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 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?
