Samuel Porter and Mary Middleton Porter

Samuel and Mary Middleton Porter Move from Franklin Co., Mississippi to Attala County, Mississippi



You can tell a Native Mississippian by the way the individual refers to the part of Mississippi they call home, either the "Hills," "The Delta," or "The Coast."

Samuel and Mary Middleton Porter settled in that part of the state called "The Hills," known for its dense forest land and abundance of fresh water. I wish I knew details about the arduous trip Samuel and Mary must have made from Franklin County, Mississippi north to "The Hills." I can only imagine they may have traveled up the Big Black River from Vicksburg, or they could have arrived in a horse-drawn wagon. Either method of transportation would have been long and difficult, with many dangers along the way. But according to the Mississippi State Census conducted in 1841, Samuel Porter headed up a household in Madison County, Mississippi and received mail at a post office box at the Calhoun, Mississippi Station.

On September 5, 1850, however, when the U. S. Census enumerated residents of Attala County, Mississippi, Samuel Porter was shown as the head of a household located in "Township 12, Range 5 E." It is unclear whether this area of Attala County, Mississippi had once been part of Madison County before the boundaries changed after the Choctaw Cession. Samuel's age was shown as 51, and his occupation was shown as "farmer."

Also shown in the household was Samuel's wife, Mary, age 45, Susan, 16, Eliza A., 12, Laurey, age 10, James M., age 18, William, age 14, and Samuel, age 5. James M. Porter was shown with the occupation of "farmer." All the children in the household were shown to have been born in Mississippi. South Carolina was shown as the birthplace of both Samuel and Mary.

Also living in the household was "Nancy Walters", aged 85, whose birthplace was shown as "N. Carolina." I have been unable to determine what relationship Nancy Walters was to Samuel or Mary. Since the Middleton family lived for a time in North Carolina before migrating to South Carolina and then on to Mississippi, perhaps Nancy Walters is one of Mary Middleton Porter's older relatives.

Although the names of many Porter men appear in the Government Land Grant office records for Mississippi land, beginning in the early 1830's, I was unable to locate Samuel's name. Therefore, it remains unclear as to how many acres of land Samuel actually owned in Attala County in 1850. I did find, however, that Samuel owned a number of slaves. A copy of the U. S. Census - Slave Schedule, prepared also in 1850, shows Samuel's property as being in Township 16, Range 5, Attala County, Mississippi. According to the enumeration, Samuel Porter owned fourteen (14) slaves, eight (8) females, ranging in age from 3 to 36, and 6 males, ranging from 12 to 46 years of age.

Samuel Porter died in Attala County, Mississippi, at the age of 63 years old. According to the Mississippi Mortality Schedule of 1860, the cause of his death was "dropsy."

James M. Porter, the oldest son of Samuel and Mary Middleton Porter, was to become my Great-Greatgrandfather.

The Treaty with the Choctaw - 1830

Before I can proceed with the story of Samuel and Mary Middleton Porter, it is important to know the history of the development and formation of what is now Attala County, Mississippi. The signing of The Treaty with the Choctaws at Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830 resulted in the removal of the Choctaw people to Fort Smith, Arkansas Territory, beginning in the early 1830's. It also opened up for settlement large amounts of rich and fertile lands near the Natchez Trace and the Big Black River. Attala County, along with several nearby counties, was formed as a result of this treaty, and people from many different locations migrated to the area. As it was with most American settlers, the people who settled there were attracted by the plentiful natural resources the area offered and the promise of a new and better way of life.

The Signing of The Treaty at Dancing Rabbit Creek

The Treaty, containing twenty-two (22)articles, the treaty was "Done, and signed, and executed by the commissioners of the United States, and the chief, captains, and head men of the Choctaw nation at Dancing Rabbit creek (on the) 27th day of September, eighteen and thirty." For history's sake, I highly recommend the reading, in full, of the Treaty with the Choctaws. However, for the purpose of this post, I have not attempted to transcribe the Treaty in full. Instead, I am providing excerpts, usually entire Articles, that either contain essential elements of the Treaty that deal with distribution of lands in the Choctaw Nation or that contain names of individuals who were directly affected by the provisions of the Treaty and specifically those who received land as a result of the Treaty.

Article III of the Treaty reads as follows:

"In consideration of the provisions contained in the several articles of this Treaty, the Choctaw nation of Indians consent and hereby cede to the United States, the entire country they own and possess, east of the Mississippi River; and they agree to move beyond the Mississippi River, early as practicable, and will so arrange their removal, that as many as possible of their people not exceeding one half of the whole number, shall depart during the falls of 1831 and 1832; the residue to follow during the succeeding fall of 1833; a better opportunity in this manner will be afforded the Government, to extend to them the facilities and comforts which it is desirable should be extended in conveying them to their new homes."

Article XVI states:

"Each Choctaw head of a family being desirous to remain and become a citizen of the States, shall be permitted to do so, by signifying his intention to the Agent within six months from the ratification of this Treaty, and he or she shall thereupon be entitled to a reservation of one section of six hundred and forty acres of land to be bounded by sectional lines of survey; in like manner shall be entitled to one half that quantity for each unmarried child which is living with him over ten years of age; and a quarter section to such child as may be under 10 years of age, to adjoin the location of the parent. If they reside upon said lands intending to become citizens of the States for five years after the ratification of this Treaty, in that case a grant in fee simple shall issue; said reservation shall include the present improvement of the head of the family, or a portion of it. Persons who claim under this article shall not lose the privilege of a Choctaw citizen, but if they ever remove are not to be entitled to any portion of the Choctaw annuity."

Article XVIII contained this language:

"The U. S. shall cause the lands hereby ceded to be surveyed; and surveyors may enter the Choctaw Country for that purpose, conducting themselves properly and disturbing or interrupting none of the Choctaw people. But no person is to be permitted to settle within the nation, or the lands to be sold before the Choctaws shall remove. And for the payment of the several amounts secured in this Treaty, the lands hereby ceded are to remain a fund pledged to that purpose, until the debt shall be provided for and arranged. And further, it is agreed, that in the construction of this Treaty wherever well founded doubt shall arise, it shall be construed most favorably toward the Choctaws."

Article XIX contained this information:

"The following reservations of land are hereby admitted. To Colonel David Fulsom four sections of which two shall include his present improvement, and two may be located elsewhere, on unoccupied, unimproved land. To I. Garland, Colonel Robert Cole, Tuppanahomer, John Pytchlynn, Charles Juzan, Johokebetubbe, Eaychahobia, Ofehoma, two sections, each to include their improvements, and to be bounded by sectional lines, and the same may be disposed of and sold with the consent of the President."

On September 28, 1830, four (4) supplemental articles were added. The first article states ".... at the request of "various Choctaw persons who have been presented by the Chiefs of the nation, with a desire that they might be provided for. Being particularly deserving, an earnestness has been manifested that provision might be made for them. It is therefore by the undersigned commissioners here assented to, with the understanding that they are to have no interest in the reservations which are directed and provided for under the general Treaty to which this is a supplement. As evidence of the liberal and kind feelings of the President and Government of the United States, the Commissioners agree to the request as follows, (to wit) Pierre Juzan, Peter Pitchlynn, G. W. Harkins, Jack Pitchlynn, Israel Fulsom, Louis Laflore, Benjamin James, Joel H. Nail, Hopoynjahubbee, Onorkubhee, Benjamin Laflore, Michael Laflore and Allen Yates and wife shall be entitled to a reservation of two sections of land each to include their improvement where they at present reside, with the exception of the three first named persons and Benjamin Laflore, who are authorized to locate one of their sections on any other unimproved and unoccupied land, withing their respective districts."

Supplemental Article. II adds:

"And to each of the following persons there is allowed a reservation of a section and a half of land, (to wit) James L. McDonald, Robert Jones, Noah Wall, James Campbell, G. Nelson, Vaughn Brashears, R. Harris, Little Leader, S. Foster, J. Vaughn, L. Durans, Samuel Long, T. Magagha, Thos. Everge, Giles Thompson, Tomas Garland, John bond, William Laflore, and Turner Brashears, the two first named persons, may locate one section each, and one section jointly on any unimproved and unoccupied land, these not residing in the Nation. The others are to include their present residence and improvement.

Also one section is allowed to the following person (t wit) Middleton Mackey, Wesley Train, Choclehoma, Moses foster, D. W. Wall, Charles Scott, Molly Nail, Susan Colbert, who was formerly Susan James, Samuel Garland, Silas Fisher, D. McCurtain, Onklahoma, and Polly Fillecuthey, to be located in entire sections to include their present residence and improvement, with the exception of Molly Nail and Susan Colbert, who are authorized to locate theirs, on any unimproved unoccupied land.

John Pitchlynn has long and faithfully served the nation in Character of U. States Interpreter, he has acted as such for forty years, in consideration it is agree, in addition to what has been done for him there shall be granted to two of his children, (to wit) Silas Pitchlynn, and Thomas Pitchlynn one section of land each, to adjoin the location of their father; likewise to James Madison and Peter sons of Mushulatubbee one section of land each to include the old house and improvement where their father formerly lived on the old military road adjoining a large Prararie. And to Henry Groves, son of the Chief Natticache there is one section of land given to adjoin his father's land. And to each of the following persons half a section of land is granted on any unoccupied and unimproved lands in the Districts where they respectively live (to wit) Willis Harkins, James D. Hamilton, William Juzan, Tobias Laflore, Jo Doke, Jacob Fulsom, P. Hays, Samuel Worcester, George Hunter, William Train, Robert Nail, and Alexander McKee. And there is given a quarter section of land each to Delila and her five fatherless children, she being a Choctaw woman residing out of the nation; also the same quantity to Peggy Trihan, another Indian woman residing out of the nation and her two fatherless children; and to the widows of Pushmilaha, and Pucktshenubbee, who were formerly distinguished Chiefs of the nation and for their children four quarter sections of land, each in trust for themselves and their children."

Supplemental Article IV adds these provisions:

John Donly of Alabama who has several Choctaw grandchildren, and who for twenty years has carried the mail through the section of land, it is accordingly granted, to be located in one entire section, on any unimproved and unoccupied land. Allen Glover and George S. Gaines licensed Traders in the Choctaw Nation, have accounts amounting to upwards of nine thousand dollars against the Indians who are unable to pay their said debts without distressing their families; a desire is expressed by the chiefs that two sections of land be set apart to be sold and the proceeds thereof to be applied toward the payment of the aforesaid debts. It is agreed that two sections of any unimproved and unoccupied land be granted to George S. Gaines who will sell the same for the best price he can obtain and apply the proceeds thereof to the credit of the Indians on their accounts due to the before mentioned Glover and Gaines; and shall make the application to the poorest Indian first. At the earnest and particular request of the Chief, Greenwood Laflore there is granted to David Haley one half section of land to be located in a half section on any unoccupied and unimproved land as a compensation, for a journey to Washington City and dispatches to the Government and returning others to the Choctaw Nation."

Some Names of Individuals Who Either Signed the Treaty or Who Witnessed the Signing of the Treaty

Jno. H. Eaton
John Coffee
Robert Cole
David Folsom
John Garland
Captain Thalco
Pierre Juzan
John Ruland, Secretary to the Commission
Jon. L. Bean, Special Agent
Law Taliaferro, Indian Agent
R. B. Mason, Captain
G. Loomis, Captain
James Peterson, Lieutenant
N. S. Harris, Lieutenant
Henry Bainbridge, Lieutenant
John Gale, Surgeon
J. Archer, Lieutenant
J. Dougherty, Indian Agent
Thomas A. Davies, Lieutenant
William S. Williamson, Sub Indian Agent
Andrew S. Hughes, Sub Indian Agent
A. G. Baldwin, Lieutenant
David D. Mitchell
H. L. Donsman
Wynkoop Warner
George Davenport
William Hempstead
Benjamin Mills
William H. Warfield, Lieutenant
Sam R. Throokmoor
John Connelly
Amos Farror
Antoine LeClaire, Interpreter/Sax and Fox Tribes
Stephen Julian, U. S. Interpreter
Jacques Mette, Interpreter
Michel Berda, Moho Interpreter
S. Campbell, U. S. Interpreter
William Gordon
James Archdale Hamilton
David D. Mitchell
William Saidlau
Jacob Halsey
Felix F. Wain, Indian Agent
John F. A. Sanford, Indian Agent
William C. Heyward
D. J. Royster
Samuel Kinney
Merewether Lewis Clark

The entire Treaty with the Choctaw was later published as a Proclamation on February 24, 1831.

The Porter Family in Mississippi

Porter Marriages in Mississippi Between 1808 and 1825

During my research, I found nine Porter marriages during this early timeframe. On April 2, 1808, in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, John Porter, b. February 10, 1785 in North Carolina, married Mary Middleton, born November 9, 1790 in Natchez, MS. Mary was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Middleton, who had migrated to Mississippi from South Carolina. John Porter was the son of Landlot Porter, born in Lancaster County, Virginia on February 2, 1749, and was married to Winifred Palmer, also born in Virginia. Winifred Palmer and Landlot Porter were married circa 1778 near Bayou Vermillion, Louisiana. Landlot's parents were Edward Sanders Porter, born circa 1720 in Lancaster, Virginia, and Mary Jeter, born circa 1725. Landlot and Winifred Palmer Porter's children were William, Shadrack, Joseph, John, Naomi, and Mary.

John Porter and Mary Middleton Porter, who were married on April 2, 1808, had the following children:

Jefferson Cade Porter
Caroline Porter
Martha Porter
James Riley Porter
William Monroe Porter
Albert Quincy Porter
Elvira Porter

Other Porter marriages located in pre-1825 Mississippi were:

Naomi Porter married Benjamin Scott on October 12, 1809 in Adams County, Mississippi.

Elizabeth Porter married Gabriel Cowan on January 3, 1819, Franklin County, Mississippi.

William B. Porter married Susannah Jackson on July 19, 1820, in Wilkerson County, Mississippi.

Letitia Porter married James Beck on March 5, 1822, in Franklin County, Mississippi.

Tillett Porter married Ann Allison on December 7, 1822, in Franklin County, Mississippi.

Lucinda Porter married James Owens on July 13, 1824, in Franklin County, Mississippi.

Jerimiah Porter married Susan E. Anderson on May 19, 1825, in Amite County, Mississippi.

Samuel Porter married Mary Middleton on May 17, 1825, in Franklin County, MS.

I have not yet been able to explain how the Mary Middleton who married John Porter in 1808 is related to the Mary Middleton who married Samuel Porter in 1825. Nor do I know what relationship Samuel is to John. What I do know is that my Porter line descends directly from Samuel Porter and Mary Middleton Porter, who later settled in Attala County, Mississippi.

During my research for information about the Porter family, the name "Landlot" Porter appeared repeatedly in early records. Each time I saw it, I questioned how the name "Landlot" came to be....why "that" particular name? What was the story behind the name? After much searching and even more contemplation, I found that "Landlot" was really a phonetic spelling of "Lancelot."

Genealogy research can be made much easier if one has an ancestor with the namce "Lancelot!"

The Porter Family Arrives in America

Porter Names in Early Records

While researching the history of the Porter family in America, I found that most Porter emigrants came into the ports of Baltimore or Philadelphia and some in Virginia and South Carolina. Many were shown to be from parts of Northern Ireland, particularly near Ulster, County Antrim, or from Germany. Some of these Porter families settled in the early 1700's in Penn's Colony in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, or Amish country, as we know it today. According to historical records, many of the Amish religious traditions originate from the German settlers who were brought into the area by William Penn. Penn's Colony (see below) grew out of an invitation from Queen Anne when she advertised in the Rhine River Valley area (known as "The "Palatine" or "Palatine Valley" that England would accept all German Protestants who wanted to immigrate.

The Great Palatine Migration
What we now know as Bavaria, near Heidelberg, Germany, was known in 1700 and before as the "Palatine Valley, or Palatinate". The people who lived there came from Switzerland, Holland, Germany, and various other places, but what they shared was a common belief in Protestantism. Since France was at war with Germany over this area for many years, Protestants suffering from religious persecution during the early 1700's was at an all-time high. Many residents had already left on their own to escape both religious persecution and the horrors of war, and those remaining were subjected to imprisonment and possible death at the hands of the French. In 1709, the winter was so severe that the Rhine River froze over and people were freezing and starving. Queen Anne of England issued an invitation to all German Protestants to immigrate, and she planned to set up refugee camps in England and in Ireland. Catholics who tried to enter England would be given a small amount of money and sent back to Germany. Refugees would not be allowed to become citizens, and as soon as boats became available to sail for the colonies, they were packed to capacity and beyond for voyages to English colonies, predominately American colonies. Some refugees sailed first from England to Ireland and later sailed to the American colonies.

Penn's Colony
In 1681, William Penn, an English Quaker, had been granted a charter for the Province of Pennsylvania. After he established Philadelphia and signed a peace treaty with the Delaware Indians, he advertised that Pennsylvania was available to persecuted Protestants as a place of refuge. And so Penn's Colony became a refuge for some of those who left the Palatine Region.

The Voyage
In many cases, a ship's captain or other officials required German immigrants to sign a contract before they boarded the ship. Since England sponsored the Palatine migration, the destination was intended to be an English colony. Records show at least one ship, however, left all its refugees in Brazil instead of the English colony for which it was intended. The contract was in English, and the verbal explanation was that refugees would be required to perform a time of service in the colonies when they arrived at their final destination. The actual contract was for a fee to be paid upon disembarkation, and the fee was still required, even if the person died during the voyage. (Some ports of disembarkation required a separate fee, not included in the contract.) If a husband died, the widow was required to pay the fee, and if parents died during the arduous voyage on an overcrowded ship, the children were obligated to pay the fee for both deceased parents. If the passenger could not pay the fee charged, a "bond" of servitude of up to four years was required. If children were left orphaned, or if they had become separated from their parents during the voyage, they were required to serve in bond of servitude. The number of German Protestants who migrated from the Palatine area was estimated to be approximately 7000, and over 2000 died during the voyages to their final destinations.

Searching for John
Porter family research has been difficult, particularly when my ancestors were often named "James" or "John", or "Joseph". Such was the case of my great-grandfather, "James Joseph Porter". I did find some unique information (and possible explanation) about traditional naming of males by families who had lived in and migrated from the Palatine area. It was customary for German and Swiss families to name all of their sons "John" or "Joseph", with middle names given to all but one of them. As odd as it may seem to us today, I also found at least one story that explained the tradition was based on an early belief that if the devil came for a child, the naming convention would confuse him as to which one to take.

A Mississippi Beginning
Although I have found the Porter family name replete in early Pennsylvania records, particularly in Lancaster County and in the Philadelphia area during the early 1700's, I have also found a large number of Porter families living in South Carolina in the early and mid 1700's. Whether my Porter ancestors originally settled in Pennsylvania or South Carolina, or whether they migrated first to Pennsylvania and then to South Carolina is still unknown. What I do know, however, is that nine Porter family members, five men and four women, were already living in the Mississippi Territory and were married there between 1809 and 1825.

Shrock Methodist Church, circa 1862

Several weeks ago, my parents mentioned to me that they would be going to yet another 100th birthday celebration. Actually, this would be the second 100th birthday celebration they would attend in just less than a year, since my Great Aunt Laura Branch Jones turned 100 years old last year, and my parents traveled to Durant, Mississippi for a gathering at Smokey Joe's to help celebrate. Mind you, my parents are in their 80's, but my father still drives. A birthday commemorating one hundred years of life is an event to celebrate by anyone's standards, and my parents thought it important enough to travel about 50 miles on a hot Sunday to attend.

The birthday was for Anna Jones Covington, Duncan C. Covington's mother, and the celebration was at Shrock Methodist Church, located near Goodman. The Covington family has been involved in the church there for many years, and the church community itself has been an important part of that part of Attala County. That part of Attala County is where the Covington, Shrock, and my Porter families owned land and lived and raised their families for over a century now. The old Shrock home is a historical structure, and descendants of the Covington, Shrock, and Porter families still own land and live in the area.

According to Duncan's book, "The People of Shrock Mississippi 1885-1922", the church was built about 1862. Records available show the church has been an active part of the Mississippi Methodist Conference for years. Many Attala County families have celebrated christenings, weddings, and funerals in that church for over a century. And at least one grave exists in the churchyard, that of Alex Mabry's young daughter, who was buried there in the 1800's.

I recall attending worship services there occasionally as a child and a young girl when our family would visit my Great Aunt and Uncle, Melba and James Porter, who lived near Sallis. My father was named for James Porter, and as his "namesake", maintained a very close relationship with his uncle throughout his life. The relationship was even closer after his own father died in 1979. The church and its wooded setting always reminded me of "The Little Church in the Wildwood", and I still remember the beautiful old piano and its round stool that graced the front of the church near the altar.

Our Great-Grandmother, Margaret Susanna ("Maggie") Merriweather Porter, "Mama Porter" to our family, lived with her son, James and his wife Melba, and we gathered there to celebrate her birthday a number of times when she was in her eighties. During many of our visits with the Porters, our family would attend church services at the Shrock Methodist Church, and several times we stayed for "Dinner on the Ground". Everyone brought a covered dish, and there was so much fried chicken, southern-cooked vegetables, homemade rolls, cakes, and pies that it was absolutely sinful! Growing children, like my siblings and I, were always hungry no matter how much we food we ate, but the adults must have needed a long nap to recover from those lunches!

Mama Porter died in 1969 at the age of 93, and at one time, she was the oldest living member of the Shrock Methodist Church. Now Anna Covington has that honor. I know her family must be so proud to have celebrated her 100th birthday with her at the church that has had such a meaningful history to their own family and to so many other families, including my own.

The Branch Family - Eight Generations

Generation Three

Claudia Baldridge Branch
Circa 1958 Generation Four

Clark and Lelia Porter Branch, circa 1940

Generation Three

Edward Arthur Branch

Circa 1900

First Generation
According to the U.S. Census of 1850, dated September 18th, Edward Branch and "Winney" (Ragland) Branch were living in Attala County, Mississippi, and three children were included in the enumeration of their household. Their oldest son, E. T., Jr., apparently was already out of the household. The children included in the household were John T., age 15 years, Arthur J., age 12 years, and Sara T., age 8 years. My family is descended from "Arthur J.", whose full name was Arthur Joseph Branch.

Second Generation
The U. S. Census taken in 1860, shows Arthur Joseph Branch and his wife, "Melly", born in South Carolina, living in the Newport Community of Attala County, Misssissippi. Also in the household at the time the census was taken was Winney, age 60 (likely visiting) and their only child, Edward Arthur Branch, or "Eddy", as he was called. I have found no information about Joseph's wife, Melly, her parents' names, where and when they were married, or when she came to Mississippi from South Carolina. She must have died before Joseph, however, since the U.S. Census taken in 1910 shows Joseph living with Ed and Claudie (see below.) Family stories I heard as a child were that Joseph was blind as an adult, but I have found no information that addresses the cause of blindness or exactly how long he had been blind prior to his death.

Third Generation
Edward Arthur Branch, known as Ed or E.A. Branch as an adult, married Claudia Baldridge, daughter of Martin Baldridge and Huldy Catherine Smith, in 1886 in Madison County, Mississippi. Ed and "Claudie", as she was known throughout her life, had four daughters and one son. Their daughters were named Ezma, Catherine, Stella, and Laura. Their only son, Clark Commander Branch, was born in Attala County, Mississippi, near the McAdams community on August 9, 1899. Clark attended school in McAdams until his father died in a hospital in Jackson, Mississippi when he was 14 years old. Almost overnight, Clark became head of the household and responsible for the welfare of a widowed mother and four sisters. Farm life in rural Mississippi must have been difficult, particularly in Attala County, where trees had to be cut to allow for planting and where spring flooding by the Big Black River was an almost annual event. Since there are no letters or other personal documents to tell me what happened, I can only imagine that Clark and his family's life must have been difficult during those years, especially with a World War and the Great Depression just around the corner. A copy of the U. S. Census taken in 1920 shows Clark Branch, his mother and two sisters were living in the same household in the Newport community in Attala County. Apparently, his two oldest sisters, Ezma and Catherine, were already married by that time. Ezma and Catherine each married men with the last name of McDaniel.

Fourth Generation
On December 8, 1922, Clark Commander Branch married Lelia Belle Porter, born July 17, 1904. She was the daughter of Margaret Susanna Merriweather Porter and James Joseph ("J. J.") Porter, who were married in Attala County on March 5, 1893. In 1930, Clark and Lelia Branch are shown on the U. S. Census record as living in Beat 4, Attala County, Mississippi. Their young son, James is also shown in the household. It appears that Clark's third sister, Stella, must have married her husband, Woodard Young, about the same time as Clark and Lelia, since that same census shows Clark's mother and his youngest sister, Laura, who later married Chipley Jones, living in the household of a relative near Greenwood in Leflore County, Mississippi. One day after Clark and Lelia Branch celebrated their first wedding anniversary, their first (and only) child was born on December 9, 1923. They named him James for his mother's brother, James Porter, who was named for both his father and his grandfather. It became a long-standing family joke that my grandparents married on December 8th, and my father was born on December 9th. Although today it seems that many births happen less than nine months after marriages occur, if a marriage now does indeed occur, it probably would not have happened in the same way in 1923 in Attala County.

Fifth Generation
James Leroy Branch spent his early years living in Attala County with his parents, Clark and Lelia Branch, and near his grandparents, until his parents moved to the Mississippi Delta during the late 1930's where the depression had made a huge mark, but where Cotton was still "King." The family lived in the Caile Community, between the two small towns of Inverness and Isola, Mississippi. As a teenager in high school, James played basketball and learned to play the harmonica. His favorites were blues pieces that reflected a popular music form that he heard in the Mississippi Delta during those days. James graduated from Isola High School in 1941, just months before Pearl Harbor was bombed, and like most of the young men his age, he volunteered to serve in the military. He volunteered to serve in the U.S. Navy, but most of his wartime years were spent working stateside as a civilian at Delta Shipyards in New Orleans at later, at the Oak Ridge Plant, operated by the Atomic Energy Commission, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. During late May of 1945, twenty-two year old James met almost nineteen year old Alma Eileen Netherland just after she graduated from high school in Holmes County, Mississippi. Eileen was the daughter of Rosa Mae Pettus Netherland Parsons and Ralph Ernest Netherland,o f Coxburg and Ebenezer. It must have been "love at first sight" for James and Eileen, because they were married on August 14, 1945, just barely three months after they met. Although James was the only son of an only son, he and Eileen became the parents of five children, three sons and two daughters.

Generations Sixth through Eight
The five children, 16 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren of James and Eileen Branch who were born in Mississippi make up the the sixth, seventh, and eighth generations. Little did Edward Tillman Branch and Winiford Ragland Branch know that when they married in 1830 in Hinds County, Mississippi, they would become the progenitors of such a long lineage of proud Mississippians who are named BRANCH.

Attala County Deeds 1858-1900

Branch as Grantee
Mabry, James to Edd and E. T. Branch, Book H, Page 114, Deed of Trust
Ragland, Arthur G. to Edward Branch, Book E, Page 7, Deed

Branch as Grantor
Branch, E. T. to James Mabry, Book A, Page 19, Deed
Branch, Joseph, et al to Jas. A. Ferguson, Book A, Page 526
Branch, Edward to Arthur G. Ragland, Book E, Page 10, Deed of Trust
Branch, Edward to Arthur L. Ragland, Book E, Page 111, Deed of Trust
Branch, Edward and Joseph to G.P.M. Turner, Trustee, Book E, Page 214, Deed of Trust
Branch, E. T. and J. A. to J. W. Mitchell and Co. Trust, Book F, Page 533
Branch, J. A. to J. W. Mitchell and Co., Book G, Page 215, Deed of Trust
Branch, Edward and E. T. to L. M. Mabry, Book G, Page 288, Deed of Trust
Branch, Joseph A. to J. K. Shrock, Book G, Page 312, Deed
Branch, Edd and E. T. to James Mabry, Book H, Page 124, Deed
Branch, E. T. to James Mabry, Book I, Page 8, Deed
Branch, E. T. to L. W. Mabry, Book J., Page 91, Deed of Trust
Branch, J. A. and E. T. to J. K. Shrock, Book J, Page 353, Deed
Branch, E. T. to W. M. McAtee, Book K, Page 218, Deed
Branch, Joseph A. to Joseph K. Shrock, Book K, Page 219
Branch, E. T. to James Mabry, Book L, Page 493, Trust Deed
J. A. Branch to B. Albertson, Jr., Book L, Page 599, Trust Deed
Branch, E. T. to James Mabry, Book M, Page 501, Note
Branch, E. T. to J. A. Branch and Wife, Book M, Page 527, Trust Deed
Branch, Edward to Thomas Cotton, Book M, Page 603, Deed
Branch, J. A. and M. A. Branch to B. Albertson, Jr., Book O, Page 579, Deed of Trust
Branch, E. T. to James Mabry, Book P, Page 519, Trust Deed
Branch, E. T. to J. K. Shrock, Book P, Page 621, Assignment of Deed
Branch, E. T. to John W. Waugh, Book S, Page 193, Deed of Trust
Branch, J. A. and wife, to M. L. Harman, Book S, Page 469, Deed of Trust
Branch, E. T. to James Mabry, Book T, Page 129, Deed
Branch, E. T. to Lucy A. McWillie, et al, Book U, Page 16, Deed
Branch, E. T. to James Mabry, Book U, Page 606, Deed of Trust
Branch, E. T. to David Frasier, Book W, Page 241, Deed of Trust
Branch, E. T. to John Waugh, Book W, Page 431, Deed of Trust
Branch, E. T. to W. R. Nelson, Book X, Page 462, Deed
Branch, E. T. to J. N. Ousley, Book Y, Page 171, Deed
Branch, J. M. and Wife to James Mabry, Book Z, Page 277
Branch, Nettie A. to E. T. Branch, Book AA, Page 40, Deed
Branch, E. T. to Nettie A. Branch, Book AA, Page 40, Deed
Branch, J. M. to J. T. Branch, I. S. Branch, and M. J. Pollett, Book AA, Page 146, Deed
Branch, Bittie and Nancy Martin to M. E. Church, Book BB, Page 400, Deed
Branch, E. T. to James Mabry, Book BB, Page 565, Deed
Branch, J. T. to E. B. Parker, Book DD, Page 333, Deed
Branch, Nettie Allen to R. N. Ousley, Book DD, Page 427, Deed
Branch, J. T. to N. A. Hutchison, Book DD, Page 491, Chattel Deed
Branch, E. T. to R. W. Ousley, Book EE, Page 400, Deed
Branch, E. T. to Coffey & Holmes, Book FF, Page 217, Deed of Trust
Branch, John M. to C. C. Kelley, book FF, Page 227
Branch, J. M. and J. T. to Isadora S. Branch, Deed of trust, Book HH, Page 44
Branch, J. T.. and J. S. to Joseph M. Branch, Book HH, Page 44, Deed
Branch, J. M. and J. A. Simmons, Book HH, Page 245, Deed of Trust
Branch, J. A. to W. S. S. Harman, adm, Book HH, Page 41, Deed of Trust
Branch, E. T. and Nettie to Coffee & Holmes, Book II, Page 222, Deed of Trust
Branch, E. T. to D. L. Smith Co., Book II, Page 276, Deed
Branch, E. T. to British & American Mortgage Co., Book JJ, Page 169, Deed of Trust
Branch, E. T. and Nettie to W. J. Brown, Book LL, Page 8, Trust Deed
Branch, E. T. and wife to Merchants and Farmers Bank, Book LL, Page 421
Branch, E. T. and Nettie Allen Branch, Book MM, Page 81, Deed
Branch, Nettie A. to E. T. Branch, Book MM, Page 81, Deed
Branch, E. T. and Nettie Branch to Merchants and Farmers Bank, Bk NN, Pg 178, Trust Deed
Branch, E. T. and Nettie Branch to Nettie A. Branch, Book OO, Page 111, Trust Deed
Branch, E. T. and wife to Merchants and Farmers Bank, Book QQ, Page 34, Trust Deed
Branch, E. T. to Charles Levy, Book TT, Page 119
Branch, E. T. to Mrs. Nettie Branch, Book TT, Page 147
Branch, Joseph A. and E. A. to J. A. Simmons, Book WW, page 228, Trust Deed
Branch, E. T. and Nettie A. to Merchants and Farmers Bank, Book WW, Page 398, Deed dated 12/22/1899
Branch, J. A. , E.A., and J.W. to W.F. Shrock, Grdn, Tr.Deed, Bk ZZ, "Error", dated 02/19/1900
Branch, Nettie A. and E. T. to Bk of Goodman, Bk ZZ, Pg 353, 12/01/1900 Deed of Trust
Branch, Nettie A. to R. N. Ousley, Book AA, Page 579, Deed