Stephen Middleton, Abbeville, SC to Franklin County, MS

According to the U. S. Census of 1790, Stephen Middleton was a resident of Abbeville, South Carolina, part of the "Old Ninety-Six" District.  The census shows the Middleton household consisted of seven individuals, including five free white males under the age of 16, one free white male over the age of 16, and one free white female. It is interesting to note here that one cannot determine by this record alone if the "one free white female" is Stephen's wife, daughter, or another female. The Middleton family, along with many others, were likely part of the "Great Migration" to the Mississippi Territory, since the next time that Stephen Middleton appeared on a U. S. Census was in 1810, when he was enumerated as the head of a household in Franklin County, Mississippi.  Since Mississippi had not yet attained statehood, Franklin County, with slightly less than 2,000 inhabitants, was still part of the Mississippi Territory.  According to the census recorded in 1810, Middleton's family had increased from seven members in 1790 to nine.  Also, Middleton's enumeration showed that he owned 24 slaves.  Other Franklin County heads of households appearing on the U. S. Census of 1810 whose surnames were Middleton were identified as Mary, John, and Samuel.


Next:  The Middleton-Porter Connection

Fenner Family of Mississippi - Beginning at the End

I now know that my great-great-great-grandmother, Rachel Fenner, is descended from the Fenner family that lived in the early-mid 1700's in Bertie and Craven Counties in North Carolina.  It appears that Rachel's family followed in the footsteps and wagon trails of so many others who left that area searching for new lands and a better way of life in places west and south.  From all accounts, Rachel was born after the family left North Carolina.  Some researchers believe Rachel was born in Tennessee, where some of the Fenner family eventually settled, while others believe she was born in Georgia, as her family traveled further south.  Most researchers, however, agree that Rachel Fenner married William Neatherlin in Georgia, and several of their children were born there before the family moved to the Mississippi Territory after 1790.  Since the family eventually included several more children, it seems likely the younger ones were born after Rachel and William arrived in the territory. The presence of both Fenner and Netherland families in the Mississippi Territory in the early 1800s is validated by territorial census information that shows William Netherland, Joseph Fenner, Sr., Joseph Fenner, and William Fenner enumerated as heads of households in Wilkinson and Lawrence Counties.

Source:
Ancestry.com. Mississippi State and Territorial Census Collection, 1792-1866[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Mississippi State and Territorial Censuses, 1792-1866. Microfilm V229. 3 rolls. Heritage Quest.

Spring Pilgrimage in Natchez

It's that time of year - Natchez Pilgrimage time.  If you are a Mississippian, likely you have visited Natchez during its Spring or Fall Pilgrimage. If you live elsewhere, a visit to this old, historic southern city that was once the capital of the Mississippi Territory is well worth the trip. A preservation project of the Natchez Pilgrimage Tours, the pilgrimage showcases the elegant antebellum mansions of the city, with many of them open for tours.  And if you are into genealogy and have "southern roots," what better place to begin tracing your ancestors.  

Porter Family in Mississippi - Part 1

As a descendant of the Porter family in Mississippi that migrated first from Pennsylvania to South Carolina, through Alabama, and finally to the Mississippi Territory, I have found my own Porter family's history very difficult to trace.  My paternal grandmother, Lelia Porter Branch, first told me when I was young, that her father, John James (J.J.) Porter, was "Black Dutch" from Pennsylvania and that he was descended from one of three brothers who arrived in the Mississippi Territory about 1800.  She did not know the name of the brother from whom her father descended.  In my research, I have found that what my grandmother told me was fairly accurate, since early territorial census records show Landlot, Shadrack, and John Porter living in Adams County, Mississippi.  Available land records establish that Landlot (Lancelot) acquired land in the Mississippi Territory in late 1804, with Shad (Shadrack) Porter witnessing the transaction.  

No. 1914, Claimant: Lancelot Porter, 24 September 1804. Witness: Reuben Mayfield, 22 January 1805. Certificate D-161 issued 16 December 1806, Miss Ter., Adams Co., Homochitto River. Purchased from Thomas  Aldridge the right of preference as claim by ad Aldridge in Feb 1803, when he cleared a parcel of land, made a brush fence and planted corn, also peach trees and in 1804 Lancelot Porter settled sd place and cleared 3 acres and is now living on it.Miss Ter., Adams Co.// Thos. Aldridge, of sd county, for $500 in hand paid by Lancelot Porter, of sd county, sells all right of occupancy on land on south side of Homochitto River, on June 1804. Wit: Hiram Downs, John Scarlett, and Shad Porter, proved before the Board, 10 Sept 1805.

Armed with this early census and land ownership information, I began a research saga that extended to several counties in Mississippi, and one that is still ongoing.  During the next few weeks, I plan to post what I know about various Porter families that lived in Adams, Attala, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Hinds Counties. 

Author's Note:  If you are descended from Landlot, Shadrack, or John Porter who settled in the early Mississippi Territory and have stories or photos that you would like to share here on this blog, please contact me.

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.
  

A New Fenner Cousin

Although my Fenner family research is still in the very early stages, I have already found a new cousin! Actually, this isn't entirely correct - - my new cousin found me!  When I opened my inbox today, I discovered an email from another Fenner researcher I had discovered online and had contacted via email several days ago. The Fenner family member included a phone number, so I called him and we talked earlier today. While my family line descends from Rachel Fenner, my new cousin's line descends from Rachel's brother, William.

According to my contact, William Fenner, the elder, died around about 1777 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Later, William's son, also named William, along with other members of the Fenner family, used the river system to migrate from Georgia, where they had settled after the Revolutionary War, to the Mississippi Territory. Allegedly, the group arrived in the Mississippi Territory about 1790, settling in what is now Wilkinson County, Mississippi.

Family history indicates that William Fenner and his wife, Mercy Ogden, migrated further west to Louisiana, where they settled in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana and raised a family of twelve children. In Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, the Fenner name became a prominent one, with Fenner Road named for family members who surveyed the area, and Fenner's Landing named for members of this family who operated a ferry across the Ouachita River.

My contact recalled family information that says William died in Avoyelles Parish, en route from St. Landry Parish to his home near Monroe, while Mercy's death occurred several years later in Ouachita Parish.

Around 1850, many of William Fenner's descendants migrated to Lavaca County, Texas, where my new cousin's family has deep roots. He and I plan to talk again tomorrow to continue sharing more of our families' histories, so stay tuned for more Fenner posts.

Like most stories, this one has a moral:  The power of the Internet has never been stronger, the world is constantly growing smaller, and genealogy research has never been better!