Mississippi Enumeration of Educable Children, 1850-1892; 1908-1957

So one year I strayed off the beaten path of census records, birth, death, and marriage records and found a maternal great grandmother and her siblings in a different type of record --  the Mississippi Enumeration of Educable Children, 1850-1892; 1908-1957. This collection is available for free at  FamilySearch, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) websites.

Catalog Record: Mississippi Enumeration of Educable Children

Film / Digital Note: Children lists, series 105, box 2652, 1878

Series 105 (1850-1894) contains lists prepared by counties and filed by the Secretary of State. This series lists the name of the child, age, gender, race, and election district or ward. 

For my family and research purposes, this record verifies the sibling relationships of Mary, Elizie, Anthony, and Nelson; their ages, and that they lived in Simpson County, Mississippi. 

"Mississippi Enumeration of Educable Children, 1850-1892; 1908-1957," database with images, FamilySearch : 18 September 2015, Simpson > 1878 > image 65 of 83; Government Records, Jackson.

My maternal great-grandmother 

Name:  Mary Stamps

Age: 13

Sex: Female

Race: Black

Election District or Ward: Palestine

Event Type: School enrollment

Event Date: 1878

Event Place: , Simpson, Mississippi, United States

Birth Year (estimate): 1865

Parent Name: Stamps

Her sister (from same record)

Name: Eliza J Stamps

Age: 5

Sex: Female

Race: Black

Election District or Ward: Palestine

Event Type: School enrollment

Event Date: 1878

Event Place: , Simpson, Mississippi, United States

Birth Year (estimate): 1873

Parent Name: Stamps

"Mississippi Enumeration of Educable Children, 1850-1892; 1908-1957," database with images, FamilySearch : 18 September 2015, Simpson > 1878 > image 64 of 83; Government Records, Jackson.

Her brother (from same record, different page)

Name: Anthony Stamps

Age: 7

Sex: Male

Race: Black

Election District or Ward: Palestine

Event Type: School enrollment

Event Date: 1878

Event Place: , Simpson, Mississippi, United States

Birth Year (estimate): 1871

Parent Name: Stamps

Her brother (from same record, different page)

Name: Nelson Stamps

Age: 5

Sex: Male

Race: Black

Election District or Ward: Palestine

Event Type: School enrollment

Event Date: 1878

Event Place: , Simpson, Mississippi, United States

Birth Year (estimate): 1873

Parent Name: Stamps

Oath of Tax Assessor of Simpson County, Mississippi that all information is "true and correct"

In 1878, there were six children in the household of Simon Stamps -- Mary, born 1865; Anthony, born 1869; Nelson, born 1872; Elizie, born 1873; William, born 1876; and Henry, born 1878 -- four of the siblings were of age to be in school. 

In the 1880 U.S. census of Simpson County, Mississippi, 16-year-old Mary is listed as house laborer and there are marks indicating that she could not read or write. The only child marked as attending school is Anthony.

Year: 1880; Census Place: Simpson, Mississippi

Copyright © 2021 by Sandra Williams Bush, Ancestor Callings: Georgia and Mississippi Roots. All Rights Reserved.

Nigerian DNA Family

Today (April 6, 2021) I had a distant cousin from Nigeria reached out to me on Ancestry-dot-com -- a young man aged 18-29 who lives in Dublin Ireland. His dna summary is 90% Nigeria and 10% Benin & Togo. His message was simply "Hey cousin" but that message and his reaching out has me beaming!  I HAVE PEOPLE ON THE CONTINENT!!! 

We are 5th-8th Cousins

Shared DNA:  8cM across 1 segment

His family tree, so far, includes the surnames: 

    Ogunyemi (paternal grandfather, born in Lagos, Nigeria and paternal great-grandfather, born in Abeokuta, Ogun, Nigeria) 

    Iyamabo (maternal grandfather, born in Nigeria and great-grandfather born in Nigeria )

    Omiyi (maternal grandfather born in Nigeria)

To date my Ethnicity Estimate from Ancestry-dot-com is:

WEST AFRICA

Benin is west of Nigeria, and west of Benin is Togo. Benin has more ethnic ties to Nigeria while Togo has more ties to Ghana. These ethnic ties are based in long-standing kingdoms that existed before European colonists created new borders.   

The official name of Benin is Republique du Benin (Republic of Benin). It is the present day site of the Dahomey Kingdom (1600-1900). The territory became a French colony in 1872, retaining the name Dahomey. In 1990 it changed its name to Republique du Benin in honor of the Ancient Kingdom Benin of Nigeria. The country gained its independence on August 1, 1960.     

The official name of Togo is Republique Togolaise (Republic of Togo). Under the League of Nations the area was split between the British and French after World War I. The British portion incorporated into Ghana. The French portion became Togo and declared its independence on April 27, 1960.

Current map of West Africa (2021)

Resources on Benin, Togo:

Encyclopedia Britannica

https://www.britannica.com

InfoPlease Countries of the World

https://www.infoplease.com/world/countries

One World - Nations Online

https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/africa.htm

Copyright © 2021 by Sandra Williams Bush, Ancestor Callings: Georgia and Mississippi Roots. All Rights Reserved.

Elizabeth Brown Mason aka Auntie Lizzie

 Daffodils are the birth flowers for March

Thinking about my great Auntie Lizzie and how my Mom used to bring her over in the summer to sit in the yard. My Mom would be in and out doing housework and such. My brothers and I would be in and out doing our children thing. Whenever any of us would check on Auntie Lizzie she would always say, "Mmmm, I'm just enjoying myself." In the colder month, Auntie Lizzie would sit inside and in addition to the other statement, she would sometimes say, "I like to sit by the window and watch the peoples go by." I'm calling on her spirit of contentment and gratefulness as ugly recently stopped by and tied to take me down. I'm living my life and it's golden! (posted on Facebook March 11, 2021)

Elizabeth Brown Mason was born March 5, 1905 in Mississippi. Her family moved from Mississippi to Ohio during that Great Migration of southern, rural Blacks to the Northern states. As a five-year old in the 1910 census of Simpson County, Mississippi she was living with her widowed mother, Mary, and six of her siblings: Ida (18), Whittie (17), Simon (16), Willie (15), Sam (14), and Noah (9).

I have written more about the family and their migration in my post "One-Mississippi".

As a 20-year-old Auntie Lizzie married 21-year-old Cornelius Mason in Ripley, Chautauqua County, New York on June 16, 1925. Her witness was her sister, Ida Brown. Also along for the ride was Elder Joe Williams ("Minister of the Gospel") of Ashtabula, Ohio who performed the ceremony. The residence listed for Auntie Lizzie is Ashtabula, Ohio and for her groom, Cornelius, it's Winston Salem, North Carolina. The marriage record further indicated "Future address Ashtabula Ohio".

      From Ancestry.com: New York, County Marriages, 1847-1849; 1907-1936

I don't know if all parties traveled by car, bus, or train but two of the routes the wedding party could have taken from Ashtabula to Ripley would have been under two hours. (The quickest route, I-90 wasn't built until the mid-1950s as part of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, signed by President Dwight Eisenhower). Unfortunately, I'll probably never know why the wedding field trip was made to Ripley, New York, especially when everyone (except maybe the groom) was from Ashtabula, Ohio. It is interesting that her mother, Mary Stamps Brown, died in April and Auntie Lizzie "ran-away" to get married in June.

Google Maps

Growing up I had been told that Auntie Lizzie was divorced and looking at records now, it seems her marriage obviously didn't last long. By 1929 Auntie Lizzie was living with her brother, Noah and his family in Buffalo, New York. So far I have found her with the family in the Buffalo, New York City Directories of 1929, 1933, and 1938. My Mom remembers Auntie Lizzie living with them.

In the 1920 U. S. census 14-year old Elizabeth is living with her mother and her brothers William, Samuel, and Noah in West Park, Cuyahoga County, Ohio -- the census was weeks before her fifteenth birthday. I haven't been able to find Auntie Lizzie in the 1930 census. The next census I find her in is the 1940 census of Buffalo, Erie County, New York living with her brother Noah and his family --  his wife, Lucy and their children Verlie, Arthur, Vivian and Evelyn.  That census also indicated that she lived in Buffalo in 1935. The census also confirms her continued residence with her brother and his family.

In the Buffalo City Directories of 1961, 1962, and 1963 Auntie Lizzie and her older sister, Ida Brown are living together in a 2-bedroom apartment building -- the building has long been razed but I clearly remember it and the apartment layout. When my family moved to a new school district in the city, there were a few months that I lived with Auntie Lizzie as I completed sixth grade -- my final year at P.S. #47. In the spring of 1965, I occupied the second bedroom which had been Aunt Ida's until her passing in 1964. The apartment building was a walk-up, no taller than three stories. On the first floor were storefronts, one business was a laundromat -- I don't remember about the rest. Auntie Lizzie's last residence was a one-bedroom apartment in the Roosevelt Apartments, a building for seniors and the permanently disabled.

As I remember her, Auntie Lizzie was that epic sweet little old lady -- she was no taller than 5-feet and I always remember her having a pleasant disposition. She looked forward to the annual "Bowl" parades on tv, enjoyed our family holiday get-togethers and spending time in our yard during the warm months.  She absolutely adored my daughter, who I named Elizabeth. She was very proud of visiting the Grand Canyon and later flying to Hawaii in her senior years -- as part of a senior group. Auntie Lizzie was very honored to become a Church Mother at the Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ. She took her church membership and responsibilities to heart; tithing and faithfully attending services. Auntie Lizzie loved her church and her family --  and we loved her!

                                                            Cover of Obituary Program

Copyright © 2021 by Sandra Williams Bush, Ancestor Callings: Georgia and Mississippi Roots. All Rights Reserved.