Friend of Friends Friday: Slaves of Barnett Mitchell

In 1799, eight slaves (a woman and her seven children) which belonged to the estate of Barnett Mitchell were sold in Louisa County, Virginia.

Louisa County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1753-1913. John Mitchell, et al. vs. Admr. of Barnett Mitchell et al., 1801-011. Local Government Records Collection, Louisa Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. Page 12. Available from http://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=109-1801-011

Louisa County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1753-1913. John Mitchell, et al. vs. Admr. of Barnett Mitchell et al., 1801-011. Local Government Records Collection, Louisa Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. Page 16. Available from http://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=109-1801-011

In obedience to an annexed Decree of the worshipful Court of Louisa County we the subscribers proceeded on the 10th day of January 1799 to sell the Negroes belonging to the Estate of Barnett Mitchell Decd, on Eighteen Months Credit when William Carpenter purchasd Betty, Harry and Lucy for the sum of one hundred twenty pounds and gave Phillip Carpenter for security, John Mitchell purchasd [?] for Eighty two pounds and gave William Carpenter and Abram Davis for security, Chapman Gordon purchasd Lucretia for seventy three pounds and gave Wm Mansfield and James Dickson for security, William Chewning purchasd Judith for one hundred and twenty five pounds and gave Joseph Cannon for security, William Carpenter purchasd Robin for the sum of thirty nine pounds and gave Phillip Carpenter for surety - John Mitchell purchasd Esther for the sum of ninety three pounds and gave Wm Carpenter and Abram Davis for security. The Bonds were taken payable to us and are in our possession for the order of said Court. Witness our hands this 9 Day of August 1799

                                                                                          Wm Cooke
                                                                                          Overton Harris
                                                                                          Robert Harris junr.

My 5th-great-grandfather Chapman Gordon was married to Elizabeth (Lane) Mitchell, the widow of Barnett Mitchell. (Thanks to Neil Gregory for that information and for telling me about the chancery court case!) John Mitchell was the son of Elizabeth and Barnett Mitchell, and William Carpenter and William Chewning were their sons-in-law.

Lucretia may have been the oldest slave in Chapman Gordon's household in 1850 (a black female age 60) and in the household of his widow Mary (Layne) Gordon (his second wife) in 1860 (a black female age 75). The ages may be approximate. Earlier census records are consistent with the slave being a child purchased in 1799. The 1810 census indicates that there were two slaves in Chapman Gordon's household. The 1830 census shows that his household contained one male slave under 10, one female slave under 10, and one female slave 24-35. The 1840 census shows that there were one male slave 10-23, one female slave 10-23, one female slave 36-54 in his household.

Friend of Friends Friday: Slaves of Chapman Gordon

Excerpt from will of Chapman Gordon, written 14 April 1853, proven 10 September 1855 in Louisa County, Virginia. Louisa County (Va.) Circuit Court. Records, 1742-1858.  Miscellaneous reel 461, Library of Virginia. 

When he wrote his will on 14 April 1853, my 5th-great-grandfather Chapman Gordon of Louisa County, Virginia left his wife Mary two slaves: "one negro boy named Tom, and one negro girl named Sally". His will was proven on 10 September 1855.

The 1850 United States Census slave schedule indicates that there were 5 slaves in Chapman Gordon's household.

1850 United States census, Louisa County, Virginia, slave schedule. Available from Ancestry.com. 1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

The 1860 United States Census slave schedule shows a larger number of slaves in the household of Mary (Layne) Gordon, the widow of Chapman Gordon. The image was light and difficult to read. I have darkened it, but it is still somewhat unclear.

1860 United States census, Southern District, Louisa County, Virginia, slave schedule. Page 63. Available from Ancestry.com. 1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

52 Ancestors: #18 Chapman Gordon

I am so glad to be able to write about my 5th-great-grandfather Chapman Gordon, because before my recent trip to Virginia, I did not have proof that he was my 5th-great-grandfather. I had seen a forum post which mentioned that Chapman Gordon left his estate to his daughters Eliza Mayo, Elizabeth Mayo, and Jane Layne. This will was the first item that I looked at when I went to the Library of Virginia. It is on Miscellaneous reel 4610,  Louisa County (Va.) Circuit Court. Records, 1742-1858, part of the Robert Alonzo Brock Collection. Chapman Gordon died in June 1855, and my 4th-great-grandmother Eliza (Gordon) Mayo had died by 1841, when her husband, my 4th-great-grandfather Jacob D. Mayo, married Nancy Lee. I wondered if maybe Chapman Gordon's bequest to Eliza was actually to Eliza's heirs. I also knew that Chapman Gordon had a daughter Elizabeth who married Thomas Mayo. Eliza and Elizabeth are such similar names that it seemed unlikely that they would be given to two daughters, unless one had previously died. But unlikely is not impossible! Yes, Chapman Gordon had an Eliza and an Elizabeth. Maybe the family wanted to honor two different relatives, or maybe they were twins who were given similar names. And the bequest was to "the children of Eliza Mayo decd."

Chapman Gordon is listed as security and witness for the marriage of Jacob D. Mayo and Eliza Gordon, further evidence that I have identified the right person.

Once I had this information, I looked for more information on Chapman Gordon. I knew that he had married Mary Layne in Goochland County, Virginia on 31 May 1843, but she could not be the mother of his children. I have not yet identified the mother (or mothers) of his daughters. I found the couple's 1850 United States Census enumeration. They were living in Louisa County, Virginia. Chapman Gordon was born about 1776 in Virginia.

In Ancestry.com's Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850 collection, I found the description of a Spotsylvania County, Virginia apprenticeship record. On 5 July 1785, Chapman Gordon, apprenticed himself to Benjamin Haley. He had the consent of his mother Caty Gordon. Spotsylvania County is near Louisa County, and this Chapman Gordon seemed the right age to be mine. Because his mother gave consent, he had to have been underage.

On HeritageQuest, I found a 1934 manuscript by Frances Beal Smith Hodges, The Gordons of Spotsylvania County, Virginia. It contains information about the descendants of John George Gordon and Mary Sarah Chapman. Although there are a few sources listed in the text itself, most of the sources are listed toward the end and are vague, and it is not clear what information came from what source. Still, the manuscript could contain useful clues. The couple had a son named Chapman Gordon, born 15 January 1741. He is the right age to be the father of my Chapman Gordon. My Chapman Gordon could also be a son of one of the couple's other sons. They had at least one grandson named Chapman Gordon; he was born about 1757 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia and was the son of Charles Gordon and Mary (Boswell) Herndon. In 1770, the family moved to North Carolina. Chapman Gordon is not a very common name, so it seems likely that this Chapman Gordon is related to mine (they may be first cousins).

I found additional census enumerations for my Chapman Gordon in 1840, 1830, and 1810. I believe that I have found the right person because he is in the right area, is the right age, and in 1810, his household included one free white female under 10 and two free white females 10 through 15 (I know my Chapman Gordon had three daughters, and these girls seem to be about the right age). There is an older woman in the household in each of these census enumerations as well; perhaps she was Chapman Gordon's mother.

Chapman Gordon was in Goodwin's Co., 33rd (Mayo's) Virginia Militia in 1807, and was also in the War of 1812. His widow Mary applied for a War of 1812 widow's pension, but was rejected because of the date of her marriage (she did not quality under the act).

 Chapman Gordon's will, proven 10 September 1855 in Louisa County, Virginia

 

Register of Marriages, Goochland County, Virginia, 1817. Chapman Gordon was security and witness for the marriage of his daughter Eliza and Jacob D. Mayo.