Marion County GA Biographies

Marion County GAGenWeb a proud part of Trish Elliott-Kashima, County Coordinator

If you would like to add information or a biography, please contact me.

A Brief History of John Jackson and Julia Ann Stevens Jackson and of Their Descendants in Marion and Schley Counties, Georgia from

the 1860s to the 1930s with Notes on Land Ownership

Presented to the Jackson-Aldridge Family Reunion, May 27-29, 2016, Orlando, Florida

By Clarence D. White

This paper supplements histories of the Jacksons and Aldridges prepared for the Jackson-Aldridge Reunion held in 2001 in Miami, Florida. That document contains extensive genealogical data, especially on family members born after 1900. Christine Jackson Terry (1927-2015) gathered most of those data; her valuable input is hereby acknowledged.

This present effort focuses on the Jackson family’s origins in slavery and ends with the 1930s. Particular attention is given to the circumstances of land acquisition in the family

and the transfer of ownership through inheritance and other means. Sources of information include federal enumerations of population for Marion and Schley Counties:

the slave schedules of 1860, censuses of population for 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930; recorded land deeds from both counties; my survey of Mt Zion Primitive

Baptist Church Cemetery which can be seen online at http://www.thegagenweb.com/marion/cem/mtzion/MtZionPrimitive.htm.

Recent visits to the Putnam/Doyle locale; and my memory and knowledge of the family and the locale from being the nephew of family members Robert Jackson and Marie

Hartage Jackson.

Slavery, Emancipation, and Reconstruction

The first census after Emancipation— of 1870— shows John Jackson, age 40, living with and apparently married to Julia Ann, 23; they have a son James 4, and a daughter

Julia Ann 2. One Matilda Heard is also living with them. Julia Ann is listed as mulatto; the rest of the family is black. None of them could read or write. Living next to them

are Levi Sparks, 26, and his wife Marendia, 22, along with four younger persons, some presumably their children and aged 8 years to 3 months. Nellie Stephens, 45 and mother

of Julia Ann, is a member of this household. All are listed as black. Neighboring households are headed by Amanda Stevens, 35; David Jones, 54; Mary Jackson, 40; William

 Stevens, 30; Charity Anderson, 35; Caton Jones, 57; all persons in these households are black. The former slave owner Hampton Stevens, born in South Carolina and now

 65, lives nearby with wife Adlissa 60, son Rich 24, daughter Anna 19, and son Hampton, Jr 16.  Hampton Stevens’s real estate is valued at the considerable sum of $8,000

while his personal property is valued at $7,000.

Hampton Stevens is shown as owner of 24 slaves in the Marion County 1860 slave schedules, ranging in age from 55 to 1, all black, and living in four houses. The slaves are

not listed by name in the schedules; only sex, color, and age are shown and number of households. In Schley, Putnam Sparks Stevens, born 1836, owned three slaves—a mulatress,

 20; a black male, 19; and a one-year-old black male. These were presumably household servants. The slaves in Marion would have been primarily field slaves. If you accept that

the ages of the slaves and freed persons in 1870 were often estimated by census takers, one could reasonably deduce or guess that Levi Sparks was the household slave at

Putnam Stevens’s residence in 1860; Julia Ann Stevens Jackson would have been the mulatress servant, “the Stevens nanny” of oral reports passed from generation to generation,

 as mentioned in the 2001 history. One might further speculate that Levi and Julia Ann were half-siblings; both were children of Nellie Stevens. Levi’s father would have

been black; Julia Ann was likely sired by Hampton Stevens, Sr. The slave origins of John Jackson probably lie in the area of Marion south of Putnam/Doyle, what is now

 called Draneville, and which is accessible by Mt Zion Road from Putnam/Doyle. Before 1900 this section of Marion was known alternately as Cut Off and as Jacksonville,

 and in 1860 there was at least one white slave-owning family in this area surnamed Jackson and Drane.

Several of the slaveholder Stevens family members are buried at Putnam in a small cemetery, along with members of the Munro family. The two families intermarried. Grave

 data from the cemetery are online at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/marion/cemeteries/stevens.txt.

Stevens-Munro Cemetery at Putnam in February 2016

The 1880s

John and Julia Jackson were still living at Putnam when the census of 1880 was taken. John’s age was recorded as 40; Julie was 31. The children enumerated were: Jim 14, Julia 11, Stella 9, Ella 7, Thom 5, Mary 1; Nellie Stevens, 57, identified as Mother, was enumerated as a member of John and Julia’s household as well. Julia and all the children are listed

as mulattoes. Only John and Nellie are shown as black.

Their immediate neighbors were Peter Bunkley 26, his wife Alice 21, and their two very young children. Other neighbors included households headed by Alex Jones, Neal Randall,

Lag Pride, Will Shade, Sarah Wilson, Sallie Adams, Rose Jones, John Jones, and Joe Williams. Will Stevens, a 30-year-old mulatto, his black wife Jane 30, and black daughter

Lizzie 14 were also neighbors. Nellie Sparks, 50 and black, lived alone next to Will and Jane.

Putnam Stevens 43, his wife Josephine 41, and their 11 children aged 21 years to 4 months were the only white family in the immediate neighborhood. Living next door to them

was a family of mulattoes: Henderson Adams 21, his wife Clary 18, son Peter 1, and sister Nancy 12.

Early 1900s

Because almost all of the 1890 federal census records perished in a Washington, DC warehouse fire, the census of 1900 for Marion County provides the next demographic glimpse

of the Jacksons. At the onset of the twentieth century, John Jackson and Julie Ann’s nest was practically empty with only John Thomas, then 25, still living at home. Aged 60 and

54 respectively, John and Julie Ann lived next door to their eldest son Jimmie 34 and his wife Neppie Owens Jackson 27. In their nest were Robert 8, Prudence 7, Anna 5, Jimmie

Jr 3, and Willis 2. Jeff Smith 32 lived next to them with his wife Kittie, seven children and mother Becky who was 72 and born in Virginia. Arch Smith 25 lived in the next house

with his wife Susy and their four children; Jeff Smith 32, his wife Kitty 29 , seven children, and mother Becky 72 were next door. White families named Sorrels, Sheats, and

Dillard were in nearby houses.

There was a black Stevens family nearby (Quallis 33, wife Laura 28 and their five children), and a white Stevens family (R.W. 23, wife Alice 20, their two children, and a white

boarder) lived nearby as well.

Censuses of 1910 and 1920

In the census of 1910 Jimmie Jackson 44 and wife Neppie 37 were at Doyle with their eight children, namely Robert 18, Prudence 17, Annie Mae 15, Jimmie Jr 13, Willie 12, Rudolphus 9, John Thomas 6, and Baby 6 months. They have been married 19 years, and have had 15 children. Ella Jackson Sampson 37 and her husband Aaron Sampson 37

lived next door with their children Julia 10, Fannie 9, Stella 5 and Jim 2. They have been married 17 years and have had 4 children. Jimmie Jackson is shown as owning land while

Aaron Sampson is listed as a renter. Young Perry and his wife Millie lived next to the Sampsons; a white farmer named Wiley Hart was enumerated next to them.

By 1920 the household of Jimmie, 54 and Neppie Jackson, 47 had dwindled to six children: Robert 28, who had returned from service in WW I, Anna 23, James 22, Rudolphus

19, John 14, Judson 9. Jimmie Jr seems to have been counted twice because he is also listed in a separate household as aged 21 and married to Lula, a mulatress who is 14.

Aaron Sampson 50 lived a few houses away from Jimme and Neppie with a daughter Marie 24 and a grandson William 3 months.

The 1930s

Jimmie and Neppie “Lovie” Jackson were listed as 68 and 62 respectively in the census of 1930. Still living at home were John Thomas 23, Judson 20, and Snook15. Families

nearby were headed by Columbus Boone, Jeff Smith, Peter Bunkley, Troy Livel, Griffin Adams, Ike Butts and Banby Respress. Rudolphus Jackson 27 had married Arrice Shipp

26 and they had three children: Neppie 5, Christine 3, and JC 11 months. Living next to them were General L. Owens 68, his wife Rosa 65, and three grandsons aged 11,18,

and 22. Miss Ida Munro, 74, lived in the next house with her sister Maud Barrett, 51, and a negro, Ronald Short, 18. John W. Owens and wife Mabel lived next to the Munros.

Other nearby neighbors were Hartages, Browns, Bunkleys, Whites, Joneses, and Caucasians named Hite. Annie Mae Jackson 33 had married Joe Aldridge 33 and they lived in

Marion with their sons Mackerel 7 and Joe Jr 4. Their nearby neighbors were Hartages, Battles, Timeses, Jordans, Perrys, Burtons,Wilkersons, and Mathises.

William Treadaway 50 and wife Mary Prudence Jackson Treadaway 37 lived in Schley County near the county line with their son Booker T 10. Arder and Annie White and

their five sons were their immediate neighbors. There was a cluster of kinfolks living on what is now Aldridge Road in Schley. Henry Harvey 62 and wife Lula 63 were living

with their daughter Lillie M. Jackson 22 and her two children Mary 3 and Willie 1. John Thomas Jackson 54 lived with his wife Sallie 48 next door to the Harveys with their

daughter Lucinda 31 and daughter Irene 14. In the next house counted were Aaron Sampson 70 and wife Ella Jackson Sampson 57 and their son John S 17 and daughter

Nellie 12. Jimmie Sampson 18 lived in the next house with his wife Willie 19. His cousin Robert F. Jackson 40 lived next to him with his wife Marie Hartage Jackson 29.

Marie’s relatives lived nearby in households headed by Dudley Hartage, Rev. George W. Hartage, and Rubbie L. Carter.

Land Ownership

The first instance of Jackson land ownership that this writer has been able to locate in the census records was in 1910 when Jimmie Jackson was recorded in Marion as owning his

house and land rather than renting. Following in chronological order is a list of deeds recorded in Schley County wherein members of the Jackson family were a party. I cannot

affirm decipherment accuracy of these difficult-to-read documents or the completeness of the list.

1. Harriet Smith sells to John Thomas Jackson 101.25 acres, north half of lot 146 in Schley for $10 and “further consideration of a support and maintenance for myself during my life time.” 10/14/1910.

2. Mary Ella Stewart sells to Jimmie Jackson on 11/6/1915 for $1,000 land lot 145 with 202.5 acres in Schley, land lot 248 in Marion with 202.5 acres, west half of lot 249 with 101.25 acres, for a total of  505+ acres and secured by a mortgage payable in annual installments until 1920. Mortgage paid and cancelled 6/2/1919.

3. John T. Jackson, Jr mortgages  above item #1, 101.25 acres of lot 146 in Schley to L.G Stewart for $348 on 10/31/1913. Loan repaid 10/29/1918.

4. John T. Jackson, Jr then mortgages same 101.25 acres to Council Bank of Ellaville on 10/29/1918. Loan retired on 11-29-1919.

5. L.G. Stewart quit claims and sells to John T. Jackson, Jr the 101.25 acres of north half of Lot 146 for $348.00 on 10/29/18.

6. Harriett Smith’s estate quit claims her interest in north half of lot 146 to John T. Jackson upon her death.

Recorded 5/1/1919.

7. T.S. Rainey sells to John T. Jackson south half of lot 146 under provisions of will of late Harriett Smith for $115 on 5/1/1919.

8. Janis James of Sumter County sells to John T. Jackson the north half of land lot 143 for $300 on 3/31/1919.

9. Lula Jackson mortgages all of lot 146 for $600 on 11/29/1916.  Note cancelled on 1/5/1933.

10. Jimmie Jackson sells south half of lot 145 in 30th District of Schley consisting of 101.25 acres to Robert Jackson for $500 11/27/1920.

11. John Thomas Jackson sells to Sallie Jackson and Lucinda Jackson all of lot 146 with 202.5 acres in Schley “in exchange for the love and affection he bears his wife and daughter” and by their assumption of a loan of $744 payable to L.G. Stewart on 1/5/1921.

12. John T. Jackson buys the north half of lot 143 in Schley  with 101.5 acres from foreclosure sale  for $350 on 2/17/1922. Foreclosed previous owner was T.R. Royal of Crisp County.

13. John Thomas Jackson donates one acre of land in land lot 143 to build Saint James School on 12/5/1922. Trustees accepting title were George Hartage, John T. Jackson, Aaron Sampson, and Jonas Butts. Deed contains reversionary clause if no longer used as a school.

14. Jimmie Jackson sells north half lot 145 with 101.25 acres in Schley to Aaron Sampson for $1,000 on 11/27/1922.

15. John Thomas Jackson sells north half of land lot 143 with 101.25 acres to Henry Harvey for $1,000 on 11/12/1927.

16. Robert Jackson sells timber cutting rights to H.A. Hart on south half of lot 145 for $150 on 11/1/1929.

17. Sallie Jackson and Lucinda Jackson mortgage lot 146 with 202.5 acres in 1932 to E.J. Hart. Note is cancelled and paid in 1941.

   The following deeds were recorded in Marion County:

18. John T. Jackson purchases Mt Zion School and land from Marion County Board of Education for an undisclosed sum on 8/1/1955.

19. John Thomas Jackson and Leolius Jackson purchase house and lot in northwest Buena Vista for undisclosed sum on 5/5/1967.

Comments and questions are welcomed. Clarence D. White, 678.429.9670 CP, White792@aol.com.

Return to home page

This page was last updated on -06/03/2017

Compilation Copyright 1999-Present by The GAGenWeb