Update on Joseph A. "Frank" Blackman

For background, please see my original post, Mystery Monday - Joseph A. "Frank" Blackman.

Since writing the original post on June 16, 2013 the following information has been discovered.

Fellow researcher, Rita Jones, discovered the 1860 census for Burrell Blackman and family.  

Census transcribers had listed Blackman as Blackmore.

As mentioned in my original post, the 1850 census listed a son named Jacob and I wondered at the time if the Jacob listed was actually Joseph.  I now believe the Jacob listed in the 1850 census was Joab.  This same Joab can be seen in the 1860 census above.

A cousin remembered family calling Joseph by the nickname Joab so this lined up with my thinking that I was on the correct path.

Several months ago the Ancestry website uploaded thousands of wills/probate records.  In these records I discovered tutorship documents for the minor daughters of Joseph and Virginia "Jennie" Smith Blackman.  These documents were filed in Catahoula Parish on September 4, 1882 by the father of Virginia "Jennie" Smith, James Luther "J. L." Smith.

Records showed the parents of minor children, Henrietta Blackman and Mollie Blackman as Joab Blackman and Jennie Smith.  These records also confirmed the deaths of Joab and Jennie as being prior to September 4, 1882.

Another portion of the records revealed the following:

"...a claim of said minors in Milam County, Texas of one hundred and fifty dollars, said claim inherited by the minors from their grandfather's succession Burrell Blackman dec'd is worth one hundred dollars."

From this newly discovered information I now know:

• Joseph's nickname was Joab
• Joseph's father was Burrell Blackman
• Joseph died before September 4, 1882

What I have not confirmed:

• Date and location of Joseph's death

• Location of Joseph's burial

• Name of Joseph's mother  

Was the Margaret listed in census records his mother or step-mother?  Other children in the household are believed to be Cottens who chose to go by their step-father's surname (Blackman) until later in their lives.

An 1834 General Land Office of Texas record for the Jurisdiction of Liberty shows Burrell Blackman as a native of Mississippi and "a man of family consisting of himself & his wife."

The Margaret listed in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 census records was born circa 1822.  If she is the wife mentioned in the above land record she would have been about 12 years old in 1834.   This leads me to believe that Burrell was married to someone else in 1834.  It is also then possible that a child was born to this marriage and that child could have possibly been Joseph "Joab".

Other Blackmans found in the same 1834 land records include Bennett Blackman and Joab John Blackman.  Blackman family researchers show Bennett Blackman and wife, Elizabeth Collins were the parents of the following six children:

Joab John Blackman (b. abt 1800)
Burrell Blackman (b. abt 1805 in Wayne Co. MS)
Josiah Blackman (b. abt 1811 in MS)
Mary Polly Blackman Stone (b. abt 1815 in MS)
Catherine Blackman Bouse (b. abt 1816 in MS)
Sarah "Sally" Blackman (b. abt 1817 in MS)

My Autosomal DNA results match with several people who descend from the Bennett Blackman line.  However, I also have matches with several people who descend from the Cotten line so I have questions as to the accuracy of my DNA match results on Ancestry's website.

I may never be able to confirm the date and location of Joseph's death, his burial location, or the identity of his mother.  What I have discovered since June of 2013 proves that persistence, the help of others, and good old fashioned luck really do pay off.

Tombstone Tuesday - Edward Dorsey Smith, Sr.

Edward Dorsey Smith, Sr.

Born on March 3, 1870

Son of

James Luther Smith and Henrietta D. Smith

Brother to

Virginia "Jennie", Catherine "Kate", James William "Buck"

and Francis Marion "Frank"

Husband of

Helen Jackson

Father to

Marion, Edward Dorsey, Jr., Luther Gordon "Bully" and Thelma

Died on April 2, 1940

Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Tombstone Tuesday - Francis Marion Smith

Francis Marion "Frank" Smith

Born on November 24, 1867

Son of 

James Luther and Henrietta D. Smith

Brother to

Virginia "Jennie", Catherine "Kate", James William "Jim", and Edward Dorsey

Husband of

Nettie Watson

Father to

Isom James, Jennie, Mollie, Jessie, Clayton Francis, William Edward "Buck",

Sadye and Sydney

Died on July 7, 1953

Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Tombstone Tuesday - James William Smith

James William Smith

Born on December 10, 1862

Son of

James Luther and Henrietta D. Smith

Brother to

Virginia "Jennie", Catherine "Kate", Francis Marion "Frank"

and Edward Dorsey

Husband of

Mary Kendrick

Father to

Lillie Mae, Kate, James William, Jr., Laura, Henry Newman,

Nettie, Charles Gordon "Charlie", Augustus Edward "Gus"

and Jack

Died on July 23, 1936

Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

James William Smith was a brother to my paternal great-great grandmother, Virginia "Jennie" Smith Blackman.

Tombstone Tuesday - Kate Smith Chisum

Catherine "Kate" Smith

Born on September 24, 1859

Daughter of

James Luther and Henrietta D. Smith

Sister to

Virginia "Jennie", James William "Buck", Francis Marion "Frank",

and Edward Dorsey

Wife of

Thomas Jefferson "Tom" Chisum

Mother to

Thomas Jefferson, Jr., Mary Eva, Jessie, 

Edward Walling "Big Walling" and Emmett DeWitt "Big Emmett"

Died on April 23, 1936

Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Having finished life's duty

She now sweetly rests

Catherine "Kate" Smith Chisum's sister, Virginia "Jennie", was my paternal great, great grandmother. Her husband, Tom Chisum, was a brother to my paternal great, great grandmother, Lucinda Chisum Steele.

Tombstone Tuesday - James Luther Smith

James Luther "J. L." Smith

Born on November 9, 1830

Saratoga County, New York

Husband of

Henrietta

Father to

Virginia "Jennie", Catherine "Kate", James William "Buck",

Francis Marion "Frank" and Edward Dorsey

Died on January 25, 1911

Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

James Luther "J. L." Smith was my paternal 3great grandfather through his daughter Virginia Smith Blackman; granddaughter, Mary Virginia Blackman Steele; great granddaughter, Mary Allye Steele Edmonds; great-great grandson, Bruce Alfonso Edmonds.

Wedding Wednesday - Blackman and Steele

Al and Mollie Blackman Steele with daughters Allye and Lucille

Marriage Date:  April 13, 1898

Isham Alfonso "Al" Steele and Mary Virginia "Mollie" Blackman were married in Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana at the home of Mollie's grandparents, James Luther and Henrietta Smith.  Officiating the ceremony was Reverend T. H. McClendon.  J. D. Usher, Clay W. Fairbanks and John Henry Knight were listed as witnesses.

Al and Mollie Steele were my paternal great grandparents through their daughter, Mary Allye Steele Edmonds and their grandson, Bruce Alfonso Edmonds.

Sunday's Obituary - Henrietta "Nettie" Blackman Fairbanks Disch

Henrietta "Nettie" Blackman

Born on June 13, 1874

Daughter of 

Joseph A. "Frank" Blackman and Virginia "Ginny" Smith

Sister to

Mary Virginia "Mollie" Blackman Steele

Wife of

Henry Osborne Fairbanks

Dr. Henry J. Disch

Mother to

Dr. Russell Usher, Thomas Osborne and Henrietta Fairbanks

Willie Joseph and Mary E. Disch

Died on October 21, 1932

Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Sunday's Obituary - Mary Virginia "Mollie" Blackman Steele

Monroe News Star - 7/20/1945

Mary Virginia "Mollie" Blackman Steele

Born on September 17, 1876

Daughter of

Joseph A. "Frank" Blackman and Virginia "Jennie" Smith

Sister to

Henrietta "Nettie" Blackman

Wife of

Isham Alfonso "Al" Steele

Mother to

Edna, Mary Allye, Clara Lucille and Lena Juanita Steele

Foster Mother to

Teddy Stockman

Died on July 19, 1945

Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Friday's Faces From the Past ~ Sadye Smith Nolen

Sadye Smith Nolen

(1898-1957)

Daughter of

Francis Marion "Frank" Smith and Nettie Watson

Sister of

Isom, Jennie, Mollie, Jessie, Clayon,

Buck and Sidney Smith

Wife of

Marvin Bishop Nolen, Sr.

Mother of

Marvin Bishop Nolen, Jr.

Sadye Smith Nolen was my third cousin, 3x removed.

Note:  The story of Sadye Nolen, The Bunk Car Lady can be found here.

Wedding Wednesday ~ Smith Golden Anniversary

From the September 30, 1936 edition of the Monroe News Star in Monroe, Louisiana:

Francis Marion "Frank" Smith was the son of James Luther and Henrietta D, Smith of Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.

On September 19, 1886, Frank Smith married Nettie Watson in Franklin Parish, Louisiana.

Nettie S. Watson was the daughter of Elias W. and Sarah Ann Mathis Watson of Harrisonburg, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.

Frank Smith was a brother to my great great grandmother, Virginia Jane "Jennie" Smith Blackman.

Sentimental Sunday - The Steele House

My three-great grandfather, James Luther Smith, built the original house for his granddaughter, Mary Virginia "Mollie" Blackman and her husband, Isham Alfonso "Al" Steele.  In the beginning, the house had only four rooms and a kitchen. 

The front room was built some time prior to 1900 as Mollie and Al's daughter, Mary Allye, was born in this room on March 9, 1900.  The storm cellar seen in the photograph above was built prior to 1911 by a white mustached man referred to as "the Irishman."  A long porch was built across the front of the house in 1922 by Mr. Tom Hardin and a bigger kitchen was built ca. 1925.  The side porch was built in the early 1930s. 

In 1911, Al Steele and family moved to Childress, Texas to live near one of Al's sisters, Lydia Francis "Lyd" Steele and her husband Silas Abe Greer.  While the Steele family was living in Texas, the Edmon Clark Chambers family lived in the Steele House.  In Ollie Chambers' collection of remembrances, Down Memory Lane, she recalls the following:

Our parents rented the Steele house in 1912.  That was indeed a terrible year for our family.  Mearine, Luceil, Darris and Ollie had typhoid fever.  The only help our parents could get was an old colored woman named, Annie Barkshire. 

There seemed to be many tornadoes or hurricanes at this time.  There was a storm cellar in the side yard in easy access to the front porch, in which our parents kept a lantern, plenty of matches in a can, fresh water was kept in jars or bottles, also quilts for us to sleep upon.  There were benches in the storm cellar.

Annie Barkshire always came to our house to join us in the storm cellar.  Our parents always had a big can that had a top on it, in which they kept canned foods, vienna sausage, potted meat, crackers and cookies.  If Mama had time, when we went to the storm cellar, she took cottage cheese that she had made, also fresh milk.  Fortunately, we never had to stay in the storm cellar long enough to use up all the food.  However, you can imagine with four hungry girls, Annie Barksire, and Mama and Papa, that a great deal of nourishment was consumed.

In 1912, Claude and Vivian Martin Enright were living in the Steele house where their son, Claude Martin Enright was born. 

Robert Otis Moss and Marion Smith were married in the Steele house ca. 1922. 

Sisters, Sarah Virginia and Evelyn Steele Ogden, were born in the Steele house in 1922 and 1926, respectively.

My grandparents, Bruce and Mary Allye Steele Edmonds lived in the Steele house until 1958 when they swapped houses with their son (my father), Bruce Alfonso Edmonds and his family. 

The old Steele house is gone now.  Fire destroyed it about twenty years ago.  I grew up in this house.  Many years were spent playing under the old pecan trees planted over 100 years ago by my great-grandfather, Al Steele. 

We never had to use the storm cellar for protection from tornadoes and hurricanes but it made the perfect fort for playing cowboys and indians with my brothers and friends.

Virginia Jane "Jennie" Smith (1856-1876)

Virginia Jane "Jennie" Smith was born in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana on March 14, 1856.

She was the daughter of James Luther and Henrietta D. Smith and a sister to Catherine "Kate", James William "Buck", Francis Marion "Frank", and Edward Dorsey "Dorse".

1860 Census

1870 Census

On November 15, 1872, Jennie married Joseph A. "Frank" Blackman.  The wedding was held in the home of her parents and was officiated by the local Justice of the Peace.

Witnesses to the marriage were E. F. Keenan, James Kelly and James H. Young.

Jennie and Frank made their home in Harrisonburg, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana where two daughters were born to them.

Henrietta "Nettie", 1874-1932 (m. 1. Fairbanks; 2. Disch)
Mary Virginia "Mollie", 1876-1945 (m. Steele)

Virginia Jane "Jennie" Smith Blackman died on December 2, 1876, just a few short months after giving birth to Mollie.  She is buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery in Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.

Sibling Saturday - Lucinda and Tom

Lucinda Chisum Steele and Thomas Jefferson Chisum

Lucinda and Thomas Jefferson Chisum were born to the marriage of Isham Russell Chisum and Mary Polly Walling.

Lucinda was born on May 2, 1846 in Nacogdoches County, Texas.  She married Francis "Frank" Marion Steele ca. 1865 and made her home in Kosse, Limestone County, Texas where she and Frank had the following children:

Lula, 1866-1955 (m. Henry Harrison Stubbs)
Lydia Frances, 1867-1941 (m. Silas Abraham Greer)
Louella, 1868-1954 (m. Walter A. Walling)
Isham Alfonso, 1870-1934 (m. Mary Virginia Blackman)
Mary Allye, 1872-1961 (m. Henry Robert Eaton)
Lena Rhoda, 1877-1960 (m. James A. McLelland)

Lucinda Chisum Steele died in Kosse on December 30, 1897 and is buried alongside her husband in the Thornton Cemetery in Thornton, Limestone County, Texas.

Thomas Jefferson was born on January 3, 1852 in Limestone County, Texas.  In 1876, Tom traveled to Sicily Island (formerly Florence), Catahoula Parish, Louisiana to sell horses.  He remained in Sicily Island where he later met and married Catherine "Kate" Smith on March 23 1881.

Tom and Kate had the following children:

Thomas Jefferson, Jr., 1881-1882
Mary Eva, 1883-1955 (m. Dr. Charles J. Gordon)
Jessie, 1884-1962 (m. John Grafton McNair)
Edward Walling, 1886-1955 (m. Nellie Elizabeth Ballard)
Emmett DeWitt, 1888-1949 (m. Laura Eveline Ballard)

Thomas Jefferson Chisum died in Sicily Island on December 4, 1934 and is buried alongside his wife in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery in Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.

Mystery Monday - Joseph A. "Frank" Blackman

**Please see my update on Joseph A. "Frank" Blackman**

Joseph A. Blackman was my great-great grandfather.  He married Virginia "Jennie" Smith on November 15, 1872 in the home of her parents, James Luther and Henrietta D. Smith of Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.

The marriage license below is the first known documentation I have found of Joseph.

The 1878 Voter Registration list for Catahoula Parish published on RootsWeb shows a Joseph A. Blackman born in Louisiana in 1851.  A trip to the Catahoula Parish Registrar of Voters office proved futile as the original records were destroyed in a fire back in the early 1900s.

Notes belonging to my father state that Joseph was also known as Frank and that he was originally from the LaSalle or Grant Parish area.  Also included in my father's notes was a reference to a Linnie Adair Carter being a first cousin of his grandmother, Mary Virginia Blackman, daughter of Joseph.

For this kinship to be possible, Linnie's mother and Joseph had to be siblings.  I began my search for Linnie Adair and discovered that her mother was Elizabeth Blackman, daughter of Burrel/Burrell Blackman.  One researcher suggested that this Elizabeth Blackman was actually the daughter of a Cotten but was raised by her stepfather, Burrel Blackman.

I was able to locate the 1850 census record for Burrel Blackman showing him married to a Margaret and having a daughter (or stepdaughter) named Betty (likely short for Elizabeth).  The family was living in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

If the 1878 Voter Registration roll was correct and Joseph was born in 1851, I would need to locate the 1860 census record for the family. 

Unfortunately, the only 1860 census record I have found to date for Burrel/Burrell Blackman does not list any other family members.  Burrell is living in Alexandria, Rapides Parish, Louisiana in 1860.  Joseph would have been nine years old at the time.

The 1870 census record shows Burrel, Maragret, two of their children and a grandchild living in the same household in Ward 3 of Grant Parish, Louisiana.  By this time, Joseph would have been almost twenty years old and possibly living on his own prior to marrying Jennie in 1872.

I went back to the 1850 census and pondered on whether the Jacob listed could possibly be Joseph.  While the transcription clearly matches the image, could the census taker have simply written down the wrong name?  Searches for a Jacob Blackman returned no results, leaving me to assume one of two things.  Jacob died prior to 1860 or the Jacob listed was really Joseph.

Joseph's wife, Jennie, died several weeks after giving birth to their second daughter in 1876.  According to stories handed down through my family, Joseph is reported to have died two years later in 1878 in a sawmill accident in Rodney, Jefferson County, Mississippi.   No record of death has been found to date.

Other tidbits from family stories include the following:

• Joseph was related to the Blackman family from Alexandria, Rapides Parish, Louisiana of whom one was a judge and another operated a dry cleaning business
• Joseph was the son of Charles and grandson of Elisha Swift Blackman and Octavia Weakley

Both of these stories have been researched with no evidence of a connection to Joseph A. "Frank" Blackman.

As of now, the "brick wall" still stands.  I re-visit my research on him regularly in hopes of chipping away pieces of the wall.

If anyone researching the Blackman/Blackmon families of central Louisiana has any information on a Joseph A. "Frank" Blackman, please leave me a comment or contact me at Rootsfromthebayou@gmail.com. 

Sibling Saturday - Nettie and Mollie

Nettie and Mollie Blackman

Henrietta "Nettie" and Mary Virginia "Mollie" Blackman were the daughters of Virginia "Jennie" Smith and Joseph A. Blackman.

Nettie was born on June 13, 1874 and  Mollie was born on September 17, 1876. Their mother died several weeks after giving birth to Mollie.  The two young sisters lost their father just two years later in 1878.

Nettie and Mollie

Raised by their maternal grandparents, James Luther and Henrietta D. Smith, Nettie and Mollie grew up in Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.

Nettie married Henry Osborne Fairbanks in 1894 and had the following children:

Russell Usher (1895-1971; m. S. Knight)
Thomas Osborne (1897-1900)
Henrietta "Sister" (1899-1922)

Henry Fairbanks died in 1899 and Nettie married a second time to Dr. Henry J. Disch.  Children born to the marriage of Nettie and Dr. Disch were:

Willie Joseph (1902-1990)
Mary E. (1904-1953)

Mollie married Isham Alfonso Steele in 1898 and had the following children:

Edna
Mary Allye
Clara Lucille
Lena Juanita

Nettie died on October 21, 1932 and Mollie died on July 19, 1945.  Both are buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery in Sicily Island.

Mystery Monday - In Search of Information on Henrietta's Parents

My Mystery Monday post centers around locating the parents of one of my paternal 3-great grandmothers, Henrietta who married James Luther Smith.


Family notes and stories handed down state that Henrietta's full name was Henrietta Francoise D'Glando/DeGlando, born in New Orleans, Louisiana on September 29, 1836.

Henrietta's Tombstone

Henrietta's tombstone confirms her date of birth. 

Henrietta's Mother:

• Given name was Cathrine/Catherine/Catharine
• Born December 15, 1802
• Believed to have arrived in New Orleans as a young girl from Wurttemberg, Germany with a couple by the name of Herzer
• Believed to have worked as a governess/tutor upon arriving in New Orleans
• Married 1) D'Glando/DeGlando, ca 1836; 2) Lytle, ca 1842; 3) B. Fuller/Fullar, aft 1842
• Children were Henrietta from marriage 1; James from marriage 2
• 1850 census shows a Catharine Fuller living with husband 3 and children, Henrietta and James in Carrollton, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
• 1860 census shows a C. Fuller living with her daughter, Henrietta and family in Black River, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana
• Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery next to her daughter, Henrietta.
• Date of death - December 2, 1878

1850 Census

1860 census

Cathrine's tombstone

Henrietta's Father:

• Surname was D'Glando/DeGlando
• Searches for D'Glando/DeGlando in New Orleans return no results  
• 1900 census shows the birthplace of Henrietta's father as Canada; mother's birthplace as Mississippi (?)
• Through searches of name variations, I discovered a Francois DeGlandon in New Orleans for the correct time frame.  However, upon contacting DeGlandon descendants, there is no evidence of a marriage to a Cathrine or of a daughter named Henrietta
• Searches of Canadian records lead directly back to Francois DeGlandon; with no results for D'Glando/DeGlando

1900 Census

Other Avenues Researched:

• Henrietta's birth certificate - no record found
• Henrietta's marriage to James Luther Smith in New Orleans - no record found
• Marriage records for Cathrine - no records found for three marriages
• Surname Herzer - Connected with descendant of a Herzer couple who arrived in New Orleans in 1830.  Obtained a copy of the ship manifest but no mention of a Cathrine.
• Surname Lytle - No given name found for spouse of Cathrine.  However, two of James Lytle's children were shown on the 1900 census living with James' half-sister, Henrietta and her family in Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. 
• Surname Fuller/Fullar - No given name found for spouse of Cathrine; only initial B. from 1850 census

I am open to any suggestions anyone might have that would assist me in discovering Cathrine's maiden name and the actual name of Henrietta's father.

Isham Alfonso "Al" Steele (1870-1934)

Isham Alfonso "Al" Steele was born in Kosse, Limestone County, Texas on November 20, 1870.

He was the son of Francis "Frank" Marion Steele and Lucinda Chisum and the brother of Lula, Lydia Frances, Louella "Ella", Mary Allye "Madie", and Lena Rhoda Steele.

At the age of eighteen, Al Steele left Texas and headed to Louisiana where he would join his uncle, Thomas Jefferson Chisum who had moved to Louisiana several years earlier.  The trip on horseback took two weeks to complete.  Once Al arrived in Sicily Island he went to work for his uncle as a clerk in his general merchandise store.

On April 13, 1898 he married Mary Virginia "Mollie" Blackman and made Sicily Island his home.   Children born to this marriage were Edna, Mary Allye (Edmonds), Clara Lucille (Ogden), and Lena Juanita (Peck).  Al and Mollie also raised Theodore "Teddy" Stockmon after the death of Teddy's mother.

Around 1890 Al Steele had his wife's grandfather, James Luther Smith, build a house for him and Mollie.  The house originally had four bedrooms with a front and back porch.

Al and Mollie pictured with daughters Mary Allye and Clara Lucille

Additions were made to the house several years later, including a partially raised storm cellar that sat to the side of the house.

This house remained standing until it was destroyed by a fire in the early 1990s.

I grew up in this house and spent many fun-filled days playing out around the pecan trees that my great-grandfather, Al Steele planted back in the late 1800s.




Al built and operated a general merchandise store before selling it and moving to Childress, Texas in about 1910.  The family remained in Childress for a year before moving back to Sicily Island.

After returning to Sicily Island, Al Steele purchased 140 acres of land from Mr. Allie Hopkins where he built another house and farmed the land.

Around 1917 Al moved his family back to the house in town and built another general merchandise store.  This store was later owned and operated by Al's son-in-law, Wes Ogden.

Wes Ogden store

Isham Alfonso "Al" Steele passed from this life on December 4, 1934.  Thomas Jefferson Chisum died three hours after his nephew who had followed him from Texas to Sicily Island, Louisiana many years before.

Al Steele is buried alongside his wife in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery in Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.