Black Homesteaders of the South

by Bernice Bennett

Overview

Meet the black men and women who toiled from sunup to sundown to live the American dream.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467152303
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	10/24/2022
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Bernice Alexander Bennett is an award—winning author, genealogist, nationally recognized guest speaker, storyteller and producer—host of the popular Research at the National Archives and Beyond BlogTalkRadio program. She is also the first recipient of the Ida B. Wells Service Award, given by the Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage, for her dedication to broadcast stories about enslaved and indentured ancestors of African descent. She also received the Elizabeth Clark—Lewis Afro—American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) Genealogy Award in 2019 for original research in support of African American genealogy. Bennett is a volunteer with the Homestead National Historical Park Service and has devoted her grass—roots skills to identifying and encouraging descendants of Black homesteaders to share their stories.

Table of Contents

Foreword Dr. Shelley Viola Murphy 11

Acknowledgements 13

Introduction 15

1 Alabama Black Homesteaders 19

Luke Sconiers 20

William Beard 22

Clem Horn 25

Vandy Hutchins 28

Frank Crittenden 30

John Henry Kyles 32

2 Arkansas Black Homesteaders 41

Levi or Levy Hampton 42

Gideon Murphy 43

Reuben Murphy 45

Don and Minnie-Lee McCormick 47

Irving Bass 50

3 Florida Black Homesteaders 55

Alexander Gainer 56

Simon Bell 61

Randel Farnell 64

Henry McGehee 70

Stephen McCaskill 74

George Jones 76

4 Louisiana Black Homesteaders 81

Charles Baptiste 82

Peter Clark 83

Phoebe Ann Bartlett Franklin 87

Frank Thompson 89

Thomas Monroe Pittman 96

Wade Pittman 98

George Paysinger 99

Moses Singleton 101

Charles Henry Veal 102

Andrew Richardson and Sarah Jane (Foster) Richardson 103

George Williams and Chester Williams 105

Henry and Julia Gordon 107

Moses Dyson 109

Moses Brumfield 110

Labron Brock 111

Josiah Cyprian 113

John Turner 114

Leander Youngblood 115

5 Mississippi Black Homesteaders 117

Irvin Brumfield 117

Europe Bates 119

Samuel Brown 121

Prince Dunbar 122

Daner Gibson 123

America Hunt Harrell/Harold 124

Peter Hunt 126

Jacob Ramsey 128

William "Willie" or "Boss" Ramsey 131

James Riely (Riley) 134

Robert Veal 137

Verdal Wills 138

Sailor Allen 140

Edmund Downs 141

Conclusion 143

Untold Stories of Black Homesteaders in Florida 147

Notes 151

Selected Bibliography 171

About the Author 173

Editorial Reviews

The collection of stories Bernice Bennett presented to readers serves well to expose and address a movement of self identity, unity and empowerment during a time where Blacks were living through and leaving enslavement to seek freedom. The inclusion of descendants to tell their stories from oral histories, combined with primary and secondary source findings exposes the higher calling of the ancestors for their lines of descendants. The source documents reflect living proof of their actions to direct their fate. The template model guided descendants to reveal the actual proof of ancestors’ claims and is a component that authenticates their findings. Marilyn Campbell, Afro—American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), Greater Richmond, Virginia Chapter

Bennett has done a remarkable service. Her diligent research, encouragement of others and this collation of stories reveals a part of America we simply haven’t heard of. We owe a debt of gratitude for showing how a visionary Act was applied

for by many, who despite great handicaps, made a land which we can all be proud of.

Bernice Alexander Bennett’s “Black Homesteaders of the South” opens up a new area of historical research for family genealogists and historians. Her research found many Black people who took advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862 to gain land and put down roots in Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Mississippi... Bennett’s book is groundbreaking by her compilation of so many Black homesteaders and her follow up with their current descendants who discuss whether they still live on their ancestral property.

From the Publisher