MY LAURENS ANCESTRY

OUR FINLEY LINE FROM SOUTH CAROLINA

compiled by Louis J. Robinson, Jr.

 

This paper was provided by family researchers who have collaborated on information gleaned from many hours, days, weeks, months and years of research. These researchers are: Sadie Johnson, Dolores Bryson, Annette Madden, Lori Belcher, Jocelyn Garlington, Dee Dee Lonon and Louis J. Robinson, Jr.

 

Introduction

 

From the beginning of time, mankind searched for answers: how things work, where did this come from, how to make this better, and so on. Sometimes the answers took us down paths where there were more questions with no answers. And some times we got lucky and found the entrance to the right door. Today the technology to expand our search is greater than it has been in the past, and the desire is stronger. We know more today than we did yesterday, and we will know more tomorrow than we do today. This is how we grow, how we evolve, how we get better, and how we expand the knowledge of the family.

 

Still, today’s technology is nothing more than a tool that we use. Other tools that we use are first hand knowledge from family and friends, information passed down through the years, historical papers with factual information, pictures and, some times, just plain luck. These are all tools that were used to help us put together the timeline of the Finley family. So sit back as we unveil “Our Finley Line From South Carolina.”

 

The Beginning

 

When it comes to African-American history, it is never clear where the beginning really starts. Due to accidents, omission, ignorance, or apathy in record keeping, the information is not always there and is not always clear or correct. Today, even the colors of our skin do not tell us that we are of African descent any longer, due to the mixture of other races with in the African bloodline. The stories that have been passed down from generation to generation give us names; our research gives us confirmation. The name that has been passed down to us all is Finley. Our research shows that there are other names, Calhoun and Davenport,that came before Finley.

 

This paper will attempt to tie all of this together as research continues to find out the why and how and somewhere in there the truth of our ancestry. It is known that some slaves took the names of their slave owners after emancipation, if the slave owners were pleasant and treated them with kindness. After slavery, some slaves despised their slave owners so much that they took the name of great men that they have heard of such as Washington, Jefferson, Jackson or Lincoln, rather than take the name of their slave owner. Some took the name Freeman to represent their new status, and some even spelled their surname slightly different from their slave owners to establish a separation as well as a closeness to their slave owners. This also may have been done because the literacy of some slave was not at a level where they could tell the difference. This also applies to the white record keeper not having proper education as well. There were also some slave owners that gave their family names to their slaves to make them part of their family, while others did not.

 

Rose

 

From documents we have learned that Rose Finley was also known as Rose Calhoun. Rose was bought and sold as property from one family to another as all slaves were during her time. She was born in Abbeville County, South Carolina, some time between 1793 and 1795. The different year of birth has shown up on different documents. [It is important to remember, that doing the time of slavery, it was not important to keep accurate documents on slaves, nor was it important to give the slaves correct information for they were viewed as property and not as a person. A headcount was more important than actual documentation.] The earliest record for Rose was found in the will of John Davenport, dated June 19, 1807. [Rose would have been about 12 or 14 years old at this time.] In this will, John bequeaths Rose, Seal and a boy Tom to his son David Davenport. This document also mentions two adult slaves, Crismas and a woman Selbey. [The names are believed to be misspelled and may have been Christmas and Shelby. Correct spelling of any names during this period was not strong due to lack of education of whoever was documenting the records. Many times the recorder wrote down what he heard and spelled the name the best way he or she knew how. The Davenport name was originally spelled as Devenport in many documents.] Shelbey was to be granted her freedom upon the death of John’s wife, Mildred (spelled as Mildand) and Christmas was to be left to MB. John Roberson and Fedrick Pury. Since this slave unit was sold together it looks like this was a family unit of a father, a mother with two daughters and a son. [But since at this time there is no factual document to support this statement, right now it is only a theory, and we can not say that this was Rose’s parents or her siblings.]

The following are excerpts from the Will of John Devenport, 19 Jun 1807:

 

• “Secondly I give and bequeath my Negro Crismas to be left in the hands of MB. John Roberson and Fedrick Pury and the profits arising from said negros work to be applied to the benefits of my son Ranson Devenport at the discretion of said John Roberson and Fredrick Purty yearly.

• Thirdly, I give and bequeath to my son Thomas Devenport the sum of five shillings.

• Forthly, I give and bequeath to my son William Devenport the sum of five shillings.

• Forthly, I give and bequeath to my son Richard Devenport the one half of the tract of land I purchased of Hugh Abbernathe, likewise the one half of my stock and household furniture.

• Fifthly, I give and bequeath to my son David Devenport my Negro girl Rose, likewise my negro girl Seal, my negro boy Tom and the other half of my lands and house hold furniture, stock, and etc.

• Sixthly I leave my Negro wench Selbey her freedom at the decease of my wife Mildand Devenport (remember this was in 1807, 58 years before the emancipation of slaves. Whether she received her freedom as was promised is unknown at this time.)

• Seventhly, I will and bequeath the whole of the above named property lands, stock of horses, cattle, negros, etc. to my wife Mildred [this shows the correct spelling of the wife's first name] Devenport during her life.”

On October 28, 1816, David Davenport sold Rose and Seal to his brother Richard Davenport in deed book K:148. This was the first time that we see that Rose was sold. The following are excerpts from this deed book:

October 28, 1816, Bill of Sale. Laurens District, South Carolina February 8. 1810. Know all man by these presents that I David Davenport do bargain and sell unto Richard Davenport two Negro girls, one named Rose, the other Seal which was wiled (sic) to him by his father John Davenport in consideration of the sum of $400… Set my hand David Davenport. Wit. Jno. (mark) Varill, David Whiteford. Proved by John Verrell 28 October 1816 before Wm. Dendy, J.P.

This was the last information on Seal. Tom was not found in any of the research documents so far. On January 1, 1819, Mildred, Ransom and Richard Davenport sold Rose, age 24, [her year of birth would have been 1795] to Paul Finley, along with the following children: Melia, age 8, John, age 6, Tom age 4, and Lewisa age 2.This is recorded in deed book L:77 as follows:

Deed Book L:77

January 1, 1819. We Mildred Davenport, Ransom Davenport and Richard Davenport, of Laurens District, South Carolina in consideration of the sum of $2,500 paid Paul Finley, of the same place, have delivered in the said Paul Finley, five negroes, one negro woman by the name of Rose age 24 years, one negro girl name Melia age 8 years old, one negro boy named John age 6 years and one negro boy called Tom age 4 and one negro girl named Lewisa age 2 years old. Mildred (x) Davenport, ransom Davenport (seal), Richard Davenport (seal) Wit. John Robinson, James Roberson. Proved by John Roberson 6 January 1823 before W. Burnsside. Recorded January 6 1823.

During the time of slavery, it was a common practice to not separate the children from their mother until after they were 10 years of age. All these children were under 10, so without documentation it can only be considered that Rose is the mother of these children. Deed book L:77 looks like it was amended to the following:

Deed Book L: 77

November 7, 1820. Bill of Sale. November 7, 1820. I David Davenport, in consideration of the sum of $2,500 to me in hand paid by Paul Finley of Laurens District, South Carolina have sold to said Paul Finley and by these present deliver 6 certain negroes, to wit: Rose, Pamella, John, Tom, Louisa, Liney, with their future issue and increase. David Davenport. Wit. John Roberson, John Finley. Proved by John Robertson January 6, 1823 before Wm. Burnside, JQ.

The information was probably changed to correct the records because David Davenport was the slave owner and not Mildred, Ransom and Richard Davenport.  But both documents showed that Paul Finley became the owner of Rose and the children. Some of the names were spelled different. This may have been part of the amendment to correct the spelling or this is how this recorder spelled these names. Melia, became Pamella, Lewisa became Louisa, and it looks like Rose had another child, Liney (maybe Lindy). So the years of birth for these children were: Pamela – 1811, John – 1813, Tom -1815, Louisa – 1817, and Liney 1819. These are believed to be Rose Finley’s first set of children. At this time in history they may have been listed as Davenport instead of Finley. To search for them it is wise to look for them under the family names of Davenport and Finley.

 

Rose as a Finley

 

It appears that Rose remained in the household of Paul Finley until his death.  This is where it looks like Rose had another set of children. Her son Berry was born in July 1836, when Rose was about 41. Family oral history states that someone in the Finley household was Berry’s father, and Paul’s son Hampton was named as the father of Berry Finley. Rose’s son Chesley was born in December 1835 (some records shows his birth year as 1840), when she was about 45. Chesley’s death certificate lists Essic Finley as his father. We have not yet found any other information about Essic.

 

Rose was listed in Paul Finley’s inventory and appraisal of his estate in 1844. She was listed as Momma Rose – $100, Boy Berry – $200, Boy Chesly – $250, Girl (name not legible) – $300, Boy (name not legible) – $350, Boy (name not legible) – $550, Mama Louisa – $450 (this may be the Louisa that was in deed book L:77. There were more names listed but they were not readable. The numbers after each name are the dollar value placed on them.

 

Rose was sold, along with children Chesley, Berry, and Sarah (the relationship to Sarah is not proven) to Paul’s son Hampton. Rose would have been about 49 years old. Essic was not listed. It appears that she remained in Hampton’s household until emancipation in 1865. Nothing more is known at this time about Rose Finley or Sarah Finley. Tom and John may have carried the Finley name since they were still young when they were sold to Paul Finley, so we may be able to find their descendants if they had any.

 

Whatever happened to the first five children? Were they sold off, did they run away, did they die early in life? And why were there no children for 16 years, and if there were, what happened to them?  The slave owners encouraged their slaves to have many offspring to reduce on their cost to buy new slaves. These young babies represent future investments, so a family having 10 or more children was quite normal. White families also had large numbers of children for this was the time before the age of birth control pills.

 

According to the autobiography of John Robert Finley (the great grandson of Paul Finley, grandson to John Finley, son to James Finley), he said:

 “Paul Finley willed all of his property to his wife as long as she lived. After the wife death (in 1846) they had a sale, and John Finley (my grandfather) bought the home place, 200 acres. (Old Uncle Chess and Berry Finley, colored, belonged to great grandfather, and was sold at this sale, Uncle Hampton Finley bought them).”

Berry had to be about 10, born in 1836 and Chester about 11, born in 1835. The autobiography does not mention Rose or Sarah.

 

Rose as a Calhoun

 

 Looking at the death certificate of Chesley Finley in 1917 it shows that he was 86 years old when he died. His father is listed as Essic Finley of Virginia and his mother is listed as Rose (maiden name) Calhoun of Abbeville, South Carolina. What this tell us is Rose parents may have been slaves on one of the Calhoun plantations. (If Christmas and Shelby was Rose parents they would have surnames of Calhoun. Looking at one of the well known Calhoun family from South Carolina, John C. Calhoun the 7^th vice president of the US; he is best known for his intense and original defense of slavery as something positive. John Calhoun father was a staunch slaveholder who taught his son that one's standing in society depended not merely on one's commitment to the ideal of popular self-government but also on the ownership of a substantial number of slaves. Flourishing in a world in which slaveholding was a badge of civilization, Calhoun saw little reason to question its morality as an adult. Calhoun believed that the spread of slavery into the back country of his own state improved public morals by ridding the countryside of the shiftless poor whites who had once held the region back. Calhoun was thus firmly convinced that slavery was the key to the success of the American dream, but he was not alone in this idea, thus a civil war.

From a document from the Clemson University entitled “African-American at Ft. Hill: 1825-1888,” I found the following: “Inventories of the Fort Hill slaves show that they ranged in age from infants to the elderly. Only a few are known by name, (this makes it harder to research) although all the slaves at Fort Hill were assigned the Calhoun last name. The oldest recorded slave was Mennemin Calhoun. Her age was reported to be 112 in 1849. Her husband, Polydore, also lived a long life, and they had numerous descendants. The oral tradition was that both Mennemin and Polydore were first-generation slaves from Africa.”

Ft. Hill was the home of John C. Calhoun from 1825 to 1850. After John C. Calhoun’s death in 1850, his wife sold the Fort Hill estate to their oldest son, Andrew, who operated the plantation from 1850 to 1865. The inventory of the Fort Hill estate in the 1854 sale included a list of the property with 50 slaves in family groups. After 1866, Floride Calhoun recovered Fort Hill through foreclosure and willed it to her daughter and remaining child, Anna Maria Calhoun Clemson, wife of Thomas Green Clemson. The Clemsons hired as wage hands many of the former Calhoun slaves who were freed during the Civil War.

With this in mind, Rose Calhoun parents may have been a part of the Calhoun plantation since the slaves there were assigned the Calhoun surname. Further research is need to determine if Rose parents came off one of these plantations. Other slaves’ names are known primarily because of actions that displeased the Calhouns, which they wrote about in correspondence with family and neighbors. John C. Calhoun defended what he termed the “peculiar institution” of owning slaves in the antebellum South as “a positive good.” His paternalistic attitudes led him to believe ideas about race that supported his political ideas. However, the search for freedom led to documented accounts of Calhoun slaves who sought to free themselves from bondage. Three whose actions were recorded in Calhoun letters are Aleck, Sawney and Issey.

Aleck was often the only male house servant at Fort Hill. He “offended” Floride Calhoun and, fearing punishment, ran away. When he was captured, John C. Calhoun insisted that he be severely punished, and he was jailed for 10 days and given 30 lashes in order to “to prevent a repetition.”

Sawney was the son of Old Sawney, who had been a childhood companion of John C. Calhoun and was allowed privileged doctor’s care. On one trip to the doctor, Sawney set a fire to the white overseer’s tent, apparently attempting to kill him. He later was sent to the Calhouns’ son Andrew’s plantation Canebrake in Alabama.

Issey, another child of Old Sawney, was a strong-willed and defiant house servant who attempted to burn the house down by placing hot coals under the pillow in the room of the Calhoun’s son William. The smell of burning feathers floated throughout the house and the fire was extinguished. Although described as “dangerous,” Issey remained at Fort Hill until freed.

So all was not merry on the Calhoun plantation, and those who ran away or stayed to emancipation properly did not carry the Calhoun surname, so it will be even harder to trace these people of fire, freedom and determination through history.

 

 

Some Unsolved Mysteries

 

• Was Rose sold by a Calhoun family before the Davenport and Finley, if so when?

• The Calhoun’s of Abbeville were one of the largest slave owners in the area, headed by the father of our 7th Vice President of the US John Calhoun. Are there any connections to this family and Rose? The Calhoun Plantations were known to give their slave their family name, Calhoun.

• What ever happen to Sarah?

  • Was she married?

  • Did she have children?

  • Rose was about 47 when she had Sarah, perhaps Sarah was sickly and did not live to adulthood.

• Is Hampton Finley the father of Berry? If so can it be documented or proven by DNA testing?

• Is Essic the father of Berry (Berry is listed as Mulatto, but so is Rose, so her children would also be listed as Mulatto. But sometimes the record will list a Mulatto person as white or Negro, depending on who was doing the recording and for what purpose it would be used.)?

• Did Essic have other children? Male slaves were encouraged to have many children.

 

Known Time Line of Rose Calhoun Finley

 1795 – Rose Calhoun was born

 19 JUN 1807 – The will of John Devenport: Fifthly, I give and bequeath to my son David Devenport my negro girl Rose, likewise my negro girl Seal, my negro boy Tom and the other half of my lands and house hold furniture, stock, and etc. Rose was about 12.

 1816 - David Davenport do bargain and sell unto Richard Davenport two Negro girls, one named Rose, the other Seal which was wiled (sic) to him by his father John Davenport in consideration of the sum of $400. Rose was about 21.

 January 1, 1819 - Mildred Davenport, Ransom Davenport and Richard Davenport, of Laurens District, South Carolina sold to Paul Finley for the sum of $2,500, five negroes, one negro woman by the name of Rose age 24 years, one negro girl named Melia age 8 years old, one negro boy named John age 6 years and one negro boy called Tom age 4 years and one negro girl named Lewisa age 2 years old and Liney. 

1811 – Pamela was born, Rose was 16

1813 – John was born, Rose was 18

1815 – Tom was born, Rose was 20

1817 – Louisa was born, Rose was 22

1819 – Lindy was born, Rose was 24

???? – It seems like Rose was having a child every 2 years, then nothing for 16 years.

1835 - Chesley was born, Rose was 40

1836 – Berry was born, Rose was 41

1842 – Sarah was born, Rose was 47

1846 - Chess and Berry Finley, slaves to Paul Finley and was sold at this sale to Hampton Finley. Chess was 11 and berry was 10. Rose was 51

 21 Jun 1880 Census – Rose Finley is shown living with her son, Berry and his family. Rose was said to be 87.

 

The Next Generation:

Berry and Chester Finley

As is known, doing the time of slavery slaves were treated in the same regards as their farm animals, and when there was a strong stud he was used to produce many children from numerous women as if the slave was an animal. And Chesley Finley had to be one busy stud. He had five wives; Rhoda (Rodia) Irvy, Rosa Johnson, Mary L., Bizella and another wife whose name has been lost in history. Chester was said to have 5 different women (whether or not they were all his wives is not certain), one is unknown, the others are Rodia (or Rhoda) Irvy (born about 1855), Bizella (born about 1855), Rosa Johnson (born about 1870) and Mary L (?) (born about 1889) There are no children listed with Bizella or Mary L (?). To Rhoda was born Willie, Geroge W., Lugenia, Albert, Augustus L., Lenora, Rosa Belle, and Lula. To Rosa was born Harriet, Wade H, Doney, Dollie and Berry, and two with Mary L.

Berry is documented as having two partners. His wife Amanda Langston gave birth to 10 children: Laura, Cora, Dollie, Maggie, Thomas, Samuel, John, Jessie, Mae, and Cisaly. Berry had one child with Mollie Madden, William.

On December 17, 1880, Chester and his brother Berry bought three hundred and forty-three acres (more or less) from Emily F. Gaines of Bartow County, Georgia. The mortgage was for $1300. It was paid in full almost exactly five years later. The land was bordered on one side by the land of John R. Finley, a descendant of Paul Finley. The deed was made on 22 Jan 1881.

 

In October 1896, Chesley and Berry Finley sold two acres of their land to the School District of Laurens for $20 to establish a free public school for colored people. (A high school for Negroes was founded in 1915 by, among others, Calvin Pitts, Berry’s son-in-law, and John N. Finley, Berry’s son).

 

Chester Finley

 

Chester Finley appears to be the oldest of what looks like Rose Finley’s second set of children. Chester’s name is also variously listed as Chess and Chesley, but for the purpose of this document the name Chester will be used. South Carolina Death Records, 1821-1955, provides a good copy of Chester’s death certificate. [Death certificates are signed by the next of kin if known, and sometimes the next of kin do not have all of the information that is asked for, so sometimes the death certificate will conflict with other documents.] He is recorded as Chess Finley, farmer, male, colored, married, age 86. Date of birth was written as “Don’t know,” for month and day, the year was listed as 1831. He died on 4 Sep 1917 in Lauren, South Carolina. Cause of death is recorded as cerebral thrombosis with atherosclerosis listed as secondary contributory. His father is listed as Essic Finley born in the state of VA. Rose Calhoun is listed as his mother, born in Abbeville County, South Carolina. The death certificate was complete by John Chappell, his son-in-law.

 

Berry Finley

 

Berry Finley appears to be the other son of Rose Finley’s second set of children. In about 1858, he formed a relationship with Amanda Langston. Amanda’s maiden name was in question and it took some close research to uncover. Many had Amanda listed as Amanda Smith. But this was her mother’s maiden name. Amanda’s maiden name is Langston. This information was verified from Amanda Finley’s death certificate, showing that her mother’s name was Amanda Smith, and one of Berry and Amanda Finley daughters, Maggie Finley’s death certificate, showing her mother’s maiden name as Amanda Langston. Berry and Amanda gave birth to three children in slavery, and seven after slavery.

 

It was witnessed by Harrison Finley, a white Finley descendant, that by December 1879, Berry was prosperous enough to loan $200 to his neighbor Jacob Fowler against crops. Here are a few excerpts from various records about Berry Finley. This first document was taken from the book “History of The American Negro, S.C. Edition, Vol III, page 334 and 335 under information on one of his son-in-laws; Calvin Conway Pitts. “On Dec. 20, 1883, he (Calvin Conway Pitts) was married to Miss Maggie Finley, a daughter of Berry and Amanda Finley. Berry Finley was a remarkable man for his day. He began after the war as a renter, but bought land to the value of $4,000. He raised large crops, of cotton, running at times to nearly 100 bales a year. He was prominent in the work of the Baptist church, in which he was a deacon. For nearly twenty years of his life he was blind.” [Family oral history states that Berry had surgery to restore his sight, after which he traveled to Arkansas to visit his daughters Laura and Dollie, who had moved there with their families. Family oral history says that he was mistaken for a white man and traveled as such.]

 

From his obituary from the Laurensville Herald, May 17, 1901the following is taken:

"A highly respected colored man, died suddenly at his home, five miles south of this city, some time during last Sunday night--He was found dead in his bed Monday morning, heart failure the probable cause. He was an honest, industrious man, had the respect and confidence of all who knew him, and had accumulated a comfortable home."

 

Rocky Springs Baptist Church was formed in 1871; an offshoot of the white church, New Prospect Baptist, and Berry was among its first deacons. It was first located adjacent to New Prospect, but in 1898 moved about a quarter mile away.

 

The 1900 census shows Berry, Amanda, Cisala, Jessie, May and a nephew William Finley, age 21. William’s birth certificate shows father Berry Finley and mother Mollie Madden. Family oral history confirms that this is Berry’s child. This was apparently one of the family’s many secrets.

 

A Call for Help

An old African proverb says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well it will take support from all the family to find answers to unlock doors that are now shut. There are Finley, Smith, Langston, Cook, and maybe Davenports, seeking their roots as we are. The more people who help in the research, the faster answers can be found. And the best part about this is it doesn’t cost you a cent to get involved. Just speak with an elderly Finley while they are still with us, ask questions, scan copies of documents and pictures and E-mail it to the family, so this information can be used and preserved today.  As you meet new cousins that you did not know existed yesterday, ask them about their family, document it, and send it to others. Please don’t just sit back and wait for others to find the answers, your help is very much needed. The help of the entire family is needed. Someone may have answers that we have been searching for. The search is still on to find out more about Rose and more about us as a family.

 

                                                                                                    The Future of the Finley Family

An effort is ongoing to find answers to unsolved questions about the Finley family. This research was done mostly by cousins, who have never met, (except by internet), and cousins from different states. More can be done and it is up to the family to find the missing pieces, gather properly documentation and make it available for the next generation. The future of the family is in your hands.

 

 

As I was reading this book I was thinking about Rose Calhoun. It looks to me like she was born a Calhoun and was sold to the Davenport family prior to being sold to the Finley family. (We need to find something on this Calhoun family that may give us more information.) We know on the will of John Davenport dated 19 Jun 1807 he willed 12 years old Rose and Seal and Tom to his son David. In 1816 David Davenport sold Rose and Seal to Richard Davenport for $400 dollars. Three years later on 1 Jan 1819 he sold Rose to Paul with Pamela age 8, 1811, John age 6. 1813, Tom age 4, 1815, Louisa age 2, 1817 and baby Lindy, 1819. Rose was 24 years old at this time, and I believe this was her first family unit, and these children may have been named Davenport. I keep going back looking for signs of these children but I can't find them. What ever happen to them, will we ever find them?

 

When Rose was 40 years old, she had Chesley, at 41 she had Berry and at 47 she had Sarah. It seems she stopped having babies at 24 years old and started back up at 40. This made me wonder again about how many children Rose really had. How many lived, died, sold off or ran away. Anyway this book I am reading is causing me to rethink some things. So I went back to 1880 to see where Berry and Chesley were living, because I know they bought 343 acres on 17 December 1880, but they could have been living on the property earlier that year. So it was curious to me to see who else was living next door to them. The Finley brothers were family men, so they would want to keep family close to them. In the 1880 census Rose was living in the home with her son Berry. The house in between Berry and Chesley was lived in by a widow Eliza Hill, (she was just Liza Hill in 1870 born about 1843 in 1880 and 1839 in 1870). There was one family researching Eliza Hill, this was in the Davenport-Williams Family tree. Ah Ha! Isn’t this a coincident? A Davenport! As I viewed this tree I see her husband was Jackson Hill born about 1815 from Virginia. There is no parents name for Eliza, but I am thinking that this was one of Rose children, staying right next to her brothers and her mother.

 

I wrote this person twice before looking at his family tree because I saw he had a Finley in his family tree (first name or age are not known) married to a Minnie Lee Williams. There was also the family name of Garlington. Then I wrote him again on Parthena Henry for her maiden name was listed as Finley. In the 1870 census it shows her living next door to John and Dorcas Finley. John was one of Hampton Finley sons. The Finley name was obtained from her and her son Josiah’s death certificates. 

Today is March 1, 2013 and I think it is a day I will always remember (I hope) for I think I have located one of Rose Finley children; Louisa Davenport. I found her in the 1870 census in Laurens, Laurens, S.C., on page 72. She was listed as born about 1825. I believe Rose had Louisa when she was a slave under the Davenport family. When Rose was sold to the Finley family in a1819, Louisa was listed as age 8 this would mean Pamela was born about 1811.This may be her child. But it is something I will have to investigate further.

 

I saw a few Sarah that could have been her daughter as well. On Page 72 again, there was Sarah Taylor at age 27 born about 1843 married to Berry Taylor. Sarah Hunter born about 1848 found on page 11.

 

Looking at 1870 census of Laurens, Laurens, Not Stated on page 3 I found Chester Finley born about 1835 at the age of 35. His children were Hariet, Wade, Donna, Dolly and Berry Finley. Also Living next door was Jackson Balley (perhaps Bailey). I mention this because in the house with Chester was another family of Balley. Lindy Balley born about 1846 and at the age of 24, with what appears to be son Lee at age 9 and daughter Cornail at age 6. There was another Lindy that was sold with Rose, but she was born about 1819; in 1870 this would have made her about 51. So this Lindy may have been her daughter.

Further down there is a Susan Finsley and Jeney that we believe the name is misspelled and should be Finley.

 

On page 5 family number 83 is Wildry Davenport at age 27 with wife Nancy, at age 25, their children were Ann, Othia, and Harriet. Further down there is Preston Davenport about 27 as family number 86, with Mary age 12 and Alexander age 2. There is a Louis Davenport at age 20 in family number 87 on page 6. Geogre Finsley at age 21 with wife Jane 20 and son Garey at 3 as family number 92.

 

On page now living next door to John B Finley and wife Virginia is Malinda Finley at age 30 born about 1840. Her place of birth is in doubt for it shows Georgia and South Carolina as her place of birth. She was listed in family number 134. She may have been a slave on of John and Virginia Finley. There was a 9 year old child also living in the house listed as a Mulatto; her name was Louisa Teague born about 1861. Her father may have been a white person from the neighborhood, since it was doing slavery we may never know. The other Teague that I saw was on page 5 living in family number 86. He was Lewdy Teague at age 43 with wife Parthenia Teague at age 30. They were living next to Benjamin Finsley at age 20 and Rachel Finsley at age 18 in family number 85. The Teague was a white family living next to Finsley on one side and Davenport in family number 87.

 

.​

​