Saturday, May 30, 2009

The Hinyards of Mexico

I want to thank all of the readers who have been coming to my blog from all over the United States. I appreciate you all reading my blog and following my journey into discovering my ancestry.

My latest discovery in my genealogy has been the Hinyard family of Mexico. I discovered them in my research of my great-great grandmother Roxie McFarland-Earls. She is the paternal grandmother of my maternal grandmother Saint Arby Washington-Thompson. As I indicated in my two previous postings on Roxie Earls, not much was known about her or her family.

I began to take a closer examination at the census records where Roxie's family appeared in Wilkinson County, Mississippi. I took what some genealogists call "a walk around the neighborhood". Using Family Search and Heritage Quest Online, I began to scan through each household grouping listed as a family who were living close to the McFarlands. As I looked at the vital information I noticed that there were other people who were listed as being born in Mexico who lived close to Roxie Earls parents, Peter and Milly McFarland.

I discovered that Thomas Hinyard b. 1836 and Ned Hinyard b.1842 and their families lived in Beat 1, Wilkinson county near Peter and Milly on the 1880 and 1900 census records. Both were born in Mexico as well. Having this information leads me to the conclusion that Milly McFarland may have been their sister. They are the only Blacks born in Mexico on the 1880 census in Beat 1, Wilkinson County.

Thomas Hinyard and Family as they appear on the 1880 Census Beat 1, Wilkinson Co.,MS

Thomas HINYARD Self M Male B 30 MEXICO Farmer MEXICO MEXICO
Rosanna HINYARD Wife M Female MU 34 MS Keeping House MS MS
Ellen HINYARD Dau S Female B 16 MS Farm Laborer MEXICO MS
Thomas HINYARD Son S Male B 12 MS Farm Laborer MEXICO MS
Milly HINYARD Dau S Female B 8 MS MEXICO MS
Mary HINYARD Dau S Female B 5 MS MEXICO MS
William HINYARD Son S Male B 4 MS MEXICO MS
George HINYARD Son S Male B 3 MS MEXICO MS


Ned Hinyard and Family as they appear on the 1880 Census Beat 1, Wilkinson Co.,MS

Ned HINYARD Self M Male B 38 MEXICO Farmer MEXICO MEXICO
Matilda HINYARD Wife M Female B 28 MS Keeping House MS MS
Henry HINYARD Son S Male B 21 MS Farm Laborer MEXICO MS
Jeff HINYARD Son S Male B 18 MS Farm Laborer MEXICO MS
Ned HINYARD JR. Son S Male B 17 MS Farm Laborer MEXICO MS
Stephen HINYARD Son S Male B 15 MS Farm Laborer MEXICO MS
Jim HINYARD Son S Male B 13 MS Farm Laborer MEXICO MS
Matilda HINYARD Dau S Female B 9 MS MEXICO MS
Lizzie HINYARD Dau S Female B 7 MS MEXICO MS
Mary HINYARD Dau S Female B 3 MS MEXICO MS
Abe Lincoln HINYARD Son S Male B 1 MS MEXICO MS


I am so grateful to have been able to make this find and this connection to the Hinyards. This information has opened up the doors to discovering key information about someone in my ancestry whom I knew was named Earls and had four children.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

The McFarland Family of Wilkinson County, MS

As many of you who may be into genealogical research understand, each familial connection uncovered leads to a domino effect of wanting to know as much as you can about that family and its members. Since I have uncovered the family of my great-great grandmother Roxana (Roxie) McFarland-Earls and the unique information about her family, I have been spending the last couple of weeks trying to find out about this branch of the family. I made it a mission to discover more about the family of Peter and Milly McFarland. During that research, I also came across some surprising possibilities.

Further research into the McFarland Family led to this information:

From the 1880 Census reports the entire McFarland family with the exception of daughter Roxie, who married John Earls in 1876.

Peter McFarland b. abt 1805 in Virginia
Milly McFarland b. abt 1837 in Mexico
Albert McFarland b. abt 1860 in Mississippi
Julius McFarland b. abt 1862 in Mississippi
Thomas McFarland b. abt 1863 in Mississippi
Mary McFarland b. abt 1866 in Mississippi

I followed each child from the McFarland family, with the exception of Mary and was able to obtain the following information about their families:

Roxana McFarland married John Earls on 17 Feb 1876 and had the following children:
Daughter Kate was born in September 1876 in Wilkinson County, Mississippi
Daughter Millie was born in abt 1877
Daughter Lucy was born in about 1879
Daughter Mary was born in about 1880
Daughter Jane was born in about 1886

Roxie had the following children with Scott Washington:
Son Will Washington born in December 1888
Son Elijah born in about 1892

Albert McFarland married Jane Clayton on 20 June 1884 and had the following children:
Son Leon McFarland born May 1891
Daughter Addie McFarland born October 1892
Son Albert McFarland Jr. born January 1895
Daughther Janie McFarland born May 1896
Daughter Anna McFarland born July 1899

Julius McFarland married Ella Scott on 4 April 1888 and had the following children:
Daughter Sarah McFarland born April 1889
Daughter Milly McFarland born November 1891
Daughter Betty McFarland born September 1894
Son Isadore McFarland born 1897
Daughter Marie McFarland born January 1898

I was able to locate a Tom McFarland in Hinds County, Mississippi who married a Sarah in about 1882 in the 1900 Mississippi census. I'm still investigating this lead on what happened to Thomas McFarland. He appears to have disappeared from any census records in Wilkinson County, Mississipi. There are also city directories, military service records, land deeds and other public records I haven't looked over just yet.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Charity Rounds & Family Discovered!

I have great news! I've recieved my copies of the Ellis-Farar Papers slave inventories from their plantations: Presleigh, Ormond and Beverly (Laurel Hill). After reviewing all of the documents regarding the enslaved Africans at the plantations owned by the Ellis and Farar family descendants, I believe that I have discovered my great-great-great grandmother Charity Rounds and her immediate family listed together having a value of $1700.

They are listed as follows:
Chisolm, MaryAnne, Margaret, Hannah and Charity.

They appear on multiple slave inventory records belonging to the Ellis-Farar children, which leads me to believe that they are a family. I was also able to find a Charles on the records, which could be my great-great-great grandfather. He is listed alone on multiple inventory records. Census records from 1870 and 1880 show that he was born in Virginia, which could indicate that he was purchased by the Farar's and had no family in Mississippi other than his wife and children. Which could explain why he took the surname Rounds and not Mercer or Farar.

I was advised by seasoned genealogical researchers to find out as much as I could about the slaveholding families, which I did to a degree because it helped me locate my ancestors. However, its not about the enslavers its about my ancestors. So in that vein, below is a short biography from LSU's special collection.

The Ellis-Farar families owned plantations in Adams County, MS, Pointe Coupee and Houma, LA. Biographical information on the Ellis-Farar families from Lousiana State University Hill Memorial Library Special collections.

The Ellis and Farar families were early settlers and major landowners in Mississippi and Louisiana. Richard Ellis owned White Cliffs, Homochitto, and Laurel Hill plantations in Adams County, near Natchez, Miss. Upon his death, these plantations and the property associated with them were inherited by Ellis’ children John, Abram, Jane, Mary, and Martha. Dr. Benjamin Farar (1773-1826) was an early settler of Pointe Coupee Parish, La. and also owned lands in Adams, Miss. He had three children: Captain Benjamin, Ann Frances, and Margaret Madeline.

Mary Ellis married Capt. Benjamin Farar and moved to Laurel Hill Plantation. She inherited the land from her father and they became successful planters. Their daughter, Ann Eliza married Dr. William Newton Mercer (1792-1874) and inherited Laurel Hill. Abram Ellis and his family (daughters Margaret and Ann, son Richard G.) resided at Homochitto Plantation and later moved to Evergreen Plantation in Houma, La. Margaret Ellis married Dr. Stephen Duncan (1787-1867) and Ann Ellis married Thomas Butler (1785-1847) who owned The Cottage near St. Francisville, La. Richard G. Ellis attended Cumberland College and married Julia Saul. He later owned Evergreen, which was passed down to his son, Richard G. Ellis, Jr. Jane Ellis married Major George Rapalje and lived in Natchez, Miss. They later moved to Laurel Hill Plantation and Jane Ellis Rapalje took on a major role in its management.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Who is Roxie Earl? Pt. 2

In my continued quest to find out about Roxie Earls, I have been fortunate enough to uncover some new information. First, I would like to thank the experts over at Afrigeneas.com for their continued assistance with my genealogical research. They are as follows: Al Thomas, Vicky Mitchell-Davis, Selma and Angela Walton-Raji (If I messed up your names, I'm sorry, I cannot recall which surname comes first! lol). Your expertise is what keeps the world of African-American genealogy turning!

Below is the information that was discovered about Roxie Earls:

Roxana/Roxie/Rockey McFarland was born in District4, Wilkinson county, Mississippi
Click title to read more. . .

The 1870 census reports the following McFarland family members residing in Wilkinson County, Mississippi:

Peter McFarland b. abt 1805 in Virginia
Milly McFarland b. abt 1850 in Mexico (YES MEXICO!)
Rockey McFarland b. abt 1856 in Mississippi
Albert McFarland b. abt 1860 in Mississippi
Julius McFarland b. abt 1862 in Mississippi
Thomas McFarland b. abt 1863 in Mississippi
Mary McFarland b. abt 1866 in Mississippi

Roxana McFarland married John Earls on 17 Feb 1876 and had the following children:

Daughter Kate was born in September 1876 in Wilkinson County, Mississippi
Daughter Millie was born in abt 1877
Daughter Lucy was born in about 1879
Daughter Mary was born in about 1880
Daughter Jane was born in about 1886 (I think that Aunt Jane is the connection to the McFarland's. I'll write on this more later once I get my old family reunion books out)

Roxie had the following children with Scott Washington:

Son Will Washington born in December 1888
Son Elijah born in about 1892

So far with this research I am so thrilled that I am finally able to know more about Roxie Earls! It definitely fills in a void for me personally as I knew nothing about her, the basic information. Now to find that old Bunker Hill cemetery in Woodville where she is buried. . .

More to come!