The Lee's of Beat Four Wayne County, Mississippi

The Lee’s of Beat Four Wayne County, Mississippi

Lennard (Larry) Woodrow Lee, Jr., PhD

Contents Introduction ...... 3 Generation 1: John Lee of England ...... 5 Generation 2: Joshua Lee ...... 8 Jesse Woodard Lee, Senior ...... 9 Generation 3: Zachariah T. Lee ...... 12 Generation 4: Samuel Jefferson Lee, Senior ...... 13 Generation 5: Robeson Earl Lee ...... 33 Generation 6: Phillip Anaphur “Napper” Lee ...... 57 Generation 7: Gerod Clifton Lee, Senior ...... 67 Grandpa Gerod Lee’s correct Birth Date ...... 74 Double kin to the Overstreets ...... 79 The Lee-Farmer-Braswell Connection ...... 80 The Lee Family from 1694-1863 ...... 83 Summaries ...... 86

Introduction

Sometime before 2007, my second cousin once removed, Luther William Lee, took a DNA test sponsored by the Henry Lee Society.1 Luther’s test proved that he belonged in the John Lee family group.2 In the summer of 2007, I also took a DNA test sponsored by the Henry Lee Society that, as expected, linked me to the John Lee family group too.  The Lees of Wayne County, Mississippi are descendants of this John Lee.

Larry and Luther Lee (left to right) Lee’s Chapel Freewill Baptist Church Wayne County, Mississippi May 2007

The research of the Henry Lee Society has found that the John Lee of Nansemond County family group appears to be one of the largest Lee-surname clans in the USA in modern times. I am now an active member of the Henry Lee Society myself as of November 2013.

With those two DNA tests, my Lee family lineage was found; with no doubt. These two DNA tests were taken in different years, analyzed by different laboratories, yet they yielded SAME results for Luther and me. I am very aware that many of my kin folks are likely to dispute and reject the lineage that have recorded in this document, mostly because for many generations incorrect information has been passed down to them, and they sincerely believe what they have been told all their lives. I myself would have rejected this information in the 1980s; however, the odds of two DNA tests being wrong are inconceivably small. There is also overwhelming research evidence that I have found that was done by the many researchers of our family line literally from all over the nation that verifies the John Lee lineage for my family.

1 Luther’s great grandfather Robeson “Robert” Earl Lee is my 2nd great grandfather. Luther and my Dad are 2nd cousins. 2 John Lee was known both as “John Lee of England” and/or “John Lee of Nansemond County, Virginia.”

Most of the following information is from my 3rd cousin Charles Lewis. Charles is from Davenport, Iowa. Charles has documented our family to a great extent, and he gave me oral permission to use any or all of the information he posted on his Internet sites. Charles’ Internet sites have been temporality shut down due to a server problem. He hopes to get them back up soon; and when he does, I’ll provide some links to his tremendous work.

A lot of information also came from Dr. Ed Smith, my 3rd cousin from Knoxville, Tennessee. Both Charles and Ed got a good deal of information from their grandmother, Tommie Lenora (Campbell) Lewis. Tommie is also my 1st cousin two times removed. Also another huge contributor was Cousin Luther Lee.

Robeson Earl Lee and Catherine West are Tommie’s Grandparents; they are Luther’s Great grandparents; and they are the 2nd Great grandparents of Charles, Ed and I.

None of us knew Robeson and Catherine Lee; however Tommie, Luther and I knew people that did. Probably the same can be said of Charles and Ed. So all of the family history in this document before my own memory of my Grandfather Gerod Clifton Lee, Senior is from very old family stories. As you read these stories, remember that they are from 100 to over 200-years old. As stories get passed down orally from one generation to the next, facts often get confused. Eventually different stories can emerge about the same event with no one knowing exactly what really happened. I found very different stories about the same event; perhaps one is true but they are all very entertaining.

Besides family, I obtained information from a number of sources. Sometimes sources guess at some particular date, such as a birth date or death date because no documented data exist for the dates in question. Thus you find one source with data that appears credible but is totally different than another source that also appears credible. This is true for not only our Lee family, but every family I’ve investigated.

For old family data, there are some uncertainties. Often you cannot find maiden names. You may find the first name and married name on an old document, like a Will or a land transaction, and thus, that’s all we know years later. Sometimes the marriage year is guessed from census data and/or other documentation. Census data are sometimes wrong; I found different birth years for the same person recorded in different censuses. Some data are obtained from old Family Bibles. However, a member of a family may have data in their Bible that differs from data in their siblings’ Bibles, for example. In the absence of old public records, one cannot be sure of whose data are correct. There might not be any documentation correct; sometimes guesses have to be made. I did my best to be accurate, and this document is as accurate that it can be with the information that I presently have.

This document is a short summary of my Lee family up to my Grandfather Gerod Lee, Senior. Along with this brief document, I give a very detailed family history on the Internet. The main internet document is currently over 500-pages long and is full of extraneous details and opinions of mine which most probably do not care to read. I had to divide the main document into four parts so that I could upload it to my Internet site. In the larger document, I also tried to frame our ancestors’ lifetimes into the history of their time which invoked a lot of conjecture on my part; but it was all fun.

If you are just interested in just the Lee lineage, this is the document for you. If you want to see more about the extended families, the larger documents may be of interest.

If you find errors or know MORE info that can be added, let me know. You’ll find my contact information on the Web site that hosts my family documents; www.lennardlee.com. I loved writing this document and I hope it will be enlightening, entertaining, and give some thoughts to ponder upon; enjoy. I hope our Lee family history will be preserved.

Generation 1: John Lee of England 1670~1738

John Lee, my 6th Great grandfather, was born about 1670 in Leicester, England.

In about 1694, John Lee migrated from England aboard the ship Bonaventure.

John Lee was very wealthy. John paid the passage for 20 people, including him, on the Bonaventure which would indicate immense wealth.

John Lee was given 960 acres in the upper part of Nansemond County, Virginia as a land grant by the King of England.

John Lee was a member of the Planter Class of early immigrants. In the early South, the men were considered to be in one of three primary social classes; the Planter Class, the plain folk and the hill people. (Women were considered below these three classes.) Members of the Planter class were the wealthier and included property owners, landlords, creditors, and marketers. They often embellished old European ways such as chivalry, education, leisure, elegance and social grace.3

Much of what is known about John Lee is by early Virginia land transactions.

In about 1694, John married a woman named Mary. Mary is my 6th Great grandmother.

Mary was born ~1675. We don’t know Mary’s maiden name. Old land transactions show that John Lee and wife Mary Lee were involved; that’s how we know her first name.

There was a Mary Emerson that was one of the 20 passengers that John paid passage for on the ship Bonaventure. Would she have become John’s wife? John’s marriage to Mary is thought to have occurred very close upon their arrival in Virginia.

John and Mary had at least seven children.

John Lee was a very successful man. The evidence of such lies in the fact that he left considerable land holdings to his children in both Virginia and North Carolina.

John died sometime about 1738. Several deeds after 1738 from John’s children specifying acreage from the original 1694 land grant were used to verify John’s death.

3 History of the Deep South: The Different Social Classes. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/205267/history_of_the_deep_south_the_different.html

It is now being suggested by the Henry Lee Society that we descend through an Anglican rector, Thomas Lee, from Leicester, England. Thomas was born about 1555. Both his son and his grandson entered the ministry and all were graduates of the University of Oxford located in Oxford, England. Perhaps my 6th Great grandfather John Lee was a graduate from Oxford too, but I found nothing to indicate that was the case.

Oxford is the oldest English speaking university in the world, and is the world’s second oldest surviving university. There is evidence of Oxford’s existence as far back as the year 1096.

This lineage goes as follows:

Thomas  Joseph I  Joseph II  John Lee of England

Joseph Lee II would be my 7th great grandfather Joseph Lee I would be my 8th great grandfather Thomas Lee would be my 9th great grandfather.

From a number of sources; John and Mary had 7 children:

1. James Lee, born ~1702 in Nansemond County, Virginia. 2. Joshua Lee, born ~1706 in Nansemond County, Virginia. 3. Godfrey Lee, born 1707 in Nansemond County, Virginia. 4. John Lee, born ~1709 in Nansemond County, Virginia. 5. Mary Lee, born ~1710 in Nansemond County, Virginia. 6. William Lee, born ~1714 in Nansemond County, Virginia. 7. Richard Lee, born 1716 in Nansemond County, Virginia

In 1694, John Lee paid for 20 passengers (including him) that came to America from England on the ship Bonaventure:

1. John Lee 2. Dennit Abney 3. Mary Emerson (perhaps John’s future wife) 4. Hannah Hains 5. Elizabeth Evans 6. Catherine Jones 7. Rachell Redfera 8. Alice Godale 9. Thomas Godale 10. George Lawrence 11. Walter Wright 12. William Knowles 13. Adam Roach 14. John Watts 15. John Saterwhite Negroes: 16. Pallas 17. Attkena 18. Jupiter 19. Vulcan 20. Mars

In 1694, John Lee married a woman named Mary; her maiden name is unknown. Could Mary Emerson, who John paid passage for on the Bonaventure, be the Mary that John married?

If the five Negroes were servants or slaves, they may not have been servants or slaves to John Lee. They could have been servants or slaves to some of the other passengers that John paid passage for. There is also the possibility that the Negroes were indentured servants. There is a chance that they were free.

Generation 2: Joshua Lee ~1706 -1782

Joshua Lee, my 5th Great grandfather, was the second oldest child of John and Mary Lee of England. He was born in 1706 in Nansemond County, Virginia.

In 1728, the Virginia and North Carolina boundary was surveyed. The results of this survey shifted the boundary between Virginia and North Carolina, and some of the Lee family property wound up in what was then Bertie County (now Gates County), North Carolina.

In 1730, Joshua married Mary Woodard in Bertie County, North Carolina. She was born on ~1710 in Beaufort County, North Carolina. She is the daughter of John and Margaret Woodard.

Joshua and Mary would have grown up about 4-miles from each other; Joshua on the North Carolina side of the border and Mary on the Virginia side.

Joshua Lee and Mary Woodard are my 5th great grandparents.

Mary’s parents, John and Margaret Woodard, are obviously my 6th Great grandparents.

John Woodard’s father is Dad Woodard of England. We do not know the name of Dad Woodard’s wife or his parents. Dad Woodard would be my 7th Great grandfather.

Examination of land transaction records indicate that by 1760 Joshua migrated south to what would become Duplin County, North Carolina. Joshua’s sons migrated to what would become Edgecombe and Robeson Counties in North Carolina.

Mary (Woodard) Lee probably died after February 1765 in Edgecombe County, North Carolina.

It is thought that Joshua died ~1782 in Duplin County, North Carolina.

From the Internet, I found that Joshua Lee and Mary had 7 children:

1. Joshua Lee, born ~1730 in Bertie County, North Carolina. 2. Jesse Lee, born ~1735 in Bertie County, North Carolina. 3. Reverend John Lee, born ~1737 in Bertie County, North Carolina. 4. Abraham Lee, born ~1741 in Bertie County, North Carolina. 5. Margaret Lee, born ~1742 in Bertie County, North Carolina. 6. Zachariah T. Lee, born ~1745 in Bertie County, North Carolina. 7. Elizabeth Lee, born in 1746 in Bertie County, North Carolina.

Jesse Woodard Lee, Senior

Jesse Woodard Lee, Senior fought in the Revolutionary War (1776-1783). He was a member of the Continental Army which was commanded by General George Washington. The Daughters of the American Revolution recorded some of Jesse Lee’s history. They have placed a foot marker at Jesse’s grave. Jesse Lee was a Private in Ballard’s Company in the Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution. He enlisted July 20, 1778.

Jesse Lee, Senior would be my 4th great granduncle.

The next page has a copy of Jesse Lee’s Will. It is preserved as an historical document of early Robeson County, North Carolina and I found it in numerous places on the Internet including the Robeson County, North Carolina web site. Since it is an historical document, I have included it in this family summary. It appears that Jesse was a highly regarded citizen of early Robeson County. The spellings in his Will below are the same as recorded on his Will.

Some data suggests that Jesse Lee, Senior is the father of my 3rd Great grandfather Samuel Jefferson Lee, Senior. I have found evidence that contradicts that. If true, however, Jesse would be my 4th Great grandfather, not Zachariah Lee. Zachariah and Jesse, Senior are brothers; so no matter which is true, their father is Joshua Lee and our lineage back to John Lee of England is preserved.

However recently I found the following as evidence of Zachariah being my 4th Great grandfather:

Jean Strickland states in Who Lived Where in Wayne County?, that Samuel Lee is the son of Zachariah Lee and Lucy Farmer of Robeson County, North Carolina.

I have also recently found the following entry in the Henry Overstreet lineage records. It states:

Martha Patricia “Patsy” Overstreet married John Asbury West, Sr. and after his death she married “Samuel Lee, the son of Zachary T. Lee and Lucy Farmer.”

I am presently satisfied that Zachariah, not Jesse Lee, Senior, is my 4th Great grandfather.

NORTH CAROLINA, ROBESON COUNTY IN THE SUPERIOR COURT: In the name of God, Amen, I Jesse Lee of Robeson County and State of North Carolina being in perfect health and of sound sence and memory thanks be given to Almighty God for his mercy and calling to mind the mortality of my body I recommend my soul into the hands of God who gave it and my body to the dust from whence it came to be entered in a decent manner hoping to receive the same at the general resurrection: and as for what worldly goods it hath pleased God to bless me with I give bequeath and dispose of in the following manner (Viz)

I give and bequeath to my son Jessee Lee the sum of one hundred Dollars,

Item; I give unto Daniel Drinkwater one Dollar,

Item; I give unto my grand son John Drinkwater one hundred Dollars and one gun,

Item; I give unto my Grand Daughter Keziah Drinkwater one Hundred Dollars, and to Elizabeth Drinkwater I give one negroe girl named Ester and fifty Dollars in money,

Item; My will and desire is that my negroe girl Charity to labour for my Daughter Obedience Sterling during her natural life and after her death my will and desire further is that said girl should then belong to the rest of my children that is now living to be sold and the money Equally divided or as they may otherwise agree.

Item; I give and bequeath to my Daughter Sarah Pope one negroe girl named Ginnah to will and dispose of as she pleases.

Item; I give unto my grand son Felix Loe the plantation whereon I now live and the land belonging to it the Legacies before mentioned my will and desire it shall be paid up after my death and not before. Except the one given to Sarah Pope and the one lent to Obedience Sterling which two my desire is should remain in their possession from this time agreeable to the dictates of this will, all the reminder of my property which I am now, or may be possessed with at my death my will and desire is should be sold and the money Equally divided amongst all my children that is now living Except my Daughter Obedience Sterling to whom I give one Dollar and no more-I appoint my son Benjamin Lee and Joseph Lee my Executors to this my last will and Testament

In witness whereof I do hereunto set my hand and seal this 23 day of June 1806 in presence of Test Wiley Barnes, Test Joshua Pitman. Jesse Lee, Senr. (Seal). Robeson County August Term 1816: This will was proved in open Court by the oath of Wiley Barnes and ordered to be registered. C. J. McQueen D C

For thought: Obviously Jesse Lee, Senior was a wealthy man and unfortunately a slave owner. Slavery was a grave national sin; not just a Southern sin. Before the Civil War, there was a growing antislavery movement in the South, and many Southerners believed slavery was eventually on its way out. The Civil War hastened its exit. The thought of slavery is so horrible; it’s hard to believe it once existed in America. Every race can trace back to a time where they were slaves; hopefully that will be no more.

Before legal slavery in the American colonies, it was common for individuals to sign a contract of indenture to get passage to the New World. Once these contracts were satisfied, the indentured servant was freed. Strictly speaking, indentured servants were not slaves, but in reality there was often very little difference until the contract was fulfilled and the servant was given his or her freedom.

In 1787, Thomas Jefferson proposed a law to abolish slavery, but it failed to pass Congress by just one vote! Jefferson himself owned hundreds of slaves; strangely enough, despite his proposing to Congress a law to abolish slavery, he never freed any of the slaves he owned. Abraham Lincoln is credited by many with freeing the slaves via his Emancipation Proclamation in 1863; however the proclamation only applied to the slave states that had succeeded from the Union and were part of the Confederacy. Lincoln had no authority in these states except in areas where the Union Army occupied. So in effect, the Emancipation Proclamation was a political move that did little to help the slaves, but it provided a moral reason to continue the War. Slave states that did not succeed from the Union, like Maryland and Kentucky, were not required to abolish slavery by Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, because Constitutionally President Lincoln had no authority to end slavery anywhere in the United States. Slavery became illegal via the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which went into effect in December of 1865, well after the end of the Civil War and months after Lincoln’s death.

Some Northerners contributed to the slave trade. Wealthy Northern sea merchants owned slave ships that sailed to Africa, acquired slaves, and transported them cruelly back to the New World. Even Africans were not totally innocent. Tribes in Africa would sometimes conquer other tribes and take the captives to white slave traders on the coast where they were traded or sold. Therefore often the start of slavery for an individual born in Africa came from being captured by other tribes of his or her own race. But before the slave trade became common, captured tribes were often tortured and slaughtered by the conquering tribes, so to many, the idea of slavery was “more humane.” Of course to the enslaved, death was sometimes a better option.

An Angolan African named Anthony has a unique place in American Colonial history. For some time Anthony was an indentured servant. (Anthony later named himself Anthony Johnson.) After he worked out his indenture and was freed, he himself obtained an indentured servant named John Cason, who was also a black African. In 1654, Anthony got a Virginia court to agree that John Cason was his for life, and this ruling technically established slavery in the colonies.

Prior to this court ruling, no one in American owned another individual for life. Thus the first slave owner in the American Colonies was Anthony Johnson, who was a black man, and he owned another black man, John Cason.

Generation 3: Zachariah T. Lee 1745~1784

Zachariah Lee, my 4th Great grandfather, was born in about 1745 in Bertie or Edgecombe County, North Carolina. Edgecombe County was formed from part of Bertie County in 1841 and that’s the source of confusion about his birth county.

Zachariah is the sixth child of Joshua and Mary Lee. He grew up on his father’s farm. The family migrated from Bertie County to Duplin County in about 1760.

Zachariah Lee married Lucy Farmer on October 11, 1763 in Edgecombe County. Lucy was born about 1745 in Halifax County, North Carolina. They both were about 18-years old.

Zachariah Lee and Lucy Farmer are my 4th Great grandparents. Lucy’s parents are Isaac Farmer and Elizabeth Bryant Braswell.

Isaac Farmer and Elizabeth Bryant Braswell are my 5th Great grandparents.

Elizabeth is the daughter of Richard Braswell and Elizabeth Bryant.

Richard and Elizabeth Braswell are my 6th Great grandparents.

Lucy’s ancestors were among the very first English settlers to come to America. Therefore her Lee children’s descendants can make the same statement!

Sometime after February 1770, probably before 1772, Zachariah and Lucy migrated to Bladen County, North Carolina in the area that became Robeson County; as did a large number of the Lee family.

A land document from 1784 notes that Lucy Lee, a widow, owned 1,549 acres of land in the Capt Regan’s District of Bladen County, North Carolina.

Because of this note, it is assumed that Zachariah died at the relatively young age of about 39 in about or before the year 1784.

Zachariah was probably well off to own that much land. Some family stories suggest that he was killed by a Tory; Tories were individuals that did not support the American Revolution against England.

From land transaction recorded it can be shown that Lucy Lee was living in February 1801. Lucy’s death date is cited as sometime after February 1801. She does not show up in the 1810 census.

Children of Zachariah and Lucy Farmer:

1. Jesse Lee (was under the age of 21 in the 1786 Bladen County, North Carolina Census) 2. Everett Lee, born ~1771 in Bladen County, North Carolina. 3. Samuel Jefferson Lee, Sr., born in 1772 in Bladen County, North Carolina. 4. Unknown son. 5. Hester Lee, born in 1776 in Bladen County, North Carolina. (daughter) 6. William Lee, born 1778 in Bladen County, North Carolina.

Generation 4: Samuel Jefferson Lee, Senior December 25, 1772~1846

Via DNA testing, Samuel Lee is my 3rd Great grandfather.

Samuel was born in a Bladen County area that later became part of Robeson County, thus he was said to be from Robeson County, North Carolina.

Samuel grew up on his father’s farm in Robeson County. Sam was about 12-years old when his father died. At about 18 years old, it is believed that Samuel is enumerated in his mother’s household in the 1790 Robeson County Census. (This was the first federal census for the young United States.) Samuel, it appears, would leave home soon, however.

In about 1790, Sam reportedly married Lucy Ann Bunn. Some genealogists do not report this marriage to Lucy; some do. The genealogists that do state the couple had several boys. Lucy died sometime in the 1790s. He may or may not have migrated to South Carolina sometime before or after Lucy’s death.

Conflicting data exist pertaining to his second marriage.

Samuel married a second time to my 3rd Great grandmother whose first name is Sarah.

Some sources say Samuel married Sarah Shay in Georgetown District, South Carolina in 1797.

Some sources say he married Sarah Shay in North Carolina. (This is the same woman but a different marriage place and perhaps a different marriage year depending on the source.)

Still other sources stated that Samuel married Sarah Burns in Williamsburg, South Carolina in 1792.

However, Sarah Shay and Sarah Burns might be the same woman. In fact I found one source on the Internet that said her name was Sarah Shay Burns. The internet source4 indicated that she was married previously before Sam, and her maiden name was Shay. It said she was the widow of a man named Burns.5 If true, this still does not explain the different reported marriage years or places, however.

The only thing I seem to be very confident about is that my 3rd Great grandma’s first name is Sarah and her last name after her marriage to my 3rd Great grandpa Samuel, is Lee!

In the 1880 Federal Wayne County Census, Samuel and Sarah’s son Robeson Lee reported that his parents were both born in North Carolina. Therefore, I logically conclude Sarah was born in North Carolina.

Samuel, Sarah, and their older children were among the very first white settlers in Wayne County, Mississippi.

4 This internet site has been taken down, thus I cannot retrieve a source citation (a link) for it. 5 Sarah may have been about 15-years old when she married Sam Lee. If Sarah was a widow, her first marriage must have been brief, and there is no record that she and Mr. Burns had children.

Three stories exist concerning Samuel and Sarah’s migration from the Carolinas to Wayne County, Mississippi. I had great fun researching history trying to validate the details in each story. While I did find some details suspect in all of them, I was unable to rule any of them out. They are entertaining.

The first story was given to me directly by my William Luther Lee. The story was passed down to Luther by elderly Lees. Luther is my 2nd cousin once removed. Samuel Lee is Luther’s 2nd Great grandfather.

Samuel Lee and Sarah Burns and about six children left South Carolina by boat landing in Bay St. Louis in about 1805. Samuel had to have been very wealthy to come to Mississippi Territory by boat.

The family was crossing the Chickasawhay River near present day Waynesboro and one of the children died by drowning. They buried the child on the river bank. For this story, it seems that the family was not intending to stop and settle in Wayne County initially. I am not sure where their intended destination was. The reason I believe the family was in transient when the tragedy occurred is because the story states that the next day, Sarah was so broken hearted that she refused to leave the child behind, so Samuel staked out what would become the Lee Plantation.

The second story was given to me by my 3rd cousins, Charles Lewis and parts of it by Dr. Ed Smith. Charles and Ed got the story from their grandmother, Tommie (Campbell) Lewis.

Samuel is Tommie’s maternal Great grandfather. Tommie’s mother grew up on the Lee Plantation.

Samuel, Sarah Shay and about ten children migrated overland from North Carolina to Wayne County, Mississippi sometime in the early 1800’s. While the exact year the family entered into Wayne County is not known, we know that Samuel and Sarah’s younger children were born in Wayne County; the youngest in 1818. Some data suggest the family came into Wayne County in about 1804/1805 while other data suggest the family came into Wayne County in about 1812/1813.

In this story, the family was on their way to meet up with Samuel’s brother Everett near Natchez where Everett had set up, or was about to set up, a plantation for them all. As the family was fording the Chickasawhay River just north of present day Waynesboro, one of the children died (perhaps more than one child; it was not clear if the cause of death was drowning in this story, but I kind of assume so).

The child was buried under a magnolia tree near the banks of the river. The next day Sarah refused to continue on, therefore Samuel set up the Lee Plantation.

The third story came from an unknown Internet source that has long since been removed from the Internet. That does not automatically discount its validity; however, it is a “buyers beware” kind of situation. In fact I suppose all three of these stories have uncertainty with respect to some of the details. Some family members are aware of this story and believe it to be true, however.

Samuel, Sarah Burns and a number of their children migrated from South Carolina to the Mississippi Gulf Coast sometime in the early 1800s. As the family crossed the Chickasawhay River near Waynesboro, one of the children drowned.

Samuel and Sarah buried the child next to the river. Sarah refused to continue on to the Gulf Coast so Samuel staked out what would become the Lee Plantation.

All three stories agree the Samuel and Sarah lost a child crossing the Chickasawhay River. . They disagree on how the family got to Wayne County. . Two stories agree that Sarah’s last name is Burns. . Two stories seem to agree that the family migrated overland. . Two stories agree that the family came from South Carolina to Wayne County. . All the stories agree upon the family’s life style once at the Lee Plantation. . All the stories disagree about Samuel later in life and where he eventually ended up.

Once at the Lee Plantation, all three stories “converge” and agree that:

Samuel was wealthy and built a ferry and would put people off coming West on the other side of Yellow Creek. Samuel built a whiskey still. Samuel was fond of horses and built a race track. People would come from miles around to participate in and watch the races.

Samuel was prosperous, had a lot of land and Negro slaves to work it. He had a good many acres in apples and other fruits and a winery where he made the wine and cider he sold in the store he built on the limestone bluff by the river to the people he put across on his ferry.

Two stories; Luther’s and the third source; do not mention what happened to Sarah.

However, Tommie Lewis’s story states; Sarah died on December 18, 1818. She was buried beside the child (or children) that had died when the family first crossed the Chickasawhay River. The date 12/18/1818 was carved on the magnolia tree which stood over their graves.

Obviously I do not know which story, if any, is correct about how the family got to Wayne County. Only thing for sure is that very few white settlers were there before them. The family was in Mississippi before it became a state. But before I continue with the family stories, let me give you the following.

It was stated that Samuel was very wealthy and owned a lot of land. This seems to be true. The first records of my 3rd Great grandpa Sam Lee in Mississippi that I know of can be found in an 1818 Lawrence County land transaction where he purchased 150 acres for $2.25 per acre.6 In 1823 he paid taxes on 393 acres of land on the Chickasawhay River in Wayne County. According to tax records, the land was worth $886.00. The average salary for a farm worker in Mississippi back then was less than $120.00 a year. Thus Samuel’s properties were substantial then and would be worth millions today.

I can be relatively certain that Samuel and his family were among the first white settlers in Wayne County because before 1810 only a few whites lived in the entire Mississippi Territory; Natchez and St. Stephens were the only two real settlements. However, there was an explosion of white settlers in South Mississippi, especially after the War of 1812. Because of the emergence of cotton as a cash crop, by 1820, there were over 230,000 immigrants, both black and white, that were living in the states of Alabama and Mississippi.7 Most settlers came pouring in after the Creek Indian War of 1813-14 ended because travel from Georgia to Mississippi became much safer.

6 A portion of Lawrence County was once part of Wayne County. Marion County was created on 9 Dec 1811 from parts of Wayne County; and Lawrence County was created on 22 Dec 1814 from Marion County. 7 Beverly Whitaker, Genealogy Tutor; copyright 2006.

Now we come to a point where Samuel’s story takes a twist… this section for Samuel Lee actually gives me the opportunity to discuss another set of my 3rd Great grandparents; Dr. John Asbury West and Martha Patricia “Patsy” Overstreet. To me discovering the following information was very interesting and fun. The following is oral family history; there is some supporting documentation for it, however.

Another of my 3rd Great grandfathers, Dr. John Asbury West was from Ireland. He too was married three times. His first wife, Margaret, and an infant child died coming over to America and were buried at sea. I do not know if the cause of these deaths were from childbirth; but some have assumed that. Soon after he arrived in America, he married a woman named Rebecca; perhaps she was from Georgia.

Probably soon after their marriage, Dr. John West is found on a document dated 9/23/1810 where he and his wife (Rebecca) and four children were granted a pass from Twiggs County, Georgia through the Creek Nation to Mississippi. John then shows up in an 1811 Wayne County Tax list proving that he made the trip sometime during 1810-1811 timeframe. The part of Wayne County that Dr. West settled in later broke off and became Greene County. He too was among Wayne County’s first white settlers.

It is assumed that Rebecca West died sometime before 1823, because in about 1823, Dr West married a third time to my 3rd Great grandmother, Martha Patricia “Patsy” Overstreet.

Patsy was born in 1802 in Georgia. Her parents, John Overstreet and Catherine Carr are my 4th Great grandparents. It is thought they migrated from Georgia to Wayne County in about 1819. Dr West was about 30-years older than Patsy. Dr West had a number of children by his first two marriages; therefore Patsy instantly became a mother to Dr West’s children. Later, Patsy and Dr West had 5- children of their own.

One of their children, Catherine “Katie” West is my 2nd Great grandmother. Katie was born in about 1830.

John and Patsy lived in Greene County.

Two of Samuel and Sarah Lee’s daughters married Overstreet 1st cousins. Betty “Anzeby” Lee married Daniel Madison Overstreet and Lucy Catherine Lee married Braswell Overstreet, Jr. Daniel Overstreet is a younger brother of Patsy (Overstreet) West.

After Dr West died in early 1835, Daniel and Braswell, Jr. built a cabin near Samuel Lee’s homestead in Wayne County and moved Patsy and about 10-children from Greene County there. Patsy’s ten children were children that she had with Dr. West and children that Dr West had with his previous two wives.

Soon as Patsy moved in “next door,” Samuel took notice of her. They were married later in 1835. 

Samuel, like Dr. West, was about 30-years older than Patsy. She must have liked older men! 

Patsy, who would become my 3rd Great grandmother through her daughter Catherine “Katie West” then would become my 3rd Great step grandmother through Samuel’s son Robeson “Robert” Lee!

Patsy was married to two of my 3rd Great grandfathers! 

Patsy and Samuel had four children.

Because of the children that Dr. John West had with his two previous wives, the children Patsy had with Dr West, and the children she had with Samuel Lee, and the children Samuel had with his previous wives, it was said that Patsy mothered about 30-children in her lifetime! WOW!!!

Different stories exist about what happened to Samuel late in his life. They are from the same sources stated above.

The first story (from Cousin Luther): Sam eventually left the Lee Plantation and settled in the Columbia area to be near a brother and other family members that had left the Carolinas and settled there.

One day, Samuel told his youngest son, Rob that if he wanted the old Lee Plantation to pick out a horse and ride back and claim it; and that is exactly what Rob did.

Samuel died in Wayne County, Mississippi and is buried in an unknown grave near Columbia.

There is one part of this old family story passed down to Luther that is troublesome to me. While it is true that Wayne County was once much larger than it is today and at one time Columbia, Mississippi was within its boundaries, by 1811 Marion County was formed out of Wayne County and Columbia was from that time on, in Marion County. I found census data that show that Samuel was living in Wayne County in 1840, and a tax record that shows him still there in 1841. Thus if Samuel was buried near Columbia (and we know for sure that he died sometime after 1841), he would not be in an unknown grave in Wayne County, but perhaps in an unknown grave in Marion County.

I don’t think Luther’s story is implying the following but perhaps…strictly speaking, Luther’s story says Samuel died in Wayne County but is buried near Columbia. Perhaps Samuel actually died while he was in Wayne County (perhaps visiting, etc.) but his body was buried near Columbia; as Samuel did have a large number of kin folks, many cousins and perhaps a brother, living in Marion County at the time of Samuel’s death. Perhaps Samuel was buried near to where his family had settled in Marion County.

But a better explanation is; I found that there was another Samuel Lee living in/near Columbia in Marion County. This Samuel Lee may have even been my 3rd Great grandpa Samuel’s near or distant cousin. He was from Barnwell County, South Carolina. He applied for a passport to travel through the Creek Indian Nation in 1810. This other Samuel Lee died on July 5, 1831 and was in fact buried in/near Columbia. Perhaps the two Samuel Lee’s get mixed up with respect to my 3rd Great grandpa Samuel’s gravesite.

To confuse things even more, there is even another story that my Samuel left the Lee Plantation and moved to Hancock County, Mississippi, married yet another woman, Nancy George, and had even more children.  There is a Samuel Lee that was from North Carolina that shows up in the 1850 Hancock Census. I think he is not my 3rd great grandfather as the ages his children in that household suggests that they were conceived in the 1830s; and my 3rd Great grandfather was making babies with Patsy in far away Wayne County then! Also the Hancock County Samuel Lee was perhaps 10-years younger than my 3rd Great grandfather.

The second story (from Cousin Tommie Lewis): In about 1845, Samuel deeded the Lee Plantation to his son Robeson (Robert or Rob), packed up his goods, and with his wife Patsy and some of Patsy’s kin, took off to seek out the “promised land” in Texas.

After Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836, large tracks of land were being granted to anyone who would settle them. Perhaps Samuel wanted some free land! Even where you had to pay; land in Texas was very cheap. Texas became a state in Dec 1845; so Samuel may have taken off before Texas statehood. I found in some historical documents that Texas was known to many settlers at that time to be the “Land of Promise.” So Tommie’s description of the event matches history.

Rob and some of his older sisters stayed behind on the Lee Plantation. The older brothers went on to Texas with Samuel.

Sometime after Samuel’s crew crossed the Mississippi River into Louisiana, Samuel decided to leave Patsy, the younger children and livestock behind and go on with his older sons to find Texas land.

Some of Samuel’s sons eventually settled in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana which is about where Samuel left Patsy and the young ones; perhaps Samuel left Patsy with one of these sons—perhaps not.

Samuel’s intent was to find land and come back and get everyone he had left behind in Louisiana and return to Texas with them all for good.

Perhaps Patsy may have given up waiting for Samuel to return, or perhaps she may have taken off right after Samuel and his sons got out of sight, but whatever, she gathered her crew and the livestock and headed back to Wayne County. It was said by some that she did not want to go out to Texas in the first place and she saw an opportunity to come back home.

Once Patsy got back to Wayne County she moved into an abandoned log cabin and raised her West and Lee children there. (Recall the Lee Plantation had been given to her stepson Rob.) The cabin was left abandoned by a “fiddle footer” (a wanderer) who it was said to have himself taken off for Texas. Patsy’s cabin was said to have about 7-miles west of the Lee plantation. One of Patsy’s daughters that accompanied her on this trip was Catherine “Katie” West. Katie was about 15-years old.

Once Samuel found good Texas land and went back to Louisiana to get Patsy and the ones he left behind, he found Patsy gone. Samuel figured that she’d gone back to Wayne County so he headed east to Wayne County with the intent of getting them all and returning with everyone back to Texas.

However, once back at the plantation Samuel could not get anyone to return to Texas with him. It was said the he even threaten to use force, but he didn’t.

It was said that by the time he’d returned to Wayne County that winter sat in so he rode out the winter at the Old Lee Plantation with his son Rob. Where is his wife Patsy? 

Tommie Lewis was not sure what happened to Sam after that.

Tommie however recalled a story told by some that when spring came, Samuel took off to Texas again promising that once he finished setting up a Homesite he’d return to get everyone.

He never made it back.

Tommie thought that perhaps Samuel made it back to Texas and died and is buried there.

Wow! Samuel would have been over 73-years old in the spring of 1846. If he made these trips to Texas and back at that age, he was amazing; he must have been in very good health. We are talking about a month and a half one way trip of four-to-five hundred miles in the summer heat riding a horse and/or walking!

Charles Lewis has found documentation of a Samuel Lee living in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. Charles believes that Samuel left the plantation and ended up with his older sons that had settled in Catahoula Parish. Charles now believes Samuel died and is buried there.

It is interesting that Catahoula Parish had a trail through it that would have facilitated travel from Wayne County across Mississippi and Louisiana and on out to Texas.

o Since Samuel’s gravesite is unknown, there is no way to tell for sure where Samuel eventually ended up.

Tommie Lewis thought that Patsy lived out the rest of her life in that once abandoned cabin she claimed after returning from Louisiana. Tommie also thought that Patsy finished raising her West and Lee children there. This is important information to me with respect to a later mystery about her that I will now address.

My audit trail for Patsy ends with an 1845 Wayne County tax record that shows Martha Lee with 4 males and 3 females living at the Lee Plantation.

Samuel is missing from the household for this census; was he already gone? Thought he took Patsy with him in 1845? No matter…dates about events that long ago can get confused in time as the stories get passed down one generation to the next.

It is very strange that the Lee children that Patsy had with Samuel show up in the 1850 Federal Wayne County Census in the household of Stephen West. Stephen West is the son of Dr. John West and Patsy. Steve is only 20-years old (but married) in 1850.

What is really strange is that Samuel and Patsy’s children in the 1850 census show up with the last name “West” not “Lee.”

Why would Patsy, if living, abandoned her Lee children and why would the childrens’ last name be changed?

There is a Martha West, age 42, born in Georgia living in her own household alone in the 1850 Wayne County Federal Census. After Samuel Lee died or moved away, did Grandma Patsy revert back to using

19 the last name of her first husband, John West? The birth state (Georgia) for this Martha West matches the birth state for Grandma Patsy, but the 1850 Martha West would be about 6-years younger than Grandma Patsy if the Overstreet data are correct for Grandma Patsy’s birth year (1802). It is not uncommon for census data for an individual to be different, sometimes several years different, on different censuses, but the six-year difference here is suspect to me. The fact the age difference exists by itself proves nothing one way or the other, however, I “trust” the Overstreet data more on this issue.

Therefore, because of the age difference, I am not sure the Martha West in the 1850 census is my 3rd Great grandma Patsy, but some family researches think they are.

If she is, then she’s dropped the last name Lee and took back the last name of her first husband John West. And she, or someone, has changed her Lee childrens’ last name from Lee to West also. And she has abandoned her Lee children. Why?

As I previously stated, Tommie Lewis in one of her letters to a grandson wrote that she thought that Patsy lived out her life in a log cabin that was seven miles from the Lee Plantation, and raised her West and Lee children there. However, Tommie did not know how long Patsy lived after Patsy came back from Louisiana.

I wonder, could Grandma Patsy have died before 1850 and her Lee children taken in by their half brother Stephen West? But if so, why was the Lee children’s last name changed? In 1850, they were old enough to know they were Lees. It seems senseless to change their last name in between 1846 and 1850; for any reason!

I also wonder, did the census worker just assume that the children in the Stephen West household had the last name West when he or she took down the data for the West household? Surely the census worker could see that the children were too old to be Stephen’s as the oldest Lee child was a teenager and Stephen West was only about 20-years old himself. However, from examining lots of old census data, I found a lot of boneheaded mistakes made by someone with respect to names, birth dates, birth places, etc. Perhaps some of the data that’s wrong were given to the census workers, but it is obvious to me that some census workers did not know how to spell and/or did not really care how accurate their inputs were. Could the Lee childrens’ last name (West) just be a mistake in the census data?

What happened to Grandma Patsy after 1845?

This is a real mystery.

I am unable to verify where Patsy is buried or when she died.

The third story (from the unknown Internet source): Samuel lived out his life at the Lee Plantation and died there. He is buried in an unknown grave near Waynesboro, Mississippi.

This story suggests that Samuel NEVER permanently left the Lee Plantation, and he died there. Many elderly Lees in the family thought this is true.

I think this story is unlikely, but I cannot say absolutely one way or the other. After all, I was not there!

Back in about 1969, my Grandfather, Gerod Clifton Lee, Senior, told me a story about “Old Sam Lee.” Grandpa said that Sam’s people came from Virginia and eventually made their way down to Wayne County. Grandpa said that Sam left Wayne County and went out to Texas. Samuel later returned literally carrying his youngest son in his arms. Grandpa ended this short story saying to me “And this is where we Lees came from.”

With the multiple stories about Samuel going to Texas and returning to Wayne County, I am convinced he did indeed do that. When or how many times he took the trip; I don’t know. Grandpa’s short story suggests Samuel went out there and returned as a fairly young man. I think I recall Grandpa saying that Samuel died in Waynesboro. I am pretty sure that Grandpa was not certain of some of the details of the story; but obviously Grandpa was aware of his ancestor Sam Lee. However, Grandpa did not know that Samuel was his great grandfather.

This document photocopied below was given to me by my cousin Luther Lee in September 2007. He had orally told me this story almost word for word months earlier in his home. I think he got the document from Sherry (Lee) Parker; my 3rd cousin. She may in turn have gotten it from someone else. It summarizes a story that has been in the Lee family for a very long time.

This document states that Samuel moved elsewhere in Wayne County when he left the Lee Plantation. It accurately states that Wayne County was much bigger at one time than it is today. Wayne County was established in 1809, and it went from what is now the Alabama-Mississippi state line, which was its eastern border, to the Pearl River and included what is now Greene, Covington, Jones, Perry, Lamar and portions of Lawrence and Marion counties. However it was not long after Wayne County was created that it started being broken up to form other counties. Marion County was created in 1811. By 1820, Wayne County was about like it is today.

The 1820 Federal Wayne County Census, which was the first Federal Census for Mississippi after becoming a state, shows Samuel Lee and his children living at the Old Lee Plantation. In fact, Census/tax data show that my 3rd Great grandpa Samuel was living in Wayne County at the Lee Plantation up until 1841.

Some family documents say Samuel is buried in Wayne County near Columbia because they believe Columbia was in Wayne County when he moved there and later died. However, after 1811, Columbia was in Marion County. Samuel was certainly living past the year 1841 at the Old Lee Plantation in Wayne County.

My research showed me that all three of the stories about the family’s migration from the Carolinas to Wayne County, Mississippi were possible. Travel by boat would have required great wealth, which Samuel apparently had. If the family came into Mississippi in 1805, travel by boat as Luther’s story describes is likely the safest way possible.

The overland route that was described in Tommie Lewis’ story is historically accurate too.

The U.S. Government entered into a treaty with the Creek and Seminole Indian nations that established a “secure corridor” for the white settlers to pass though going out west from Georgia. The route was known as the Federal Post Road, but was referred to by travelers as “The Horse Path.” It was initially built to transport mail from Washington, DC to isolated New Orleans. Congress appropriated funds for its construction in 1806. This route was used by the settlers to travel without a military escort.

Because of this treaty, the government required that settlers obtain a passport so that there would be a record of those traveling into Mississippi Territory. Thus if some of the “renegade Indians” raided the whites passing through the corridor, the government had a record of the white settlers that went in and those that came out, and therefore an idea of those that went missing; and the government would hold the Indians accountable.

The odds are great that if anyone can trace their ancestry migrations from the east (Georgia) to Alabama or Mississippi overland from 1806 to sometime after 1814, their ancestors likely set foot on the Federal Road. Settlers had to stay on the road to be safe; if they didn’t, they could be killed by the Indians. There were even specified outposts for overnight stops along the trail; the settlers had to use these to ensure their safety. By treaty, these outposts, called “houses of entertainment,” were set up and run by the Creek Indians!

The Federal Road was through virgin forest as the Creek Indians did not allow any timber to be cut along the path; the pathway could be cleared of any fallen trees across it, but nothing more.

It was said that from 1806 to 1811, the Federal Road was only about 4-feet wide because as stated, it was constructed primarily for horseback mail carriers. Thus it took on the name “the Horse Path.” The “road” was described as narrow path with numerous rivers and streams. Fording the streams and rivers was very difficult. In a few places makeshift bridges were put in place but were not very good. Because the Indians did not allow for any timber to be cut down other than for clearing the pathway of fallen trees and debris; building bridges was not always an option.

Travelers would often forsake their wagons and most or all of their household goods along the way especially when fording or crossing the many rivers and streams.

In 1811 there was fear of a war with Great Britain looming, so the road was widened in some places not to exceed 16-feet for military wagons, cannons, and etc. This widening allowed wagon travel, but it also was a source of intense tensions with the Creeks. Some believed that these tensions were a major

23 cause of the Creek Indian War of 1813-14.8 The tensions with the Indians and the resulting war no doubt discouraged civilian travel until the conflict was over.

I found recorded in the “Early Times in Wayne County” by Jesse M. Wilkins that immigrants in April 1811 had to abandon their wagons at the Chattahoochee River because there was no bridge to cross. The article also stated that the Creek Indians would not allow any trees to be cut in their territory; which supports my earlier comments that I found in other sources. Really tough people made the trip.

The Creek War ended with the Treaty of Fort Jackson in 1814. General Andrew Jackson got the Indians to cede a large section of southern Georgia and a bigger section of Alabama to the United States. This eventually ended the threat of Indian attacks by the Creeks on the Federal Road.

The Lee family certainly could have migrated overland. My 3rd Great grandpa Dr. John West made the trip with his wife and four children sometime in the 1810-1811 timeframe. Obviously, Sam Lee’s family may have made the trip too.

Records show a Samuel Lee did apply for a passport in 1808 and 1810. It is not known if my 3rd great grandfather was the Samuel Lee that applied. However, I’m now almost certain my 3rd Great grandfather Samuel Lee did not apply in 1810, but I cannot absolutely say for sure. I found a document stating that the 1810 application was for a Samuel Lee that settled in Marion County; I mentioned him previously. The document was written by one of that Samuel Lee’s descendents.

By just observing the map, if Samuel was going overland from Georgia to Natchez, Mississippi, as the Lewis version states, then going through Wayne County could have been a direct route to travel. They would have used the Federal Road or Horse Path for much of their journey. It is very likely that the Samuel Lee family would have had to ford the Chickasawhay River near present day Waynesboro.

I still ponder this…and yes I’m twisting things somewhat. Before 1814, the Creek Indians in Georgia and Alabama were troublesome for the white immigrants; at times a serious threat. However, I found historical writings stating that the Choctaw Indians in South Mississippi (Wayne County) seemed to want to get along with the white settlers at that time. So traveling from South (or North) Carolina by boat to Bay St Louis would have avoided the Creeks totally. The Choctaw Indians would most likely not pose a serious threat to the Lee family once they were in South Mississippi. The history of that time suggests that the family could have made this trip in 1805.

What I’m speculating is that the family could have traveled from the Carolinas to the Mississippi Gulf Coast by boat. The Pascagoula River empties into the Gulf of Mexico just a short distance east of Bay St. Louis. The Pascagoula River is formed at the intersection of the Chickasawhay and Leaf Rivers in northwest George County. If you go up the Pascagoula River and then up the Chickasawhay River, you come into Wayne County and to the Lee Plantation area.

While the rivers are winding, they do provide a pathway from the Mississippi Gulf Coast to Wayne County; and the Indians used it as such. Perhaps there was some kind of trail that shadowed the rivers

8 Some cite the Greek Indian War of 1813-14 to be the same as the War of 1812.

24 that could have been used to go from the Gulf Coast to Wayne County. Therefore, once at Bay St. Louis, perhaps Sam Lee’s family travelled north along the rivers, perhaps by covered wagon to present day Wayne County. Once in Wayne County, the family could have intended to turn west and continue on, perhaps to Natchez. There was a trail from Wayne County to Natchez that would have facilitated this possibility. This would have avoided the dangerous Creek Indians completely. This possible scenario would agree with both Luther and Tommie’s stories somewhat and would explain some of the differences and similarities between them.

The Lewis story is very possible and a perfect match with respect to geography for overland travel.

The Luther Lee story is possible too.

Now I turn my attention to Samuel’s families. Just let the following sink in:

Samuel fathered at least 23-children with his three wives; I found one source that suggests he fathered 24-children.

Samuel certainly did his part in populating areas that would become the states Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas!

There could have been more! Samuel was single for 17-years in between the death of his second wife Sarah and his marriage to his third wife Patsy (Overstreet) West!

Can you imagine how many children he could have fathered had he been married to a fertile woman those 17 years!

My 3rd Great grandpa Samuel was good for something! 

I stated previously that my Grandfather Gerod Lee was aware of his ancestor Sam Lee. However per my Grandmother Estelle (Busby) Lee, my Grandpa Gerod did not know that Samuel Lee was his great grandfather, and in fact they incorrectly thought his great grandfather was someone else. Grandpa only knew that Sam Lee was in the lineage somehow. This is one reason that I am providing the following lists of Samuel Lee’s children; so other family members can trace their lineage back as accurately as possible. If for not other reason, I hope this document survives for future Lee generations.

The following are lists of Samuel’s children from multiple sources. There is a discrepancy in the birth dates and birth places for the children in the next several lists. I think researchers have a difficult time tracing my 3rd Great grandpa Samuel back to the Carolinas because of the multiple Samuel Lees that lived at about the same time in both North and South Carolina. Remarkably, the children’s names are fairly constant; and the names are more important than the approximated birth dates and birth places (not all are approximated).

Some lists have a few different names. I cannot tell which data set is correct so I present them all. I’m very sure an Internet search could yield even more lists!

The following are to me the most likely to be closely correct.

Children of Samuel Jefferson Lee, Sr. and Lucy Ann Bunn: This is the most inclusive list because it 1. Elijah Lee, born in North Carolina shows the names of children from all 2. William S. Lee, born in North Carolina 3. Ruben Lee, born in North Carolina three of Sam’s marriages. I would be 4. John Riley Lee, born in North Carolina surprised if it’s 100% correct, however.

Children of Samuel Jefferson Lee, Sr. and Sarah (Shay) Burns:9

1. Jacob D. Lee, born ~1800 in Barnwell County, South Carolina 2. Zachariah Lee, born ~1801 in Barnwell County, South Carolina 3. Elizabeth Lee, born ~1802 in Barnwell County, South Carolina10 4. Bryant Lee, born ~1803 in Barnwell County, South Carolina 5. Samuel Lee, Jr., born ~1806 in Barnwell County, South Carolina 6. Elder Lee, born ~1807 in Barnwell County, South Carolina 7. Clara Lee, born ~1808 in Barnwell County, South Carolina 8. Lucy Catherine Lee, born June 19, 1809 in Barnwell County, South Carolina 9. Clarissa Jane Lee, born ~1811 in Barnwell County, South Carolina 10. Nathan Lee, born ~1812 in Barnwell County, South Carolina 11. Betty “Anzeby” Lee, born 1813 in Wayne County, Mississippi11 12. Uriah Lee, born 1815 in Wayne County, Mississippi 13. Lillie Lee (twin with Tilpha Lee), born ~ 1816 in Wayne County, Mississippi 14. Tilpha Lee (twin with Lillie Lee), born ~ 1816 in Wayne County, Mississippi 15. Robeson Earl Lee, (twin with Eliza Lee) born April 6, 1818 in Wayne County, Mississippi 16. Eliza Lee, (twin with Robeson Lee) born April 6, 1818 in Wayne County, Mississippi

Children of Samuel Jefferson Lee, Sr. and Martha “Patsy” Overstreet:12

1. Jefferson Lee, born in 1836 in Wayne County, Mississippi 2. Washington “Billy” Lee, born 1838 in Wayne County, Mississippi 3. Rebecca Lee, born in 1841 in Wayne County, Mississippi 4. Samatha Lee, the Overstreet records show her as a daughter to Samuel and Patsy. The Charles Lewis websites do not list Samantha as a daughter.

We know there was a Samuel Lee that lived in Barnwell County, South Carolina. Some researchers believe he is my 3rd Great grandpa Sam. Marilyn Lane Sirmon, in her research for her book Descendants of Solomon Lee Sr., found a deed at the Barnwell County courthouse in which Samuel Lee sold part of his 500-acre estate to his “beloved nephew” Solomon Lee Jr which was dated 1808. I cannot be certain that his is my 3rd Great grandfather, however, because I cannot find that my Samuel Lee had a brother named Solomon. If the Barnwell County Samuel Lee is my 3rd Great grandfather, this list is a strong candidate to be accurate.

9 Some information is cited from a family Bible. Elizabeth and Samuel Jr. are not listed in the 1820 census. There was an “unknown female” in Samuel’s household in 1820 that was Elizabeth’s age and it could have been her. 10 Elizabeth Lee is also cited as the daughter of a Samuel Lee that settled in Marion County, Mississippi. 11 In this data set, Betty would be the first child born in Mississippi implying the family came into Wayne County between 1812 and 1813. Travel during this time would have been risky due to the War of 1812 and resulting conflicts with the Creek Indians. 12 Martha “Patsy” Overstreet was the widow of Dr. John West of Green County, Mississippi. I believe the list for Samuel and Patsy’s children above is correct per the Overstreet family data.

Second list I have for Samuel Lee: note the difference in the older childrens’ birth place.

Children of Samuel Lee and Sarah Burns:

1. Elijah Lee born 1794 in Williamsburg, SC; married Rachel Rogers, Dec 26, 1830 2. William Lee born 1797 3. Reuben Lee born 1798 4. John Riley Lee born 1800 5. Elizabeth Lee born 1802 in Williamsburg, SC; married John Lott, Feb 7, 1818 6. Bryant Lee born 1804 in Waynesboro, MS;13 died May 26, 1828; married Bellinda Wheeler 7. Samuel Lee Jr born 1806 8. Lucy Catherine Lee born 1810 9. Bette Lee born 1813 in Waynesboro, MS; married Jesse Crewford, Jul 3, 1939 10. Uriah Lee born 1815 11. Robert E Lee born Apr 6, 1817 in Waynesboro, MS; married Catherine West 12. Eliza Lee born 1818 in Waynesboro, MS; married Eldridge R. Applewhite 13. Polly Lee born 19 Jun 1819 in Waynesboro, MS; died 24 Sep 1897 in Waynesboro, MS.

The above list came from the unknown Internet source that gave the third story of Samuel Lee presented previously. I have seen this list used by other family members. I think it’s been “around” a long time.

The first four children on this list are the same as the children for Samuel and Lucy Bunn given on the previous list. Here they are listed as children of Sam and Sarah; perhaps the composer of this list did not know of Sam’s previous marriage but only knew about the first four Lee children.

The composer does not mention any children that Samuel had with Patsy Overstreet-West. Perhaps the composer was unaware of Samuel’s marriage to Patsy.

Elizabeth Lee is also cited as the daughter of a Samuel Lee that settled in Marion County, Mississippi. However, this is the second list I have for her as my Samuel’s daughter. Perhaps three were two Elizabeth Lees; one was the daughter of my Samuel and one was the daughter of the Marion County Samuel Lee.

This list implies that the family came into Wayne County between 1802 and 1804. That would closely match Luther Lee’s story that the family migrated to Wayne County in 1805.

According to my 2nd Great grandpa Robert’s headstone, he was born in 1818; not 1817. The day, April 6th is correct, however. Some sources say he was a twin to Eliza.

This is the only list that claims Polly Lee as a child of Samuel and Sarah. If Sarah died in 1818 as believed, then Polly was either NOT a child of Samuel and Sarah, or Polly’s birth date is incorrect. Also, Polly’s death date of Sep 24, 1897 means she died the day before her brother (my 2nd Great grandfather) Robert E. Lee. Grandpa Rob died Sep 25, 1897. There is just too much “iffy-ness” about this Polly Lee data for me to be sure she existed; but then again, I don’t know for sure.

Lucy Catherine (Lee) Overstreet’s headstone states she was born on June 19, 1809; not in 1810 as stated above, but that error is not significant. Her headstone states that she died October 25, 1877.

As of January 2014, this is the latest Charles Lewis list has for the children of Samuel Lee. It does not contain any names of children Sam allegedly had with Lucy Bunn, but only with wives Sarah and Patsy (Overstreet) West. This list has the following details.

If the name is preceded with “(B)”, then it was found in a family Bible. If the name is preceded with “(M)”, it was found in marriage records. If the name is preceded with “(C)”, it was found in the 1850 Wayne County Census, and if the name is preceded with “(U)”, it is unconfirmed but probable descendants of Samuel Lee.

Children with Sarah Shay:

1. (B) Zachariah Lee 1797 in North Carolina 2. (U) Willis Lee 1800 in North Carolina 3. (U) Jacob D. Lee 5/26/1801 in North Carolina 4. (B) Samuel Lee, Jr. 1802 in North Carolina 5. (B) Nathan Lee 1804 in North Carolina 6. (B) Lillie Lee (Twin) 1806 in North Carolina 7. (B) Zilpha Lee (Twin) 1806 in North Carolina 8. (M) Lucy Catherine Lee 6/19/1809 in North Carolina 9. (U) Cynthia Lee 1810 in North Carolina 10. (M) Betty “Anzeby”14 Lee 1811 in North Carolina 11. (B) Samantha Lee 7/16/1813 in Wayne County, Mississippi 12. (B) Elder Lee (Twin) 1814 in Wayne County, Mississippi 13. (B) Eleanor Lee (Twin) 1814 in Wayne County, Mississippi 14. (B) Clara Lee 1815 in Wayne County, Mississippi 15. (B) Clarissa Jane Lee 1816 in Wayne County, Mississippi 16. (B) Robeson “Rob” Lee 4/6/1818 in Wayne County, Mississippi

Children with Martha “Patsy” Overstreet:

1. (C) Jefferson Lee 1836 in Wayne County, Mississippi 2. (C) Washington “Billy” Lee 1838 in Wayne County, Mississippi 3. (C) Rebecca Lee 1841 in Wayne County, Mississippi

Missing from this list is the name of Elizabeth Lee. She is on several other lists as a daughter of my 3rd Great grandfather Sam. However, she is also cited as the daughter of another Samuel Lee that lived in Marion County. I suspect that Charles Lewis has come to the conclusion that she is not the daughter of our 3rd Great grandfather.

A descendant of Eliza Lee adamantly states that Robeson and Eliza are twins. Also, in an old document that Luther Lee gave to me, it states that Robeson and Eliza are twins. If so, then Eliza should have been included on this list; Charles Lewis was not sure that she should be.

Charles now believes all of Samuel and Sarah’s older children were born in North Carolina. In his earlier research, he had considered that they might have been born in South Carolina.

14 Also spelled “Angeby. ”One source stated that she was born ~1812 and was a twin to Samuel Jr.

Confirmed children of Samuel and Sarah Lee from all sources:

1. Zachariah Lee (Bible entry) 2. Samuel Lee, Junior (Bible entry) 3. Elder Lee (twin with Eleanor) (Bible entry) 4. Eleanor Lee (twin with Elder) (Bible entry) 5. Clara Lee (Bible entry) 6. Lucy Catherine Lee (Marriage record and my Great grandfather Phillip “Napper” Lee stated that she was his aunt) 7. Clarissa Jane Lee (Bible entry) 8. Nathan Lee (Bible entry) 9. Betty “Anzeby” Lee (Marriage record listed in the Overstreet lineage) 10. Samatha Lee (Bible entry) 11. Lillie Lee (twin with Tipha) (Bible entry) 12. Tipha Lee (twin with Lillie; sometimes spelled Zilpha) (Bible entry) 13. Robeson Earl Lee (Bible entry) And possibly: 14. Eliza Lee (family sources say she was a twin to Robeson)

I have some confidence about this list. I think it is close to being correct. I did not address any children that Samuel had with his first wife, Lucy. Researchers disagree about Sam’s marriage to Lucy. At this time, I assume it was true but I have no way of confirming it, so I left those children out.

On this list, I left out Elizabeth Lee as I had conflicting data as to who her father is. She may be a child of Samuel and Sarah. She would be a strong candidate to be added to this list.

There is some dispute about Eliza Lee being on this list; however a descendant of Eliza Lee stated that Eliza adamantly claimed that she was a twin to Robeson. Also, in an old family document that Luther gave me, it states that Robeson and Eliza are twins. But it is odd that the Lewis Family Bible data that records the birth date of Robeson Earl Lee would not have an entry for his twin sister Eliza. I suppose if the Bible entries were made by family members years later, the memory of Eliza could have been lost. Eliza would be a candidate to be taken off this list, but with more than one source indicating that she belongs, I left her on it.

I found documentation that Lucy Catherine, Betty “Anzeby”, Eliza and Robeson Earl are children of Samuel Lee and Sarah Shay in more than one credible source.

Confirmed children of Samuel Jefferson Lee, Sr. and Martha “Patsy” Overstreet:

The 1820 Federal Wayne County Census

Truncated photocopy of the 1820 Census

It is tricky, but in the 1820 census tabulated below, they counted one white male twice. He was counted in the 16-18 group and also in the 16-25 group. There should have been just one group from 16-25 with 2 males total. That explains why the total free white persons is 16; not 17.

The table below is the data given in the 1820 census.

Name: Samuel Lee Home in 1820 (City, County, State): Wayne, Mississippi Enumeration Date: August 7, 1820 Free White Persons - Males - Under 10: 3 Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 15: 1 Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 18: 1 Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25: 2 Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over: 1 Free White Persons - Females - Under 10: 6 Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15: 1 Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25: 1 Free White Persons - Females - 45 and over : 1 Number of Persons - Engaged in Agriculture: 1 All Other Persons Except Indians not Taxed: 17 Free White Persons - Under 16: 11 Free White Persons - Over 25: 2 Total Free White Persons: 16 Total All Persons - White, Slaves, Colored, Other: 33

Apparently Samuel had 17 slaves living on his plantation in 1820. There were 16 whites living in his household, including himself, an unknown older white female and 14 children. A total of 33 people were living on his plantation. I was able to confirm that Samuel and Sarah had 14-children.

The 1820 Federal Wayne County, Mississippi Census was the very first federal census after Mississippi became a state. This census shows, my 3rd Great grandpa Samuel was definitely living in Wayne County at that time which offers solid proof that he was among the first white settlers in Wayne County.

With respect to my lineage back to Samuel Lee, Senior and the DNA testing that Luther Lee and I did with the Henry Lee Society, the last time I checked there were over 30-Lee males that had tested in our family group from all over the world. A good many are KNOWN descendents of Samuel Jefferson Lee, Senior; Luther Lee and me included. This includes Lee males in Wayne County, Mississippi; Virginia; North Carolina; South Carolina; Louisiana; and Texas. This made sense to me and supported oral family stories about our Lee family; stories which I have presented in this document. The Lee males that are known descendents to Samuel are a subset of the Lee males that tested in the John Lee family group. We know Samuel was a descendent of John Lee of England from many researchers.

The reason I can state that Luther Lee and I are known descendents of Samuel Lee is that I can use Wayne County Federal Census records, coupled with old land tax records to trace my lineage back to him with NO doubt. That documentation exist for all to find and look at. (We also have old oral family stories about him that are abundant from many elderly Lees.) So I don’t need the DNA testing to establish my lineage back to Samuel; but still some in my family doubt the lineage to Samuel as they have been told something different all their lives. Even DNA testing results won’t change their minds. However, I am as sure that Samuel is my 3rd Great grandfather as I can be; I’ve done that research myself. The documentation of the lineage from Samuel on back, I relied on other researchers; and I found more than one source in many cases.

In concluding my summary about my 3rd Great grandpa Samuel:

Samuel was very wealthy.

Some stories suggest that he left behind a large amount of gold that is yet to be accounted for.

It was also said that after Samuel’s death a messenger was sent to the Lee Plantation to his son Rob to inform him about his father. Samuel had left a couple of horses and two of his slaves to Rob, but Rod never went to claim them.

If this story is true, then it would be likely that Samuel did not die in Wayne County near Waynesboro as one of the stories about Samuel stated. Back then, that was substantial property that Rob ignored; and surely he would have gone to claim it if the trip was within Wayne County.

Rob, who went on to fight in the Civil War, never owned any slaves.

Generation 5: Robeson Earl Lee April 6, 1818 –September 25, 1897

Robeson Earl Lee is my 2nd Great grandfather.

His name is found to be spelled Roberson, Robertson, Robert, or Rob. He went by the name “Robert” and was known as “Rob.”

Especially after the Civil War he was sometimes called “Robert E. Lee.” Even his Civil War military records show he use the “alternate name” Robert.

Robeson Lee told a census worker that he was named after his parents’ home county in North Carolina.

Samuel and Sarah Lee were from Robeson County, North Carolina. Therefore the correct spelling of his name is probably “Robeson.”

Robeson Earl Lee was born on the Lee Plantation. He is the youngest son of Samuel and Sarah Lee.

On December 18, 1818, his mother Sarah died. After his mother’s death, the 1820 Federal Wayne County Census reports an older female (45+ years old) in Samuel Lee’s household. It is thought that Rob’s father Samuel may have hired an older woman to help take care of the house and tend to the children.

It appears that Robeson was raised by his older sisters and perhaps this older woman.

Samuel Lee maintained a race track for horses on the Lee Plantation when Rob was young.

It has been passed down by one of Rob’s daughters that her Grandfather Samuel would strap his son Rob in a saddle when Rob was so young that he might fall off; and Samuel would let Rob participate in the races!

In 1835, when Rob was about 17-years old, his father Samuel married Martha Patricia “Patsy” (Overstreet) West.

Rob and his blood siblings appear to have left the Lee Plantation upon or after this marriage; perhaps even before.

Patsy brings into the household ten children from her marriage to Dr. John West and Dr. West’s children from his previous two marriages.

One of Patsy’s children is a five year old daughter, Catherine “Katie” West.

Rob is believed to have moved in with an older sister; perhaps Lucy Catherine Lee. In 1835, Lucy was married to Braswell Overstreet, Junior.

In about 1845, Rob becomes the owner of the Lee Plantation.

One story is that Samuel had moved to Columbia, Mississippi and told his son Rob if he wanted the Old Lee Plantation to pick out a horse and ride back to Wayne County and claim it, and that is what Rob did.

Another story is that in about 1845 Samuel took off for Texas to find new land and deeded the Plantation to Rob.

Still another story is that Samuel left the Plantation to Rob in his Will and Rob inherited it after his father’s death.

One way or the other Rob became the owner of the Lee Plantation.

Rob had no slaves; thus the Plantation was run solely by himself and the family.

In about 1846, Rob marries Catherine “Katie” West. My guess is that he’s about 27-years old and she is about 15-years old.

They are technically step brother and step sister but they were not raised in the same household and obviously they were not blood kin.

The Lee family seemed to have no problem with this marriage and some elderly Lees even suggested the marriage was arranged by the Lee family at that time.

This marriage is why Katie’s mother, Martha Patricia “Patsy” Overstreet-West-Lee, is my 3rd Great grandmother and also my 3rd Great step grandmother!

Robeson and Catherine nicknamed each other “Rob” and “Katie” and they were known in the community by those names.

The Civil War broke out between the Union and Confederates on April 12, 1861.

On December 9, 1861 Robeson enlisted in the Confederate Army at Winchester, Mississippi. Winchester was the county seat for Wayne County in 1861.

Rob was assigned to the 5th Regiment of the Mississippi Infantry State Troops.

In the summer of 1863, my 2nd Great grandpa Rob and the 5th Regiment of the Mississippi Infantry State Troops found themselves bitterly defending against intense Union assaults and bombardments at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Vicksburg was one of the key battles of the Civil War.

The 5th Regiment manned the high ground in Vicksburg. From that point the Confederates could clearly fire down on Union boats on the river below. Several charges were thrown up the hill by the Union to capture this area; all were repulsed causing heavy casualties on the Union assault forces. Confederate losses in these firefights where relatively light.

The Union forces give up trying to take the high ground and put in place a very brutal 47-day siege on Vicksburg. Fighting was nasty and the Confederates were eventually starved into submission.

Union soldiers called Vicksburg “Prairie Dog Village” because the citizens of the city were literally living in caves due to the Union bombardment. As the siege went on, horses, dogs and cats were eaten in the city by Confederate soldiers and civilians alike. Many in the Louisianan regiments ate rats and thought of the rats as a delicacy because they were so hungry near the end of the siege.

The Confederate forces defending the city were commanded by Confederate Lieutenant General John Clifford Pemberton, who was a northerner by birth (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). In fact, Pemberton had two brothers that fought for the North. Pemberton, a West Point graduate, was “influenced” to resign his commission in the U.S. Army and join the Confederacy by his Virginia born wife. Pemberton had been a U.S. Army officer for over 24-years. He was from an influential family in Pennsylvania and even knew French; and apparently he was highly regarded by the Confederate hierarchy. Pemberton fought hard to defend Vicksburg; he did not want it said that he gave up Vicksburg because he was a Northerner. He also thought that General Joseph E. Johnston, Commander of the Confederate forces in the West, would come to his rescue and break the siege; but that never happened. Johnston did send some troops in around July 1st, but it was too little too late.

On July 3rd, Confederate Commanding General Pemberton sent a note to the Union Commander General Ulysses S. Grant for surrender. Grant had decided to assault the city “one more time” but that did not happen because of Pemberton’s proposed surrender; no doubt thousands of lives were saved as a result.

On July 4, 1864 Vicksburg surrenders to the Union forces. The loss of Vicksburg for the South all but ensured that the North would win the Civil War. Confederate President Jefferson Davis moaned that the loss of Vicksburg meant the loss of the war.

2nd Great grandpa Rob becomes a prisoner of war upon the surrender of Vicksburg.

General Grant authorizes a parole to the Confederate soldiers if they sign an agreement not to take up arms against the United States again. The Confederates agree.

Rob signs his parole agreement on July 10, 1863 and is sent home.

Family stories state that after being released Grandpa Rob walked home from Vicksburg to the Lee Plantation, which stands to reason—how else was he to get back home? It was over a 130-mile walk.

History shows that Confederate Lieutenant General Pemberton disbanded the Confederate Army of Vicksburg on July 17th, 1863.

A family document shows that on September 4th, 1863 my 2nd Great grandpa Rob was given pay for his service at Vicksburg up to July 17th. This family document agrees with the historical date when the Vicksburg Army was disbanded.

2nd Great grandpa Rob was discharged out of the Confederate Army on September 22, 1863 in Columbus, Mississippi.

It is said that once home Grandpa Rob joined in with the Confederate Raiders who did not wear uniforms.

The Raiders invoked guerilla tactics on the Yankees and considered themselves to be “fighters for the cause.” They used hit and run tactics and stole supplies and goods from the Yankees when they could. Grandpa Rod is said to have stole horses from the Union Calvary until the end of the Civil War. Times were harsh and he is said to have pocketed some of the money from this effort. Stealing Union horses and mules was common and very widespread in the South. It was done at great risks however; immediate death would be the usual sentence if caught.

Rob and Katie’s oldest child, Steve Lee, entered into the Confederate Army at the age of 14. Steve served in and around Meridan, Mississippi. Steve’s unit engaged General Sherman’s Union forces during Sherman’s “March to the Sea.” Sherman was also with Grant at Vicksburg; thus both Grandpa Rob and his son Steve faced Sherman during the War.

Steve too survived the War and returned to the Lee Plantation.

During the War while Rob and the oldest child was away fighting, Katie was left with a large family to care for, including small children.

The family had to endure seriously harsh hardships and even fought off starvation at times.

Bandits often would roam the country side hoping to run up on a Homesite without a man there to defend it; at times Katie and the children had to hide and avoid them in the woods for days without food.

Another story was that rumors got spread that the slaves in the area had abandoned the farms and were uniting and taking out vengeance on the plantations. Katie and the children hid in the woods several days with nothing to eat only to find out later that the rumor was totally false.

Another story says that the family was starving and had nothing to eat for several days. A neighbor’s cow wandered into the front yard and Katie killed and butchered it. Later Katie felted terribly about what she’d done with her neighbor’s cow, so she went and confessed to the cow’s owner. He told her it was alright and not to worry about it. The intense hardships of war touched the entire family.

Grandma Kate had to have been a very tough woman!

Katie and the children survived until Rob returned from Vicksburg.

After Vicksburg, Grandpa Robeson farmed the plantation and raised livestock with his family. When his boys got big enough to handle most of the farm work, Grandpa Robeson traveled the countryside with a male donkey, which was prized for siring good mules.

It was said that Rob fathered an illegitimate child and the child’s mother brought her son to the Lee Plantation demanding that Rob take him in because she had nothing but the Lees had plenty.

Katie was not happy, initially rejected the idea the child was Rob’s, but after a couple years she saw the favor and she took the child in and he was raised on the Lee Plantation.

It was said that the child looked like a twin to Wiley Lee, one of Katie and Rob’s sons.

His name was Jack Kelly. Evidently his mother totally abandoned him as he called for her once when he was bad sick and his mother told him via messenger that he would be okay because Katie would take good care of him. His mother never went to see if Jack was okay.

Jack Kelly would be my Great grandfather Phillip’s half brother, and he is my great granduncle.

It was said that 2nd Great grandma Katie was the nearest thing to a doctor in all of Wayne County. This is reasonable to assume since her father was a doctor from Ireland (Dr. John West). A family story stated that Katie could not read so she let someone borrow her father’s medical books and the borrower never returned them. Those books would be a TREASURE to have in the family still today!

Katie would keep a bag backed and if someone needed medical attention, she’d saddle up on her mule Molly and take off leaving the kids in the care of the older sisters. Sometimes she’d be gone a few days.

Katie believed in the Bible verse that directed parents not to spare the rod and spoil the child. That suggests she was a tough parent; but that philosophy was not uncommon back then.

Katie also believed in the Bible verse that said never to turn away a stranger at your door (because they may be an angle). Thus she would take in for free strangers and others that appeared at her doorstep. She would provide a “free inn” when the courts were in session or the elections were taking place in Waynesboro. The children had to bunk up together to make room.

2nd Great grandpa Robeson died on September 25, 1897. He was 79-years old.

Grandma Katie is in the 1910 Federal Wayne County Census as the head of household.

In 1910, Katie’s 54-year old son, Nathaniel Greene Lee, and her 40-year old daughter, Martha C. Lee, are listed as living with her in her household. Nathaniel was likely married briefly for a couple years and was listed as a widower in the census. Martha never married.

The 1910 census is the last record for Grandma Katie.

2nd Great grandma Catherine died in 1910, perhaps on June 27th. She was about 80-years old.

Both Grandpa Rob and Grandma Katie are buried at the Old Lee Cemetery that is on property that was ONCE within the Lee Plantation near the Chickasawhay River close to Waynesboro, Mississippi. The property surrounding the cemetery is a pasture that is not owned by the Lee family today.

Last I heard, Noland Clark’s widow, Susan (Clark) McMillian, owned the Old Lee Cemetery and the pasture surrounding it.

Headstones of my 2nd Great grandparents: Robeson “Rob” Earl Lee & Catherine “Katie” (West) Lee

The above picture was taken in 2007. I had to cut away the vegetation to view their headstones. The Old Lee Cemetery is badly overgrown.

Children of Roberson “Robert” Earl Lee and Catherine “Katie or Katy” West:

1. Stephen M. Lee, born December 11, 1846 in Wayne County, Mississippi Married Saphronia Margaret Saxon in 1867 Married a second time; Jettie (Jet) Lee (Maiden name unknown) Steve died on June 10, 1939, and is buried at the Arrington Cemetery in Beat Four, Wayne County, Mississippi.

2. Clarissa Jane Lee, born 1849 in Wayne County, Mississippi. Married John Wesley Brownlee in 1867 Died March 17, 1944 in Jones County, Mississippi Buried at Pleasant Grove Methodist Church, Jasper County, Mississippi

3. Sabra R. Lee, born 1850 in Wayne County, Mississippi Married James “Jim” Monroe Brownlee in 1869 Death date unknown (Sometimes referred to as Malora in records)

4. Samuel Jefferson Lee, born in 1851 in Wayne County, Mississippi Married Virginia “Jennie” Davis in 1876 Death date unknown

5. Albert C. Lee, born September 15, 1854 in Wayne County, Mississippi Married Mary Bell Davis in 1876 Died April 8, 1915 in Wayne County, Mississippi Buried at the Old Lee Cemetery, Wayne County, Mississippi

6. Nathaniel Greene Lee, born September 1856 in Wayne County, Mississippi Married Minnie Williams in 1908; Minnie evidently died before the 1910 census Died in 1922 in Wayne County, Mississippi Buried at the Old Lee Cemetery, Wayne County, Mississippi

7. Phillip Anaphur “Napper” Lee,15 born January 19, 1858 in Wayne County, Mississippi Married Florence McLemore in 1887 Married Pollie An Overstreet in 1892 Died February 12, 1935 in Wayne County, Mississippi Buried at the Old Lee Cemetery, Wayne County, Mississippi

Phillip Lee and Pollie An Overstreet are my Great grandparents

8. Wiley Thomas Lee, born September 16, 1860 in Wayne County, Mississippi Married Mary Herrington in 1890 Died October 16, 1946 in Wane County, Mississippi Buried at the Old Lee Cemetery, Wayne County, Mississippi

15 Some sources incorrectly have my great grandfather’s middle initial as “N” and his middle name listed as either “Napier” or “Nelson.” He went by the nickname “Napper” which might be the source of these errors.

9. Catherine Miranda Lee, born 1863 in Wayne County, Mississippi Died in 1944 in Mississippi Marriage data not found

10. Sarah Mamie Lee, born May 30, 1867 in Wayne County, Mississippi Married Frank James16 in 1884 Died in 1939 in Wayne County, Mississippi Buried at the Old Lee Cemetery, Wayne County, Mississippi

11. Mary Susannah “Minnie” Lee, born November 11, 1869 in Wayne County, Mississippi Married Christopher Columbus Campbell on Oct 7, 1888 Died December 16, 1958 in Lauderdale County, Mississippi Buried at Stonewall Cemetery, Clarke County, Mississippi

12. Martha “Aunt Sis” C. Lee, born July 9, 1870 in Wayne County, Mississippi Never married Died April 12, 1944 in Wayne County, Mississippi Buried at the Old Lee Cemetery, Wayne County, Mississippi

16 Sarah Lee married Frank James. The Charles Lewis websites cite that she married Thomas Johnson. Steve Lee’s obituary written in 1939 incorrectly states that he had a surviving sister, Sarah Jones of Waynesboro. The obituary is in error and should have identified his sister as Sarah James.

Robeson and Catherine Lee are buried in the Old Lee Cemetery. The Old Lee Cemetery is in a pasture which was once part of the Old Lee Plantation near the banks of the Chickasawhay River. Robeson Lee was the first grave in the cemetery unless there are others not marked that have been forgotten. Catherine’s headstone spells her name “Katy.” Great-great grandpa’s name is displayed as “Robt. E. Lee” on his headstone.

Robeson “Rob, Robert, Roberson, Robertson” Earl Lee

IN MEMORY OF ROBT. E. LEE BORN APR. 6, 1818 DIED SEPT. 25, 1897 GONE TOO SOON.

GPS Coordinates for the Old Lee Cemetery:

N31.71146 W088.6669

Katy Lee; Catherine “Katie” (West) Lee

An old family document that Luther Lee gave me shows that some spelled my 2nd Great grandmother’s first name “Katy.” That is the way it’s spelled on her headstone.

When I first found the Old Lee Cemetery, it was badly overgrown. One could be a few feet away from headstones and not see them for the heavy vegetation. My 2nd Great grandpa’s footstone was grown over by grass with just the tip of one of the edges showing. I causally rubbed the edge with my foot and could tell it was something big. I then uncovered the footstone up and took a picture of it shown below. The footstone has my 2nd Great grandpa’s name spelled “Roberson.”

Roberson Lee’s Footstone

I verified all the data on the military record below with records at the Vicksburg National Military Park during a visit there on July 4, 2013. Note that even in his military records, Grandpa Rob used the “alternate name” Robert.

Upon the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863, my 2nd Great Grandpa Robert became a Prisoner of War.

The Union commander, General Ulysses S. Grant, authorized the parole of the Confederate prisoners if they’d agree not to take up arms against the United States again.

On the next page is my 2nd Great grandpa Robert’s parole paper that he signed to obtain his release from Union forces at Vicksburg.

He was able to walk over 130-miles from Vicksburg to the Lee Plantation after being released. Thus he had to walk more than the entire width of the State of Mississippi from west to east. However, he had survived a terrible 47-day siege that took over 20,000 casualties.

Since the photocopy below is hard to read, I did my best to transcribe it below.

Vicksburg, Mississippi, July A. D. 1863

To All Whom it may Concern, Know Ye That:

I, Roberson Lee, [Private Company H 5th Regiment, Mississippi State Troopers], being a Prisoner of War, in the hands of the United States Forces, in virtue of the capitulation of the

City of Vicksburg and its garrison, by Lieut. Gen John C. Pemberton, C.S.A., Commanding, on th the 4 day of July, 1863, do in pursuance of the terms of said capitulation, give this my solemn parole under oath-----

That I will not take up arms again against the United States, nor serve in any military, police or constabulary force in any Fort, Garrison or field work, held by the Confederate States of America, against the United States of America, nor as a guard of prisons, depots or stores, nor discharge any duties usually performed by Officers or soldiers against the United States of America, until duly exchanged by the proper authorities.

Signed: Roberson Lee

Sworn to and ascribed before me at Vicksburg, Miss., this 10th day of July, 1863. Signed by John B Sanborn; 59” Reg’t Indiana Vol. Col and Paroling Officer

This is a marker at the Vicksburg National Military Park at Vicksburg, Mississippi that designates where the 5th Regiment of the Mississippi State Troopers encamped. The picture below was taken on July 4th, 2013; exactly 150-years after the surrender of Vicksburg in 1863.

To be certain where the units were during the Vicksburg conflict, markers were placed in the Vicksburg National Park by the veterans of each unit after the Civil War. I am standing in the same area, perhaps standing in the in the same spot, where my 2nd Great grandfather Robeson Earl Lee stood while serving at Vicksburg in 1863.

This marker is placed about 350 yards from Fort Hill, the highest point on the bluffs overseeing the Mississippi/Yazoo Rivers which was idea for bombarding the Union ships coming down the river. The unit also occupied two trenches about 176 yards east of Fort Hill that ran east from that point. The 5th Regiment was attached to Brig. Gen. Jeptha V. Harris’ Mississippi State Troops, of Brig. Gen. John C. Vaughn’s 2nd Brigade, Maj. Gen. Martin Luther Smith’s Division, in Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton’s Army of Vicksburg. The unit was commanded by Col. H. C. Robinson.

MISSISSIPPI 5th Regiment Col. H. C. Robinson State Troops Smith’s Division Engaged, Defense May 18-July 4

Penny and I visited the Vicksburg National Military Park on July 3-4, 2013; exactly 150-years after the surrender of Vicksburg. A lot of information presented in this document about Vicksburg is from the national park rangers; many of whom are also historians.

Penny Lee; July 4, 2013 Fort Hill, Vicksburg, Mississippi Near where the 5th Regiment of the Mississippi State Troopers were dug in May 18-July 4, 1863 The river is in view over Penny’s right hand over the fence.

You can still see the trenches where the 5th Mississippi Regiment camped and dug in at Vicksburg.

Anything coming down the river was a prime target. In the picture below, behind me would be the view the Confederates had of the river. You cannot tell the height of my position in relation to the river bend below, which is unfortunate. The Rebels had a tremendous vantage point to bombard the river below them. The Union forces tried and failed to take this ground during several brute force charges.

Unlike the previous Wayne County Censuses, for the year 1850 and later, not only was the name of the head of household given, but also the names of the spouse and children. Before 1850, the censuses listed by name only the head of household and gave numbers for the wife and children with respect to different age groups. Thus matching a name with a specific family member for sure using census data was difficult unless there was some other documentation to help out. Luckily, sometimes there were supporting documents like a Will or land transaction.

The 1850 Wayne County Census:

Name Age Sex Race Occupation Place of Birth Lee, Robert 30 M W Farmer Mississippi Catherine 18 F W Mississippi Stephen 2 M W Mississippi Clerisa 1 F W Mississippi

Clerisa (Clarissa Jane) is the only person whose age is correct in this census. Robert, Catherine and Stephen’s ages are all reported about 2-years younger than they should have been.

1850 Federal Wayne County Census

Entry 38; Robt Lee; 2nd Great grandfather; age 30 Entry 39; Catharine Lee; 2nd Great grandmother; age 18 Entry 40; Stephen; age 2 Entry 41; Clerisa; age 1

The 1860 Wayne County Census was incomplete.

The 1870 Wayne County Census:

Name Age Sex Race Occupation Place of Birth Lee, Robert 52 M W Farmer Mississippi Catherine 40 F W Keeping House Mississippi Stephen 22 M W Farm laborer Mississippi Samuel 19 M W Farm laborer Mississippi Albert 16 M W Farm laborer Mississippi Nathan 13 M W Farm laborer Mississippi Phillip 11 M W Farm laborer Mississippi Wiley 9 M W Farm laborer Mississippi Catherine 7 F W Mississippi Sara 3 F W Mississippi Mary 3/12 F W Mississippi

Missing from the census are three of Rob and Katie’s children; Clarissa Jane Lee, Sabra R Lee and Martha Lee. The reason they are missing is as follows:

Clarissa married John Brownlee on January 23, 1867. Therefore she would not be in Rob’s household for this census. Clarissa and John had an infant daughter named Mary in 1870.

Sabra married Monroe Brownlee in 1867. She too would not be in Rob’s household for the 1870 census. Monroe and Sabra had a 2-year old daughter named Mary in 1870.

Note: John and Monroe Brownlee are brothers.

Grandpa Rob and Grandma Katie’s youngest child, Martha Lee, was not born until August 9, 1870 which was after the 1870 census was taken.

If Mary Lee was 3-months old when the census was taken, and she was born on Nov 30, 1869; then the census was probably taken in March 1870 (before March 30th).

Also in the 1870 Wayne County Census are two of the older daughters of Rob and Katie Lee:

Name Age Sex Race Occupation Place of Birth Brownlee, Monroe 26 M W Farmer Mississippi Sabra R 20 F W Keeping House Mississippi Mary 2 F W Mississippi

Brownlee, John 22 M W Mississippi Clara J 19 F W Mississippi Mary 9/12 F W Mississippi

In the 1870 census, there were three Mary’s in the family. Mary Brownlee, age 2, Mary Brownlee, age 9-months, and Mary Lee, age 3-months. The aunt was younger.

1870 Federal Wayne County Census

Entry 8 is Robert Lee, age 52, my 2nd Great grandfather Entry 9 is Catherine, age 40, my 2nd Great grandmother Entry 10 is Samuel, age 19 Entry 11 is Stephen, age 22 Entry 12 is Albert, age 16 Entry 13 is Nathan, age 13 Entry 14 is Phillip, age 12, my Great grandfather Entry 15 is Wiley, age 9 Entry 16 is Catherine, age 7 Entry 17 is Sarah, age 3 Entry 18 is Mary, age 3-months

The 1880 Wayne County Census

Name Relation Married Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father’s Mother’s Status Birthplace Birthplace Lee, Robert Self M Male W 62 MS Farmer NC NC Catherine Wife M Female W 50 MS Housekeepe Ireland Georgia r Nathan G Son S Male W 22 MS Laborer MS MS Phillip Son S Male W 21 MS Laborer MS MS Willy Son S Male W 17 MS Laborer MS MS Sabra Housekeepe Daughter W Female W 30 MS MS MS r Maranda Daughter S Female W 17 MS MS MS Sarah Daughter S Female W 13 MS MS MS Mary Daughter S Female W 11 MS MS MS John Grandson S Male W 1 MS MS MS

This census gives us the information that Robert’s parents, Samuel and Sarah Lee, were born in North Carolina, which agrees with genealogical research. Robert’s parents were from Robeson County, North Carolina. Robert told the census worker that his parents named him after his parents’ home county in North Carolina; thus Robert’s given name is Robeson Earl Lee. My 2nd Great grandfather was also known as “Robert E Lee.”

This census also gives us the information that 2nd Great grandma Catherine (West) Lee’s father, Dr. John West, was born in Ireland and Catherine’s mother, Martha “Patsy” Overstreet, was born in Georgia. I used a lot of information from this census in previous statements about the family.

This census shows that Willy (Wiley T) and Maranda are both 17-years old. Other family data states they are twins. Catherine Miranda Lee was born in 1863 according to some data. That makes her 17- years old in 1880 matching the data given in the 1880 census for her. However, according to Wiley T. Lee’s headstone, he was born on July 16, 1860 which would put him 20-years old for the 1880 census, and that does not match the 1880 census data for him. Obviously, if they are twins, one of them has the wrong birth date data.

We find a thirty year old daughter with a name that’s difficult to read on the census. Some have stated that the name is “Malora.” I believe the name is Sabra, as do other relatives. Sabra R. (Lee) Brownlee was born in about 1850, which would put her at the correct age. She married James “Jim” Monroe Brownlee in 1867. It is believed that he died before 1880, and if so, it would be logical that Sabra and her child would move in with her parents for at least a while. I assume that the one-year old grandson named John is Sabra’s son.

In the 1870 census, Sabra is shown in her husband’s household with a 2-year old daughter, Mary Brownlee. Mary would be about 12-years old in 1880. Where is Mary Brownlee? The Mary shown in the 1880 census is not Sabra’s daughter, but the daughter of Rob and Katie Lee. Both Marys would have been about the same age, but Sabra’s Mary would be close to two years older than Rob and Katie’s Mary; or the aunt would be younger than the niece.

The fact that 2nd Great grandpa Rob named one of his sons Samuel is “light evidence” that Grandpa Rob’s father was also named Samuel. Some of my family members argue that Grandpa Rob’s father is Henry Lee. Rob and Katie Lee did not name one of their six sons Henry, which they likely would have if Henry was Rob’s father. I agree that there was no set rule saying anyone had to name a child any particular name, but it was customary at the time to name a child after a grandparent; especially in a large family. Where is Martha C. Lee? She should be about 9-years old in 1880. She’s in the 1900 census.

1880 Federal Wayne County Census

Entry 29 is Robert Lee, age 62, my 2nd Great grandfather Entry 30 is Catherine, age 50, my 2nd Great grandmother Entry 31 is Nathan, age 22 Entry 32 is Phillip, age 22, my Great grandfather Entry 33 is Willy, age 17 Entry 34 is Sabra, age 30 Entry 35 is Maranda, age 17 Entry 36 is Sarah, age 13 Entry 37 is Mary, age 11 Entry 38 is John, age 2

Entry 38 is cited as a grandson in the census. Since there is a grown widowed daughter, who I think is Sabra, in the household; I logically assumed that this child is hers.

However, Rob and Katie’s oldest son, Stephen Lee, had a one year old son in 1880 whose name was John Lee. But Steve and his wife Saphronia Margaret (Saxon) Lee were still together and both living in 1880, so there is no logical reason for Steve’s son to be in Steve’s father’s household for this census.

I cannot use the 1880 data to state for sure that Rob’s father is named Samuel Lee. However, I can use this census data to state that Rob reported that his father was born in North Carolina. I know that Samuel Lee was born in North Carolina from other sources. Also, I know that Henry Lee, General Robert E. Lee’s half-brother, who some claim is Rob’s father, was born in Virginia, NOT in North Carolina, as you can look that up by an internet “Google” or in most any encyclopedia. Therefore this census data rules out the proposed Henry Lee lineage for our family.

The 1890 Census records for Mississippi were destroyed in a 1921 warehouse fire.

1900 Federal Wayne County Census:

Last Name First Name Sex Age Occupation Birthplace

Lee Katherine F 72 Farmer Mississippi

Nathan M 38 Laborer Mississippi

Martha F 30 Mississippi

Bettie F 15 Mississippi

2nd Great Grandpa Robeson (Robert) Lee died in 1897. Obviously this is the first census of his family after his death.

2nd Great grandma Catherine’s name is misspelled, and her age should be 69 or 70 in the 1900 Census, depending on the time of year it was taken. She was born 8/11/1830.

Nathan (Nathaniel Greene Lee) should be 44-years old in 1900 according to his birth year on his headstone. Just why he and his mother’s ages are incorrect is a mystery.

Martha (Martha C. Lee) has the correct age listed for her with respect to other data. She is NOT on the 1880 census; why? She is not on the 1870 census as she was likely born after it was taken, but where was she in 1880?

Bettie is an unknown female. Because of her age, 15, perhaps she is a granddaughter to Catherine, but she is listed as a “daughter.” She would have been born to Rob and Katie in 1885, and Katie would have been about 55-years old; thus she in more likely a granddaughter.

1900 Federal Wayne County Census

Entry 11 is Katherine Lee, my 2nd Great grandma Catherine, age 72 (age incorrect) Her name is misspelled (KatherineCatherine) Entry 12 is Nathan Lee, age 38 (age incorrect) Entry 13 is Martha Lee, age 30 (age correct) Entry 14 is Bettie, age 15; likely a granddaughter

1910 Federal Wayne County Census:

Last Name First Name Sex Age Occupation Birthplace

Lee Catharine F 79 Farmer Mississippi

Green N M 54 Laborer Mississippi

Martha M F 40 Mississippi

If the 1910 Census was taken before 2nd Great grandma Catherine’s (spelled Catharine on the census) birthday in August, her age is correct for this census. The significance of this data is that it shows that my 2nd Great grandma Catherine “Katie” Lee was living in early 1910. She may have died on June 27, 1910.

This census states that 2nd Great grandma Katie had 11 children born and 10 living. In all the censuses from 1850 to 1900, I count 12 children for Grandma Katie!

Nathan (Nathaniel Greene Lee) has the correct age according to his headstone in the 1910 Census. This census states that Nathan was widowed. Evidently, he was only married briefly as I have data showing he married Minnie Williams in 1908. He was widowed by 1910.

Martha (Martha C. Lee) has the correct age listed for her with respect to other data. This census correctly states that she was never married. Her middle initial is incorrect on the census.

1910 Federal Wayne County Census

Entry 86 is Catharine Lee (Catharine  Catherine), age 79 (age correct if census taken before her birthday Aug 11, 1830) Entry 87 is Green N., age 54 (age correct) Entry 88 is Martha M?., age 40 (age correct)

The 1880 Federal Wayne County Census reports the following five BLACK children as part of 2nd Great grandpa Rob’s household.

Married Name Relation Gender Race Age Status

AN Corten Daughter S Female Black 11

Puck Corten Son S Male Black 9

AL Corten Daughter S Female Black 7

Isabell Corten Daughter S Female Black 5

Erly Corten Son S Male Black 3

I do not have an explanation for these black children. They have the last name Corten. I can only speculate.

It appears that Grandpa Rob and Grandma Katie may have taken in a black family, and judging from the ages of the children; perhaps they were orphaned. You could even speculate that my 2nd Great grandparents adopted them since the census states they are sons and daughters of the head of household. However, the census taker may have had to mark these children as either a son or daughter to fill out his census sheet for counting them in the census, and perhaps the children may have been staying temporality with the Lees during the time the census was taken.

I find no other record of them after this census. There are no family stories about them and a number of Rob and Katie’s children lived past the 1930s so my Grandparent’s generation knew Rob and Katie’s children well. If these black children had been a permanent fixture in the home, surely some of Rob and Katie’s children would have passed that information down to following generations. That silence suggests to me this situation was temporary; it’s not a big deal to me one way or the other.

My guess is that Grandma Katie was known to never turn anyone away that came to her door seeking shelter. She also was eager to help those in the community that were sick and would often tend to their needs and “doctor” them back to health if possible. I could easily see her taking in five orphaned or homeless black children, especially if it was for just a while. Grandma Katie appeared to have a heart that was open to serve and help others. 

Generation 6: Phillip Anaphur “Napper” Lee January 19, 1858 – February 17, 1935

Phillip Anaphur “Napper” Lee is my Great grandfather.

Great grandpa Napper’s headstone has “P A Lee” inscribed on it. Yet numerous sources have his name as:

. Phillip N Lee (the 1910 Wayne County Census) . Phillip Nelson Lee (from a Lee family source that should have known) . Phillip Napier Lee (from many sources) . Napier Lee (some sources state Phillip’s older brother Steve was nicknamed Napier) . Nakar Lee (from the 1920 Wayne County Census)

Luther Lee knew my Great grandpa personally; he verified to me his real name is Phillip Anaphur Lee. A couple years ago, I found an article in The History of Wayne County, Mississippi 1809-1999, titled, “The Robert E. Lee Family,” p. 543. In that article my Great grandpa Phillip’s name is listed as “Phillip Anaphur Lee.”

My father, Lennard Woodrow Lee, Senior only knew his grandfather’s name as “Napper” until my Father was in his forties!

Great grandpa Napper was born on January 19, 1858 in Wayne County, Mississippi on the Old Lee Plantation.

Grandpa Napper’s father and oldest brother served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. After the War, both Robeson Lee and Steve Lee were given monthly pensions for the rest of their lives as a result of their military service to the Confederacy.17

Great grandpa Phillip married Florence McLemore in 1887.

I do not know of the circumstances that ended that marriage. Divorce was very rare at that time, so I suspect it was death. I have no sources stating that Phillip and Florence had any children.

Great grandpa Phillip married my Great grandma Pollie An Overstreet in 1892.

She was born on December 14, 1870 and died in Wayne County on November 12, 1931.

I have spelled my Great grandmother’s name as “Pollie An Lee.” This is the way it is spelled on her headstone.

17 I am not sure if the pensions were from the U.S. Government or the state of Mississippi; but I am certain that they did receive them. One might think that the U.S. Government would not give former Confederate soldiers a pension for fighting against them, but there was much respect for soldiers on both sides of the Civil War during these veterans’ lifetimes.

Great grandma Pollie was also known as “Pruda,” which was also the nickname of her grandmother, Prudence “Pruda” (Kelly) Overstreet. (Pruda Overstreet is my 3rd Great grandmother.)

It was described to me that Great grandma Pollie was dark skinned and showed heavy Indian features. She was a thin woman in a photograph taken in about 1910. She was about 40-years old then.

Her father is William J. Overstreet. It was said by relatives that he was half Choctaw Indian thus he was affectionately known by everyone as “Choctaw Bill.” Obviously, Choctaw Bill is my Great-great grandpa.

Choctaw Bill married twice, first to Eliza Ratcliff and then to Sallie Trigg. Eliza Ratcliff is my 2nd Great grandma.

It appears that Sallie Trigg was previously married as she shows up as “Mrs. Trigg” in Wayne County records.

My 2nd Great grandpa Choctaw Bill was also a Confederate Civil War veteran. He was a private in Company A, the 46th Mississippi Infantry from Nov 17, 1861 to May 4, 1865.

It was said that he and some of his fellow soldiers “gave up” near the end of the War and walked home. However, his enlistment dates suggests that he served until the War’s end in 1865.

Choctaw Bill had substantial Indian blood; but he was not half Choctaw.

His grandmother is Sarah Buie. Sarah Buie was the wife of my 4th Great grandpa Braswell Overstreet, Senior. Sarah is the daughter of Chief Buie of the Creek Nations! Chief Buie is my 5th Great grandfather.

Choctaw Bill may not have known he was the great grandson of a Creek Indian Chief, but then again, how could he have ever had the nickname “Creek Bill;” just doesn’t sound the same, does it? 

Choctaw Bill was at least one-quarter American Indian; but it is extremely likely that there was more than one Indian blood line in his lineage; very likely some Choctaw. So the nickname “Choctaw” may have had some (a little) merit.

Great grandma Pollie An was nineteen years old when she married Great grandpa Phillip Lee.

My Great grandparents Napper and Pollie An share a pair of their 2nd Great grandparents, Henry Overstreet II and Jane Braswell, therefore they are 3rd cousins. I suspect that they never knew that.

Because my Great grandparents are 3rd cousins, Henry Overstreet II and Jane Braswell are my double 5th Great grandparents.

I have nothing to indicate the education level for my Great grandparents but a 1910 census states that they both could read and write. That was not a given, perhaps even rare, in their time.

Phillip and Pollie An Lee had five sons. Four of them (Granduncles Thea, Rob, Mack and my Grandfather) I knew. The youngest son, called Buddy, died at a very young age years before my Father was born.

A few years ago, my Mother told me that there was a daughter also in Great grandpa Phillip’s family. I could not find anything about a daughter, but looking at the 1910 Census, I found entries for my Great grandma that said:

“Polly A, 37, married for 18-years, born in MS, parents born in MS, can read and write, six kids, five living.”

According to the 1910 Census, I can be fairly certain that Phillip and Pollie An had at least six children. From that I logically assume the children were 5 boys and 1 girl.

Phillip and Pollie An are buried at the Old Lee Cemetery near the Chickasawhay River close to Waynesboro; the cemetery was once on the Lee Plantation. Phillip’s parents, Robeson Earl and Catherine (Katie) Lee, and a number of Phillip’s siblings and cousins are buried there too.

From my own memory, the following are the five sons of Phillip and Pollie An Lee.18

1. Theodore (Thea) Lee, born September 30, 1894. My granduncle Thea is buried at the Lee’s Chapel Cemetery on the Maynor Creek Road that runs from the Reservoir Road to Highway-63 at Clara, Mississippi. When I was a junior at Clara High School, Wayne County, Mississippi, I served as a pallbearer for Uncle Thea.

Uncle Thea married Golda Douglas. She was born on May 30, 1903. I do not know when she died or where she is buried. From my Grandma’s notes, they had six sons and four daughters.

Uncle Thea died on April 7, 1970.

2. Robert (Rob) E. Lee. Born on October 11, 1897. I remember my granduncle Rob, but barely. He is buried at the Rolling Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, Quitman, Mississippi. A large number of his offspring live in the Stonewall -Quitman, Mississippi area.

Uncle Rob married Rebecca Lena Mozingo. From my Grandma’s notes, they had five boys and one girl.

Uncle Rob died on August 12, 1985.

3. Mack Henry Lee, born April 22, 1902. I remember my granduncle Mack very well. I’d usually see him a few times each week when I was in high school. He used to ride up in down the roads from his house to Waynesboro, Mississippi every day in an old black pickup that my Aunt Polly said was “held together with bell-wire.” Uncle Mack is buried at the Lee’s Chapel Cemetery in Wayne County. Uncle Mack died at the Wayne General Hospital on May 24, 1987. When Uncle Mack talked about someone he didn’t like he’d referred to them as, “that sum-beach…” I laugh to myself when I think of him using that term. He used it often.

On May 24, 1987, I drove my Aunt Inga (Uncle Ulysses Lee’s wife) to the Wayne General Hospital to see Uncle Mack. I was visiting on leave from the military that day. Aunt Inga said Uncle Mack was not doing very well so I suspected this might be my last time to see him since I was stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base and living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When we got to his room the nurses told us that he had JUST passed away. I looked in at Uncle Mack just moments after he’d taken his last breath. I was very fond of Uncle Mack. My Dad favored him physically; especially when my Dad was a young man.

When the Wayne County Reservoir was being built from the Maynor Creek stream, hundreds of acres of dense forest and swamp land was dug up to hold the water. My granduncle Mack Lee went down to the site often and after the bull dozers cleared an area, he found many Indian artifacts such as arrow heads, etc. I remember Uncle Mack telling me that “I bet you there has not been a white man in those woods for over a hundred years or more.” He was likely correct.

18 I remember the sons of Phillip and Pollie An Lee, but I got the data for their families from other sources and did not verify any of it; so there could be errors.

Uncle Mack married Nancy Mozingo. From my Grandma’s notes, they had one son, and six girls. They divorced and grandaunt Nancy remarried to Andrew D. Anderson. She is buried with her second husband in the Lee’s Chapel Cemetery not a great distant away from Uncle Mack’s grave. I do not know how their divorce came about, but I never mentioned Aunt Nancy’s name around Uncle Mack because he never mentioned her in front of me. Aunt Nancy’s father, Babe Mozingo, was a relatively large landowner and employed many men chipping turpentine19 during and right after the Great Depression. My Grandpa Lee and my grandfather-in-law, Luke McClain, worked for “old man Babe” for about two-bits20 (25-cents) a day. I once foolishly said to my Grandpa that at least money went a long ways back then. Grandpa countered by saying, “Son, 25-cents would not even buy a loaf of bread in those days; how many loafs of bread can you buy today with a day’s wage?” Grandpa made his point.

4. Gerod Clifton Lee, Senior; my Grandfather. Grandpa’s headstone states he was born on December 22, 1901, but in fact I know he was born December 21, 1905. According to the official records now, my Grandpa is 4-months older than his older brother, Granduncle Mack. More about his birth year later in this document.

Gerod Lee married Ida Estelle Busby on July 18, 1927. They had four sons and two daughters. Gerod and Estelle Lee are buried at the Lee’s Chapel Cemetery.

5. James (Walter or Buddy) Waldrom Lee. Granduncle Buddy Lee was Phillip and Pollie An Lee’s youngest son. According to my information, he died at the age of 17, probably from pneumonia. (Both my Grandfather Gerod Lee and my cousin Luther Lee told me this. Luther told me that he remembered the day Buddy died.) I remember my Grandfather telling me that Buddy was a teenager when he passed away and was only sick a few days before he died.

My Aunt Polly (Lee) Lott told me on 23 April 2012 that Buddy got carbuncle (a big old risen) that gave him blood poison and he died from that.

Buddy is on a list I have of family members buried at the Old Lee Cemetery near the Chickasawhay River, but the list states that his grave site is “unmarked.” This list is available in the Waynesboro City Library. I went to the cemetery to look for his grave and at first I could not find it either, however, I eventually did. His headstone is very difficult to read (as of January 2008). Also, his headstone does not display his name as Buddy or even his other widely used name, Walter. His name on his headstone is the source of confusion with respect to his grave site being listed as unknown in some documents.

Most documents I’ve seen list his name as either Walter or Buddy. I have seen more than one family tree with his name listed as “Walter (Buddy) Lee.” My Grandfather Gerod Lee only called him Buddy, so until 2008, that’s all I knew.

19 Chipping turpentine involved skinning a spot off a pine tree and catching the sap as it drained out into a container that was fixed to the tree. The turpentine was collected and sold. 20 Grandpa said he worked for “two-bits a day.” “Two-bits” was equal to a quarter or 25-cents.

While there is no headstone in the Old Lee Cemetery with the name “Buddy Lee” or “Walter Lee,” I found a headstone with “James Waldrom the son of P.A. and Pollie An Lee” engraved on it. This headstone is next to the graves of my Great grandparents, P. A. and Pollie An Lee.

Since Phillip and Pollie An Lee only had five sons, and four of them I knew personally (Granduncles Thea, Rob, and Mack, and my Grandfather Gerod), by default the headstone of “James Waldrom” has to be Buddy Lee.

Also, Buddy Lee died at the age 17. The headstone for James Waldrom states he was born on November 2, 1907 and died on February 18, 1925. The birth and death dates on James Waldrom Lee’s headstone match the family records for the birth and death dates for Walter (Buddy) Lee exactly. Therefore, Buddy Lee, or Walter Lee, has to be James Waldrom Lee.

The 1910 Census list a child for Phillip and Polly Lee that was 2-years old named “Waldan.” I guess that was an effort to spell Waldrom; or perhaps the headstone has his middle name misspelled. Buddy (or Walter) would have been 2-years old at the time of that census.

The wonderful 1920 census has Buddy’s name listed as “Wallis.” That same census has my Great grandpa’s name listed as “Nakar.” It seems the Beat Four census taker for Wayne County that year must have been an elementary school dropout!

Buddy’s name situation reminds me of an old Beatles song, “Rocky Raccoon.” It talks about the girl of Rocky’s fancy; and a part of it goes;

Her name was Magil, and she called herself Lil, but everyone knew her as Nancy…..

6. There is an unknown daughter born to Phillip and Pollie An Lee. No details are available as to when she was born and how old she was when she died. It is assumed that she died young. My Grandfather mentioned her once to my parents and an elderly cousin remembered her but was not sure of her name or details about her. My cousin thought her name MAY have been Polly. If so, she was named after her mother.

Headstone for James Waldrom Lee Son of P.A. and Pollie An Lee Old Lee Cemetery Known as “Buddy” Lee Also called “Walter”

It is almost impossible to read my Granduncle Buddy’s headstone now.

My Great grandparents and their children. Great Grandma Pollie has her hand on my Grandfather’s (Gerod Lee) shoulder.) I think the picture was taken about 1910. The 1910 Wayne County Census records the following ages: Phillip-51, Polly-37, Theadore-15, Robert- 12, Mack-8, Gerod-4, and Walden (or Buddy)-2. I date this picture solely to my guess with respect to the 1910 census to be 1910-1912.

For the Phillip “Napper” Lee family, here are the birth and death dates according to their headstones. Note that I have highlighted my Grandfather’s birthdate and my Granduncle Mack’s birthdays; obviously there is an error!

Phillip Lee Born: 19 Jan 1858 Died: 12 Feb 1935 77 years old Pollie An Born: 14 Dec 1870 Died: 12 Nov 1931 60 years old Theadore Born: 30 Sep 1894 Died: 7 Apr 1970 75 years old Robert Born: 11 Oct 1897 Died: 12 Aug 1985 87 years old Mack Born: 22 Apr 1902 Died: 24 May 1987 85 years old Gerod Born: 22 Dec 1901 Died: 24 Nov 1974 72 years old21 Buddy Born: 2 Nov 1907 Died: 18 Feb 1925 17 years old

According to the headstones, my Grandpa Gerod is 4-months older than his OLDER brother Mack!

21 I suspect that my grandpa was born on Dec 21, 1905, therefore he was 68 years old when he died, not 72.

Headstone of Phillip (Napper) Anaphur and Pollie An Lee My great grandparents Old Lee Cemetery

Note: this headstone clearly shows great grandpa’s middle initial to be “A.”

Note: great grandma’s name is spelled, “Pollie An Lee” on her headstone.

My Great grandpa’s inscription says, “May he rest in peace.”

My Great grandmother’s inscription says, “She was the sunshine of our home.”

Generation 7: Gerod Clifton Lee, Senior December 21, 190522 – November 24, 1974

Grandpa’s official records state that he was born December 22, 1901. I am absolutely certain that Grandpa’s official records are in error, and that he was born either on December 21, or possibly December 22, 1905. I strongly suspect he was born on December 21st per a conversation I once had with my Grandma Estelle (Busby) Lee when I was a teenager living in my Grandparent’s house. According to census records, Grandpa was born in 1905. However an old family Bible was found years after Grandpa was grown that allegedly recorded Dec 22, 1901 as his birthday; and sometime in the 1950s Grandma used the Bible entry to legally change Grandpa’s birth date from December 21, 1905 to December 22, 1901. However, if 1901 date is correct, Grandpa would be 4-months older than his older brother, Mack Lee!

Although I lived with my Grandparents for about 3-years, I do not know much about their childhoods. Grandpa was raised with three older brothers; Theodore, Robert, and Mack; and one younger brother; James Waldrom “Buddy” Lee. Evidence is that Grandpa had a sister, but she must have died young and there is not much information about her. Grandpa did briefly mention a sister to my Mother once. Buddy died at the age of 17; Grandpa was about 20-years old when Buddy passed away. I remember my Grandpa saying that Buddy was only sick a couple days before he died. Grandpa told me that he thought Buddy died of pneumonia; my Aunt Polly (Grandpa’s daughter) told me she’d heard that it was from some sort of blood poisoning.

Grandma Lee was raised in a large family. She was the fifth of twelve children! Her father, LeRoy Busby seemed to have been relatively well off comparability to others in his community. Sometime after my Great grandmother Phornia23 (Loper) Busby died on Feb 7, 1930, Great grandpa LeRoy married a woman very much younger than he; Grace James. Grace’s father is Frank James and her mother is Sarah Lee. Sarah is a daughter of Robeson Earl Lee; my grandfather’s grandfather. Thus Grace was “half Lee,” and she is my Grandpa Gerod Lee’s 1st cousin. Therefore, my Grandmother Estelle (Busby) Lee married her stepmom’s 1st cousin (Gerod Lee). Ha; don’t let this all confuse you; Grandmother Lee and Grace were not blood kin, but this goes to show how things can get a little “tight” in a small community like Wayne County especially in the early 1900s and earlier.

Oral stories relate that LeRoy’s marriage to Grace was not well received by at least some of LeRoy’s children; especially the girls. However in the 1970s Grace met up with some family members at a Sears store in Laurel, Mississippi, and even though she was well advanced in age, she said that LeRoy was still the love of her life; Great grandpa LeRoy had died some 30+ years earlier on Oct 28, 1939! I’m not sure if Grace remarried after LeRoy’s death. LeRoy was buried next to his first wife, Great grandma Phornia. I do not know where Grace is buried.

22 This is his correct birth year via two Wayne County Census reports. My Grandpa’s headstone has 1901. 23 My great grandmother “Phornia” has her name spelled “Saphronie” on her headstone. Other spelling variations exist.

I’ll always remember that my Grandmother Estelle was a very strong willed woman. She was also very strong physically. She worked very hard; every day. She worked as a nurse at Wayne General Hospital in Waynesboro, Mississippi. Once when she was driving to work on a dirt and gravel red-clay road, she had a flat tire. She hurriedly changed the tire herself, throwing the flat in the trunk of the car. (She did not get her white nursing uniform dirty in the process!) When the car was taken to a gas station in Waynesboro for an attendant to fix the flat, mount it back on the car, and return the spare tire to the trunk; the attendant had to stand on the lug wrench and “jump up and down” to break lose the nuts holding the spare tire on. After a difficult struggle he stated sarcastically, “Who in the world put those lug nuts on so tight?” He was in total disbelief when he found out it was my Grandma!

Grandpa Lee could be very funny, harsh and just plain old stubborn and difficult all at the same time! He grew up hard and he was a very tough father to his boys. Aunt Polly on the other hand, was his pet. As with a lot of families, the younger kids seem to get the “breaks;” but life was very hard on the farm for them all. Grandpa did not seem to fear much; except for bad weather! He was stingy with his money; but he had reason to be so…the “lessons’ from the Great Depression!

Gerod Clifton Lee, Sr. married Ida Estelle Busby on July 18, 1927. My Grandparents had six children: four sons and two daughters.

1. Gerod Clifton, Jr.; Oct 5, 1928-Apr 1, 2000 2. Lennard Woodrow (my Father); Dec 21, 1929-Mar 14, 2006 3. Ulysses Large; Oct 2, 1931-Nov. 16, 2012 4. Hazel Roberta; Jun 25, 1933-Mar 1, 1934 5. Robert Hairel; Jul 7, 1938-Jul 7, 1938 6. Polly Reece; Sep 9, 1942-still living

Both Robert Hairel and Hazel Roberta died very young. They are both buried at the Old Lee Cemetery near the Chickasawhay River, the same cemetery where Grandpa’s grandparents, Robeson Earl and Catherine Lee, and Grandpa’s parents, Phillip “Napper” and Pollie An Lee, are buried.

Robert Hairel was born and died on July 7, 1938. My Grandmother told me that he was still born.

Hazel Roberta lived eight months after birth and died a tragic death. A horrible house fire during the Great Depression resulted in her losing her life. It was a chilly day on March 1, 1934. My father told me that Uncle Ulysses and Aunt Hazel were in the house and the stove heater must have malfunctioned sending the house quickly up in flames. Uncle Ulysses was a toddler (2-yrs and 4 months) at the time but he walked out of the house onto the porch and escaped the fire. My Grandmother and my Dad were just outside the house. My Dad remembers that my Grandmother Lee ran into the flaming house and brought out a blanket that had the charred body of his little sister wrapped up in it. My Dad does not know why Grandma was not overcome by the hot flames or how Grandma was able to bring his sister’s body out in a blanket that was not burned, but Grandma too told the same story. Grandma herself could not remember getting the blanket that she had Hazel wrapped up in.

This tragedy was during already extremely harsh times when people were barely able to fight off starvation day-in and day-out in that community. My Dad remembers that it changed my Grandfather Gerod completely from that day on. Before the fire, Dad said when they went to town the boys could ask Grandpa for a nickel, etc., and most likely Grandpa would give it to them. Dad said, “Nickels and dimes were very hard to come by back in those days, but Dad would usually give us one if we asked.” However, after the fire, Grandpa Lee was very tight with his money until the day he died. He used to tell me, “Larry, you’ve got to save it for a rainy day.” Financially, Grandpa always saw dark clouds even on the clearest days.

One day I was looking for something in the kitchen at my Grandparent’s house and found what appeared to be a baby’s plate, cup and spoon. Grandma Lee came in and took them down and said to me, “Larry, this is a great mystery.” She said that this was what she was feeding Hazel just a while before the fire. Nothing looked burned, but the food had hardened so that the spoon stood up. I’m not sure what the mystery was that Grandma was talking about; I am not sure if she finished her story. It was the only time she said anything about the fire to me.

This is the only picture I have of just my Grandfather and me together. It was taken in 1967 or 1968 near his pond near his house. My Aunt Polly (Lee) Lott lives in his old house (refurbished) today.

Gerod and Larry Lee

When living with my Grandparents while in high school I used to drive my Grandpa around nearly everywhere he went, and he went a lot. We must have covered 99% of Wayne County and much of Jones and Clarke Counties; he knew everyone it seemed. Years after my Grandpa died, a cousin, Ellis Lee, (who was over 90-years old) told me that Grandpa once told him that my driving Grandpa around was one of Grandpa’s best memories of all time. I hope that was true. We had many great times together.

When I was in high school, most, if not all, of the county roads were dirt. There was a huge effort to blacktop the roads in the 1960s and 1970s. Most of the roads in Beat Four were blacktopped during this time. When they blacktopped the roads around my Grandfather’s house in Beat Four my Grandpa was asked by the county supervisor to stand guard at night to keep travelers off the roads except for the residents in the area while the county was working on the roads. Grandpa agreed to do so, which meant that I was standing guard with him; all night.

Grandpa did not encourage me to go to school as he thought one ought to “learn how to work.” Although Grandpa knew how to write his name, he did not read much, if any at all. I think he may have attended the first grade or so. Therefore my missing school was not a big issue to him. However, I bet he’d be proud to know that I went on to college, became a nuclear engineer and an officer in the US Air Force.

When I was a senior in Beat Four High School Grandpa got sick and had to stay in the hospital. For whatever reason, he did not want anyone staying with him; but me. And that meant I stayed with him after school and all through the night! I’d try to sleep in a chair in his hospital room, but found it very difficult. The nurses would check on me during the night and bring me some coffee.

The next day, I’d go to school, but found it difficult at times to stay awake. One of my favorite teachers, Dewey McKee, taught US History. I found it all but impossible to stay awake in Dewey’s class. Dewey would get upset at me when I’d nod off, so he eventually put me on the front row right in front of him to keep me awake. It did no good. Finally Dewey confronted me after class, and I explained to him that I was staying up all night with my Grandpa at the hospital, and I could not help nodding off. Dewey cut me some slack after I explained, but he still to this day will jab me as to how in the world could I have ever got a PhD when I could not even stay awake in his class! Dewey is doing it all in fun now, but back then it was not so funny!

Grandpa developed cancer late in his life. He was hospitalized often because of it. The day before Grandpa died, I visited him in the hospital. I could tell by the things he was saying to me that he thought the end was near. However, when I left his room, Uncle Clifton and I found Grandpa’s doctor, Doctor Murphy, in the hall. Doctor Murphy told us that when Grandpa had entered the hospital a few days before, he thought Grandpa was very sick and it might be nearing the end, but that he now thought that Grandpa would get up and walk out in a few days. Thus, I left the hospital that evening thinking all was well.

It was said that after I left my Grandpa’s hospital room the last time he turned to other family members that had entered the room and said that he was concerned about me.

Grandpa died on November 24, 1974. He caught pneumonia, and it took him suddenly, literally overnight. I remember that day well. That November was a most difficult month.

The stories I could tell about my Grandpa would make you roll in the dirt laughing. He was a short man physically, but full of fire. You did not ever want to get him angry, but he could be fun and adorable when he wanted; often he was.

He was “king of the hill.”

Estelle & Gerod Lee Assuming the baby is Aunt Polly, picture taken ~1943

Gerod and Estelle Lee ~1960

Headstone for Gerod and Estelle Lee My grandparents

Grandpa Gerod Lee’s correct Birth Date

I am well aware, especially after writing this document, that you cannot rely on census data alone to pinpoint an individual’s correct birth date. However, you can couple it with other information, and if you find consistencies, you have some assurance that you’ve got it right.

If you observe the photograph below, you can see that my Grandpa Gerod is younger than my Granduncle Mack.

This is a wonderful picture. My Great grandmother Pollie has her hand on my Grandpa’s shoulder. 

Here is more evidence that granduncle Mack is older. Consider the following data from the 1910 Census:

1910 Beat 4 Wayne County Census

1910 Beat 4 Wayne County Census House / Household 211/213 Lee,House Phillip / Household N. 51 211/213

MarriedLee, Phillip 18 years,N. 51 born (son in ofMS, Robert parents E. (Robeson)born in MS, Lee works) as a farmer on rented farm, can read and writeMarried 18 years, born in MS, parents born in MS, works as a farmer on rented farm, can read and write

Polly A 37 Married 18 years, born in MS, parents born in MS, can read and write, 6 kids, 5 living

Theodore R. 15 Theodore R. 15 Born in MS, laborer on a farm, can read and write, attends school Robert E. 12 RobertBorn in E.MS, laborer 12 on a farm, can read and write, attends school BornMack in H. MS, laborer on a8 farm, son can read and write, attends school Gerard 4 son MackWalden H. 82 son Gerad 4 son Waldan 2 son

If you look at the birthday on my Grandpa Gerod’s headstone, you’ll see that my Grandfather’s birth date is Dec 22, 1901. On Granduncle Mack’s headstone, Uncle Mack’s birthday is Apr 22, 1902. Well, that means that my Grandfather would be 4-months older than his older brother, Uncle Mack, per their headstones. Obviously, there is something wrong. The error really jumps out when visiting their graves, because their graves are nearly side by side.

I’m going to present the following using the 1910 census coupled with the data on headstones, to say that my Grandfather’s birth date on his headstone is INCORRECT.

The proof of Grandpa’s headstone error is in the math.

Granduncle Thea’s headstone states that he was born on September 30, 1884. The 1910 census says he was 15-years old on the day the census was taken. According to Uncle Thea’s headstone, could he have been 15 when the census was taken? The answer is yes. All you have to do to prove this is to subtract 1910-1894 = 16, but if the census was taken BEFORE Granduncle Thea’s birthday which was on September 30th, Uncle Thea would have been 15.

Granduncle Rob’s headstone states that he was born on October 11, 1897. The 1910 census says he was 12 years old on the day the census was taken. According to Uncle Rob’s headstone, could he have been 12 years old when the census was taken? The answer is yes. This would imply that the census was taken before his birthday in October.

Granduncle Mack’s headstone states that he was born on April 22, 1902. The 1910 census says he was 8-years old when the census was taken. According to Uncle Mack’s birth date given on his headstone, could he have been 8 years old at the time of the census? 1910-1902=8; the answer is yes. This would also imply that the census taken in 1910 would have been after April 22 but before September 30 (else Uncle Thea would have been 16 years old if taken on or after Sep 30th).

Also, not shown here is Walden (Buddy) Lee’s headstone. Granduncle Buddy’s headstone states he was born on November 2, 1907. The 1910 census reports that Buddy was 2-years old the summer the census was taken. Could he have been 2-years old according to his birth date inscribed on his headstone when the 1910 census happened? YES!!!

However, applying the same logic, if Grandpa Gerod Lee’s birth year, 1901, is correct on his headstone, could he be 4-years old at the time of the census in 1910?

1910-1901=9….NO!

If Grandpa Lee had been born in 1901 as his headstone suggests, he would have been 8-years old in the summer of 1910 before his December birthday. I seriously doubt anyone would have mistaken an 8 year old boy as being 4, as the census reports; especially if there was already an 8 year old boy in the family (Granduncle Mack) standing in front of the census taker.

All the boys birth dates inscribed on their headstones agree with the 1910 census EXCEPT my Grandfather, Gerod Lee. His birth date on his headstone must be wrong! And the data showing his birth date in his official records are incorrect too.

I know that my Grandmother changed my Grandfather’s age because she told me that she’d found a different birth date in an old Family Bible, and she had Grandpa’s birth date officially changed to reflect that. This change is reflected in his social security records, etc.

My Granduncle Mack made mention of this error on Grandpa’s headstone to members of our family, including Luther Lee. Luther gave no more thought of it until I mentioned to Luther that Grandpa’s headstone is incorrect years later. An elderly cousin, Willie Ed Lee, also agrees that Grandpa’s birth date is wrong on his headstone.

Grandmother told me that at one time “they thought” that my Dad, Lennard Sr. and Grandpa Gerod were born on the same day, December 21st. Grandma said that “they found out” that Grandpa was born on the 22nd instead. So both the day and year were changed to facilitate the “new evidence” Grandma found in the old family Bible.

One reason that some family members think Grandpa Gerod was the older than Granduncle Mack is that Uncle Mack lived a little over 12-years after Grandpa died. However, that is a wrong assumption to make.

Grandpa, Uncle Mack and I were talking on Grandpa’s front porch one day and I asked them who was the oldest. Grandpa said “Mack is. He’s about 3-years older than me.” Uncle Mack agreed. Grandpa’s statement he made to me that day matches the 1910 census data. Physically, I could tell Uncle Mack was the older of the two when they stood side by side.

My suspicion was confirmed years after I first started investigation this. In May 2011, my aunt Polly (Lee) Lott gave me my Grandfather’s old Masonic Bible. The Bible was purchased in 1951, a year before I was born. In it is recorded my Grandfather’s birth day as Dec 22, 1901.

However, clearly you can see that the date was changed, and you can still see the imprint of the original entry that had been erased. The original entry was “Dec 21, 1905!”

While this could not be submitted as legal evidence in court, to me it validates my suspicions that Grandpa’s birth date was changed (in my lifetime) and the date on his headstone is incorrect.

To most the actual birth date for my Grandpa would not mean anything special as it just would not be a big deal. However, to some in the family, it is. Why? Well I’m not sure, but for me; I just like to try to get things right. On this issue, I have.

Many people born in the 1800s and the early 1900s did not know their actual birth year. Sometimes they guessed; sometimes they were told the date in error. My Grandparents did not have any birth certificates. School records did my Grandpa no good as he probably did not finish the first grade, and even if he went longer, the one-room schoolhouses back then did not keep detailed records of the children’s ages, etc. Over time, a person’s age might get legitimately confused.

By the time my parents came along, this problem was solved via redundant public record keeping.

In closing, consider this; if my Grandpa Lee was born on Dec 21 (or Dec 22) in the year 1905, could he have been 4-years old as the 1910 census states?…Yes.

Double kin to the Overstreets

Follow the names in red on both sides.

Henry Overstreet II and Jane Braswell John Overstreet Braswell Overstreet, Senior Catherine Carr Sarah “Buie” Bowie Martha Patricia “Patsy” Overstreet James Henry Overstreet Dr. John West Prudence “Pruda” Kelly Catherine “Katie” West William J. “Choctaw Bill” Overstreet24 Robeson “Rob or Robert” Earl Lee Eliza Ratcliff Phillip Anaphur “Napper” Lee Pollie An “Pruda” Overstreet Pollie An “Pruda” Overstreet Phillip Anaphur “Napper” Lee Gerod Clifton Lee, Sr. Gerod Clifton Lee, Sr. Ida Estelle Busby Ida Estelle Busby Lennard Woodrow Lee, Sr. Lennard Woodrow Lee, Sr. Bobbie Iris Hyatt Bobbie Iris Hyatt Lennard “Larry” Woodrow Lee, Jr Lennard “Larry” Woodrow Lee, Jr Margaret Penelope “Penny” Smith Margaret Penelope “Penny” Smith

Some sources cite the Henry Overstreet in this lineage as “Henry Overstreet, Jr.” and some sources cite him as “Henry Overstreet, II”. Still others cite him as just “Henry Overstreet.” Not distinguishing between Henry Overstreet the father and Henry Overstreet the son is a source of confusion for some researchers. The same is true with Braswell Overstreet, Senior and Braswell Overstreet, Junior. I chose to use Henry Overstreet I and Henry Overstreet II to distinguish between them in my family history write-ups.

John Overstreet and Braswell Overstreet are brothers. Both of them are my 4th Great grandfathers. Their parents, Henry Overstreet II and Jane Braswell are my “double 5th Great grandparents.”

My Great grandparents, Phillip “Napper” Lee and Pollie An Overstreet share great-great grandparents, Henry Overstreet Jr., and Jane Braswell. That makes them 3rd cousins.

Braswell Overstreet, Senior (sometimes referred to as Braswell Overstreet I or just Braswell Overstreet) married my 4th Great grandmother, Sarah Buie. Sarah is the daughter of Chief Buie. Chief Buie was the Chief of the Creek Indian Nation. Chief Buie is my 5th Great grandfather. My 2nd Great grandpa Choctaw Bill Overstreet was not part Choctaw as his name suggests. (He may have had some Choctaw blood in him.) He was, certainly, 1/4th Creek Indian as his Great grandfather is Chief Buie.

24 Choctaw Bill married Mrs. Sallie Trigg after Eliza died.

The Lee-Farmer-Braswell Connection

My 4th Great grandfather, Zachariah T. Lee married Lucy Farmer on October 11, 1763. My 4th Great grandma Lucy’s ancestors are interesting.

Lucy’s parents are Isaac Farmer and Elizabeth Bryant Braswell; my 5th Great grandparents. Thus I am double kin to the Braswells. Jane Braswell is also my 5th Great grandmother though the Overstreets. Elizabeth and Jane are distant cousins.

Isaac Farmer and Elizabeth Braswell were the parents of TWO sons that served in the American Revolution: Joseph Farmer and Benjamin Farmer.

Jane and Elizabeth Braswell are descendants of Reverend Robert Bracewell.

I have a proven lineage to Reverend Robert Bracewell via genealogy research and DNA traces in the Overstreet family.

Reverend Robert Bracewell is my 9th Great grandfather. There is an abundance of documentation about him recorded in early Virginia history.

Reverend Robert Bracewell migrated to America for spiritual reasons as he was a Priest of the Church of England.

He entered Oxford University on February 22, 1627 and graduated with a BA in Divinity on November 3, 1631.

In 1652 Robert served as Pastor of Saint Luke’s Church, Smithfield Virginia. The church was constructed in 1634. It is the oldest original Protestant church in America, and it still stands today.

In 1653, Robert was elected to the House of Burgesses. His status as clergy was not deemed proper with church officials with respect to his seat in the House of Burgesses so he was suspended as a clergyman from the church because it was unprecedented that a minister would serve as a “Burgesse” and it was thought that it may produce “bad consequence.” This may be the earliest record of the “separation of Church and State” in America!

One of his daughters, Jane Bracewell, my 8th great grandaunt (not to be confused with my 5th Great grandmother Jane Braswell), married three times. Her second marriage was to Robert Elley; who is an ancestor to President Lyndon Baynes Johnson.

The early Braswells were very rich and MAJOR land owners. Richard Bracewell was a major land owner in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. This means he was extremely wealthy; owning several thousands of acres of land. Richard Bracewell is my 8th Great grandfather and the family name changed from Bracewell to Braswell during his lifetime.

Lucy (Farmer) Lee, my 4th Great grandmother, is also a descendent of Thomas Farmer, the Immigrant. Historical documentation is abundant about him as he was one of the first English settlers in Virginia or even in America.

Thomas Farmer came to America in 1616 on the ship Tryall.

He landed in America 4-years before the Mayflower.

He was among the second wave of English settlers to permanently settle America.

It is estimated that he was among the first three to four thousand English settlers that came to Virginia. Upon Thomas’ arrival, perhaps less than a thousand of these early settlers survived as most had perished due to hardships, disease or were killed by Indians.

Thomas’ father is reported to be Sir George Farmer. Sir George was Knighted in 1586 by Queen Elizabeth I. Sir George had two of his sons that also were knighted: Sir Hatton Farmer knighted in 1603, and Sir William Farmer knighted in 1661.

Thomas’ grandfather is reported to be Sir John Fermor (an early English spelling of Farmer). Sir John was Knighted by Queen Mary on October 2, 1553.

. Thomas Farmer the Immigrant would be my 8th Great grandfather. . Sir George Farmer would be my 9th Great grandfather. . Sir John Fermor would be my 10th Great grandfather.

Thomas the Immigrant was known by locals as the “Ancient Planter of Virginia” because he survived the Indian Massacre of 1622.

It was said that Thomas had to fight for his life and for the survival of his community. Perhaps less than 1,000 English settlers survived the Massacre. The Indians thought they’d drive the English out of their lands. It was said that the Indians came into the English villages and homes acting as if they wanted to trade but suddenly picked up anything that could be used as a weapon and killed everyone. Many English settlements; men, women and children, were completely wiped out. The main settlement at Jamestown survived due to early warnings. The events of the Massacre shocked the settlers and forever tainted relationships between the Indians and the English settlers.

Thomas the Immigrant was elected to the House of Burgesses from The Plantations of the College Land and the Neck of Land in the General Assembly of 1629-1630.

Of Thomas the Immigrant’s descendants:

An early Virginia Farmer became one of our first American martyrs to the cause of liberty. Richard Farmer, a follower of Nathaniel Bacon, was convicted and executed in 1676 for treason against King Charles II, during Bacon's Rebellion. (Henning's Statutes 1660 - 1682, pp 378 - 550) Isaiah M. Farmer was with General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox when Lee surrendered to General Grant.

Our family has ties to early American struggles for independence with both the Farmers and the Lees.

Zachariah Lee, my 4th Great grandfather is a brother to Jesse Woodard Lee, Senior.

Jesse Lee, Senior was a Revolutionary War Soldier and fought in George Washington’s Continental Army against the British. He is my 4th Great granduncle.

Zachariah Lee himself may have been killed by a Troy; Tories were against the Colonies gaining independence from Britain. This suggests that our Lee family supported the American Revolution.

The Lee Family from 1694-1863

Our Lee family started out in America when John Lee of England came over in 1694. John Lee is my 6th Great grandfather. John Lee was granted 960 acres of land by the King of England in Nansemond County, Virginia. Nansemond County became extinct because of absorption of surrounding counties in 1972.

In the map above you can see in one picture the areas where our family was reported to be by various sources up to July 1863. (Note: Vicksburg is on the map above because that’s where my 2nd Great grandpa Rob fought in the Civil War.)

Different sources report some places differently; it is very likely that all are not correct; but they all could be. Some places we can be sure of. We know the family started in Virginia and eventually ended up in Robeson County, North Carolina before coming to Mississippi. Questions are; did they come straight from Robeson County to Wayne County, Mississippi or did they move from Robeson County to South Carolina and then migrate to Wayne County? Did they come overland from the Carolinas or did they come by boat? Because of multiple Samuel Lees living in relative close proximity to each other in North and South Carolina at the same time, we find evidence of all of these different migrations by a Samuel Lee and his family at the time our Samuel Lee family could have migrated to Wayne County, but which Samuel Lee is my 3rd Great grandfather Sam?

If my Samuel Lee family came from South Carolina to Mississippi by boat, they probably left from a South Carolina seaport near Georgetown District and landed in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. In this story, that was told to me by my Cousin Luther Lee, the initial destination of the family was not known. However, one variation of this story I heard later is that the family was intending to go to Columbia, Mississippi but stopped when a child drowned in the Chickasawhay River near present day Waynesboro. I doubt that Columbia was their initial intended destination. If that was the case, you’d think that the family would not have travelled through Wayne County to get from Bay St. Louis to Columbia as that would be extremely out of the way; unless there was no other pathway to get from Bay St Louis to Columbia at that time. Old winding Indian trails may have been all that was available. In about 1805, most of the land was virgin forest with no roads to speak of off the coast.

It is possible the family came to Mississippi by boat intending to go to some destination.

It is also possible that the family left North Carolina and came overland to Wayne County with the intent of going to Natchez but stopped when a child drowned at the Chickasawhay River. Pick your story.

I pounder the possibility if the family came to Mississippi by boat and landed at Bay St. Louis with the intent to go to Natchez or some point westward. If so, they could have then followed the Pascagoula River along its banks north from the coast. The Pascagoula River is formed when the Chickasawhay and the Leaf Rivers merge in northwest George County. At the merge point, they could have then followed the Chickasawhay to near present day Waynesboro. Perhaps then being on the east side they decided to cross to turn west and a child died while fording the river. There was a trail that went from Georgia to Texas that went through present day Waynesboro. They could have been trying to intersect that trail in Wayne County to go to west, possibly to Natchez. Given the hardships and dangers of travelling overland from Georgia to places in the Mississippi Territory through the Indian Nation’s lands, travel by boat from the Carolinas to Bay St. Louis may have been easier and safer in the early 1800s for those few that could afford it.

If the family came overland from the Carolinas to Wayne County, they would have had to obtain a passport from the Governor of Georgia to travel into Mississippi Territory. There is a record in 1808 of a Samuel Lee applying for such a passport, and then another record of a Samuel Lee doing so in 1810. Perhaps these Samuel Lees were the same man that made multiple trips. I found evidence that strongly suggests that the 1810 Samuel Lee was not my 3rd Great grandfather, but I cannot say absolutely. If not the same man then perhaps the 1808 Samuel Lee was my 3rd Great grandfather. Because of the treaty with the Creek Indians, the Federal Road was the only pathway the settlers could travel on without military escort. Settlers that wandered off this trail were subject to Indian attack and death.

Once out of Creek Nation Territory, the threat of Indian attacks was diminished but the going was not much better. The Federal Road was narrow, had no bridges to cross rivers, and it was full of ruts, potholes and wash outs. It took three months if lucky to travel from Georgia to Wayne County before the Creek War ended in 1814.

No matter the difficulties or dangers, thousands of settlers made the overland trip. Our Samuel Lee family could have done it too.

There is really no way to tell if our Samuel made multiple trips or not. He appeared to have had a “rambling soul.”

Once in Wayne County it appears that there was a trail that went out to Texas. I don’t exactly know when this trail was put in place, so I have to use some conjecture here. Present day US Highway 84 shadows this trail somewhat. The section of Highway 84 from Brunswick, Georgia to Roscoe, Texas has been designated by five state legislatures as part of the El Camino East/West Corridor. The designation was in recognition of its history as a migration route from the Atlantic coast to the present U.S.-Mexico border. According to a historical marker on Highway 84; on April 6, 1825, General Lafayette visited the Masonic Lodge No 3 in Perdue Hill, Alabama which is on the highway about 80-miles east of Wayne County. This is the same Lafayette that was a major general under General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War! Therefore, the trail appears to have been in place during Samuel’s time.

Looking at the picture below, Wayne County is represented by the green dot on the right. Going west, to the other side of Mississippi along the highway you find Natchez. The trail was a straight shot across Mississippi from present day Waynesboro to Natchez. The first record of my 3rd Great grandpa Sam in Mississippi is in an 1818 Lawrence County land transaction.25 The trail went through Lawrence County, Mississippi which is in between Waynesboro and Natchez. If you continued on out west on the trail from Natchez you’ll enter Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. Samuel was said to have possibly moved to Catahoula Parish later in his life to be with his sons that had settled there. The green dot on the left in the picture below is about where you find Freestone County, Texas. Some of Samuel’s children are reported to have settled in Freestone County, and although I don’t know for sure, I assume that this is where Samuel went to find Texas land in the Tommie Lewis stories. It is a fairly straight line from Waynesboro going west out to Freestone County. The trip was over 500-miles one way. If the weather was good, 15 to 20 miles per day would be about right. That means the trip would have taken over a month, perhaps six-weeks. But land out in Texas in Samuel’s time was sometimes free. The Republic of Texas gave grants of large land tracks to any settler willing to come into Texas and live there. After Texas statehood in 1845, in certain parts, land was as cheap as 50 cents per acre. It was referred to as the “Promised Land” by early settlers.

U.S. Highway 84

Even if Samuel ended up in Columbia, Mississippi late in his life and died there, as some family stories suggest, he could have used this trail to move to Columbia. Highway 84 passes just a few miles north of Columbia.

This trail contains several places that Samuel was reported to have been at during different times in his life.

Did Samuel Lee and/or his family follow or use this trail? I’d guess, yes.

25 This is not to say that he was not in Mississippi before 1818.

Summaries Samuel Jefferson Lee, Senior

My 3rd Great grandfather. With wife Sarah and their older children, were among the first white settlers of Wayne County, Mississippi. Sarah’s last name is reported to be either Shay or Burns. Samuel was married at least three times and had at least 23 children. (He was single for 17-years between his second and third wives!) My 3rd Great grandmother Sarah is his second wife. Samuel, Senior and Sarah had a son named Robeson Earl Lee; Robeson is my 2nd Great grandfather. Samuel married the third time to Martha Patricia “Patsy” (Overstreet) West, the widow of Dr. John Asbury West from Greene County. o Dr West and Patsy Overstreet are also my 3rd Great grandparents as they are the parents of my 2nd Great grandmother, Catherine “Katie” West. Patsy Overstreet was married to TWO of my 3rd Great grandfathers.

Robeson Earl Lee

Went by the name Rob or Robert. Was known by some as Robert E. Lee. Married his stepsister; Catherine “Katie” West. o They were about 10-years apart in age; they were not raised together and were not blood kin. Served in the Civil War. o Was captured at the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4th, 1863. o Was paroled by General Ulysses S. Grant’s forces and released from being a prisoner of war on July 10, 1863.

The lineage back to Thomas the Immigrant is:

Lennard (Larry) Woodrow Lee, Junior & Margaret Penelope Smith  Lennard W. Lee, Senior & Bobbie Iris Hyatt  Gerod Clifton Lee, Senior & Ida Estelle Busby  Phillip (Napper) Anaphur Lee & Pollie An Overstreet  Robeson (Rob or Robert) Earl Lee & Catherine (Katie) West  Samuel Jefferson Lee, Senior & Sarah  Zachariah T. Lee & Lucy Farmer  Isaac Farmer & Elizabeth Bryant Braswell  Thomas Farmer III & Agnes Nicholson  Thomas Farmer II & Ann Rome  Thomas Farmer the Immigrant & Ann

Thomas the Immigrant is my 8th Great grandfather. If there is a Thomas IV in the mix; which some lineages claim; then he is my 9th Great grandfather. I assume he is my 8th, however. Thomas the Immigrate came to America (Virginia) in 1616; four years before the Mayflower.

The lineage back to Reverend Robert Bracewell:

The names in red that are underlined in this linage were confirmed via DNA testing. It is pretty certain that my 5th Great grandmother Jane Braswell is the daughter of Robert Braswell II and Julian (via numerous sources). However, there is no DNA test to support it because females are seldom tested in DNA projects. However, her brother, Kindred Braswell (1740-1821) was linked to the Reverend Robert Bracewell via DNA tests, as was obviously her father, Robert Braswell II. Therefore, the evidence is strong enough to state that this is a proven lineage via genealogical research and DNA testing.

Since my Great grandparents, Phillip “Napper” Lee and Pollie An Overstreet are third cousins, there are two pathways that can be used by any of Phillip and Pollie’s offspring to trace back to my 9th Great grandfather Reverend Bracewell.

Through Great grandma Pollie An Overstreet:

Lennard (Larry) Woodrow Lee, Junior & Margaret Penelope Smith  Lennard W. Lee, Senior & Bobbie Iris Hyatt  Gerod Clifton Lee, Senior & Ida Estelle Busby  Phillip (Napper) Anaphur Lee & Pollie An Overstreet  William J. (Choctaw Bill) Overstreet & Eliza Ratcliff  James Henry Overstreet & Prudence “Pruda” Kelly  Braswell Overstreet, Senior & Sarah Buie  Henry Overstreet II & Jane Braswell  Robert Braswell (to Dobbs/Johnston NC, South Carolina) & Julian  Robert Braswell (1774-1736)  Richard Bracewell I (1652-1725) (Jamestowne Society Proved) & Sarah  Robert Bracewell (1611-1668)

Through Great grandpa Phillip “Napper” Lee:

Lennard (Larry) Woodrow Lee, Junior & Margaret Penelope Smith  Lennard W. Lee, Senior & Bobbie Iris Hyatt  Gerod Clifton Lee, Senior & Ida Estelle Busby  Phillip (Napper) Anaphur Lee & Pollie An Overstreet  Robeson (Robert or Rob) Earl Lee & Catherine (Katie or Katy) West  Dr John Asbury West & Martha Patricia (Patsy) Overstreet  John Overstreet & Catherine Carr  Henry Overstreet II & Jane Braswell  Robert Braswell (to Dobbs/Johnston NC, South Carolina) & Julian  Robert Braswell (1774-1736)  Richard Bracewell I (1652-1725) (Jamestowne Society Proved) & Sarah  Robert Bracewell (1611-1668)

Lineage from John Lee of England:

John Lee of England & Mary  Joshua Lee & Mary Woodard  Zachariah T. Lee & Lucy Farmer  Samuel Jefferson Lee, Senior & Sarah  Robeson Earl Lee (Robert or Rob) & Catherine West (Katie or Katy)  Phillip Anaphur Lee (Napper) & Pollie An Overstreet  Gerod Clifton Lee, Senior & Ida Estelle Busby  Lennard Woodrow Lee, Senior & Bobbie Iris Hyatt  Lennard W. Lee, Junior (Larry) & Margaret Penelope Smith

Migrations to Wayne County, Mississippi:

1. John Lee emigrated from England to America aboard the ship Bonaventure in 1694. 2. Joshua Lee emigrated from Virginia into North Carolina in about 1728. 3. Zachariah Lee immigrated into an area that would become Robeson County, North Carolina sometime after 1770. 4. Samuel Jefferson Lee, Senior migrated from North Carolina (or South Carolina) to Wayne County, Mississippi in the early 1800s; some stories suggest in about 1805.

Samuel was among the first white settlers of Wayne County, Mississippi.

I am the 9th generation of Lee males since our Lee family came from England to America.