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

Similarities Between The Family Connections

 The news clip is from the Call Kansas City, Missouri; in the Forest Green, Missouri section. It was published on Friday, June 22, 1951 on page 19.

Who’s who in the news clip?

Mr. Ollie “Deke” Blakey was the son of Isaac White Blakey and Rachel ( Lephridge / Jackson) Blakey. Mrs., Ollie Blakey was also known as Margaret “Aunt Mike” (Cason) Blakey, She was the daughter of Mrs. Grace Harriet “Gracey” (Cason) Cason and Herbert Cason and they had three children: Mabel Cason, Lephridge Cason. and Margaret (Cason) Blakey.

Isiah / Isaac White, Julia White, and Mrs. Corneluis / Cornelia Woods were sibling .Their parents were Laura (Paige) White and Andrew Jackson White. They had 6 children; Mariah White, Julia Ann” July “White, Isaac “Isaiah” White, Cornelia Louise (White) Wood , Wedian B. White and William Spencer White.

Coincident Or Not
Isaac White Blakey’s parents were Julia (Finney) White. and Andrew White.
On the 1880 census for Chariton County Missouri. an Isaac White age 80 and Andrew White, 30, Laura 25, Mariah, July, A. and Isaac; all with the White surname..

Then after Isaac White’s household on that census, there was the household of Julia White, a widow and Isaac, 30 and Rachel 29,, John, Mary, Andrew, Julia, Henry, Spencer, John, David , Josh, Rebecca, Martha and Andrew; all with the White surname.

I believe that there were some connection in these families. I wish the person who reported these stories would have added a little more about he people. The Blakey and White families lived in the Forest Green Missouri area.

Thanks for reading.
Similarities Between The Family Connections

Who am I related to this news story?
Ollie “Deke” Blakey was the brother of my Grandfather John Blakey Blakley. Their father was Isaac White Blakey. Oral history has it that Andrew Jackson White was Isaac’s brother.

God bless you
S.A. Blakley

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Susan Ann Blakley on another site