free people of color

Did Blackwell conceal his assets?

On 30 November 1856, Mabrey Hinnant petitioned a Wilson County justice of the peace for assistance in obtaining full satisfaction from Asberry Blackwell for a seventy-dollar court judgment.

“This day came Mabrey Hinnant before me John Nichols one of the Justices of the peas for said county and taketh oath that he believes that the defendant has not property sufichant to satisfy said Judgment which the ptr Mabrey Hinnant has latley obtained against the Defendant Asberry Blackwell for the sum of seventy Dollars and intrest and cost which can be reched by a fieri facias and has property money or Effects which can not be reched by a fieri facias or has fraudilently conseld his property money or efects  Sworn to and subscribed before me this 30th day of Novb 1856  Mabrey (X) Hinnant”

[A fieri facias, or fi fa, Latin for “cause it to be done,” is a court order that instructs a sheriff to seize and sell a debtor’s property to pay off a debt.]

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Asberry Blackwell married Nancy Taylor on 2 October 1845 in Nash County.

In the 1850 census of Nash County: Asberry Blackwell, 25 [listed alone.]

In the 1860 census of Kirby’s district, Wilson County: Asberry Blackwell, 45, turpentine laborer, wife Nancy, 30, farm laborer, and children Charity, 14, Drucilla, 9, Albert, 7, Appy, 7, Zilpha, 4, Obedience, 3, and Asberry, 2 months.

The apprenticeship of James Mitchell, also known as James Artice.

During Wilson County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions’ January Term 1858, the clerk made this entry in court minutes:

“Ordered by the court that James Mitchell alias (James Artice) aged Five years Son of Susan Mitchell be bound apprentice to Bryant L. Barnes upon his entering into Bond with John Dew as surety (Bond filed)”

James Mitchell’s alias suggests he also used his father’s surname, at least in childhood, as was not uncommon among free children of color whose parents were not formally married. “Artice” is a variant spelling of Artis, the name of a large free family of color in the Wayne/Greene/Edgecombe/Wilson County area.

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In the 1860 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: Susan Mitchell, 26, washing, and children James, 10, Annie, 7, and George Mitchell, 2.

In the 1870 census of Wilson, Wilson County: Stella Best, 12, Claudius Little, 14, Mary Parker, 15, Henrietta Knight, 19, and Charlotte Adams, 16, all domestic servants; James Mitchell, 19, store porter; and Harriet Dunstan, 18, domestic servant. [This household was listed next to Robert Taylor, a white farmer and miller who claimed $20,000 in real property and may have been their employer.]

Selling liquor to slaves.

Selling liquor to enslaved people was a crime so common that Superior Court kept forms specially worded for indictments. At Fall Term 1857, a solicitor signed off on a charge against John Caligan for selling a “pint of spiritous liquors” to “a slave named Joshua the property of Josiah Rawls.”

The same year, a grand jury considered a charge against Henry Locus, a free man of color, for buying liquor for an enslaved man. Another enslaved man, Reddick, was a witness to the alleged crime.

Selling to a Slave (1857), Wilson County Slave Records 1834-1863, www. familysearch.org.

Application to sell Nelson Eatmon’s property.

On 1 September 1881, attorney Frederick A. Woodard, administrator, filed a petition to sell Nelson Eatmon‘s personal property for cash. The sale went forward on September 30, netting $180.50 for an assortment of farm tools, household furnishings, and two mules.

Wilson County [North Carolina] Record of Accounts 1875-1884, http://www.familysearch.org.

Deans vs. the Jones heirs: the peril of heir property, illustrated.

A lawsuit P.B. Deans filed against the heirs of Willis Jones illustrates the peril of heir property. Jones died without a will, leaving his land to pass collectively to his many children. Five sons — Noel, Henry, Alexander, Willis K., and Payton Jones — sold their one-tenth shares to Patrick B. Deans, a white farmer on the climb. With a claim to half the total shares, Deans successfully petitioned Wilson County Superior Court to force the sale of the property — and push any remaining Joneses off the land.

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P.B. Deans vs. Shade Jones; Essick Barnes & wife Thany Barnes; Kingsbury Taylor & wife Charity Taylor; Josiah Jones; the heirs at law of Jacob Jones, to wit John Harry Jones, Jesse Jones & wife Eliza; Joseph Powell & wife Charity; Stephen Jones’ heirs, to wit Tempsie Ann, Susan & Maggie; Nathan Jones & wife Diana; Millie Ann, Nancy, and Josiah Jones Jr.

North Carolina, Wilson County} In the Superior Court

To the Honorable, the Superior Court,  The petition of P.B. Deans respectfully showeth unto the court that he with the defendants are tenants in common of a tract of land in Old Fields township County and state aforesaid adjoining the land of the late Gray Lodge, H.J. Deans, Stephen Deans, Mary E. Deans, and B.G. Simpson known as the Thaney Jones land containing the 99 acres more or less

That by reason of the purchase of and the shares of Noel Jones, Henry Jones, Alex Jones, W.K. Jones, and P.A. Jones, he is entitled to 5/10 of said land and the defendants to the other 5/10

That by reason of the seize and situation of the said land and the and the number of shares into which it is to be divided actual partition cannot be made without injury to some of those entitled to share in the same except by sale

That of Jacob Jones’ children, Nancy, Milly and Josiah are infants; and Susan, Tempie and Maggie Jones, children of Stephen Thomas Jones, without any Guardian. That Josiah Jones is resident of South Carolina when last heard from and Kingsberry Taylor and wife Charity are residents of the state of Indiana when last heard from.

The petition therefore prays the Court to appoint a suitable person Guardian ad litem for the infant defendants named to plead answer on demur to the complaint in their behalf and that service be made upon the non residents by publication and for order of sale to me made by a commission to be appointed by the court authorized and empowered to sell convey and distribute proceeds according a further order.

And as in duty bound &c, Geo. W. Blount for Plaintiff   Jul 3 1883

Wilson [County, North Carolina] Probate Estate Case Files 1854-1899, http://www.familysearch.org

Aldridge and Boseman links to Wilson County.

We have seen the notices Guilford Horn published in 1850 seeking the return of a runaway enslaved man named Harry. Horn lived four miles north of Wilson in what was then Edgecombe County (and is now roughly just west of the Bridgestone tire plant.) He suggested that Harry might be “lurking” in the Texas neighborhood of Wilmington, North Carolina, where Sally Bozeman, his free-born wife, had recently moved.

Two years earlier, Guilford Horn had stood as bondsman for John Mathew Aldridge, a free man of color, who applied for a license in Edgecombe County to marry Catherine Bozeman, a free woman of color and likely the sister or close kin of Sally Bozeman.

In the 1850 census of Wilmington, there’s no sign of Sally, but: Matthew Ollage, 28; wife Catharine, 19; and sons William, 6 months, and J.H., 5. [John Henry Aldridge was Mathew Aldridge’s son by a first wife whose first name may’ve been Tabitha. John H. Aldridge’s children James Aldridge and Nina Faison Kornegay Hardy settled in Wilson in the early 1900s.] By 1860, Mathew and Catherine Aldridge were in Buck Swamp township, Wayne County (west of modern Pikeville), closer to his kin in southern Wayne County. Twenty year-old James Bosman lived with them and, like Mathew, worked as a railroad hand.

The roots of many Wilson County Artises, no. 6: Richard Artis.

I wrote here of Vicey Artis, a free woman of color, and Solomon Williams, an enslaved man, whose marriage in Greene (or perhaps Wayne) County, North Carolina, produced eleven children. Though only one — the busy Primitive Baptist elder Jonah Williams — actually lived in Wilson, descendants of several others are in Wilson County even today.

Richard Artis was the youngest of Vicey and Solomon’s sons. He married Susannah Yelverton Hall Yelverton, and their children were Lucinda, Emma, Ivory L., Louisa, Richard Jr., Susan A., Jonah, Charity, Cora P., Frances, John Henry, and Walter C. Artis. Richard Artis and his children lived primarily in Wayne and Greene Counties — except Emma Artis Dawson Reid, who lived in the Black Creek area for a few years — but many of their children moved (permanently or temporarily) into Wilson County. These included Susan Artis Cooper’s sons James Elijah Cooper (1907-1995) and John Hardy Cooper (1909-1979); Jonah Artis’ sons Milford Odell Artis (1918-2001) and Jonah Artis Jr. (1927-2015); Cora Artis Exum’s son Herven P. Exum (1921-2013); and Ivory L. Artis’ son Claude Artis (1917-1979).

Photo courtesy of Teresa C. Artis.

Auction of Nelson Eatmon’s personal property.

Wilson Advance, 16 September 1881.

Nelson Eatmon, born free in what was then Nash County (and likely brother to my great-great-great-grandfather Toney Eatmon) died without a will in 1881. Attorney Frederick A. Woodard was appointed administrator of his estate, which included 300 acres of land in Old Fields township.

Hardy Lassiter, who went to Georgia.

We have read of Hardy Lassiter, a free man of color born about 1780, who died in what is now Wilson County in 1853. Hardy Lassiter had a son, Hardy Lassiter Jr. (1828-?), but also had grandsons, great-grandsons, and even great-great-grandsons named Hardy Lassiter, who carried his name out across the United States.

We have already met Hardy Lassiter (1864-1928), who migrated to Arkansas as an Exoduster. This man was the son of Green Lassiter, nephew of Hardy Lassiter Jr., and grandson of Hardy Lassiter Sr. 1864 Hardy’s son Hardy Lassiter was born about 1886, just before the family went west.

In this post, we will follow the Hardy Lassiter who migrated to Georgia, and in a later post, we will meet a Baltimore Hardy Lassiter. Georgia Hardy was the son of Silas Lassiter, first cousin of Arkansas Hardy, and grandson of the first Hardy.

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In the 1860 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: Silas Lassiter, 38, farmer; wife Orpie, 34; children Sallie, 12, Mary, 11, James, 9, John, 7, Elizabeth, 5, Penina, 4, Hardy, 3, Silas, 1, and George, 2 months; and Delphia Simpson, 14. Silas reported $490 in real estate and $155 in personal property.

In the 1870 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: farm laborer Silas Lassiter, 47, and children Ophelia, 25, Mary, 20, Elizabeth, 16, Handy, 14, Penninah, 15, Silas W., 12, Milly, 8, and Jerusha, 4.

On 27 January 1884, Hardy Laster married Elizabeth Jenkins in Pierce County, Georgia. [We cannot be sure, but it appears Lassiter migrated to south Georgia to work in the turpentine industry.]

In the 1900 census of Blackshear, Pierce County, Georgia: turpentine chipper Hardy Laster, 51; wife Lizzie, 37; and children Trudy, 15, Janie, 11, Gaynell, 9, Colier, 7, Earnest, 5, and Draroza, 3. All were born in Georgia except Hardy.

In the 1910 census of Blackshear, Pierce County, Georgia: farmer Hardy Laster, 53; wife Elizabeth, 38; and children Vanelia Neal, 19, and Collier, 17, Earnest, 15, Deargie, 13, Jessie D., 4, and Sylvestus, 2; and grandson Alonzo Washington, 5.

In 1917, Ernest Lassiter registered for the World War I draft in Hernando County, Florida. Per his registration card, he was born 10 August 1897 in Little Rock, Arkansas; his father was born in Wilmington, North Carolina; he worked for Central Cypress Company, Centralia, Florida; and his nearest relative was Hardy Lassiter, Blackshear, Georgia.

Janie Sims died 15 November 1918 in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida. Per her death certificate, she was 28 years old; was born in Blackshear, Georgia, to Hardy Laster; was married to Jesse Sims; worked as a laundress; and was buried in Blackshear.

In the 1920 census of Blackshear, Pierce County, Georgia: machine shop laborer Hardy Laster, 68; wife Elizabeth, 46, cook; and son Sylvester, 13.

Hardley Lassiter died 20 November 1922 in Blackshear, Pierce County, Georgia. Per his death certificate, he was born 3 March 1851 in North Carolina to Sirlis and Orphia Lassiter; was married to Eleziabeth Lassiter; worked as a laborer; and was buried in Blackshear Colored Cemetery.

Vanilla Chisholm died 25 July 1927 in Manhattan, New York, New York. Per her death certificate, she was born in 1897 to Hardy Lassiter and Elizabeth Jenkins; was married to Jon J. Chisholm; worked as a hairdresser; and was buried in Blackshear, Georgia.

Georgia, U.S., Marriages from Select Counties, 1828-1978, database on-line, http://www.ancestry.com; Georgia, U.S., Death Records, 1914-1940, database on-line, http://www.ancestry.com.

The roots of many Wilson County Artises, no. 5: Zilpha Artis Wilson.

I wrote here of Vicey Artis, a free woman of color, and Solomon Williams, an enslaved man, whose marriage in Greene (or perhaps Wayne) County, North Carolina, produced eleven children. Though only one — the busy Primitive Baptist elder Jonah Williams — actually lived in Wilson, descendants of several others are in Wilson County even today. We’ve met my great-great-great-grandfather Adam T. Artis here and here. Now, his elder sister Zilpha Artis Wilson.

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Zilpha Artis Wilson was born about 1828, the first known child of Vicey Artis and Solomon Williams. About 1855, she married John “Jack” Wilson, a free man of color of completely unknown origins. That year, Jack Wilson bought 55 acres in northern Wayne County, North Carolina, from Zilpha’s brother Adam T. Artis and settled his family close by. [N.B.: another Zilpha Artis lived in northeast Wayne County during the same period. She was the daughter of Celia Artis and died in 1882.]

Zilpha and Jack Wilson’s children were William Wilson (1856-bef. 1893), Louisa Wilson Locus (1858-bef. 1893), Elizabeth Wilson Reid (1864-1947), John Adam Wilson (1865-1916), and Vicey Wilson Edmundson (1869).

In 1893, Zilpha Artis Wilson made out her will:

State of North Carolina, Wayne County    }   I, Zilphy Wilson, of the County and State, aforesaid begin of sound mind and memory, but considering the uncertainty of my earthly existence to make and declare this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following, that is to say: — That my Executor hereinafter named shall provide for my body a decent burial, suitable to the wishes of my relations and friends, and pay all funeral expenses together with my just debts out of the first money that may come into his hands as a part or parcel of my estate.

Item 1. I give and bequeath to my daughter Bettie Reid 7 acres of land to be cut off the North East corner of the tract of land on which I now reside for and during her natural life, and after her death to be equally divided between all of her children that she may have now, or may have living at the time of her death, the said Bettie Reid not to have possession of said Land until the debts against my estate are paid.

Item 2. I give devise and bequeath to my son Adam Wilson and my daughter Vicey Wilson, share and share alike all of the tract of Land on which I now live, with the exception of the seven acres given away in Item first of this will, with all the priviledges and appertances thereunto belonging for and during their natural like, should they both have heirs, then they to have their mother & Father part, and should Adam or Vicey only one of them leave heirs, then and in that case I give said land to the surviving heirs of that one to them and their heirs in the fee simple forever.

Item 3. I give and devise unto my son Adam Wilson and Vicy Wilson, share and share alike, all of my Household and Kichen furniture of every description Farming implements of every description, Tools of Mechanics &c &c, Stocks of all kinds, and all the poultry of kind to them and their heirs in fee simple forever.

Item 4. It is my will and I so direct, that my son Adam Wilson to retain possession of the whole of my land at yearly rental of seven hundred lbs. of lint cotton which is to be applied to the payment of the debts against my estate, as soon as said debts are paid, I direct that Bettie Reid be put in possession of the seven acres of land given to her in a former Item of this Will. I also desire that my daughter Bettie Reed become an equal heir in my household and kitchen furniture with my son Adam and daughter Vicey.

[Changes made in Zilphia Wilson’s Will Oct. 4, 1893]

Item 5. I give and devise unto William and Jonah Wilson children of William Wilson Sixty dollars to be paid to them when they arrive at lawful age.

Item 6. I give and devise unto Johney Loumary Lovy Lorenzo Locus, Children Louisa Locus Sixty dollars to be paid to them as they arrive at lawful age.

Item 7. It is my will and so direct that the Legasies mentioned in Items 5 & 6 of this Will be assessed by my son Adam and my Daughter Vicy Wilson, and I direct that they pay to each one of the above mentioned heirs, as they arrive of lawful age their proportionable part of said Legacies with interest on the same from the time the debts of the estate are settled.

Lastly, I hereby constitute and appoint my brother Jonah Williams and my son Adam Wilson Executors to this my last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all the Wills heretofore made by me.    Zilphy X Wilson

Signed and sealed in the presence of Fred I. Becton and Thomas Artis, who witnessed the same at her request.  /s/ Richard H. Battle, Fred I. Becton

Zilpha Wilson’s will was proved 17 December 1902 and recorded at page 421 of Will Book 2, Wayne County Superior Court.

We have already met the children of Zilpha Artis Wilson that lived in Wilson County — Elizabeth “Bettie” Wilson Reid and John Adam Wilson. Though her son William Wilson is not known to have lived in Wilson, his son Jonah Wilson did.

On 8 April 1907, Jonah Wilson, 25, of Wilson, son of William Wilson and Kittie Thompson, married Jannie Shadding, 25, of Wilson, daughter of P. Smith and Annie Smith. E.L. Reid was a witness to the ceremony.

In 1918, Jonah Wilson registered for the World War I draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 24 July 1881; lived at 208 Vick Street; was a carpenter for E.L. Wynn, Academy Street, Wilson; and his nearest relative was Jannie Wilson.

In the 1920 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 208 Vick Street, Jonah Wilson, 38, carpenter; wife Jannie, 38; and roomer Minnie Moore, 37, tobacco factory laborer.

In the 1925 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Wilson Jonah (c) carp h 205 S Vick

In 1942, Jonah Wilson registered for the World War II draft in Montclair, New Jersey. Per his registration card, he was born 24 July 1881 in Wayne County, N.C.; lived at 71 Elm Street, Montclair; his contact was Carrie Powell, same address; and he worked for Bob Middleton, Newark, New Jersey.

The Montclair Times, 24 May 1962.