 |
 |
|
Featured Book Excerpt:
The Burtons: For Harry and Rosa, by Kenneth Burton |
|
The Burtons: For Harry & Rosa Copyright 2003 Kenneth Hugh Burton Chapter 5 The Burtons: For Harry and Rosa On various occasions, when my mother was talking about her family, particularly her father, I would ask her about my daddy's father, Mr. Burton. My daddy did not talk much about family matters when I was growing up. His usual response to my inquiries about his father were, "His name was Thomas, I don't know anything about him." Maybe I expected this short response, along with "We got some Indian in us," because, as I remember, he would always tell us "Go ask your mama." Consequently I found out that "Mommy," my mother, actually knew more about my daddy's family than he did. My daddy told me very little about his childhood. When he did talk about his mother, and father, he was referring to his grandparents, Caudie Lee Hughley-Rea (Grandma Caudie Rea) and Ely Lewis Rea, who raised him and his siblings. So far as I have been able to ascertain, my grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Rea Burton, did not discuss her relationship with my grandfather. I had quite a few conversations with my aunt Juanita Burton-Hill, as well as with my great aunt Louise E. Rea-Wyatt, my grandmother's sister, and still I would come away with more questions than answers. Why so much secrecy concerning this relationship between Mary Burton and her husband? My grandmother Mary Burton (Moma Mary) passed away in 1980. The information on the obituary indicated that Moma Mary was married to the late Thomas Edward Burton, to whom were born 5 children. So in starting my investigation of who my grandfather was, I had the familiar names of Mr. and Mrs. Rea to follow. In 1992, with great expectation, I awaited the release of the 1920 U.S. Census. My father, who was born in 1919 was suppose to be enumerated on this census for Chambers County Alabama his birthplace. At the National Archives in East Point Ga. I pulled the (soundex) index card reel for this census, but did not find a listing for my daddy. There were several index listings for Mary Burton, but none of the ages seemed reasonable. I decided to pull the soundex for Ely Rea, my great grandfather, to prevent this visit to the archive from being a total waste. Much to my pleasant surprise, there listed with the Rea household was their son-in-law Perry E. Burton age nineteen. I just about went crazy when I found this. Next I pulled the reel for that census enumeration, which gave me more details. What puzzled me was that my daddy and grandmother were not listed with this household. I think I made the comment to a researcher sitting at a micro-film reader next to me, who suggested that I look back and ahead of the page I was on to see if there were any names that I recognized. At the top of the previous page I saw the enumeration for Mary E. Burton age 17 and Edward 8/12 years of age. There was a note written by the enumerator, indicating that the entries belonged with the line that had the entry of the Rea family. There were my daddy and grandmother! My next step was to trace my grandfather's family. The 1910 census for Chambers County Alabama showed the enumeration for the family of Perry and Ophelia Burton , nine children, including a son Perry E. Burton (my grandfather) 11 years old, and a cousin. Hey, since I was one a roll (reel), I decided to search the 1900 census. There was not a soundex available for the family of Perry and Ophelia Burton, but I was able to located the household. My grandfather Perry E. Burton, who would have been an infant/toddler, is not enumerated; but 4 children who were still in the household in 1910 are listed, along with an older son and a brother. Forgetting about the 1890 census, which was almost completely destroyed by fire (boo hiss), I turned my attention to the 1880 census. I had no idea who Perry Burton's parents were, so using the book index of the 1880 census, I went through the entire census for Chambers County Alabama, scanning every Burton family listed. This Burton line followed certain naming patterns which help me zero in on the proper household. I found Perry Burton (my great grandfather) enumerated in the household of Jeff and Eliza Burton of Chambers County, which included 6 children and two grandchildren. So thus far I had found my grandfather, great-grandparents, and great great-grandparents during just one visit to the Archives. That turned out to be a rather fruitful research trip. I wished that all my research trips turned out that way. I wish to depart for a time from the census record, which was my starting point, to discuss additional records that I thought I needed for verification. But before I proceed, I would like to interject here that my father was quite surprised at my research thus far. Over the years, I have made a number of road trips to Lafayette Alabama, visiting the Chambers County courthouse seeking additional support documents to the census information that I'd found. I obtained a copy of Moma Mary and Mr. Burton's marriage record. Interestingly my grandmother was married in December, and my father was born in April the next year. They were a very young couple. She was 16 at the time. The courthouse also had on file the marriage record for Mary's parents Ely Rea & Cordia Huguly as well as the marriage records for Perry's parents Perry Burton and Ophelia Gresham. When my father Edward L. Burton, passed away in 1995, one of the things that I insisted on was that the information in his obituary, and death certificate be updated with the information that I had found. Apparently the same erroneous information was recycled on my great grand mother's, grandmother's, and aunt's obituary who had passed away in 1975, 1980 and 1982 respectively. A few years ago the Margaret Mitchell Branch of the Atlanta Fulton County Library sponsored a lecture by Tony Borrows, hosted by the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. I believe it was at this event that I heard about the original World War 1 Draft Registrations Cards being on file at the Federal Archive in East Point Ga. These cards (1917-1918) were required to be filled out for adult males in the United States between the ages of 18 and 45, irrespective of race. These registration cards can also provide some unique information for the family researcher, including a space for the physical description of the individual, and the applicants' signature. Because my grandfather was listed on the 1910 and 1920 census for Chambers County Alabama, I requested that that county be pulled. The card was filled out and signed by my grandfather Perry Edward Burton, who was 18 years old at that time. He listed his birthday as March 28, 1900, and his nearest relative as his father Perry Burton Sr. His physical description listed on the reverse side of the card described him as medium height and build with black eyes and hair. The registrar also indicated that he had no obvious physical disqualification, i.e. he had not lost arm, leg, hand or eye. What is most significant is that this was a document that my grandfather had personally handled and signed. In November 2002, I obtained a copy of the Birth Certificate of my aunt Juanita Burton Hill, my daddy's surviving sister, from the Ohio Department of Health. That document confirmed that at least as late as 1926, Mary and Perry Burton were together in Cleveland Ohio. Interestingly, the Ohio Birth Certificate has entries for the number of children born alive, and living, which were 5 and 3 respectively. My aunt and great aunt had told me about the couple having lost two daughters, Gertrude and Mary Louise. The story is that the girls died in scalding accidents. I have yet to find any documentation on these incidents. I am a firm believer in posting queries on the Internet. My belief is that I can't be the only one in my "extended" family doing research. On October 20, 2000 I posted a query on the Rootsweb Message Board under African-Americans Alabama entitled "Burtons in Chambers Co. Al." Actually the query was a tag on (thread) to one posted by Cliff Murray. In his message posting he had listed 7 surnames, including Burton. Well, later that day I got a response from Cliff stating that he had a Perry Burton in his line; his second cousin once removed! After several postings back and forth, we confirmed that his second cousin was my grandfather. Cliff informed me that using the Social Security Death Index, he had found the date of death of my grandfather and obtained a copy of his Death Certificate, a copy of which he e-mailed to me. My grandfather Perry Edward Burton passed away January 1981, just 6 months after my grandmother, although the obituary of my grandmother who died July 1980 stated that he was already deceased. The Informant of the Death Certificate was a Hattie Burt. The Death Certificate confirmed his parents name (Perry Burton & Ophelia Gresham), and place of birth. Cliff also sent me a copy of the 1870 census for Chambers County Alabama, where his maternal great grandmother Harriet (an older sister of Perry Burton Sr.) is listed in the household of Jeff Barton. I was able to confirm that this was the same family as the 1880 census because three of the siblings are still in the household ten years later. I decided to investigate the information on the Death Certificate concerning the J. W. Wills Funeral Home, to see if any additional records were available. In April 2001 I took a road trip from Atlanta to Cleveland. This would be my first "Up North" road trip, so I got plenty of sleep before setting out. I left Atlanta about 4:00 am and Arrived in Cleveland around 3:00 in the afternoon. Even though I took the Interstate all the way there, the drive was very scenic. My route took me through the mountains of Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. This region of the United States was some of the most beautiful country I'd ever seen. When I got into Ohio, the first thing I noticed was how flat it was. I-71 took me through "Green Acres of land stretching out far and wide." I'm a product of the 1960's sitcoms. Any way upon arriving in Cleveland I found my way to the House of Wills Funeral Home, as it was now called, with some helpful directions of course. The personnel at House of Wills were extremely warm and receptive, particularly after I had told them that I had come all the way from Atlanta seeking information about my grandfather. The director greeted me and told me that he would see what he could find. As I waited, I presented to the receptionist the research I had done thus far. Apprehension started to creep in because of the wait, and my mind wondered if the trip to Cleveland had been all for naught. After about five minutes (though I thought it had taken an eternity), he entered the waiting room bearing a folder, and told me because the records were twenty years old, that I could keep them. As I skimmed through the documents in the folder, I was overjoyed. I told him that I would copy the records and mail them back. I think what surprised me the most, included in those documents, was a three page handwritten obituary, which noted three children by my grandmother and two other marriages of my grandfather. Additionally, three surviving sisters living in Detroit Michigan were also noted. The director also pointed out that a location card for the cemetery plot was also included in the file. He said that Highland Cemetery was about 10 minutes away and that I definitely could make it there before it closed. When I finally arrived at the cemetery, I turned into the first driveway I saw and parked by what turned out to be the maintenance building. There were men doing work inside where the backhoe and vaults were stored. I asked one of the men how I go about finding a grave, and he directed me to the office building about a quarter mile away. Highland Park Cemetery is huge compared to Westview or Lincoln Cemetery in Atlanta, and obviously a public facility and very well kept. The personnel in the office were very cordial, and even though it was approaching closing time, they accommodated me and my inquiries. They verified the location of the grave, and provided me with a map of the grounds which was definitely needed. I drove my truck towards the area of the grounds where I was directed, and parked. It took a while to understand the system the cemetery uses to place markers, and I did a lot of walking back and forth, up and down rows of graves. My grandfather's grave turned out to be unmarked, but next in sequence to several graves that were marked. I took several photographs of the burial site, and as I did I was saddened. I thought to myself that if we had known (that is, his children and grandchildren) of his passing, we would have gotten together and at least provided him a grave marker. Even with finding all these records thus far, I am still not satisfied. I want a picture of my grandfather, Mr. Burton. So what's next? Well recently, I started to take a closer look at courthouse records. My previous dealings with county court involved primarily obtaining marriage records. But now I decided start looking for the wills of different individuals, hoping some of which would point towards land that was passed on to descendents of Burtons. On one of my increasingly frequent trips to Alabama, I went again to the Chambers County Courthouse, in Lafayette, the birth place of my Father. While I was there stumbling through records and indexes, an employee asked me if she could be of assistance. I responded that I was looking for records from the 1800's. She told me that the county keeps records that old in a separate building across the street they call the dungeon, and agreed to take me there after she got a set of keys. As we walked, I told her what surnames I was researching, and that I'd hope I could find a will, land records, or anything. The dungeon was a small brick building that the courthouse uses to house its oldest documents, and the name rather befits its appearance. The lady told me that they have volunteers, "little old ladies," who are just as sweet as they could be, that come in from time to time to organize the records.  Most of the documents were on legal paper that had been unfolded and placed in legal size manila folders, and stored in boxes which were alphabetized. We located one for the B's. I scanned through the names hoping to find of "my names," but didn't. However, on the outside of a folder containing the will of a Jacob Burton was a very interesting list of the contents of the folder that noted slave names as well as heirs. What caught my attention was a slave named Jeff among those listed. Back at the main courthouse building I was able to thoroughly examine the contents of the folder, and decided to get a copy of this will dated 1862. Not until I got back to Atlanta did I have opportunity to read through the will, it's an art in itself to decipher and transcribe some of these old documents. This was probably the first time in my life that I could relate on a real level to slavery. I was about half way through with transcribing the will and decided to check with cousin Cliff to see if he had heard about it and whether he wanted a copy. His email wasn't working so I went to his web site "African American Lifelines," to contact him. While browsing his site I notice that he had a transcription of the will posted on the site. If I had searched his site first it would have saved me a trip to Alabama, but then I would not have had opportunity to see and handle the document, in person. This will of Jacob Burton really furthered my research, because for clarity's sake it explicitly stated family relationships of the slaves. In item three of the will, Jacob Burton willed to his wife Rachel in addition to land and other items, Harry and Rosa, progenitors of one of three primary slave families. Item nine, concerning Jacob's son Andrew J. Burton, in addition to land, "the following named negroes Charles, Jeff, and George, sons of Harry and Rosa" caught my attention, because I suspected that this Jeff was my great great grandfather. In the interim, I did a limited amount of research on Jacob Burton. He was born in Henrico County Virginia, moved to Franklin/Madison County Georgia, and eventually to Chambers County Alabama. His father Jacob Burton Sr. moved from Virginia to St. Helena Perish Louisiana. In April 2002, I posted the query "Harry and Rosa; Slaves of Jacob Burton, Chambers & Tallapoosa County Alabama" to the Chambers County Alabama message board on Ancestry.com. Weeks later I received and e-mail from someone who had seen my query, and who had grown up with some Burtons in Chambers Co. Through his lead, I eventually contacted a Jack Burton, a descendent of Jacob Burton's son Andrew, who graciously sent me a copy of a document dated 1865 that I refer to as a sharecropping agreement. This document supplemented the information in Jacob Burton's will and was crucial because it listed the names and ages of 13 adult, and 18 minors including Rosa age 60 and Jeff age 28, all former slaves of Andrew J. Burton. In African-American genealogical circles, the 1870 U.S. census is considered the brick wall, the hurdle to be crossed, because it was the first census to enumerate all the population by name. The trick for the African American researcher is to identify the last slave ancestor and match him or her with the most probable slave owner. According to the 1870 census, my great great-grandfather, Jeff Burton age 30 was born in Alabama about 1840. The 1865 sharecropping agreement places Jeff's birth at 1837 and Rosa's birth date at 1805. The 1870 U.S. census, Jacob Burton's will of 1862, and Andrew Burton's sharecropping agreement of 1865 seem to all confirm with a high degree of probably that my Jeff Burton was the same person in all three documents. In March 2003, I was searching the internet using the name Jacob Burton and Georgia, and found a query by C. Steve Burton seeking information on Jacob Burton of Madison County Ga. I wrote Mr. Burton and he graciously replied to my email. On subsequent emails from Steve Burton, he elaborated on the migration of Jacob Burton Sr. from Virginia to Franklin County. Ga. out of which Madison County was formed. The senior Jacob Burton subsequently migrated to St. Helena Perish Louisiana around 1815-1820, after the land was opened up for settlement due to the Louisiana purchase. In 1832 Chambers County Alabama was created out of territory ceded to the United States by the Creek Indian nation, and Jacob Burton Jr. and his family migrated there. Later, Steve Burton sent me a copy of an earlier will of Jacob Burton of Chambers County Alabama dated 1848 as well as some family history of his Burtons, and information about litigation in Louisina involving the settlement of Jacob Burton's Sr. estate. I was only able to partially transcribe the earlier, but it proved quite beneficial because in one item it states that "after her (his wife) death the aboved named property is to be equally divided between my children except harry and rosa harry is know (sic) fifty four & if he shall live to the good old age," and thus places Harry's date of birth at 1794. My next path of investigation is to determine where and when Jacob Burton aquired his slaves. I hope my language here does not offend anyone but until the mid 1800's colored folk were considered property in the United States. If you'd prefer, I need to research where my white folks acquired their property. I am also focusing my attention on the living relatives of my grandfather, in hopes of finding someone who might have a picture. On Cliff Murray's web site is a picture of my great, great aunt Harriet Burton and her husband Dan Bailey. Harriet is an older sister of my great-grandfather Perry Burton.  Jacob Burton's 1848 Will Jacob Burton his Will & Testament Nov 9 1848 Chambers County The State of Alabama Chambers Chambers County November the 9th in the year of our Lord one Thousand eight hundred & forty eight in the house of God Amen if is apointed unto For man to dy & after death to judgment & for this cause I know come before these witnesses & do give off to my beloved wife the following property to wit the south east quarter of section thirty in township twenty two of range twenty seven Chambers County Alabama together with all the buildings blacky smith tools & all the sheep and all the horses & and all the hogs & all the cattle of every kind dunkies & chickens & also four negroes one named Harry one named Rosa & one named Lucy & one named George & one named S--y & so all the house & kitchen furniture to belong to her so long as she shall live then after her death the above named property is to be equally divided between my children except Harry & Rosa. Harry is know fifty four years old & if he shall live to the good old age of three score & ten he is to stop working for the white people & the administrators is to see that they are not abused vs in the next phase I do give off to my eldest son John the following property to wit four negroes one named Berryan and one named Puss one named Jefferson one named ------ --- child --- --- vz in the the next phase I give off to my next eldest son Robert the following property to wit four negroes one named Handsome one named Louisy one named John one named ------ & increase vz the next phase I do give off to my next eldest son Wesley four negroes one named Chapel one named Martha one named Moses one named Willis and their increase in the next phase I do give of to my next eldest son Jacob four negroes one named Henry one named R-sa & one named Hunter ----- & named Charles & all their increase vz in the next phase I do give off to my next eldest son William four negroes one named Moses one named Laty one named Beryann & one named Charles and all their increase vz in the next phase I do give to my son Andrew Jackson five negroes one named Nathan one named Isaac one named Sa----- named Lucy one named ----------------- and all their increase vz in the next phase I do give of to my eldest daughter Nancy Nickols- four negroes one named Cary one named Caroline one named Anderson & all their increases ---------------------------------------------------------------------- vz in the next phase I do give to my next eldest daughter Elizabeth Jones four negroes one named Sally one named ---------- one named Mary one named George & all their increase  let it be well understand that all the negroes that I have give of to my children is to be under my control so long as I shall live there after my death it is to belong to my children so long as they shall live then after their death all the afore named negroes & their increases is to belong to their children forever Let it be further understood if any of the above named negroes that I have give of to my children should dy before they should get in possession of them they are to be made hole they must have four even Further if any of my children shall dy without having any children alive at their death all the property and increase of negroes & other utensils that have give off to them in my lifetime shall be equally divided between all those brothers & sisters except Nancy Jones and two children James & Mary for the lawsuit that Crawford Jones ----- came against me for my property all the damages and expenses as to come out of their part of my estate of that lawsuit Also if there shall shall be any of my children trying to brake my will & making fuss about the same for that offense what I have allready give to him shall be taken from him he shall not have nothing therefore my beloved children comfort one another live in peace The God of love & peace shall be with you The next phase I of give off to my --- children the holly half seven hundred & twenty acres of land & allso the leven acres of land that I bought from ----- Dorsett all lying east of the quarter ------ that that I give unto my beloved wife all living in the state of Alabama Chambers County together with all the buildings & mill all of it to be divided between my boys John & Robert Jacob & William & Wesley & Andrew Also my two daughters Liza & Nancy is to have one hundred dollars apiece give off to them them by my son --------------- boys & the balance of my meager property that I have no give off to my children is not be sold it is to be divided equally between all my children vz in the ----------- property -------- sold pay all my just debts In the next phase I apoint my eldest son Robert & Wesley executives of my will to see that Elizabeth Jane & Nancy Nicoles do not waste their property that I have give of to them in my lifetime they are to take control of it after my death & do their best for them ---------- that none of my grandchildren waste no property that I give off to them - ------------ the above stated ------------- for their use ---- benefit & ---------- I have made all my children equal & ----------- myself sound in body & in mind deliver my sole into the hand of the Lord & my body to the ------- I know acknowledge before these witnesses that this is my last will & testament in where whom of I have here unto set my hand & seal the date & year above mentioned Witnessed Test Caswell Camp Test John J James Test Robert M. Taney Bartholomew B Moore  Jacob Burton's 1862 Will In the name of God Amen I Jacob Burton of the County of Chambers and the State of Alabama being afflicted in body and mindfull of the shortness of life and the certainty of death and being blessed with a sound mind and disposing memory with the desire of making a proper disposition of the property it has pleased God to bless me with do make public and declare this to be my last Will and testament hereby revoking all former Wills by me made. First Trusting in God for a glorious resurrection unto eternal life I Submit my Soul to him who gave it and desire that my body be decently interred. Item 2nd My Will and desire is that all of my debts and funeral expenses be paid as soon after my decease as practicable. Item 3rd I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Rachel Burton the following property to wit the land on which I now live known and described as follows, the South East quarter of Section thirty, 30, and Township twenty two, 22, and range twenty seven, 27, together with all the improvements thereon, Cotton Gin and all the appurtenances thereunto belonging House hold and kitchen furniture, The farming utensils of every kind, Cart and Steers Buggy and harness, Tools of every description, The Stock of all kinds, exception hereinafter made, Also the following named negroes Harry and Rosa his wife, Mary and Nathan, Son and Daughter of Harry and Rosa, Washington, the son of Mary, also the youngest son of Mary by the name of John, Warren the son of Anis and Sarah the daughter of Silah so long as the Said Rachel Burton shall live. Item fourth To John W. Burton I have heretofore given land in Tallapoosa County Alabama the description of which will more fully appear by reference to Deed of Conveyance heretofore executed to the Said John W. Burton and whereas I have heretofore given to the Said John W. Burton the following named negroes to wit, Berryan (sic) and Mariah, Son and Daughter of Lucy, Catherine, daughter of Seller, to him and his heirs forever hereby Confirming the advancements to the Said John W. Burton and his heirs forever together with all the future increase as his full distributive share of my Estate. Item fifth To my son Robert P. Burton I have heretofore given land in Tallapoosa County Alabama the description of which will make fully appear by the Deed on Conveyance heretofore granted to the Said Robert P. Burton, And whereas I have heretofore given to the Said Robert P. Burton the following named negroes to wit, Handsome (sic) and Louisa, Son and Daughter of Harry and Rosa, Josephine the daughter of Lucy, to him and his heirs forever hereby confirming the above advancements to the Said Robert P. Burton and his heirs forever together with all the future increase as his full distributive share of my Estate. Item Sixth To Saml. (sic Samuel) W. Burton I have heretofore given land in Tallapoosa County Alabama which will appear by a Deed of Conveyance made by me to Robt. P. Burton and the Said Saml W. Burton which land has been divided between the Said Robt. P. Burton and the Said Saml. W. Burton and whereas I have heretofore given the Said Saml. W. Burton the following named negroes to wit Martha a daughter of Mary, Minerva, daughter of Lucy, to him and his heirs forever hereby confirming the above advancements unto him his heirs and Assigns as his full distributive share of my Estate. Item Seventh To Jacob J. Burton land in Tallapoosa County Alabama which will more fully appear by a Deed of Conveyance made to the Said Jacob J. Burton and John W. Burton which land has since been divided between the Said Jacob J. Burton and John W. Burton and whereas I have heretofore given to my Son Jacob J. Burton the following named negroes to wit, Puss daughter of Harry and Rosa, Talitha, daughter of Anis and their increase forever hereby confirms the advancements made unto him, his heirs and Assigns forever as his full distributive share of my Estate. Item Eighth I hereby give and bequeath to my Son William H. Burton the following described land to wit, one half of the South West half of Section twenty nine, 29, Township twenty two, 22, and Range twenty seven known as the Holly half section also one half of eleven acres bought from John Dorsett and one half of the Mill thereon, and whereas I have given to my Son W. H. Burton three negroes to wit, Moses son of Mary, Harriet and Clark Son and daughter of Anis, and I hereby give and bequeath to him the Said William H. Burton the named negroes which are now in my possession to wit, Mealy and Lucyann (sic) daughters of Anis, Willis and Ben sons of Seller and Lucy and old woman Josephine daughter of Jane and at the death of my Wife the negro boy by the name of Warren son of Anis with him his heirs and assigns forever as his full distributive share of my Estate. Item 9th I give and bequeath to my son Andrew J. Burton the following described land on half of the South West half of Section twenty nine, 29, known as the Holly half Section also one half of eleven acres of land bought from John Dorsett and one half of the Mill thereon and the following named negroes, Charles, Jeff and George sons of Harry and Rosa, Russ daughter and Richard son and daughter of Mary, Young son of Anis, Mary daughter of Susan, and Weany daughter of Mary, three mules and carts waggon and harness all my gin smith and blacksmith tools, watch (sic) tools, and at the death of my wife Rachel Burton my will and desire is and I hereby give and bequeath also to my son Andrew J. Burton all of the property and future increase both real and personal that I have given to my beloved wife Rachel Burton with the exception above named to wit one negro boy Warren unto him the Said A. J. Burton his heirs and assigns forever as his full distributive share of my estate. Item 10th Whereas I have heretofore given to my daughter Nancy C. James, wife of John J. James the following property to wit, the following described land one half of one half section of land which I bought from Robert P. Burton which he bought from Thomas B. Sherman and Littlebury Phillips one half of Section twenty five, 25, Township twenty two, 22, and Range twenty six, 26, and I have heretofore given my Daughter Nancy C. the following negroes Sam which has been sold by my consent, Henry and Georgia son and (sic daughter) of Caroline, deceased, Creasey daughter of Siller and Barthume which she now has in possession, and also give and bequeath to my daughter Nancy C. Jones the following named negroes Anis and Siller and old Woman, and all of their future increase from this date unto the said Nancy C. Jones and her children, also one mule. Item 11th I hereby give and bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth Jones now the abandoned wife of Crawford Jones one half of the half section of land that I bought of my son Robt. E. Burton which he bought of Thos. B. M... and L. B. Phillips half of Section twenty five, Township twenty two and Range twenty six, 26, which is to be equally divided between Elizabeth Jones and Nancy C. Jones, also the following named negroes to wit, Susan daughter of Harry and Rosa, George and Margaret son and daughter of Susan, Jane daughter of Lucy, Ngenie Amanda and Indianarm (sic) daughters of Jane, Isaac son of Siller and those issuance from this date unto her and her children, two mules two cows and calves and it is my will and desire that all of the property that I have given to my daughter Elizabeth Jones is not to be subject to the uses or control of Crawford Jones in any manner or form whatever and the Said Elizabeth Jones here after at any time live with or go with the Said Crawford Jones I do hereby authorize and empower my Executor to take possession of all the property I have given to the Said Elizabeth and in the event she does live with Said Jones the Said Executor so herein appointed to act as trustee for the children of the Said Elizabeth in the management of said property for them. Item 12th I do hereby constitute and appoint my son Robt. P. Burton Sole Executor to this my last Will and Testament. In witness whereof I the Said Jacob Burton hath herein set my hand and seal this 4th day of January AD 1862. (signed, Jacob Burton) Signed Sealed and Acknowledged in the presence of Geo. R. Stamps Mg. of Stamps Britton Stamps Sharecropping Agreement 1865 The State of Alabama Chambers County An agreement entered into between Andrew J. Burton and his former Slaves is this day the 25 of July 1865 reduced to writing and witnessed. Andrew J. Burton on the 1st part Obligates himself to feed clothe furnish houses fuel and pay their medical bills for the present year in compensation for their labour. And the above former Slaves on the other part whose names are annexst Obligate themselves to labour faithful for the said Andrew J. Burton and do any and all kind of work he suits them at for the present year for their Actual clothes house room fuel and medical bills paid when surgeons are called by the said Andrew J. Burton Andrew J. Burton  Rosa 60 Lucy 60 Siller 55 Mary 45 Isaac 43 Sukey 34 Jane 32 Jeff 28 George 26 Nathan 22 George 17 Mills 17 **** 15 Minors Mela 13 Sena 13 Margrette 12 Milt 13 Rie 11 Mandy 10 Lucy 10 Ben 10 Henna 10 Alph 8 Luda 8 Catherine 8 John 5 Puss 4 Joe 4 Peter 4 William 3 Laura 3 Witness Joseph Namly George T----ly ___________________________________________________________  K. H. Burton is a native of Atlanta, Ga. Mr. Burton attended public school at Collier Heights Elementary and Frederick Douglass High. He furthered his education at Georgia State University (Art) and Atlanta Area Tech. (Architectural Drafting). For the past 25 years he has worked as a Structural Drafter/Engineer, with the Georgia Department Of Transportation. His outside interests include earning his Competent Toastmaster Award (CTM) from Toastmasters International, which he credits with improving his writing and public speaking skills, and serving as Corresponding Secretary for the African American Historical & Genealogical Society-Metro Atlanta Chapter. He is an Independent Researcher/Genealogist, Sculptor, Lyricist, and former Bass Guitarist with The Revival Mission Movement Gospel Choir. |
||
|
The USF Africana Heritage Project is Sponsored by the Africana Studies Department at the University of South Florida. Copyright 2005 The University of South Florida and The Africana Heritage Project. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. For more information, contact the Africana Heritage Project via e-mail . |
||
