The Ealy Family of Leake
County, Mississippi
(Since 1837)
Researched and written by Melvin J. Collier
I. Robert "Big Bob" & Jane Ealy
The Ealy Family’s
presence in the state of Mississippi began in about 1837. That was the
approximate year when an enslaved young man from North Carolina was
brought to Mississippi, leaving behind family members he would never see
anymore. This man became Robert Ealy, but he was mostly called
“Big Bob.” Big Bob was among over 400,000 enslaved people from
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee who were brought
to Mississippi during the early 1800's. Mississippi had become a state
with fertile, cotton-producing farmlands. Many enslaved African
Americans were sold away from their families to slave-owners who were
already in Mississippi. Like Big Bob, many other slaves came with their
enslavers who moved to Mississippi to take advantage of the fertile
farmlands and the profitable cotton crop.
Research has found that “Big Bob” Ealy was originally from Nash
County, North Carolina. There, he was born into slavery in March of
1814, according to census records. Research findings also indicate that
he was born on the farm of Jesse Bass, about 10 miles west of Nashville,
North Carolina. Big Bob remained on the Bass farm throughout his
childhood years. However, in 1822, Jesse Bass wrote his will and left
to his youngest daughter Frances Bass two young slaves named John &
Bob. There’s a preponderance of evidence that this “Bob” was in fact
our “Big Bob.” He was about 8 years old at that time. Jesse Bass died
shortly thereafter, and Frances was only 4 years old. Her mother died
shortly after Jesse’s demise, and Frances’s care was left up to her
oldest brother, Isaac Bass. Isaac Bass inherited some of their father’s
estate and was appointed her legal guardian. He had control over her
inheritance, including slaves, until she was of legal age and married.
In the late 1830’s, Frances Bass married William W. Eley, the son of a slave-owner named Josiah John Eley of nearby Franklin County, North Carolina. During that time, a woman’s inheritance became the legal property of her husband. Therefore, Big Bob then became enslaved by William Eley when he married Frances. Shortly after their marriage, William & Frances Eley moved to Mississippi around 1837 with her brothers, Isaac, Gideon, Edwin, & Council Bass, and her older sister, Elizabeth B. Holland, who settled in Madison County, south of Canton. They transported the enslaved people they inherited from their father Jesse Bass with them from North Carolina. Some of those enslaved people, who became Basses after the Civil War, were probably related to “Big Bob." However, William & Frances Eley chose to settle in southern Leake County. According to family lore, William Eley, who was known as “Masser Billy,” transported Big Bob to Leake County, Mississippi. Research has found that William & Frances Eley also transported a young enslaved girl named Hester with them from North Carolina. William had inherited her from his father’s estate in 1820. Two of Hester’s children were Nathan Stiles and Celey Stiles Beamon.
Big Bob, Hester, and her children were the only enslaved people that the white Eleys had. They were not a wealthy family, and they operated a small farm in southern Leake County near Lena. On that small farm, Big Bob had a specific task, according to family lore. Oral history disclosed that William "Billy" Eley used Big Bob as a breeding slave because he was big and strong. Big Bob was housed alone in an one-room log house for the purpose of reproducing children by other enslaved women in the county. Family lore disclosed that he fathered over 30 children. According to oral history, many of those children he never knew or saw.
Despite the inhumane task he was forced to perform, Big Bob’s heart was a young girl named Jane, who was enslaved on a nearby farm owned by William Parrott, a neighbor to William Eley. In about 1845, Big Bob was allowed to marry, and he “jumped the broom” with Jane Parrott. During slavery, marriages between slaves on different and nearby farms and plantations were common. Big Bob Ealy was allowed to visit with Jane, likely on the weekends. However, because the Parrott farm was adjacent to the Eley farm, Big Bob likely made secret visits at night to spend time with his beautiful wife, who bore him a number of children during and after slavery.
Grandma Jane had been born into slavery around 1829 on William Parrott’s farm in Lunenburg County, Virginia. During that time, William Parrott and his wife Betsy Johnson lived on a 300-acre farm near Lunenburg, Virginia. Based on census records, William Parrott moved to Leake County shortly before 1840 with ten slaves. Those enslaved people included Grandma Jane, her mother, several siblings, and possibly her father as well. Records indicate that Grandma Jane may have had a number of siblings, but only two brothers were found in the Leake County census records. One was John Armistead Parrott, who was born in about 1830 in Virginia. He died in 1923 in Leake County. Grandma Jane’s second brother was James (Jim) Parrott, who was born in about 1832 in Virginia. They all were transported to Mississippi in wagons, but there is evidence that William Parrott may have stopped in Georgia and stayed there for awhile before making Leake County his final destination. Family lore places our presence in the Macon, Georgia area at one time. William Parrott had a number of family members who migrated to Georgia.
II. The First Generation: The children of Robert "Big Bob" & Jane Ealy
Big Bob and Jane Ealy had a number of children. Most of them were born on the Parrott farm. The following thirteen children were found in the Leake & Scott County census records:
1- Adeline Ealy
Robertson Orman
2- John Ealy
3- Annie Ealy Beamon
4- Andrew (Andy) Ealy
5- Robert (Bob) Ealy
6- Paul Ealy
7- Ephraim (Boot) Ealy
8- Augustus (Gus) Ealy
9- Haywood Ealy
10- William (Will) Ealy
11- Martha Ealy Kennedy
12- Penny Ealy Ragsdale
13- Nicholas Ealy
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which was to free the slaves in the South on January 1, 1863. However, most slaves did not become free until the Civil War ended in 1865. Slavery was officially abolished on December 18, 1865. During that year, Big Bob, Jane, and their children became free people and were able to live together as a family. They lived in southern Leake County, near Tuscola, Mississippi. Big Bob became a landowner and farmer after the Civil War. According to the 1870 Leake County Census, Big Bob’s real estate property was valued at $550. He died after 1900 at an old age. In the 1900 Scott County census, he was found living with his daughter, Adeline Orman, who was taking care of him.
1870 Leake County, Mississippi Census: The 1870 Census is the first census that recorded African Americans by their first and last names. Before 1865, slaves were recorded by their first names only in various records. Some of Bob & Jane’s children weren’t in the house in 1870. Some of the ages reported are inaccurate. Census records usually contain errors but still a reliable source for family history documentation.
III. The Second Generation - The Family Tree Blossoms to Many Branches
|
Branch E1 |
|
Adeline "Dove" Ealy Robertson Orman |
| Spouses: West Robertson & Reuben Orman |
|
Born: c. 1848 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: after 1900, Midway, Scott County, Mississippi |
|
Children
of Adeline |
|
Branch E2 |
|
John Ealy |
| Spouse: Charity ---- |
|
Born: c. 1849 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: before 1910 in Tuscola, Leake County, Mississippi |
|
Children
of John |
|
Branch E3 |
| Annie Ealy Beamon |
| Spouse: Moses Beamon (married 1/20/1874) |
|
Born: 1852 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: 1914, Midway, Scott County, Mississippi |
|
Children of Annie Lula Beamon Ferrell Roberts (1875) William E. Beamon (1877) Walter Beamon (1885) Cora Beamon (1887) Dora Beamon (1887) Martha Beamon (1889) Arthur Beamon (1891) Sylvester Beamon (1893) Elizabeth Beamon (1895) Pearlie Beamon (1901)
|
| Branch E4 |
| Andrew "Andy" Ealy |
| Spouse: Ida Rowan (married 9/28/1876) |
|
Born: c. 1853 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: before 1900, Midway, Scott County, Mississippi |
|
Children of Andrew Maggie Ealy (1877) Beulah Ealy Hopkins (1879) Mary Ealy (1884) Emma Ealy (1888) Anna Ealy (1890) (Andy's widow and children moved to Memphis, Tennessee shortly before 1900.) |
| Branch E5 |
| Robert "Bob" Ealy |
| Spouse: Martha "Matt" Kennedy (married 12/21/1876) |
|
Born: 1855 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: 1939 in Tuscola, Leake County, Mississippi |
|
Children of Bob Lovie Ealy Moten Westmoreland (1877) Jane Ealy (1879) Lucy Ealy Armand Lindsey (1880) Bobbie Ann Ealy Morgan (1881) Willie (Will) Ealy (1888) Billie Ealy (1888) Jessie Albert Ealy (1891-1974) Theodius Ealy (1892) Floyd Ealy (1894) |
| Branch E6 |
| Paul Ealy |
|
Spouse: Adeline Kennedy (married
7/07/1879) Adeline was the sister of Matt Kennedy (see E5) and Albert Kennedy (see E11) |
|
Born: 1859 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: 1943 in Tuscola, Leake County, Mississippi |
|
Children of Paul Aldora Ealy (1880) (died at a young age) Elijah "Bung" Ealy (1881-1987) Annie Ealy Ragsdale Nichols (1884-1970) Alice Ealy McClendon (1885-19 ) App Ealy (1890-1966) Albert Ealy (1892-1918) Mack Ealy (1893-1972) Florence Ealy Jones (1896-1970) Viney Ealy Sparkman (1899-1958) Willie Ealy Collier (1904-1990)  Paul Ealy (Courtesy of Lynda Rowe-Campbell) |
| Branch E7 |
| Ephriam "Boot" Ealy |
| Spouses: Harriet Slay, Annie ---, and Almedia --- |
|
Born: c. 1860 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: After 1930, Brownsville, Hinds County, Mississippi |
|
Children of Boot Ephriam Ealy (1894) Ada Ealy (1896) Willie Ealy (1898) John Ealy (1900) Van Ealy (1903) Queen Isabel Ealy (1906) Robert Ealy (1907) Roberta Ealy (1909) |
| Branch E8 |
| Augustus "Gus" Ealy |
| Spouses: Emma Momon & Mary Edmonds |
|
Born: 1861 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: after 1930, Flora, Madison County, Mississippi |
|
Children of Gus Joe Howard Ealy (1882) James Ealy (1884) Fonzy Ealy (1890) Charlie Ealy (1892) Claude Ealy (1901) Paul Ealy (1906) Elijah (Dunk) Ealy (1907) |
| Branch E9 |
| Haywood Ealy |
| Spouses: Victoria Ragsdale & Lillie --- |
|
Born: 1862 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: After 1930, Flora, Madison County, Mississippi |
|
Child of Haywood James Ealy (1891) |
| Branch E10 |
| William "Will" Ealy |
| Spouse: Rose Evers (married 3/06/1885) |
|
Born: 1863 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: Before 1910, Tuscola, Leake County, Mississippi |
| No children found. |
| Branch E11 |
| Martha Ealy Kennedy |
|
Spouse: Albert Kennedy (married
12/28/1881) Albert was the brother of Adeline Kennedy Ealy (E6) and Mattie Kennedy Ealy (E5). |
|
Born: 1865 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: c. 1895, Tuscola, Leake County, Mississippi (blown away by a tornado) |
|
Children of Martha Kennedy Dora Kennedy Luckett (1882-1940) Willie "Will" Kennedy (1884-1977) Robert "Rob" Kennedy (1885-1977) Hulen "Newt" Kennedy (1888-1970) Wilson Kennedy (1891-1988)  Albert Kennedy & Martha Ealy Kennedy Picture taken circa 1890. |
| Branch E12 |
| Penny Ealy Ragsdale |
| Spouse: Branch Ragsdale (married 1/14/1884) |
|
Born: 1868 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: before 1900 in Tuscola, Leake County, Mississippi |
| No children found. |
| Branch E13 |
| Nicholas Ealy |
| Spouse: ---- |
|
Born: 1871 in Tuscola, Leake
County, Mississippi Died: ? |
| No children found. |
Sources:
- 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 Leake & Scott County,
Mississippi Census
- 1850 & 1860 Leake County, Mississippi Slave Schedule
- 1840 Leake County, Mississippi Census
- Leake and Scott County, Mississippi marriage records
- Nash County, North Carolina Wills, 1777-1848
- The Estate Records of Josiah Eley, Franklin Co, NC, 1820
- The Estate Records of Jesse Bass, Nash County, NC, 1822
- Franklin County, North Carolina Estate Papers Volume II
- Mrs. Norma Money - Parrott Family History