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The Ealy Family of Leake
County, Mississippi
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Family History |
Family Tree |
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Children and Grandchildren of Big Bob & Jane Ealy |
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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. In the late 1830’s, Frances Bass married William W. Eley, also known as Billy 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 the "property" of Billy Eley when he married Frances. Shortly after their marriage, Billy & 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, Billy & Frances Eley chose to settle in southern Leake County. According to family lore, Billy Eley transported Big Bob to Leake County, Mississippi. Research has found that Billy & Frances Eley also transported a young enslaved girl named Hester with them from North Carolina. Billy 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 "owned." 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 Billy Eley used Big Bob as a breeder 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 50 children; however, many of those children he never laid his eyes on. Despite the inhumane task he was forced to perform, Big Bob’s heart was a young girl named Jane, who was enslaved on the nearby Parrott farm owned by William Parrott, a neighbor to Billy 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 was allowed to visit with Jane, likely on the weekends. However, because the Parrott farm was adjacent to the Eley farm, he likely made secret visits at night to spend time with his beautiful wife, who bore him a number of children. 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 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. III. The Ealy Family Reunions In 1974, the first Ealy Family Reunion was organized by the late Mrs. Liggie Marie Ragsdale McDougal, the daughter of Annie Ealy Ragsdale Nichols and the granddaughter of Paul Ealy. This first reunion was held at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan. Subsequently, the Ealy Family Reunions have been held biannually in various states.
1976 - Detroit,
Michigan
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Branch E2
Branch E3
Branch E4 Branch E5 Branch E6
Branch E7 Branch E8 Branch E9 Branch E10 Branch E11
Branch E12 Branch E13 |
