The Franklin County, Mississippi, Census of 1880 shows Clark Buie, age 30 (?), living near widow Elizabeth (Mitchell) Black and her family, son Monroe, daughter Missouri, daughter Annie and son Jesse. Peter Black, Elizabeth's husband, died of consumption in June 1879 and left her with their four children. In 1881, Elizabeth gave birth to another daughter whom she named Elizabeth (Buie) Bowie. Her neighbor in 1880, whose name was actually Edmund Bowie as stated by their granddaughter of Brookhaven, Lincoln County, Mississippi, was the father of the child.
Edmund and Elizabeth did not stay together as the Lincoln County, Mississippi Census of 1900 shows she had married Jacob Rancifer by 1887, and they had two children, Wilburn and Reid. Also shown in the household were Elizabeth’s two children, daughter Elizabeth Buie (Bowie) and son Jesse Black. According to the granddaughter, Edmund married a lady named Caroline from Meadville, Franklin County, Mississippi, and they moved to Ferriday, Concordia Parish, Louisiana, where they had a family.
Edmund’s granddaughter, who was born in June 1911, also stated her grandfather died in Louisiana and his body was brought back to Mississippi for burial in the Military Cemetery in Natchez, Adams County. Online Cemetery Records show Edmund died November 2, 1933, and he is buried in the National Cemetery in Natchez. Civil War Service Records at Ancestry.Com show Edmund was a Private in the 58th US Colored Infantry serving with Company G during the Civil War. Also buried next to Private Bowie is his wife Caroline Bowie who died July 22, 1949. Caroline was born on June 7, 1876. At this point, it appears that Edmund may have been as many as twenty years older than Caroline. Their plot number is A 0 3643.
Elizabeth "Beth" Mitchell, according to another granddaughter and supported by census records, was the daughter of a white woman and a black man. She was born in Franklin County, Mississippi in 1846, and she died around 1904 in Lincoln County. Elizabeth spent much of her life after 1850 with a sister of her mother and her family after an uncle attempted to sell her at the slave market. I have a lot of information possibly related to the ancestry of Elizabeth, including Rev. Richard Buck, the minister who performed the marriage ceremony of Pocahontas and John Rolfe in 1614. I am also interested in learning more about Edmund and Caroline as I develop a better understanding of Elizabeth’s story.
I am in search of any information anyone can offer on Edmund and Caroline, their family members, and especially the military unit with which Edmund served. I appreciate the help of anyone who can contribute to my efforts in developing this story. Thank you for your visit!
This site is developed and maintained by Willie L. Robinson.
DATE CREATED: May 15, 2001
LAST UPDATE: April 16, 2016
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