Ann Nelson's Children

DEPOSITION A - December 1889
Case of Ann Buie on the 26th day of December 1889 at Caseyville, County of Lincoln State of Miss, before me T. F. Dennis, a Special Examiner of the Pension Office, personally appeared Ann Buie, who being duly sworn to answer truly all interrogatives propounded to her during this Special Examination of aforesaid pension claim, deposes and says:

My age is "somewhere in seventy." I live at Mrs. McLaurin's near Caseyville, Miss. That is my nearest post-office.
William Wallace McLaurin married Martha J. Gilmer in 1856 or 1857. William died 18 Mar 1873 in Copiah Co., MS, leaving Martha a widow. In 1880, this Martha lived near Caseyville who may be the Mrs. McLaurin where Ann lived. William Wallace McLaurin was the brother of Jane McLaurin Buie, wife of David Buie.

I claim pension on account of the death of my son PERRY BUIE who died in the army in Natchez. Before the war, I belonged, after I was 15 yrs old, to David Buie near Caseyville Miss - he is dead. My husband was JACK BUIE who belonged to David Buie. I lived with Jack as his wife for 13 or 14 years and our owners recognized us as man and wife. I had 9 or 10 children by Jack Buie nearly all of them died when they were little. SARAH was the oldest now living. CALVIN died 4 or 5 years ago. Perry was older than Calvin. RHODA is living. Sarah and Rhoda are the only ones of Jack's children now living. Jack never was married and did not live with another woman regularly until he and I began living together. He had one child Becky Ann born before he lived with me. Becky Ann's mother was named Hannah - she belonged to Daniel Buie who lived 5 miles from us. Jack never lived on the same plantation with Hannah and never lived with Hannah as his wife. I never heard Jack say that Becky Ann was his child and I never heard any one say so until since the emancipation and since I started to get this pension and then I heard someone say she claimed Jack was her father and that she had got some money on account of Perry's death. She went away off from here and I heard she was dead. I don't know anything about her being Jack's child only what I heard here lately. Becky Ann went away from here soon after the war and never came back. I do not know where she went.
Rebecca Ann Buie received Perry's bounty money and arrears of pay to include Oct 2nd 1863. The bounty was an incentive to increase enlistments during the Civil War. Men would receive from $100 to $500 upon completion of service. Perry was to receive a total of $100 based on the Bounty Act of July 22, 1861. He received $25 when he mustered in and the remainder would be paid after discharge. Rebecca and her mother Hannah were the slaves of Daniel Buie.

David and Daniel Buie were brothers, sons of Neil Buie and Dorothy Mercer Buie. Per the 1860 Copiah Slave Schedule, David owned 31 slaves and Daniel owned 76 slaves.

My husband Jack died when Perry was little.
Ann's husband Jack Buie died 20 Oct 1850 per the testimony of David Buie's widow, Jane Buie.

After Jack died, I had two children born on the Buie place before the war - ELIJAH and BUTLER - their father was TERRY BREWER - a slave of David Buie's. I did not live with him as his wife - he had a wife at the time named Violet and both of them are still living together. I did not live with any man and had no children by another man before the war except Terry Brewer (or Buie). My boy Perry lived with me and was a very good boy to me up to the time he went away to the army: he was young - he was in his teens - Calvin was the only other boy at home then and he was younger than Perry. Perry just helped me about home like any boy would. I never heard from him after he went to the army until I heard he was dead.
Terry Brewer married Violet Markham, daughter of Barbara Markham. Violet and Barbara were the slaves of Daniel Buie.
Elijah and Butler used the surname Nelson after Emancipation, the same surname their mother used.

My boy Elijah was about 2 yrs old and Butler was about 5 weeks old when Perry went away. Butler is my baby child. I have never had any child born since him. I think I lived at Mr. Buie's off and on for about 2 yrs after the surrender. Then I went off and lived with different children and worked about different places, but always within 6 or 7 miles of this place.
Elijah was born 01 Dec 1860 per the testimony of Jane Buie.

I have never lived with any man since the war except WILLIAM NELSON. I lived with him two years - one year on Mrs. Thames' place and one year on the Smith place. We could have got married but he did not do to suit me and so I went off and left him. I lived with him as his wife for two years but we had no children. I began living with Nelson about 3 or 4 years after the war and got a long with him for 2 years and then he took another woman in the house and I left him and went back to my children and I have never lived with any man since. I never was married to Nelson, but he hired me at first to cook for him and then I lived with him as his wife and all the neighbors regarded us as man and wife and he kept saying we would be legally married but we never were.
William Nelson was the slave of David Buie. He was sold to another slave owner within the community. Ann lived with Nelson from 1867 - March 1870. Nelson married Katie Newell. In 1870, William and Katie are living as next door neighbors and they were man and wife in the 1880 census, both censuses in Lincoln County, MS.

I had one child HENRY ISRAEL when I came from Virginia. Mr. Buie bought me and him at Natchez then I had one child ALECK RANDALL born on the Buie place before I knew Jack Buie at all. Aleck's father was RANDALL ROBERTS, a slave of Mr. Anding.
ANN'S BILL OF SALE - NATCHEZ - MAY 16TH 1837
Received of David Buie eight hundred dollars in full payment for two negroes, to wit, Ann 16 years of age and her child four months old, both negroes. I warrent(sp) to be sound, and slaves for life.
Theophus Freeman
Teste - Neil Buie

Randall was the slave of Martin Alexander Anding who died 27 Jan 1854. After the death of Martin, Randall was allotted to Martin's daughter Margaret E. Anding. According to the research notes of Carolina Gale Lambright, Margaret Elizabeth Anding married Evan Spencer Magee 09 Nov 1859, son of Chester Magee and Rachel Thompson (Widow Hartley). Evan enlisted 16 Mar 1852 with Company A, 36th Mississippi Infantry. Evan died of pneumonia 14 Nov 1862 in a Confederate hospital.

I got a living right after the war by cooking and washing for Mr. Buie and Mr. Geo Decell and Dr. Applewhite and my boy Elijah was big enough to help me some picking cotton. I made my living by my own work until I went to live with Wm Nelson and he and I worked together for a living then.

I have heard this statement read. I understand it and it is all right.

Ann (Her mark) Buie

Witness to Mark
S. P. McRee
R. Bryant

United States Census Records of Ann's Children - Lincoln County, Mississippi

Jane McLaurin Buie testified about Ann and her family.

Prentiss Buie corroborated his mother Jane Buie's testimony.

Robert Culver, served with Perry in Company K, 58th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry. They both lived in the same community prior to the War.

W. H. Gibbs testified that he knew Jack Buie. Gibbs was a slave of Daniel Buie.

Henry Israel, son of Ann, testified that he encouraged William Nelson to hire his mother on the condition that he would help to support her and her two small sons.

James Markham testified that Perry Buie was the son of Ann Buie Nelson and that Perry did not leave a surviving wife or children. James was a slave of David Buie.

Monroe Markham testified that Ann did not own property.

Alex Randall, son of Ann, testified that he encouraged William Nelson to hire his mother on the condition that he would help to support her and her two small sons.

Hulda Roberts, niece of Jack Buie, testified that Perry Buie was the son of Ann Buie

Mrs. A. M. Thames rented land to William Nelson. She knew Nelson hired Ann to work for him.

George Washington aka George Thomas, son-in-law of Ann, testified that he knew Perry before and during the War. George was born in Copiah County near the Jefferson County line where he was a slave of William Brown. George testified that "my father's name was Thomas Buie and so I have been called by some people George Thomas since the War. My childhood name was George Washington." George's mother is currently unknown. Hearing of the Yankee occupation of Natchez, George left the plantation like many other former slaves for Natchez. According to the research of George Thomas 2nd great grandson James Scott, George at the age of 27 heard that General Grant had taken Vicksburg, so he left Natchez and traveled over sixty miles hiding in cane brakes and fields to reach Vicksburg and join the Yankees. George enlisted September 18, 1864 in Company F, 58th Regiment Infantry under the alias of George Washington and was discharged for disability May 10, 1865. After discharge, he returned to Caseyville, married and father at least 10 children.

OTHER SOURCES

Remembering Their Names