The Order of the First Families of Mississippi: 1699 - 1817

Several months ago, I stumbled upon a website for The Order of the First Families of Mississippi 1699 - 1817, an organization that will celebrate its 42nd anniversary next month.  As stated on the organization's website, membership is open to "anyone who can prove lineal descent from a person who lived in what is now the State of Mississippi between 1699, when the French established the settlement of Old Biloxi, and December 10, 1817, when Mississippi was admitted to the Union." One of the Order's purposes is "To collect and preserve records, documents, and relics relating to the history and genealogy of Mississippi prior to its statehood."

Among the pages maintained on the Order's website is one entitled "Ancestor Roster." Four individuals on the list bear surnames of some of my ancestors:  Fenner, Gibson, Middleton, and Stampley.  And at least two more of my surnames, Baldridge and Porter, most certainly will be included on a future list. In fact, I am likely eligible for membership and plan to apply at some point in the near future.


It appears the Order works like this:  Once an individual applies for membership and has been recommended by two current members, the new member works to develop the lineage of his/her ancestor (s).  The website also includes some wonderful old photographs and biographies of early Mississippi settlers submitted by members who are descendants of the settlers. Of special interest to family researchers throughout the country is that genealogical records for over 1200 members can be obtained, for a fee, by contacting the OFFM Office, Post Office Box 821, Natchez, MS 39121-0821, or by contacting the Order through its website.
  

William Martin Baldridge and Huldah Catherine Smith Baldridge of Carroll County, MS

Although I did locate William Martin Baldridge, enumerated as "Marten" Baldridge on the U. S. Census of Carroll County, Mississippi, taken in 1850, living in the household with his parents, John and Nancy Baldridge, I was unable to find him on another U. S. Census until 1910.

When the census was recorded that year, W. M. Baldridge and his spouse, Huldah, were living in Attala County, Mississippi, and his occupation was shown as "farmer." According to family oral history, Huldah was actually Huldah Catherine Smith, whom Baldridge married after his first wife, Kitty Baskin, died. That oral history also says that Claudia M. Baldridge, William Martin Baldridge's daughter, and my paternal great-grandmother, was born after he married Huldah Smith. This information is validated by the 1910 census record, which shows Claudia's age to be 30 years old and the length of her parents' marriage as 34 years. The length of her parents' marriage is further validated by a marriage record in Carroll County, Mississippi, that shows Miss H. C. Smith married William M. Baldridge on January 6, 1876.

In 1910, William Martin Baldridge was 65 years old, and his wife was 54. The census indicates Baldridge's father was born in North Carolina, his mother in Kentucky, and Huldah's parents in South Carolina. Although William Martin Baldridge was raised in Carroll County, Mississippi, in 1910, he and his wife lived in a portion of Attala County very near many of my other ancestors, including J. J. and Maggie Merriweather Porter, my other paternal great-grandparents, and Maggie's mother, Malvertie Gibson Merriweather Felts, my great-great-grandmother.

When the 1910 census was recorded, two adult Baldridge sons, Beecher, age 28, and Caswell, age 18, were living in the Attala County, Mississippi household and working as laborers on the family farm. I have been unable to find the names of the children, if any, who were born to William Martin Baldridge and his first wife, Kitty Baskin.


Sources:

Ancestry.com, 1850 U. S. Census [database on-line] 2006. Provo, UT, USA; 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line] 2006. Provo, UT, USA. For details on the contents of the film visit the following NARA web page: NARA Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census.Description: County: Carroll

Carroll County Marriage Records, available online, accessed September 10, 2009

The Descendants of John and Nancy Baldridge, Carroll County, MS

In 1850, John and Nancy Baldridge were enumerated in Carroll County, Mississippi, in the U. S. Census taken that same year. John Baldridge, a North Carolina-born veteran of the War of 1812, was my paternal great-great-great-grandfather. The census recorded in 1850 estimated John's birth year to have been about 1780, making him 71 years old at the time the census was taken. Nancy, John's wife, was shown on the census to be 35 years old. Based simply on the difference in their ages, Nancy was likely John's second wife.

According to the census record, John and Nancy Baldridge already had seven children in 1850. The children's names and ages were Calvin, 12, Wesley, 10, Byrd, 8, Martha A., 7, Marten, 6, George 4, and Benjamin, age 1. During a later post, I plan to write more about Marten, age 6, who was actually William Martin ("Mart") Baldridge, and my paternal great-great-grandfather.

In addition, Thomas Marble and James Marble, ages 18 and 16, respectively, were also household members whose occupations were each shown to be "laborer." According to the census, John Baldridge was a "farmer," but it is likely that his age prevented him from engaging in physical labor required by the farm, and that James and Thomas Marble were relatives who worked the land for him.

Next: The Family of William Martin Baldridge