Searching For Info on Mrs. Martha (Scott) Blakey

 I’m hoping to discover more leads on Martha (Scott) Blakey. What do I know about her ? First of all, I discovered that she was my paternal great grandmother. I’ve learned some things about her from her husband Isaac BLAKLEY / BLAKER’s pension records.

While On My Search
I found a Mississippi marriage record on a Martha SCOTT who married a Isaac BAKER in February of 1870. The married took place in Wilkerson County, Mississippi. I believe that they were Isaac and Martha. Isaac’s surname while he enlisted into the Civil War was BLAKER.

According to Isaac Blakey’s pension records, Martha passed on Hew Davis’ Plantation. I can assume that Martha died after giving birth to her twins sons, John BLAKEY who was my Grandfather John BLAKEY (1871 – 1918). and Andrew BLAKEY (1871-1871). Isaac knew Martha about a year before she passed.

The twins were born on Wednesday, June 21, 1871 on Hew Davis Plantation, in Woodlong, Wilkerson County, Mississippi. I’m assuming that Martha would been about 23 or 24 years old.

Photo of the list of information of Martha ‘with the names of her twin sons. The date on the document was July 28, 1915. Isaac had to list the names of his first wife Martha and his children by her.. Isaac was married to Rachel (Jackson / Lephridge ) Blakey and the names of his children by her were listed.

I still wonder about Martha. I have questions. Who were Martha’s parents? Who were her siblings? How did Martha met my Great Grandfather Isaac?

Martha Scott was born about 1847 in Mississippi. That’s where she met my Great Grandpa, Isaac BLAKEY (1845-1917). That was about a year or so after they were married.in 1870 in Wilkinson County, MS.

Perhaps, Great Grandma Martha was enslaved on Hew Davis Plantation or worked there after slavery. Great Grandpa Isaac somehow came to where Great Grandma Martha was or perhaps he was there working too. He was a Mississippi. Union Private during the Civil War from 1863 -1866 station in Natchez Adams County Mississippi..

My questions and assumptions can go on and on. Even though, I don’t know much about my Great Grandma Martha, she was apart of my family lineage. I’m thankful to be one of her offsprings.

May those who search for their ancestors continue on the journey. May what we don’t know about them keep us to keep moving forward. May we see some kind of answers to the questions we seek, some day in time. Amen.

This blog was edited from the original blog Who Was Martha (Scott) Blakey?

Thanks for reading.
Searching For Info on Mrs. Martha (Scott) Blakey ~ Brick Wall
Rest In Heaven Great Grandmother Martha

God bless,
S.A. Blakley

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Susan Ann Blakley on another website 

How Do You Spell That? BLAK*** ?

As I was growing up, I learned how to spell my full name. And through time, people began to spell BLAKLEY their way. I choose to correct them. ( I still do.)

It was during the 1970’s when I was told that the family surname was actually BLAKEY. And through farther searching, I discovered that surname before that was WHITE. All these surname changes.

And as I began searching for information on my Grandfather, John, he was the one who changed the surname to BLAKLEY. I wonder why? And why other relatives spelled their surname BLAKEY? And why others carried the WHITE surname?

I acknowledge that my Grandfather John’s surnames was BLAKEY / BLAKLEY. He and his twin Andrew BLAKEY were born on Hew Davis Plantation in Woodville, Mississippi on Wednesday, June 21, 1871. Their parents were Isaac BLAKEY Sr. (1845 – 1917) and Martha Scott BLAKEY ( 1847-1871).

Isaac BLAKEY was also known as. Isaac WHITE. Isaac BLAKEY was enslaved in Missouri. He later received his freedom as a teenager. He severed during the Civil War in Mississippi in the Union Army as Private Isaac BLAKER. (1863 – 1866) I acknowledge Isaac with the surnames of WHITE / BLAKEY.

The family BLAKEY / BLAKLEY surnames: How Do You Spell That?
I thought about the surname change. Why did my Grandfather John change his surname From BLAKEY to BLAKLEY? He added the second L. From KEY to KELY. They sound different.

I was told that there were too many John BLAKEYs. This would be lead to some confusion. John’s father, Isaac married Rachel (LEPHRIDGE / JACKSON) on July 3, 1873 in Mississippi. They had 18 children There must have been a lot of John BLAKEYs in the family. Imagine if they lived in the same city?

I was searching and exploring the many ways how people recorded the spelling of my Grandfather John’s surname through public records. I started out with censuses, city directories, newspapers, marriage record, birth index, death records and so forth.

The oldest record on John’s surname was recorded on the 1880 Missouri census. It was WHITE. The family was living in Chariton County in Missouri. On John’s father’ Isaacs Civil War pension records, John’s surname was spelled BLAKER and BLAKEY.

I don’t know when John moved from Chariton County in Missouri to Carroll County in, Missouri. Perhaps around 1900. He was listed on the 1900 Census in Carrollton, Missouri with the BLAKELY surname.

John married my Grandmother Jennie BARTLETT in Excelsior Springs, Clay, Missouri on July 28, 1902. His surname was recorded as BLAKYE. John moved to St. Joseph, Missouri where Jennie was living. Jennie was from Carrollton, Missouri.

I traced John’s surnames through all records that I have found on him via public records from his children’s birth and death records. His surnames were BLAKELEY, BLAKELY, BLACKE, BLAKEY , BLAKLEY from 1902 to 1918.

Three months before Grandpa John passed on July 10, 1918 in Yankton, South Dakota, his last child had the BLAKLEY surname. The child passed at 11 months old. John was the father of 12 children. Seven children were living at the time of his death. On John’s death record his surname is BLAKEY. He was also known as John BLAKLEY Sr.

I’ve come across many other spelling of the BLAKLEY surname and I googled to see other spelling.
BLAKLI, BLAKY, BLACKLEY, BLACKY, BERKLEY

BLAKLEE, BLAKLEA , BLAKELEE, BLAKLELIE,

BLAKESLEY, BLAKELEIGH,

I ordered a birthday cake and this was how my last name was spelled. (There was a time it was BLAKEY.) How Do You Pronounce This?

How Do You Spell That?

We all have our style in handwriting. And we pronounce words differently.. And what we hear and how we received effects how we write. This makes the difference in how we interrupt things we read.

In some cases, it could have been that ” the writer” had trouble spelling. And more so troubling making out what people were saying, when they were writing. And it’s hard to figure out people’s handwriting.

Some Thoughts: I discovered that BLAKELY is a girls name too.

I’m amazed by what family information I have gathered over the years. And from tine to tine, I go back over what I have . When I do this, I’m rediscovering things that I may have over looked. I am finding more pieces to the puzzle as I’m on my family connection saga.

Posted on April 16, 2022 by Susan Ann Blakley on another site.

In Remembrance Blakey Blakley WHITE Family Connections

Thanks for reading.
How Do You Spell That?
God bless
S.A. Blakley

Week 15 ~ Amy Johnson Crow ~ Generations Cafe ~ #52Ancestors 52 Weeks
One of the things I tell people who are starting out in their family history journey is to not get hung up on a spelling. It’s amazing how many ways a name can be spelled. (Just visit your local Starbucks, and you’ll know what I mean!) Who is an ancestor who might have had trouble with people mangling their name?

 

In Memory of John Blakey BLAKLEY Sr.

John BLAKEY was born on Hew Davis Plantation in Woodville, Mississippi on Wednesday, June 21, 1871. He was the twin of Andrew Blakey. Andrew passed with their mother, Martha Scott Blakey date unknown. Private Isaac BLAKEY Sr. was the father of the twins. 

Throughout John's lifetime, he worked various jobs as a grader, worked as a hired and perhaps other jobs to support his family. On Monday, July 28, 1902, John married  Jennie Bartlett in Excelsior Spring, Missouri.  Their names were recorded as John BLAKYE and Jennie BARTLE.John and Jennie surname was changed to BLAKLEY  sometime between 1902 - 1910.
 
Some time during the mid 19 teens, John traveled to Yankton South Dakota. John had written to his brothers, Spencer Blakey and Henry Blakey asking them if they could  find a farm for his family could live. The brothers couldn't find a farm but, they found a house.

In the Summer of 1918, John was preparing to return to Missouri and gather his family to return to Yankton. However, he caught a cold  and was sick with tuberculosis / T.B. ( The Spanish Flu pandemic was  during this time.)

John didn't make the journey back to Missouri. At the age of 47, he passed in a covered wagon near his brother, Henry Blakey in Yankton, South Dakota on Wednesday, July 10, 1918

It's recorded that John was buried in Yankton, SD with the Blakey surname. As for his widow Jennie. She was told of his death through a letter. (The source of information was from Raymond Blakey. He could recall if John's body was brought back to Missouri.) Three months before John passed, the last child of Jennie and John passed at 11 months old. John was the father of about 12 children. Seven children were living at the time of his death

Some Thoughts:
I thought about about the journey to Yankton. I made the trip to Yankton, S.D. in October 1981 and July of 1995. I imagined how this journey could have been during the time of my Grandpa John. 

I was wondering; what my grandfather John Blakey / Blakley could have looked like? I wish that there was a photo of him  I was told that John looked like his brother, Spencer.

I believe that a child can looked just like one of  their parents. I wonder which one of  the Blakley children looked like their father.  I see the resemblance in the Blakley siblings. 


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

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

Some Thoughts About The Surnames: Bartel and Blakye / Bartlett and Blakey

I was thinking about father's parents, Mr. and Mrs. John BLAKEY / BLAKLEY Sr.  I was looking at their marriage license. In the beginning, I had a very hard time locating it.  No matter how, I spelled their surnames, they were not on the index. So, I began to search the index page by page. I know that they were married around 1902 in Missouri.

Finally, I made this discovery. I came across a John BLAKYE. He was from Carrollton, Missouri. His wife's name was Jennie BARTEL from St. Joseph, Missouri. The marriage took place in Excelsior Springs, Clay, Missouri on July 28, 1902. This was what I was searching for.

John's surname was spelled BLAKEY. The E and Y were turned around. As for Jennie, I wondered about the spelling of BARTEL. BARTLETT is the spelling that I was searching. I don't know how this could haven been misspelled.

I wondered, if BARTEL was another name to the BARTLETT family. Jennie wasn't married before John. Jennie's mother, Harriet and siblings on the 1880 and 1900 censuses were listed with the BARTLETT surname. 

What a journey this has come out to be. I can't find any other spelling of BARTEL connected to the family.  It's still a mystery.  I may have to leave it at that.

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

John And Jennie (Bartlett) Blakley: The Two Became One: But, What Were Their Surnames When They married?

My father's parents, John and Jennie Blakley were married on July 28, 1902 in Excelsior Springs, Clay County in Missouri. However, it wasn't until the latter part of May of 2009 when I solved this family mystery. But, once I stumbled across this info, it led me to more questions.

I always thought that my Grandpa John's surname was BLAKLEY.  But, through the years, I found out it was BLAKEY. However, on the marriage record it was spelled BLAKYE. As for my Grandma Jennie, her surname was BARTLETT, but it was spelled BARTEL on the record.  I could assume that the E and the Y were turned around for BLAKEY. But for Bartel, it makes me wonder.

According to this record, John was from Carrolton, Carroll County Missouri. Jennie was listed from St. Joseph, Buchanan County Missouri. I can assume that John married with the Blakey surname. But, the mystery remains. Why did John change his name to BLAKLEY?

I searched the birth records of the BLAKLEY or BLAKEY children born in St. Joseph MO. Out of all the children listed there were two with the BLAKEY surname and the others were BLAKLEY. The surname was changed after John and Jennie married July of 1902. I can't pin point the year.

As for the BLAKLEY surname: The story goes that there were a lot of John BLAKEYs relatives. Perhaps there was confusion and was one of the reason why my Grandfather John changed his last name. John's descendants carried the surname of BLAKLEY.

Whatever the case may have been, the surname was changed from Blakey to Blakley. My father and his siblings were taught to spell our surname the way I spell mine. My name has been established. I have no reason to change the spelling now.

But, still I wonder about my Grandma Jennie's surname on the marriage license. Could the family surname had been Bartle? Or was it changed to Bartlett?  This marriage record was the only record with that spelling. This remains a mystery.

My Grandfather full name was John BLAKEY / BLAKLEY Sr.  When he passed in 1918, his siblings recorded John's surname as BLAKEY. My Grandmother's full name was Jennie BARTLETT  BLAKEY / BLAKLEY LYLE. She passed with the surname LYLE.

Thanks for reading.
God Bless you.
Susan