1852- possible routes to Texas

We don't know for sure which route our ancestors took from Rankin County, Mississippi to East Texas.

Today the shortest route would take them from Cato along route 28 westward to Natchez- just over 100 miles.

1845 Map of Mississippi

1852 Map of Mississippi

If they took this route, they would have stopped to say goodbye to relatives along the way in Rankin and Simpson county, many of whom were planning to follow them to Texas in the months to come.

At Westville, in Simpson County, they would have headed west, along what is now highway 28.  They would have forded the Strong River just outside of Westville.

Westville to Georgetown 14 miles- crossing the Pearl River at mile 12 and entering Copiah County.

Georgetown to Gallatin 18 miles

At Gallatin they had two choices;

a) either head northwest on the Old Port Gibson road to Port Gibson and the ferry at Rodney, which crossed to St. Joseph Louisiana or

b) head southwest (staying on what is now 28) and the steam ferry at Natchez, which crossed to Vidalia, Louisiana.

Gallatin to Union Church 25 miles
Union Church to Fayette 18 miles
Fayette to Washington 18 miles
Washington to Natchez 7 miles
Steam ferry from Natchez to Vidalia

At Vidalia they were just 30 miles from the plantation of their Campbell cousins at Flowery Mound, on the Black River. Uncle Beasley Campbell lived here, next to the prosperous plantation of his daughter Elizabeth Rose Campbell (now married to Joseph Miller) and the plantation of his son, William Preston Campbell, who was now married to Sarah Womack, the daughter of David Womack and Sarah Norris.

 Uncle Beasley and the cousins could have easily traveled by steamboat up to visit

Vidalia to Flowery Mound 30 miles
Vidalia to Frogmore Plantation 16 miles
Frogmore to Flowery Mound Plantation  16 miles
Frogmore to Jonesville- 9 miles, crossing the Black River just before Jonesville


They would have traveled about 12 miles per day- their pace set by the slow moving oxen that pulled the wagons.

They forded many streams, but would have crossed five major rivers.
Only 30 miles- two days journey from Cato- they would have crossed the Pearl River.

Next, they would have faced one of the greatest moments in their journey; taking a ferry across the Mississippi River. There would have been ferries at Vicksburg, Rodney (near the Windsor Ruins and crossing to St. Joseph La., Grand Gulf, and Natchez.

Cato to Rodney- 85 miles due west, ferry to St. Joseph,
St. Joseph to Olla, La. (Ralph Franklin in 1850) 80 miles
Olla to Alexandria 45 miles

Cato to Natchez- 100 miles SW, ferry to Vidalia (Campbell cousins)
Vidalia to Flowry Mound 30 miles
Flowry Mound to Alexandria 65 miles

Cato to Vicksburg- 70 miles
Vicksburg to Natchez- 70 miles, ferry to Vidalia
Natchez to Olla- 65 miles
Olla to Alexandria 45 miles

In Alexandria, they would have crossed the Red River.

An exciting time would have been when they finally crossed over the border into Texas- crossing the Sabine River, likely at Burr's Ferry.

Finally, nearing the end of their journey, they crossed the Neches at Town Bluff.


St. Joseph and Waterproof lay between Natchez and Grand Gulf, on the Louisiana side of the river.

What was the relationship between Abraham James Womack and the other Womack's that went to Texas?

Why did these two different Womack branches migrate together to the same place? 

The quick and easy answer is that both AJ Womack and David Womack married Franklin sisters- and all but two of the Franklin sisters emigrated to Texas.

Were they related? YES!

AJ Womack and David Womack and his siblings were also related on the Womack side. They certainly used the same given names again and again, so we must clarify who is who with birthdates to begin to keep them straight!

We are fairly certain that their grandfathers were brothers- AJ's grandfather was Jesse born abt 1739 and David's grandfather was David, born abt 1735.

So- their fathers were first cousins- AJ's father, Richard Womack born abt 1784 and David's father, David Womack, born about 1774.

So- AJ born 1814 in the Mississippi Territory (now Alabama) and David born abt 1820 in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana-were first cousins once removed? I always get confused on that part.

These two Womack branches had traveled distant paths, but surely kept touch with letters and visits.

The grandfathers

Jesse and David were both born in Henrico County, Virginia, where the Womack's had lived since the 1600's. Their parents were Richard Womack (1710-1785) and Ann "Nancy" Childers. Following the migrational patterns of the time, Richard and Nancy left Henrico/now Chesterfield County to move southward and westward during colonial times. We see them in Amelia County and Lunenburg County, Virginia, and in Orange County/Caswell/Person County NC (county boundaries changed.) Eventually, we find them in Burke County, Georgia, where Nancy died in 1747 and Richard died in 1785.

David moved from Virginia, to Orange/Caswell/Person County NC and then on to St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, where he died in 1804.


The fathers

In the end, the cousins (Richard b 1784 and David b 1774) both ended emigrating to Mississippi about the same time, living in Simpson County. We know that Richard died in Simpson or Rankin County before 1850 (when the Rankin County census shows just his 2nd wife, Sarah, and children) and David died in 1854 in Simpson County.

1852- Trails, Ferries and river crossings

The Sabine River marked the border between Louisiana and Texas. Pioneers crossed the river along established trails at four main points.

The "Upper Route" came into Texas from Shreveport (Red River)
The "Lower Route" came in from Opelousas (New Columbia ferry)
The El Camino Real came into Texas from Natchitoches. (Bevil's/Haddon's Ferry)
The "Old Beef Trail" came in from Alexandria (Burr's Ferry)

It is likely that our ancestors used the "Old Beef Trail" from Alexandria. This trail had been used to drive cattle to Alexandria (which were then shipped to New Orleans via the Red River) as early as 1830 and was an important route in the 1840's. The trail followed the Nolan Trace from Leesville, Louisiana, along what is now Louisiana Hwy. 8- also known as the Nolan Trace Parkway.

This 1882 railroad map shows a route that likely followed the Old Beef Trail from Alexandria, showing the branching of the trail at Burkeville.

Railroad likely following the Old Beef Trail

The Trail forked near Burkeville, with one fork going northwest to Bevil's (Hadden's) Ferry at Toledo Bend and the other going southwest to Burr's Ferry in order to cross the Sabine River. The trail followed through what is now Zavalla and Jasper to Burkeville. According to the "History of Angelina County," the trail then went north of Jasper, crossed the Angelina River, and headed northwest just south of Zavalla.

After crossing the Sabine River, the Old Beef Trail went westward through Jasper. We know that from Jasper, our ancestors would have continued westward to cross the Neches River at Town Bluff, where they stayed for some time.

After their stay in Town Bluff, they would have likely rejoined the Old Beef Trail, now heading north to Zavalla before the trail turned westward passing north of Diboll and continuing westward north of Apple Springs- where we know that they crossed the river and found their land.


Burr's Ferry
The ferry and town were named for Dr. Timothy Burr, a second cousin of the vice president Aaron Burr. His family operated the ferry from the 1840's.  There was a cotton gin as well as warehouses and goods could be shipped from here west to Burkeville Texas or east to Leesville, Louisiana.

Sources:

The History of the Old Beef Trail

Burr's Ferry on the Louisiana border

Burr's Ferry

Franklin Sisters on the way to Texas- 1852

James Cornelius Womack 

My grandmother's father was just a toddler in 1852, when his family emigrated to Texas from Rankin County, Mississippi.

His parents were Abraham James Womack and Rebecca Franklin. James had three older sisters along on the trip; 13 year old Mary, 12 year old Frances, and 11 year old Sarah. His two older brothers were Richard, age 9, and his closest sibling- five year old George. All of the children except James and George would have been old enough to walk alongside the ox drawn wagon that carried their household goods to Texas. The older girls may have taken turns riding horseback along with the wagon train. Richard was old enough to ride alongside his father, and hunt for small game along the way. But little James and George would have likely traveled in the bumpy wagon, with an older sister looking out for them while their mother helped drive the oxen along the way.

There were plenty of other children making the trip; cousins that had been friends for years in Rankin County.

Aunt Fannie (Frances Franklin) and Uncle John Chapman and their family comprised yet another wagon on the train. Theirs was the youngest family of the group. The two oldest girls were Allace "Linny"  and Mary, ages 9 and 8. The only boy in the family was 7 year old Allen. There were three little girls; 6 year old Sarah Elizabeth, 4 year old Jemima  "Mimy" and the baby- two year old Susan.

Aunt Mima (Jemima Franklin) and Uncle William McClendon had a wagon with  seven children. The eldest boy, Milledge Livingston, was 17- able to do the work of a grown man. Henry was 14 and Thomas 11- both old enough to ride, help herd what cattle came with them, and hunt for game along the way. William McClelland was 9- the same age as his cousin, Richard Womack. Mary was 7- probably old enough to be expected to look after her younger sister Rebecca, age 5, and two year old Lewis.

 It may be that the aunts grouped the babies together during the day in order to share childcare duties while everyone was busy on the road. Two year olds- James Womack, Susan Chapman, and Lewis McClendon might have played in a wagon during the day, under the watchful eye of one of their sisters.

But for the most part, everyone walked. Someone had to walk alongside the team of oxen, coaxing them along the route. The gentle, lumbering beasts were strong but slow- walking only about 3 miles per hour. This matched the pace for those family members walking alongside the wagon.

The wagons were too bumpy and heavily laden to accommodate anyone but the youngest during those long, dusty days of travel. A treat would have been to spend some time on horseback along the trail, although this was likely primarily the realm of the heads of the families- Abe Womack, John Chapman, and William McClendon. They would scout ahead for sources of water, small game, and places to rest at noon and in the evening.

There may have been other families that traveled with them- but these three seem to have traveled together- the three Franklin sisters and their husbands, and 19 children.

We can imagine the cousins working and playing along the way. The Womack sisters- Mary, Frances and Sarah- were the oldest girls- pre-teens capable of helping the women with most adult chores, including cooking and cleaning up, and possibly even driving the oxen who pulled the wagons during the day.

The teen-aged McClelland brothers- Livingston (17) and Henry (14) were certainly old enough to help the three men with their duties.

A group of younger boys- Thomas (11) and William (9) McClelland and Richard Womack (9) were likely good buddies along the way, with 7 year old Allen Chapman following along. It is easy to imagine a group of mischevious boys on such a journey- darting off to search for berries, wading in creeks, and playing along the way.

A group of younger girls would have been playmates-Allace (9) and the two Mary's- Mary Chapman (8), and Mary McClelland (7.) Old enough to be responsible, this group could help with simple chores and care-taking of the younger cousins, yet they surely skipped and talked together along the way.

The youngest group on foot would have been- George Womack (5), Sarah Elizabeth (6) and Mimy (4) Chapman and Rebecca (5) McClendon. Although Sarah may have managed to fit in to the slightly older girls, this younger group would have needed watching to make sure they didn't wander off along the way, or fall behind. Their little legs would have grown weary with walking before the day was through, and they likely spent some time resting in the wagons with the toddlers.

There is likely one other group that traveled with them. All of these families were slave owners. Looking at the ages of John Chapmans slaves in 1850 and 1860 it appears that two of his slaves made the trip to Texas with the family- boys aged 16 and 14 in 1852. Considering that John and Fannie Chapman had no teen-aged children of their own to help along the way, these boys would have been a huge help to the family on this trip- able to help with driving the wagon and with herding any cattle that came with them from Mississippi.

photo- Ox-drawn farm wagon, Hendersonville, N.C." (P0650), Jody Barber Photographic Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, UNC Asheville 28804

Franklin Relatives in Town Bluff, Texas 1852

                          


When the Womack, Chapman, and McClendon families arrived in the booming town of Town Bluff, a settlement on the navigable Neches River, they would have been warmly greeted by relatives.

Their uncle, James B. Franklin, and his wife, Mary Chapman, seem to have been the first members of the Franklin clan to move out of Rankin County and on to Texas. Their son Benjamin "Bud" was born in Rankin County on the 5th of December 1845, just before Texas attained statehood. The next child, "Babe," was born in Texas in February 1848.

Aunt Alicy Franklin and her husband Thomas Cryer probably moved with them. Their youngest child, William, had been born in Rankin County in 1844.

There was surely a great deal of talk about starting a new life in Texas during these tough times in Mississippi. Letters from family who had made the move would have greatly influenced those considering following that path. James and Ailcy surely sent letters on to their eldest brother, Henry, about their experiences along the way, and the new land they had settled on in Tyler County, Texas, which sat just across the Neches River from Louisiana.

By 1850, James was 43, and Mary ten years younger. They had a thriving family; William Plummer 13, Thomas Harrison 11, Sarah 9, Benjamin "Bud" 6, Robert Baker "Babe" 3, and a baby, Eliza.

Thomas Cryer was 54 and Aunt Ailcy Franklin was 42. Their family consisted of Francis 23, Emanuel 22, Wade 16, Marshall 14, Henry 12, Lucinda 10, Fanny 8, and William 6.

There would have been quite a celebration when the Franklin, Cryer, Womack, Chapman and McClendon families were reunited in Town Bluff.


Sources:
Year: 1850; Census Place: Tyler, Texas; Roll: M432_915; Page: 170B; Image: 322

More information:

Town Bluff, Texas - a plan for a "Natchez on the Neches"

Mary Franklin Spring born 1808 South Carolina died 1858 Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana

A few years ago, I visited the graves of Mary Franklin Spring and her husband, William Spring at the Spring Cemetery in Amite, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. Mary was the eldest daughter of my ancestor, Henry Franklin, and his wife known as "Sarah "Sally" McGuire."

(attach photos)

Mary's gravestone shows her birth date as 1796, although others believe the correct date is 1808. In the 1850 census of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, Mary was shown as age 42, which would indeed make her birth date 1808. Her birth place on the census was noted as South Carolina, although again, others believe she was born in North Carolina. Mary died in 1858 so there is no information on her on the 1860 census.


Mary was the only one of Henry Franklin's children who remained in Louisiana rather than moving with the family to Rankin County, Mississippi. She married William Spring in St. Helena Parish on July 18, 1825, when she was 17 years old. The 1830 St. Helena census shows a male age 30-39 (William) a female age 15-19 (Mary)  two male children under age 5 (George K. Spring and Henry Franklin Spring) and one female child under age 5 (Feraby Horatia Spring.) By this time Henry Franklin's family was on the Rankin County, Mississippi census.


It is clear from legal papers that Henry Franklin remained close to Mary and her husband. While I was at the St. Helena Parish Courthouse in Greensburg, I came across a document in which Henry transferred his ownership of a slave woman and her children to William Spring, shortly before he planned to join his other daughters in Texas and before his death in Mississippi in May 1852.

There is a noticeable gap in ages of Mary, born in 1808 in either North or South Carolina and Henry and Sarah "Sallie's" other children, born in Louisiana. The eldest child born in Louisiana was Jemima, on March 16, 1814. Sarah "Sally" gave birth to a new baby every 2 years after the birth of Jemima, with the exception of her last child, Alice. Why was there a 6 year gap between Mary and Jemima? Were there that many children who died, or were the records on this early family lost?

Or was Mary actually Sarah's child? When did Henry and Sarah "Sallie" actually marry? Is the 1808 date assumed based on Mary's birth date? Is there any proof of marriage? Might Mary be a child from another marriage or an adopted child? If so, her DNA might reflect the Native American heritage which we cannot find in our own lines.

The 1810 Richland South Carolina census for Mima Franklin is not very helpful in solving this problem. There are 13 people living in Mima's household. One is Mima (Jemima Morris Franklin) a female over 45. There are 3 males 16-25 and 3 females 16-25. There are 2 males 10-15. There are 2 males under 10 and 2 females under 10.

Jemima's immediate family in 1810 would have included
Henry b 1786 (age 24)
Thomas b 1788 (age 22)
Elnora b 1790 (age 20)
Francis b 1792 (age 18)
Mary Rosa b 1795 (age 15)
William Plummer b 1796 (age 14)
Ralph b 1798 (age 12)
Allen b 1803 (age 7)
Ailcy b 1806 (age 4)
James Benjamin b 1807 (age 3)

So the 2 males under 10 would be James Benjamin and Allen, and the 2 males 10-15 would be Ralph and William Plummer. The 3 males 16-25 would be Thomas, Henry and ?

The 2 females under 10 would be Ailcy and ?
The 3 females 16-25 would be Mary Rosa, Francis, and Elnora.

The ? could be children who died after 1810.

However, this census does not show another woman aged 16-25 who would be Sarah "Sallie" McGuire Franklin unless one of the daughters, Elnora, had already married and moved out of the home. (I have no information at all on Elnora and she apparently did not make the trip south to Louisiana with the rest of the family.) In that case, perhaps Henry and Sarah were likely living with Jemima and  the ? female under 10 could indeed be Mary Franklin, aged 2.

Looking for marriage certificates for Henry and Elnora would be one way to tackle this problem, but these have likely been searched for in the past.

If Native American ancestry is the issue at hand, perhaps exploring the DNA of Mary's offspring might prove useful, although of course William Spring may had Native American ancestry as well as subsequent offspring's spouses. Still, such a search may be interesting!

Jesse's story- 1784-1805 Land issues

We can imagine that the decade of Revolution (1775-1883) and the fearful British occupation Georgia- including the capitals of Savannah and Augusta, had a disastrous effect on the security of the new settlers in Georgia.

After the revolution, Georgia claimed lands all the way westward to the Mississippi River.

The Georgia government used these lands to issue land grants to those Georgia patriots who had fought the British. However, the government soon realized that there were many fraudulent certificates being issued by former commanding officers to their troops in the patriot army, as well as to Georgia citizens who had remained supportive of the patriot cause. Elijah Clarke and Ignatius Few were among those who issued many certificates during this time.

The Land office in Augusta, Georgia, opened its doors on May 29, 1784, to accept the vouchers in exchange for land warrents, only to find that there were numerous duplicates. There was a riot, and the documents were scattered outside the building.

 A private in the Georgia Militia, or refugee private (those who had to flee from their homes during the British occupation and who had then fought in other colonies) was entitled to 287 1/2 acres of land. The amounts of land issued went up with rank, with captains receiving nearly 600 acres of land and brigadier generals receiving nearly 2000 acres.


Jesse Womack was one of those patriots. On October, 1784, he received a certificate from Brigadier General John Twiggs for 787.5  acres in Washington County, Georgia. This land was surveyed on March 25, 1785. It was on Deep Creek in Washington County, bounded on one side by E Lamar, and vacant on the other sides.

p. 421- Georgia's Roster of the Revolution compiled by Lucian Lamar Knight,



A head of household could receive 200 acres of land for himself, and more for family members or slaves. Many of those receiving land grants from the war sold them. It does not appear that Jesse settled in that area, preferring to move farther westward- in 1802 he received a passport to travel through the Creek Nation to lands further west.

https://www.amazon.com/WASHINGTON-COUNTY-LAND-WARRANTS-1784-1787-ebook/dp/B00NWSE5TE


The hunger for westward lands increased with a great momentum, fired by the Yazoo Act of 1795, which sold over half of the land in present day Alabama and Mississippi to four companies for $ 500,000. It appears that the Womack family received lands in the area disbursed by the Georgia Mississippi Comany.

Courtesy of Georgia Info, Digital Library of Georgia

 In 1796, amidst claims of bribery and corruption, Georgia's legislators issued a Rescinding Act, nullifying these claims. The Act was signed by the Womack family's friend and neighbor, now Governor Jared Irwin.

Jared Irwin

 The records connecting with the sales were burned outside of the State Capital building in Louisville.

In the Compact of 1802, Georgia agreed to relinquish its claims to Alabama and Mississippi to the Federal government in exchange for $1.25 million. This money was used to settle disputed Yazoo claims.

In 1805, Georgia held the first land lottery, selling land for 4 cents an acre to Georgia residents. Any family could enter the lottery, and names were picked from a drum to choose those who won. Seven other lotteries followed (1805, 1807, 1820, and 1827), with former Creek lands being dispersed at an average of 7 cents per acres. More and more Georgians were heading west.

Gigantino, Jim. "Land Lottery System." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 02 August 2016. Web. 22 February 2017.