 1958 seeking better employment. Memories of living near Lake Providence has been tucked away for many years until recently.

I was on the Library of Congress website looking at the photos, then I came across a photo that caught my eyes. It was an interesting one and a scene that brought back memories of long ago when my family lived in West Carroll Parish. The photo was a telegraph pole beside Lake Ponchartrain and hanging on the pole were clothes. Someone had decided to take a swim in the Lake. 

One afternoon Daddy came home and told Mother there was a drowning in Lake Providence. Lake Providence has a large six-mile oxbow lake, named Lake Providence. The lake was formed when the Mississippi River changed its course many years ago. Lake Providence was a popular swimming hole for the locals. It was a great place to take the family and have a fun filled Sunday afternoon with family. Folks during those years learned to swim by watching others, or a family member taught them, they were self-taught. There were no swim lessons at a local YMCA or city sponsored swim lessons.

Daddy came in and shared the sad news with Mother and they were upset. The person who drowned was a young male cousin sixteen-year-old. It was a shock. He was in the lake trying to swim, and he got too far out in the water and couldn’t touch the bottom. Went under and never came back up. As the story unfolded, the kids were sitting around Daddy and Mother listening attentively. Not understanding what it meant to drown, or die. This was the first death that my three younger sisters, brother, and I had ever experienced. We didn’t understand what it meant to drown. I was about eight years old at the time. Daddy shared the details of the funeral. What is a funeral I thought to myself? We didn’t ask questions, but listened as Daddy shared the details with Mother.

The funeral arrangements were planned, and our family made plans to go to the funeral home to view this young cousin’s body. This was my first experience with death. Daddy and Mother took us inside where the casket was with the young body on display. The casket was open, and he was lying there as though he was asleep. He was a handsome young man with dark brown hair and fair skin. He was at peace, just sleeping. Those were my thoughts of my first sight of a person who was dead. Our family stood there a while and viewed this young man. Then, my family visited with others, and we left to go home. Of course, we children had questions about death, but no answers. This wasn’t the time to ask those questions either.

The memories of this have been long ago forgotten until I saw the photo of the lake and those clothes hanging on the telegraph pole. That scene jogged my memory, and the events of that tragic story came to life again. There was a young boy’s life cut short that day! On a day he was out to just have fun. My siblings and I didn’t understand the events that happened, but life went on for us. This tragic accident wasn’t discussed again by our parents, and we didn’t ask questions about death.

Photos are a useful tool when writing family stories. Events that took place long ago are still stored in our memory; however, they can be recalled with a little help, just as the memory of this long ago tragedy of a young cousin whose life was cut short was brought back to the present.

African American's tenant's home beside the Mississippi River levee.

Near Lake Providence, Louisiana, June 1940.