What This Story Means To Me: My Family Connections

 In the beginning, I didn’t know much about my father David’s ancestors. It wasn’t until someone gave me a copy of this article “Slavery Descendants to Have First Reunion” in the mid 1970’s. And I held on to that article. (The information in the article led me on a journey. I began a 12 part Blog Series to uncover what I could. )

Decades later, I discovered that the article was published on page 5 in The Sioux City Journal Sioux City, Iowa on Saturday, August 28, 1971. This was the day of the Blakey White Family reunion. The crop photo is from that article.

It’s horrible that my ancestors were enslaved and sold as property. Their names were place in a Glasgow, Missouri a 1858 advertisement . (Isaac Blakey went south and joined the Mississippi Union Army in 1863.)

I’m not for when the enslaved family had their first reunion after being separated. Isaac searched for his family. He located in New Orleans. The family moved to Forest Green, Missouri.

Still to this day, I wonder about the mother and her 5 children who came to New Orleans on a ship.  I did find a record of a  Julia White listed on a record in 1843. She came on a ship called Orleans from Petersburg to New Orleans. She was 23 years old, born about 1823.

Why did the article led me on a journey?
There were some things in the article that did match up with documents and records. I wasn’t out to disprove what was in the article. My aim was to verify what oral history stated. My first blog was posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 and ended on Friday, February 1, 2013.

I discovered more information by searching each of the names, places and dates..Example: Julia White and her six children, seven grandchildren and one daughter in law were listed in the same house on the 1880 Missouri census in Chariton County. (And Julia had other children.)

Since 2013, I have discovered more on my Blakey WHITE Family Connections, as well on my other family connections. Searching want to connect with their long lost relatives. I have had many searchers contacted me or I them via internet. (DNA is a good tool to use. )

Thank you for reading,
What This Story Means To Me: My Family Connections

My 2nd Great Julia (Finney) White was the wife of Andrew White. Both were from Virginia.
I’m one of their descendants. from the branch of Isaac Blakey and Martha (Scott) Blakey

God bless you,
S.A. .Blakley

Homestead: On My Blakey WHITE Family Connections

 Where Was The Homestead?

As I grew in years, I became curious about where my ancestors originated from. I asked some relatives. And they said, Africa, But still, I wondered even more.

Where did my ancestors come from?
It’s not known were my early ancestors they came from or traveled in their days in America.. Some ancestors on my 2nd great grandparents; on his father’s father’s side came from Virginia. They were the enslaved in the United States of America. They were later brought to Missouri. There were some ancestors were taken to Mississippi during the late 1858 to 1860’s .

Eventually, the family moved back to Chariton and Howard Counties in Missouri circa 1880’s where some family members were living. Some of the ancestors choose to remain in the Forest Green, Missouri area. While some of their descendants began to move northward and westward near and after the 1900’s. And some descendants moved throughout the United States as years and decades past.

I posted a blog series about the article: Slavery Descendants to Have First Reunion. This one I wrote January 23, 2013. It was part 6 in a series of 12 blogs. I have updated some of what I have discovered through the years.

They found worked on farms. And lived in Forest Green, Missouri area.
They kept their own surnames. White and Blakey.
They were employed and made their homes in Forest Green, MO.

Where did they work? As farmer or as farm hands?
Some owned their land. Some worked on a tobacco farm.

What names did each family member take?
The mother in this article was unknown but was found in 1989.
Her name was Julia.

What names did each family member take?

Andrew WHITE, the father wasn’t mentioned the the article. He was born around 1818 in VA.
His name was mentioned on three of son’s death certificates. And a enslaved Ad in 1858.

Julia (Finney) WHITE, the mother .She was born around 1820 in Virginia.
She was the mother of 11 or 12. She was said to have passed in Forest Green, Missouri.

Isaac BLAKEY, (1845 – 1917)
He passed in Shannondale, Missouri. He was married twice. He was the father of 20.

Spencer WHITE ( 1852 – 1929)
He moved to Moberly, Randolph Missouri and passed there. He was the father of 3.

John WHITE (1858 – 1918)
The article stated that John carried the Blakey surname. He passed in Salisbury, Missouri.
His surname was WHITE. He was the father of 11.

Josh WHITE He was born in 1860. It’s not known when he passed.
He had daughters and a son John BLAKE.

Martha “Matt” or “Mattie” WHITE (1862 – 1947)
She was said to have passed in Forest Green, Missouri. There is no death certificate of her in Missouri with the name Mattie / Martha White. She was the mother of 5.

Richard “Dick” WHITE (1866 – 1946)
He passed in Glasgow, Missouri,. He was the father of 13.

It appears that Isaac was the only one in this family that choose the BLAKEY surname. Why? Not for sure. Perhaps that was the name he used when he enlisted into the Civil War in 1863. Isaac kept the surname. However, Isaac did use the WHITE surname at some time.

Perhaps Isaac was with the BLAKEYs for a time; they may have helped him to his freedom. Two of the former slave owners gave affidavit of who Isaac was. Isaac applied for his pension records in 1890’s.

Also for the mother Julia, Did she have other children? Yes. She had about 11 or 12 children. Some of the children may have passed away before the turn of the century. Some of the family members may not have know about them.

The article states that “Matt” Martha WHITE never married. As I searched for Mattie White, I came up with her as a widow at 18 year old. She was the mother of 5 children. (It’s sad that this information was lost through the years.)

The big mystery to this part of the article:
Who was the great grandmother? Was the writer in this article speaking of Ted Blakey’s great grandmother? The mother of the enslaved  or the mother’s husband, Andrew’s mother?

The mother, Julia was believe to have passed and was buried in Forest Green, MO. Most those who passed this family were buried in Forest Green, MO and area. There are some descendants who still live in the Forest Green and Glasgow areas in Missouri.

It’s good if we have the opportunity to visit some of the places where our ancestors once lived. Perhaps, we should do some research to find where our family history began. We as their descendants are the story teller of our ancestors.

We are living out the family history. My family connections journey began during the mid 1970’s . And I continue to search as long as I can.

May we continue on the journey to know who our ancestors were. May we leave a legacy for the next generations to come May we see that what we do will impact our future.

Thanks for reading.
Homestead: On My Blakey WHITE Family Connections

I posted a blog like this on  April 24, 2020. I edited this one and made updates during August and September of 2024. I did take the DNA test. It was interesting: Nigeria!.

This blog was posted on one of my other sites. 
 I added the In Memory of some members in  Blakey Blakley WHITE Family Connections
to this blog. 

Peace be with you
God bless you.
S.A. Blakley

Week 39 ~ Amy Johnson Crow’s #52Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge in 2024

The theme for Week 39 is “Homestead.” Is there a home you think of when you think of your ancestors? For me, it’s my Grandma’s tiny post-WWII era house that somehow fit all of the extended family on Christmas. What does “homestead” make you think of?

Known Daughters Of John And Katherine (Estill) White

 John White (1859 – 1918) and Katherine “Katie” (Estell) White (1863 – 1923) were the parents of eleven children. There’s no known records of six of them. As for the one son and four daughters who were known, it was a challenge to discover something about them.

The crop photo was taken from the 1900 United States Federal census for Chariton County Missouri. The census taker was Mr. Henry Locke. He recorded the household of John and Katie White on June 15, 1900. Here’s the list of their four known daughters recorded on the 1900 census. The following information is some of what I’ve can say about them.

Lee Bertha White (1884 - ? )
The name “Leburter” was her second recorded name by an indexer. I discovered a little more about her as I started searching for information on John’s and Kate’s grandchildren on the 1910 and 1920 censuses. Who were the parents of Louise White and Leo Kayson / Leo White?

Louise White was the daughter of Ernest White. She passed in 1928 at the age of 17. Louise’s mother was Katie (Nichols ) White. She passed in 1911.

Leo White was also known as Leo / Leon Cason. His mother was the sister “Leburter” ~ the name that is unreadable on the 1900 census. Her name was Lee Bertha White Cason (or Lebertha.) The spelling of her first name came from her son Leon “Leo” Cason’s 1979 obituary.

Irine / Irene White (1892 – 1926 )
I’m not for sure how her first name was spelled. It’s Irene or Irine. Her name was Irine White Patterson on her 1926 death certificate which listed her parents’ names as John White and Kate Estelle.

I was searching on Find A Grave for Ernest White who died in 1950 due to an accident. And I discovered that this Ernest was buried in the same cemetery as John’ and Katie White’s granddaughter, daughter, Louise White. This was how I found Irine (White) Patterson’s memorial. This was the confirmation that I was looking for.

Irine Patterson was living at the same address of 310 Kansas in 1926. This was where Ernest White had lived or was living and where Ernest’s daughter, Louise White lived. This was how I made the connections that Ernest White was the same Ernest who passed in 1950. Clues kept adding up.

Alice White (1893 – ? )
I can’t be located anything else about Alice. The 1900 census was the only record of her. She perhaps passed after the 1900 census was taken and before the 1910. I haven’t located a death certificate on her. Perhaps. she could have had a different surname, married and or passed in another State.

Erma / Irma White (1897 – ? )
She was listed on the 1900, 1910, and 1920 Missouri censuses. I think I may have found some leads on Irma White or Erma White. The clues are connected with the place where she lived and to whom she was related too. There is an Irma White who had a nephew named Robert E. White who lived in Omaha, Nebraska. And she once lived in Excelsior Springs Missouri. Hmmm!!! My search continues.

Thanks for reading.
Known Daughters Of John And Katherine (Estill) White
Part 3 ~ Blog: Were This Ernest White And This Irma White Siblings?

How did I tracked down information on the known children?
It was by searching through censuses records, old newspapers and looking for whosoever lived at the addressees where the siblings or relatives once lived. Find A Grave was a good place to search as well.

God bless you
S.A. Blakley

May In Remembrance Blakey Blakley WHITE Family Connection

 Posted on March 13, 2024 by Susan Ann Blakley on other site. 
The In Remembrance was added to this blot. 

Week 11 
Amy Johnson Crow’s #52Ancestore In 52 Weeks Challenge in 2024.

The theme for Week 11 is “Achievement.” There are many forms of achievement, whether it’s winning an award, winning a race, or accomplishing what it was you set out to do. This week, celebrate an achievement (great or small) that one of your ancestor’s made.

Piecing A Puzzle Together: Broken Branch

 In Remembrance: February Blakey Blakley WHITE Family Connections

For years, I’ve been on a mission to discover more about my family connections. I’m making some progress. My journey continues.

On the 1920 United States Federal Chariton County Missouri census, I came across a Kate White age 50, the widow of my Great Uncle John White listed with two of her daughters, Irene White, age 25, and Emma White, age 22 and grandchildren, Leo WHITE , age 16 and Louise WHITE, age 9. 

The crop photo is of the list of Kate White’s household on the 1920 U.S Federal census for Chariton County Missouri. This is the second page. Note that I discovered who Leo White’s parents were. This blog is about Louise White and her family connections.

As I look back over my journey searching, I’ve been thinking. I feel like I’ve been “piecing a puzzle together” stories. It’s very hard to figure out who’s who with a common surname such as White; without having specific clues to follow up on.

I figured that one of John’s and Kate’s five children on the 1900 Missouri census was the parent(s) of their granddaughter, Louise White. I started searching for Earnest / Ernest White. I had a time figuring out who he was. There were two Earnest Whites in the same city. I couldn’t determine if I had the correct Ernest.

For years, I had wondered who were Leo’s and Louise’s parents. On Friday, May 6, 2022 made the discovery and found Leo / Leon Moline CASON’s obituary. He was the son of Lebertha (White) Cason and Sidney “Sid” Cason. I was excited about that discovery.

In the beginning, I started to search everything that I could on John and Katie’s five known children of eleven. Once I narrowed down their children, I could somewhat figure out who’s child was who’s. I went back to search more information on Ernest / Earnest White.

I found a clue on Ernest’s mother, Kate White’s 1923 death record. Ernest was the informant on the certificate. He was living in Excelsior Spring, Missouri. I searched city directories and military records. I did have some luck.

I’m not for sure when Earnest was born It was either Dec of 1881 or 1888. Another Earnest matches this one. Birthdays: Dec 16 and Dec 18 and lived in Excelsior Spring, Clay County MO. According to Katie White’s death record informant, Lon / Son White lived in Excelsior Springs in 1920.

On the 1920 census.
There was an Earnest listed as related to Head of household as a Roomer; Residence Marital Status: Married. He was listed as living at 310 Kansas in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Head of household was Catherin Doxey, Roomers, Earnest White and Grace White.

This address, 310 Kansas was the same address of LOUISE WHITE who passed on August 19, 1928 in Excelsior Spring Clay County Missouri. Earnest White who lived at 310 Kansas was listed as father of Louise White. Louise’s mother was Katie (Nichols) White who passed in Dec of 1911. I knew about this death certificate for some time. And I couldn’t make the connections.

Still a mystery: When Did Ernest / Earnest White Passed?

I’ve seen a 1950 death record of Ernest White , single, born about 1890, born in Forest Green, MO. He was in an car accident. No record of family, only SSC# 490 34 5866. Mrs. Anne Brooks from KC MO was the informant, Also there is an article of Ernest’s accident.

Info.
There was an Earnest born in Forest Green, MO. The other Earnest White born in 1878, his father was, Harry White and Susie Patrick. This Ernest was the husband of Susie Brooks. ? if related to Mrs. Anne Brooks from Kansas City, Missouri.

There is no other Ernest White matches with the one who was in Excelsior Spring Missouri then the one born Dec 16, 1888 in Salisbury, Missouri, USA. There was one black Ernest who married to Susie White. Saline Clay, County Missouri. .

It took me a while to see the family connections. I reviewed everything that I had discovered about Earnest and his parents and siblings. Which in all, it wasn’t every much to go on. However, every little clue built up and lead me to the discoveries about Louise White and her family connections. .

It appears that my journey to discover more on John’s and Katie’s lineage as come to an end. I haven’t discovered any more of their descendants. I thought maybe there were some. I don’t think Leo / Leon Cason had children.

May we learn to review every little detail on whatever we stumble across about our relatives. May we keep pressing in and search every thing we can think of. Amen. Who knows, that little clue has been there all along. And we didn’t see it then. .

Thanks for reading.
Piecing A Puzzle Together: Broken Branch ~ Week 25 In 2022

God bless
S.A.Blakley

Repost from my blog on word press  Posted on June 24, 2022 by Susan Ann Blakley

Week 25 ~ Any Johnson Crow ~ Generations Café #52Ancestors 52 Weeks ~ facebook

After the storms that blew through my area last week, it seems appropriate that this week’s theme is “Broken Branch.” Have you had to trim a branch from your family tree after you figured out it wasn’t the right line? Are you researching a branch that it feels like there is nobody else in the world who is researching them? What about a collateral line that seems to have gotten lost?

Update On Article : Slavery Descendants To Have First Reunion on August 28, 1971

The Blakey Blakley WHITE Family Reunion was held on Saturday, August 28, 1971 at Riverside Park in Sioux City, Iowa. And  The article : "Slavery Descendants To Have First Reunion:" appeared in the Sioux City Journal on  the day of the reunion. On the following day, August 29, 1971, another article entitled Slavery Descendents Gather." appeared in the paper. It included a photo.

Article: Slavery Descendants To Have First Reunion 

I re read this article:
I have made more discoveries since I posted the blog series in 2013.
I have more questions.
When did Julia (Finney) White arrive in Missouri? Was the year 1843?
Did Julia have other children born in the 1830's before she came to Missouri?
When did she leave and return to Forest Green, Missouri?
How long did she (and her children) live in Natchez, Mississippi?
Did she have children born in Mississippi!

Julia had children born in Missouri in during the 1840's and to about 1866.

Part 1: Thoughts: Slavery Descendants to Have First Reunion

Some more thoughts:
With DNA matches, this lineage is connecting with relatives. There are some we don't know wher they connect on the family tree. There is a Blakey Blakley WHITE Family Connections group on facebook. We hope to connected with  more long lost relatives.

Part 2: Blakey - White Families: The Year 1843

Haven' located info on who the mother and her children who were on the ship from Africa. The ship may have came from Africa. It could have shipped slaves to parts of the South in America from the Northern parts of America. 

We can assume that Julia and her children came the route of a slave ship from VA to New Orleans. The year 1843 was the year on the article. The slave owner John BLAKEY. He passed in November of 1844. His wife was Frances (WHITE) BLAKEY.

There was an Isaac White, with a son, Andrew White listed on the 1880 census. They lived next door to Julia White and her children etc. I believe that Isaac White was related. There were others who carried the White surname living near Julia in 1880.

The Arrival And Names Taken ~ Article Part 3

The article states that there was a slave auction was in New Orleans, Louisiana. There was one in  Howard County Missouri.According to a 1858, slave ad, the slaves of John Blakey, deceased were to be sold in Roanoke, Missouri in March of 1858. 

According to Isaac Blakey's pension records,
Isaac and his mother were sold near the breaking out of the Civil War 1861. They went south. Haven't found records on who purchased  the enslaved family members.

The ages of Isaac, 12 and John, 10, don't match with Julia's sons in the article. Isaac Blakey would have been born in 1831 and John Blakey in 1833. Julia's sons, Isaac was born in Missouri about 1845 and John was born in Missouri about 1859.

Question: Could there have been an Isaac White born in 1831 and John Blakey born in 1833?

John  and Isaac Blakey: Civil War ~ Part 4

This John blakey was confused to be the John Blakley who moved to St. Joseph, Missouri.
 John Blakey's nephew was John Blakey Blakley, son of Isaac and Martha (Scott) Blakey who was born in 1871.

The article states that John Blakey was living in Forest Green, Missouri. Did John take the surname Blakey while he was enslaved? John went by John  White on the 1880 census and when he married Kate Estill in 1887. They had about 11 children and lived in Chariton County Missouri.

Can't locate the Blakey WHITE families on the 1870 census in Missouri or in Mississippi.Could they have lived in New Orleans area?

Isaac Blakey Reunites With Family ~ Part 5

 According to oral history, the mother, sons, Spencer, Dick, and a daughter, Matt were shipped to  Natchez, MS from New Orleans. Was Richard "Dick" born in  MS? Or was there another Dick? According to records Richard "Dick" White was born in Missouri? Or was Dick born before the Civil War ended? The other siblings were born in Missouri.

Isaac Blakey was in Mississippi. during the Civil War. as a soldier 1863 - 1866 and early 1870's. Don't know the year when Isaac arrived in MS. He started searching for his family... and had to return to MS, where he found them easily.

Isaac had to have connections to know where his family was. It could be that the family were sold to the slave owners relatives in Missouri and in Mississippi area.

Empolyment , Homeland And Surnames ~ Part 6

The early Blakey WHITE Families decided to live in Forest Green, Missouri area.
They were farmers, farmhands some owned homes and business.
According to Isaac Blakey's pension records.
He moved his family to Chariton County Missouri in March of 1880.
He was listed on the 1880 census dated, June 6, 1880.

On the 1880 MO census, there are Spencer White, John White and Dick White on a tobacco farm.
They were also listed on the 1880 census with their mother, Julia WHITE with son, Isaac White, Isaac's wife Rachel White and their children. Julia's children, John White, Spencer, White, Josh White, David White and Martha White and two of Julia's 2 other grandchildren with the surname WHITE.

There was a Dick / Richard White was listed with Daniel Boone White.
Note: Daniel was the brother of Frances White Blakey.
Daniel White lived near to Julia White.
Was Dick a servant to Daniel White while his family were in Mississippi?

Dick and Jane WHITE ~ Part 7

Where was the cafe that Richard "Dick" and Jane White operated in Forest Green, Missouri?
 Willie (White) Winfrey was the person who made the plans for the 1971 Reunion.
She had the desire to have the family to unite the family in reunions.

Blakey / Blakley Descendants ~ Article Part 8

This John Blakey Blakley was son of Isaac Blakey Sr. and Martha (Scott) Blakey.
John and his wife , Jennie changed their surname to Blakley sometime after they married in 1902.  They had 12 or 13 children. Some of the children surname were Blakey or Blakley on birth / death records to 1910.

Isaac and Rachel Blakey ~ Part 9

Rachel Jackson was Isaac's second wife. They married in Mississippi.
Oral history states that Rachel was the mother of 18 children.
Here' is Rachel Blakey's obituary with the list of her children.

Hope that Isaac Blakey had an obituary.

Isaac Blakey Jr. And Yankton, SD. Blakeys ~ Part 10

 About 13 of Isaac Blakey Sr's children came to Yankton, South Dakota.
They farmed the land and some made their homes there, while others moved onward.

Isaac Blakey Jr, worked as a farmer, dog catcher and a hunter.
He went hunting with Clark Gable.

Oldest Blakey Who Lived? ~ Part 11

The article was in the Sioux City Journal on Saturday, August 28, 1971.
Isaac Blakey was the 3rd oldest of Isaac Sr. and Rachel Blakey.
He passed in April of 1971 at the age of 98.
He would have been born about 1874.
Other records of his birth year was 1877.

On Find A Grave there are some memorials of the Blakey Blakley WHITE Family Connections.
Here is Lawhorn Blakey's grave site. His family connections are included.

Article Reflections: Slavery Descendants To Have First Reunion: Part 12

I believe that there is more information out there. Yes, I believe that it's there. The enslaved family members were separated between 1858 - to the breaking out of the Civil War. It's still a mystery where they were.... They could have been sold to relatives of the owners.

Thanks for those who are searching. One thing for sure, the Blakey / WHITE Families kept in touch through the years. I hope that more clues will come...And that the pieces to the puzzle will fall into place. May there be more family connections come forth in this lineage.

Thanks for reading.
God bless you.
S. A. Blakley

The Julia White Family Connections: John White

What can I write about John White who was born into slavery?

Over the years, I didn't realize that there was a John White, the slave on the Blakey / White Family Tree. I mean, I always thought that there was a John Blakey who was a slave. But, through research that John Blakey was John White.
 



In the mid 1970's I came across an article about  Slavery Descendants To Have First  Reunion in 1970 in Iowa. In that article, John Blakey was mention. I thought that that John Blakey was the father of my Grandpa John.

The story goes, the Slave Family were to be sold. John, the slave born and his older brother, Isaac Blakey were sold to a man with the Blakey surname. They were sent to Forest Green, Missouri.

As I did some search through the years, I did not found a John Blakey who was a slave. As I keep searching, there were things that didn't match up. I though, Who was John Blakey?

I came to this conclusion. John took the White surname. As for the Blakey surname, Isaac was the only one in his slave family that carried the Blakey surname. Besides, it dawned on me. That's why I couldn't find anything on John.

I began searching for John White and came up with some things. I have located his death record in Missouri. John was born about June of 1858 in Missouri. I've come across two other birth years. They were 1854 and 1866. I believe that the year about 1858 was the year. John passed away on September 10, 1918 in Salisbury, Missouri. He was buried in Forest Green, Missouri. 

John's parents were Andrew White and Julia (Finney) White. John's death record was the first record that I found that  mentioned both Andrew White and Julia White as his parents. On John's brother, Isaac Blakey's death record only mentions Andrew White as father. His mother was unknown.

John was married to Katherine / Katie Estell.  Katherine was born about  May of 1863. Her age at marriage was 18 in 1887: Other years record birth year as 1869 or 1863. Kate was the daughter of Tom Estill / Estel and Lizzie / Liza Estill / Estel. Katherine passed on March 15, 1923 in Forest Green, Missouri.

John White and Kate Estill

On the 1880 Census
John was listed as age 21 living with  his mother, 4 brothers, 1 sister, 1 sister in law, 3 nieces and 4 nephews in Chariton County Missouri .  John was a laborer.

On the 1900 Census
John was listed as age 40, born in June 1959 in MO. John was a farmer.
 Katie was listed as having 9 children. 5 were living when the 1900 census was taken.

On the 1910 Census
John was listed as age 52. He was listed without employment.
Katie was listed as age  47: mulatto with having 11 children; 3 living at the time of census.

On the 1920 Census
Katie White listed with  a granddaughter, Louise White and grandson, Leo KAYSON (White).
I haven't located any other info on Louise White or Leo Kayson / White.

Here's a list of John's and Katie's children.

There were 6 Unknown Children that died before 1910
Earnest / Ernest White born about 1881
Leburter White born about 1884
Leburter was listed as a female.
Spelling of name is a question.

Irina / Arena / Irene White born about 1892
She was listed age 18 married 2 years on the 1910 census.
Her husband wasn't listed. She had no children at that time.

Alice White born about 1883
Erma/ Ermma White born about 1898.

I haven't come across any of John or Katherine White's descendants. I believe that there were offspring. I hope that some one on this lineage will began the search for John White and Katie Estell White.

Thanks for reading!
The Julia White Family Connections: John White
May others see a connection with this lineage.

Thanks for reading,

 Susan Ann Blakley