Yep, I’m a Parrott. Death certificates
and oral history identified Parrott
as the maiden name of my great-great-grandmother, Jane Ealy (born c. 1829), of Leake County, Mississippi. I quickly ascertained
that she had likely been enslaved by William Parrott, who was a neighbor to
William W. Eley, the last enslaver of her husband, Robert “Big Bob” Ealy, my
great-great-grandfather. William Parrott was the only white Parrott slave-owner in the county.
Outside of
identifying the names of potential slave-owners, many researchers feel that the
1850 and 1860 slave schedules are fundamentally useless. Why? When slave
schedules were added to the U.S. federal census in 1850 and 1860, census enumerators
were not required to list each slave by name.
The name of the slave-owner was reported with only a scanty description
of each slave – age, sex, and color. Enslaved African Americans age 100 and over
were supposed to be named in the 1860 slave schedules, but only some of them had
their names recorded. Despite this inhumane act of not reporting our enslaved
ancestors’ names, the slave schedules have provided a plethora of clues
throughout my research. William Parrott’s 1850
slave report is one example.
1850 Slave Schedule, William Parrott, Leake County,
Mississippi
When I saw how his
slaves were reported, the first question that popped into my mind was, “Is this one family?” The second
question was, “Is the first enslaved
female (age 38) my great-great-great-grandmother – the mother of Jane and the
others?” Well, I can identify 5 of the 13. They were the following:
Name
– Estimated Birth Year Based on Census – Reported Birthplace in Censuses
(1)
Jane Parrott Ealy – c. 1829 – Virginia
(2)
John Armstead Parrott – c. 1832 – Virginia
(3)
James “Jim” Parrott – c. 1835 –
Virginia. Some of his descendants migrated to
Holmes and Humphreys County, Mississippi. (UPDATE: I am a DNA match to his great-great-granddaughter.)
(4)
George W. Parrott – c. 1841 –
Mississippi. Reported birth state of parents is Virginia. Some of his descendants migrated to the Sharon and Camden
area of neighboring Madison County, Mississippi.
(5) John Ealy – c. 1846 – Mississippi. Uncle John Ealy was Grandma Jane's first-born son, who was one of the two 3-year-old males above.
(5) John Ealy – c. 1846 – Mississippi. Uncle John Ealy was Grandma Jane's first-born son, who was one of the two 3-year-old males above.
When conducting
genealogy research, it’s imperative to collect key facts for further research.
Here are some of the key facts:
(1) William Parrott
arrived in Leake County, Mississippi from Lunenburg County, Virginia shortly
before 1840 with slaves. He died shortly after 1860 at around 72 years old without leaving a will. Unfortunately, no estate
records have been found. An interesting note about him from his granddaughter, Sally Parrott, who stated, "He was a Methodist preacher who rode horseback. In those days they called them circuit rider preachers." (Quote provided by Nicole Parrott Norris)
(2) William Parrott was
reported in the 1840 Leake County,
Mississippi census with 12 slaves.
(3) William Parrott was
reported in the 1830 Lunenburg
County, Virginia census with 8 slaves.
(4) From 23andMe, the DNA of my Dad, three Ealy cousins,
and I (all descendants of Jane Parrott
Ealy) match Charles Bonner (who is
white) on the same spot on chromosome 19. Our chromosome 19 is mostly
European. We all share 12 to 13 cM (0.17%)
with Charles, with a predicted relationship of 5th cousin. We also match in
Gedmatch.
(5) One of Charles' maternal
4th-great-grandfathers was John W. Parrott, who was born in Rockingham County,
North Carolina in 1821. He migrated to Gordon County, Georgia by 1850. John’s
father has not been identified by his descendants; this is their brick wall.
(6) Parrott researchers identified Rockingham County, North Carolina as the birthplace of
William Parrott. He was born c. 1788. He moved to Lunenburg County, VA by 1819
because there’s a marriage record for him marrying Elizabeth Johnson, Dec. 15, 1819,
Lunenburg County. William’s birthplace was reported in the censuses as
North Carolina, and his children were born in Virginia.
(7) Repeated names within
the families of Grandma Jane, John Armstead, James, and George W. Parrott
include: Sylvester, Coleman, Benjamin, Jessie, Martha, George, and William.
Naming patterns often suggest kinship.
Developing educated
theories are a part of conducting genealogy research. Educated theories are
often the basis of further research to hopefully find documentation to prove or
disprove sound assumptions. DNA technology can also play a big role. With these
key facts, I have theorized the following:
(1) The slaves of William
Parrott appeared to have been one family, with the 38-year-old female in 1850 as possibly
being the mother. Perhaps the father may have been William Parrott's one male slave in the "24 to under 36" age category in the 1840 census, and he may have died shortly before 1850? Perhaps, he was "mulatto"? See No. 3.
(2) Grandma Jane, John
A., and James Parrott were likely born in Lunenburg County, Virginia.
(3) Grandma Jane
herself was not reported as "mulatto" in the censuses and was never known to be
of mixed parentage, although one of her sons (Paul Ealy) was said to have green eyes. However, based on the amount
of DNA the five of us share with Charles, one of her parents may
have been fathered by a white Parrott from Rockingham County, N.C. The father may
have been William Parrott or maybe one of his brothers, Benjamin, Joseph, Abner Jr., or Riland Parrott. It's quite possible that Grandma Jane's "massa" might have been her white grandfather.
(4) The DNA match with a
white Parrott descendant seems to suggest that Grandma Jane’s family may have been enslaved by the Parrotts for several generations. William's father, Abner Parrott (born c. 1750) died in 1797 in
N.C. having owned over 20 slaves. The 1790 census of Rockingham County reported him as owning 21 slaves.
Hopefully, a current
or future Parrott researcher will read this post and provide further information
to prove (or disprove) any of these theories. Additionally, perhaps the
information expounded in this post can assist a current or future Parrott
researcher.
Grandma
Jane’s 2nd youngest daughter, Martha “Sissie”
Ealy Kennedy (1865-1895), my great-grandmother
Excellent post Melvin. I like how you outlined your theories. I am sure this will help a future Parrott researcher.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Andrea!
DeleteI'm making NoTes! Writing our educated theories out in Blogging really helps you see the bigger picture. Hope a Little Birdy flies in with some Parrott news! Great Work Mel!
ReplyDeleteThanks, True! Since I enjoy writing, I type out all of my thoughts. I have many electronic files of "research journals". It definitely helps to see the bigger picture and what may be missing or what you can look for.
DeleteFantastic post, I love how you outline the steps for researching the slave schedules! Great work!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteAwesome analysis as always Cuz!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cuz! We gotta identify the name of the 38-year-old female in 1850, who was likely Grandma Jane Ealy's mother. Another generation in our family tree.
DeleteFantastic post. A wonderful example of blending DNA with traditional genealogical resources as well as a heavy dose of critical thinking.
ReplyDeleteHave white Parrott researchers considered that their line might have come from the Eastern Shore of Maryland?
Thanks, Julie! I am not sure if they've tied the Parrotts to those in MD.
DeleteHi Melvin, The Parrott name caught my eye as my great aunt, Precious Moore Johnson married her second husband, James David Parrott in 1926 in Braddock, PA near Pittsburgh. Uncle Dave's father was Joseph Parrott. Uncle Dave and my great grandfather had been friends in Charlotesvile and Culpepper, Virginia. In Virginia, Uncle Dave had previously been married and had a stepdaughter, Edna and a son Robert. I'm not sure if any of this information is helpful to you. but it can't hurt :)
ReplyDeleteMy Great Grandfather's name is George W Parrott of Lena, MS and My Grandfather's name is TB Parrott of Lena MS. I may be a missing Link. Pattie Darby Smith daughter of Emma Parrott of Lena MS.
ReplyDeleteHi Pattie! Your George W. Parrott (born 1863) was the son of John Armstead Parrott. Do you have a picture of George W.?
DeleteMy Name is Ruby Todman Grand-Daughter of Adocia(Theodocia) Lenora Parrot - Todman Daughter of Catherine Evangline Hetherington who was married to a Mr. Benjamin Parrot born 24. August. 1865 in the British Virgin Islands. I have been searching for years looking for the Parrot Family
ReplyDeleteMy Name is Ruby Todman Grand-Daughter of Adocia(Theodocia) Lenora Parrot - Todman Daughter of Catherine Evangline Hetherington who was married to a Mr. Benjamin Parrot born 24. August. 1865 in the British Virgin Islands. I have been searching for years looking for the Parrot Family
ReplyDeleteAnyone know of a Lucius Oxford? Telafare?
ReplyDeleteHi Melvin. My name is Paulette Bobo. There's a host of Bobo family members in Brooklyn,NY. My grandfather is Robert Lee Bobo, his mom was called Momma Bobo. My father is Paul Edward Bobo. My grandparents had 4 more children: Janice, Patricia, and fraternal twins, Jerome and Jesse. I have done research some years ago and also traced back to Dr. William Bobo as the slave owner.i thought this information would be helpful. There are also Bobos in Louisiana, Tennessee and Maryland.
ReplyDelete