Henry and Alice (“Allie”) Mc Clwain/Ilwain: 1900

Family of Henry and Alice (“Allie”) Mc Clwain: 1900
Valley Creek, Alabama

Henry Mc Clwain, 35
Alice Mc Clwain, 34
Pink “, 14
Alberta “, 15
Delhi “, 8
Mattie “, 5
Mary “, 4
Ada “, 3
Narca “, 2
Babe “, 1
Mealy Mc Clwain, 60
Lucy Morre, 50

Note: Alberta Mc Clwain/Ilwain is a cousin by marriage. Her husband is known by both “Wes/Wess” and “West” Martin. I am looking for more information on this family line. Henry and Alice Mc Clwain/Ilwain also lived in Selma.

Valley Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery * Land & Kin

http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/al/dallas/cemetery/valleycreek.txt

Valley Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Dallas County, Alabama

On Valley Creek Church Road, off State Hwy 22 North.
When you come out of Selma on State Hwy 22 North right outside the city limits to the left is Valley Creek Church Road. Turn left on that
road and go about four miles, The cemetery is on the right on a hill and you really have to watch for it or you will pass it.

Surveyed and recorded by Kay Pomeroy & Jean Pickering

Thank-you!

The Green, Martin, and Ford family lived throughout Dallas County in Valley Creek, Woodlawn, Summerfield and Selma. The history of my family begins in slavery, and has developed along farming, and the families whose land my ancestors worked.

This cemetary record of Valley Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery includes plots from the Crawford, Morgan and Kenan families of Valley Creek. These are the places my family would have worked and lived, along the gravel background leading into an isolated, wooded hamlet of farms. Other families in this cemetary include Waugh, Bondurant, Callen, Gilmer and others.

______________________________________________

James Ellis Crawford Nov. 26, 1859 Oct. 17, 1916. Dearest PAP thou hast
left us here thy loss we deeply feel but tis GOD who hath bereft us,
He can allour sorrows heal.

Note: My great-grandmother, Mary Ella Martin-Morton (Mel, Mary) worked on the Crawford Place in Valley Creek, off Rangeline Road. She raised several children there, including my grandfather. The Greens and the Martins are cousins, and would often visit each other.

__________________________

Roy R. Morgan Pfc. US Army World War II May 15, 1916 Dec. 1, 1988.

Daddy
John Lewis Morgan October 19, 1885 July 14, 1969

Mama
Vesta Crawford Morgan October 5, 1889 September 1, 1985

Infant son of John & Vesta Morgan Aug. 18, 1910

Note: An older cousin told me, that her family worked the land of John Morgan. I used her recollections when researching family history and found the families of Willie and Ethel Greene and of Sol Greene to live next to John and Vesta Morgan in Valley Creek My great-grandfather, Pettus Ford, is also said to have worked the Morgan Place.

_____________________________

One head stone
William Josiah Rountree born July 10, 1843 died March 10, 1916
Confederate Soldier 1861 1865
Sarah Elizabeth Morrison wife of W.J. Rountree born Aug. 1847 died Feb.
26, 1914 She hath done what she could. Sarah Rountree

Jessie D. Rountree son of W.J. &s.e. Rountree Aug. 14, 1866 Dec. 2,
1929

Granville Allen Young Sept. 30, 1833 Feb. 4, 1922

Note: 1930 Census, Valley Creek (Dallas County), AL

Green, Lizzie b. 1891
Green, John b. 1864 (Husband)
Father: Grandville Allen
Nephew: Dock Green b. 1915

I think this family is kin. My Uncle Solomon “Sol” Green/Greene also had a son called Dock.

_____________________

Row 6

James Kenan, born 1808 in N.C. died 1874 in Ala.

Erected by his wife in memory of William K. Kenan, youngest son of Tho & Mary R. Kenan who was born in Duplin County North Carolina 27th of September 1819 died in Dallas County Alabama July 31st 1858. There is a voice which sorrow hears. When heaviest weighs life galling chains, tis heaven that whispers “dry your tears the pure in heart shall meet again” (on back) Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.

D.L. Kenan, 1816 1910 Son of Mary Rand and Col. Thomas Kenan.
(Mary Rand Kenan)

Victoria Corr, wife of Danial Love Kenan May 5, 1843 May 1, 1935
(Victoria Kenan)

William Owen Kenan, Feb. 9, 1869 Dec. 16, 1923

Thom- AN 1812
(This stone is broken next to the Kenan’s)

Sarah L. Smith daughter of Col. Thomas and Sarah L. Kenan, who died the 20th of Nov. 1845 and composed firmly in the righteousness of Christ.

Sacred to the memory of our father Col. Thomas Kenan and our mother Mary Rand Kenan. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Col. Kenan was the son of Genl. James Kenan of Duplin County North Carolina. He was born on the 26th of Feb. 1771 and died on the 22nd of Oct. 1843 in the 73 year of his age. He frequently represented his native County in the Legislature and the Wilmington District in Congress. In Jan. 1833 He removed with his family to Dallas County Ala. where he resided at the time of his death. Mrs. Kenan was the daughter of John Rand and Elizabeth Hinton, she was born in Wake County North Carolina on the 17th of Jan. 1781 and died in Dallas County Ala. on the 21st of Sept. 1856 in the 76th year of her age.

Note: The Martins are said to have worked in Kenan’s Mill, grinding corn. The Green(e) lived in Summerfield near Kenan’s Mill, on a farm.

Stolen Childhood (Children & Slavery): A Review on Chapter 1

Jeremiah 31 (NIV):
16 This is what the LORD says:
“Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded,”
declares the LORD.
“They will return from the land of the enemy.

17 So there is hope for your future,”
declares the LORD.
“Your children will return to their own land.”

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah%2031&version=31

Title: “Stolen Childhood: Slave Youth in 19th Century America”.
(This post is a review of Chapter 1, which is posted at the site below in its entirety).

Author: Wilma King, 1995.

Source: The Washington Post

Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/stolen.htm

“Stolen Childhood” by Wilma King is a moving testimony to the hardships slave children faced, and the heroic efforts of parents to provide not only survival but a sense of childhood. King argues that slave children had their childhood stolen from them by being born into slavery, a system where parents were sent to work in the fields and forced to abandon their children. During the times of slavery, if childhood was to be enjoyed it was because of extraordinary efforts, even sacrifices made by the parents (or related caregivers). Not only did the parent provide for the slave child, at a time when their life meant so little that they endured constant deprivation as well as physical and mental abuse–but often the parent stood as a gateway, offering insight, praise or love where no other shelter could be sought. Indeed the very act of loving a slave child as a human being, was in itself tantamount to rebellion; to slave holders these children were no more than property, and good only as long as they held their value. Women were especially valued for their ability to reproduce, and create more slaves. It is remarkable how the spirit of enslaved Africans were able to survive and find ways to flourish under such harsh conditions, “Despite the tumultuous nature of chattel slavery, many bond servants formed binding relationships, established families, and developed lives for themselves within the confines of bondage. “(King). I highly recommend “Stolen Childhood” as being a valuable source of historical information as well as rich with oral storytelling and revealing of the life of African slaves from the intimacy of their own experiences.

Chapter 1 of “Stolen Childhood” is posted online at the Washington Post site and discusses the following subjects:

*Miscarriage and Infant Mortality among pregnant slave women. Slave children often died due to harsh working conditions, poor nutrition and lack of medical care. Further, ” In a study of deaths among the African American population in seven slaveholding states in 1849 and 1850, Kenneth and Virginia Kiple found that 51 percent of the deaths among the nonwhite population occurred among children nine years of age and under. Slave children in that age group constituted 31 percent of the sample. These statistics suggest that slave mothers needed and extraordinary amount of fortitude to adjust to the large number of deaths among their children.” (King). Slaves often relied upon herbal remedies and folk cures to address health concerns. Religious beliefs also played a part in ministering to the sick and addressing grief after the death of a child.

*Attitudes of slave holders towards the death of slave children. Many slave mothers were blamed for causing the death of a child, and made to feel they were at fault by the condemnation of the slave holder.

*Naming traditions among surviving children. I found this to be especially revealing in consideration of naming traditions evident within my own family,”American slaves probably did not hold a celebration, but they followed the African tradition of naming children in honor of close relatives, thereby placing the child firmly within the kin network.” (King),

*The value of enslaved children to slave holders. Another interesting fact from this article, “Slaveowners intervened silently in the naming process with their own surnames, which reflected ownership rather than kinship. It was not uncommon to refer to slaves as John Newton’s Sally or Sarah Willingsley’s Osborne.” (King) “Stolen Childhood” also discusses the conflicts slave parents faced knowing their children were considered property to the slave holder, and discusses the different attitudes slave parents had towards children. Some parents, King claims, ignored children or used them as bargaining chips. Others grieved the loss of their children and fought to ensure their survival.

I see strong paralells with this to modern life, especially to poor families. Caught in cycles of poverty and dysfunction, some children are ignored or neglected. Their worth may be dependant on street hustling, caretaking the parent or just staying out of sight. Other parents fight to raise healthy children amidst poverty and crime ridden neighborhoods, they face emotional turmoil and make great sacrifices to ensure the survival of their children, whose fate remains uncertain–the lure of the streets is a very real, constant threat.

*Caring for children while a parent was working. This statement reminded me of recollections from my own family lore, “The children of field hands sometimes accompanied their parents to work. If mothers did not strap the smallest children who could not keep up on their backs, they left them on pallets at the end of rows, near fences, or under trees away from the hot sun.” (King). Some plantations required that the old, sick or infirm watch the children. In many instances, the number of children far exceeded the help available to ensure proper care.

*Relationships between children and caregivers. Again, I see a similar pattern repeated in the early generations of my family, “The extended family, no doubt, existed on financially stable households which did not undergo major transitions upon an owner’s death. In the absence of relatives, surrogates of fictive families were valuable. Related or not, older slaves often showed kindness to children. The plethora of “aunts” and “uncles” indicates that children learned early on to show deference to their elders in keeping with a traditional African custom.” (King). Relationships with family helped children endure slavery and family customs helped children cope while creating a unique existence forged in the midst of constant hardship.

*Care of slave children (food, clothing and basic necessities).

I would love to hear any thoughts on this article or any thoughts from anyone who has read “Stolen Childhood”. And I would like to extend my gratitude to Wilma King for authoring this incredible testimony, which reveals a side of history, often discarded and gives the respect, long overdue, to the enslaved Africans who have worked, bled and made tremendous efforts to give our generation a better life and help build the America we now enjoy today. Namaste.

Freedmen’s Savings & Trust Records 1865-1874 (Huntsville, AL)

National Archives Microfilm Publication M816
“Registers of Signatures of Depositors in Branches of the Freedmen’s Saving and Trust Company 1865 – 1874″ Roll 1, Huntsville, Alabama accounts 1-1698, Nov. 28, 1865 – Aug. 21, 1874

Source: Freedmen’s Bureau Online

Site: http://freedmensbureau.com/alabama/index.htm

Comments:
Surnames Include: Dillerhunt, Sledge, Davis. Binford, Mastin, Turner, King, McDonald Ford, Martin and Moore…There are many more as well.

There are 19 pages total, they are very easy to read and navigate. This is a great source of genealogical information.

David & Emily Robins: 1880, Dallas Co, AL

Name: David Robins
Home in 1880: Summerfield, Dallas, Alabama
Age: 38
Estimated birth year: abt 1842
Birthplace: Alabama
Relation to head-of-household: Self (Head)
Spouse’s name: Emily
Father’s birthplace: Alabama
Mother’s birthplace: Alabama
Occupation: Farmer
Marital Status: Married
Race: Black
Gender: Male

Children of David and Emily Robins:
Sarah Robins 12
Celia Robins 10
Simon Robins 6
Martha Robins 5
Andeson Robins 2

Note:
A son named Jon Robins may also have been part of this family.

Simon Robins and Sarah Jane (Sarah, Sarah J.) Martin are the parents of my great-grandmother, Mary Ella (Mary, Mel) Martin.

In 1870, the Robins family lived close to the farm of Silas and Margaret Green (in Summerfield), who are also my kin.

Alabama Plantations: Dallas County

Plantations

1866 Alabama State Census, Colored Population, Dallas County
Compiled by BJ Smothers– Thank-you for your invaluable work

A.M. Coleman plantation
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_2.htm

Drayman
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_4.htm

Gee House
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

Gd House
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

Thos. Lang plantation
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_2.htm

Pettibone’s
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

Potter plantation
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_4.htm

Quarles plantation
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas.htm

Stoutenborough’s plantation
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_2.htm

Swift’s plantation
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_4.htm

Troup House
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

Mrs. E.H. Tipton’s plantation
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

Vasser’s plantation O. Hill
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas.htm

MISC.

Ala & Tenn RR

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

Bd St Hotel

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

Central R.R.

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_4.htm

Central W.H.

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_4.htm

Echols & Shortridge

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_4.htm

Finch’s Brick Yard

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

Florence Hotel

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

Freedman’s Hospital

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

Gas Works

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

Dr. Gee

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_4.htm

Genl. John T. Morgan

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_4.htm

Gen E.W. Pettus

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_4.htm

Gool Stables

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

Mrs. A.B. Keenan

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_2.htm

W.T. Keenan (Keenan’s Mill? The Keenans also farmed out labor)

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_2.htm

W.T. Keenan

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_2.htm

King’s Bend

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_2.htm

Francis N. Lee (plantation?)

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas.htm

Plattenburg

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_5.htm

Railroad

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_4.htmilroad

Wright & Co. B.Y.

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas_3.htm

There are many more names than included here, this is a great site to research your family

http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas.htm