David and Martha Averett Family in the 1870 US Census

David Franklin Averett (1837-1927) and Martha Ann Rebecca Timmerman (1847-1927) married in December 1864 while David was at home recovering from wounds suffered in the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864. He survived the war and returned to Martha after Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, of which he was a part, surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865.

David and Martha Averett appeared in the 1870 US Census in Elmore County, Alabama, along with their first two children, John Averett (1865-1956) and Mary Maude Averett (1867-1948).

(Click images to enlarge.)

Source citation:  Year:  1870; Census Place:  Township 19, Elmore, Alabama; Roll: M593_15; Page: 109A; Image: 410; Family History Library Film: 545514.

Information having to do with their family is transcribed as follows.

Page 135
Schedule 1. — Inhabitants in Township 19, in the County of Elmore, State of Alabama, enumerated by me on the 28th day of July, 1870.
Post Office: Chanahatchee
[signed] J.B. [Kerwin?], Ass’t Marshal.

• Line 25: D.F. Averette; age: 32 years; sex: male; race: white; occupation: farmer; value of real estate: $500; value of personal estate: $480; place of birth: Georgia; parents not of foreign birth; could read and write; was a male citizen of the U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards; his right to vote was not denied on other grounds than rebellion or other crime. [Did he have the right to vote at this time? Confederate soldiers were presumably allowed to regain their U.S. citizenship after having sworn to uphold the Constitution and abide by the results of the war, to include recognition that the former slaves had been legally and permanently freed. Are there records that might list his name?]
• Line 26: M.A.R. Averette; age: 24 years; sex: female; race: white; occupation: keeping house; place of birth: Alabama; parents not of foreign birth; could read and write
• Line 27: John Averette; age: 4 years; sex: male; race: white; place of birth: Alabama
• Line 28: Mary Averette; age 2 years; sex: female; race: white; place of birth: Alabama. [Mary Maude Averett (1867-1948) was my 2nd great grandmother.]

Names and occupations of their neighbors can be seen from nearby pages of the census. Almost all households appear to be farming families or people hired to work on those farms. And it turns out that David and Martha Averett lived near relatives and probable relatives.

• Page 133:
• Family 937: Benjamin Mason (farmer), Nancy Mason (keeping house), Rody Mason, Elizabeth Mason, Charles Mason (farm laborer), William Mason (farm laborer), Sarah Mason, Benjamin Mason, John Mason, Abraham Pullen, Leddie Pullen
• Family 938: J.E. Anderson (farmer), Elezabeth Anderson (keeping house), J.P. Anderson (teaching school), Mary Anderson, Willie Anderson, Salina Anderson, James Anderson
• Family 939: Isham Pollard (farm laborer), Rachel Pollard (keeping house), Louisa Pollard (farm laborer), Ellen Pollard, John Pollard, Eb Goss [This family was a black family. Were they former slaves? Were they the former “property” of some of the white people listed on these census sheets? Possibly of J.E. Anderson above or Burton Todd below?]
• Family 940: Burton Todd, Elizabeth Todd, Thomas Todd, Hattie Todd, Charley Todd, Benjamin Todd, Budar Todd, Pinkney Todd
• Family 941: James Averett (farmer, real estate $600 — equivalent to $10,700 dollars in 2014, personal estate $500 ($8900)), Mary Averett (keeping house), Nancy Averett, Webster Averett (farm laborer), Rebecca Averett, Romulus Averett (farm laborer), Charley Averett [I think Nancy Averett, Webster Averett, Rebecca Averett, Romulus Averett, and Charles or Charley Averett were siblings of David Averett. Mary Averett may have been the mother of David Averett. According to this census, she was 50 years of age in 1870, which means she was born about 1820. My data currently shows David’s mother, Mary Averett, as born around 1815. But I have also seen the birth year given as 1812. But who is James Averett?]

• Pages 134—135:
• Family 942: Jeremiah McCissick (farmer, real estate $1200 ($21,400), personal estate $1000 ($17,800)), Sarah McCissick (keeping house), Ida McCissick, Lula McCissick, Annah McCissick, Fletcher McCissick, Minnie McCissick, N.B. McCissick [McCissick or McKissick may have been related to Martha TIMMERMAN Averett, the wife of David Averett. The reason it might be true is tenuous: She had a brother named James McKissick Timmerman (1835-1863) who died of wounds suffered at the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, a Confederate victory.]
• Family 943: Green Teal (farmer), Matilda Teal (keeping house), Julia Teal, Amanda Teal, Margaret Teal, Charley Teal, Mallery Teal
• Family 944: F.W. Timmerman (farmer, real estate $800 ($14,300), personal estate $300 ($5400)), Timnah (keeping house) [F.W. and Timnah Timmerman are the parents of Martha TIMMERMAN Averett.]
• Family 945: John Redin (farmer), Sarah Redin (keeping house), John Redin (farm laborer), Mary Redin, William Redin, Frances Redin, James Redin, Louilla Redin
• Family 946: John Manning (farmer), Nancy Manning (keeping house), Mallissa Manning
• Family 947: Ellis Harden (farmer), Eliza Hardin (keeping house), Theressa Harden, Hiram Harddn, Martha Harden, John Harden, Susan Harden, William Harden, George Harden
• Family 948: T. Tinsley (farmer), Elizabeth Tinsley (keeping house), Alonza Tinsley (farm laborer), Narsissus Tinsley, Tarply Tinsley, Lougenia Tinsley, Gardner Tinsley, Ida Tinsley, Thomas Tinsley, Stella Tinsley

• Pages 135—136:
• Family 949: S. Canterburg (keeping house), Fitesque Canterburg (farm laborer), Marcus Canterburg, Elizabeth Canterburg, William Canterburg, James Harris (farm laborer), Caroline Harris, Quinn Richardson, Louis Mitcheal (farm laborer) [Richardson and Mithceal were also black. Again, were they former slaves? Were they formerly the “property” of the Canterburg’s?]
• Family 950: Evans Chatman (farmer), Roma Chatman (keeping house), Henry Chatman (farm laborer), James Chatman (farm laborer), Ewan Chatman, Minnia Chatman, James Wallace (farm laborer), Martina Wallace (keeping house)
• Family 951: D.F. Averette (farmer, real estate $500 ($8900), personal estate $480 ($8600)), M.A.R. Averette (keeping house), John Averette, Mary Averette
• Family 952: M.J. Ray (keeping house), Emily Ray, Lourena Ray, Margaret Ray, Druward Ray, J.M. Burson, Sarah Burson
• Family 953: C. Buckner (farmer), Sarah Buckner (keeping house), Elizabeth Buckner, William Ferren, Charles Ferren, M.E. Patterson

• Pages 136—137:
• Family 954: William Wood (farmer), Elvira Wood (keeping house)
• Family 955: J.E. Patterson (farmer), Margaret Patterson (keeping house), Charles Patterson (farm laborer), William Patterson, Margaret Patterson, George Patterson, Lucy Patterson
• Family 956: B. Martin (farm laborer), Mary Martin (keeping house), Elizabeth Martin, Benjamin Martin, Sarah Martin, John Martin
• Family 957: Elija Taylor (farm laborer), Rachel Taylor (keeping house), Jefferson Taylor (farm laborer), Elija Taylor (farm laborer), Louisa Taylor, Lovic Gibson, Emiline Gibson [Also a black family and also possibly emancipated slaves. Were they hired by the Martin family or by the Brown family, which could be implied by their geographical proximity?]
• Family 958: Miles Brown (farmer), Sarah Brown (keeping house), Jane Brown, Fannie Brown, Emma Brown, James Brown, Susan Brown, Almira Powers, Nancy Powers
• Family 959: K.H. Scogin (farmer), Margaret Scogin (keeping house), Sarah Scogin, Mary Scogin, Catherine Scogin, Barton Rush
• Family 960: F. Chrietzberg (farm laborer), Mary Chrietzberg (keeping house), Alonza [Alonzo?] Chrietzberg, Henry Chrietzberg
• Pages 137—138:
• Family 961: Louis Williams (black, farm laborer), Harriet Williams (black, keeping house), Williams Williams (black, farm laborer), James Williams (black, farm laborer)
• Family 962: David James (farmer), Nancy James (keeping house), John James, Mary Ann James, Quinn James
• Family 963: Miles Wallace (farmer), Annie Wallace (keeping house), D.A. Buchner, John Buchner (farm laborer)
• Family 964: George Pullin (farmer), Mary Pullin (keeping house), Charlotte Pullin, Emily Pullin, James Pullin (farmer laborer), Thomas Pullin (farm laborer), Alex Pullin, Abram Pullin, Charley Pullin
• Family 965: Richmond Ferrel (farmer), Fannie Ferrel (keeping house), Martha Ferrel, Joseph Ferrel, Stanly Ferrel
• Family 966: M.A. Terrel (farm laborer), Agnes Terrel (keeping house), Hiram Terrel
• Family 967: E.B. Ward (farmer), Rachel Ward (keeping house)
• Family 968: John Tucker (farm laborer), Polly Ann Tucker (keeping house), Mary Ann Tucker
• Family 969: Vina Mote (keeping house), Hiram Honey (farmer), Catherine Honey (keeping house), William Honey, Mary Honey, Wm Goodson (farm laborer), Texana Goodson, Baker Thomas (farm laborer), Ben Goodson (farm laborer)
• Page 138
• Familes 970—971...
• Family 974: Nathan Ledbetter (miller, value of real estate not shown, value of personal estate not shown), Massouri Ledbetter (keeping house) [Possible relatives of Mary LEDBETTER Averett (~1815—unknown), the mother of David Averett (1837—1927).]

So, where is Chanahatchee, the location of the nearest post office? It is not easy to find on Google. A person named Vicky Schuller queried the message boards on Genealogy.com in the year 2000 about the location of "Township 19, Chanahatchee, Tallapoosa County in the 1850 US Census.”

A person named Margaret Stearns Payne replied a couple of days later, saying that “Chanahatchee is now a part of Elmore County. It is more commonly referred to as Chana Creek. It is a small community close to the town of Eclectic Alabama. Elmore County was formed in [the] 1860s from Tallapoosa, Coosa, Autauga, and Montgomery Counties. Not much there now except some small Primitive Baptist Churches, their adjoining cemeteries, farms, and residences."

One of the very few resources that gives location information about Chattahatchee is a weather forecast page for Chana Creek, Alabama. It has a small map that looks like this:

The town of Electric, Alabama (32.6416606 deg N -86.0409 deg E) is, according to Google Maps, a part of the Montgomery, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. I was also able to find the Chana Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Elmore County, Alabama (32.619669 deg N -85.98923 deg E), which is 3.2 miles from the town of Eclectic.

So far, this is my best estimate of where the Chanahatchee Post Office mentioned in the 1870 US Census was located. This is what the area looks like in the satellite photo from Google Earth (on 22 May 2014). It seems to match the description of "some small Primitive Baptist Churches, their adjoining cemeteries, farms, and residences” fairly well. The location of Chana Creek relative to Dadeville (the county seat of Tallapoosa County where the Tallapoosa Times, the Dadeville Banner, and the Dadeville Banner and Times newspapers were published) and to Montgomery (the state capital of Alabama, the first capital of the Confederate States, and the location where the Daily Confederation and the Daily Montgomery Ledger, and the Daily Advertiser were published at the time). It will be shown in a future post on this blog that the part of Elmore County in which Chana Creek is located was part of Tallapoosa County until 1866, until the new county of Elmore was founded and that this change is reflected in the 1860 and 1870 US Census data for David Averett and his family.

The next screenshot from Google Earth shows the location of Chana Creek Primitive Baptist Church relative to the town of Eclectic and a second, nearby Primitive Baptist Church.

The last screenshot shows what the land around Chana Creek looks like on 11 September 2012, according to Google Earth data displayed.

The Problem of Slavery

The source of the trouble between the southern and northern states was, of course, slavery. Besides taking up arms against our government, what kind of circumstances, personal beliefs and attitudes would lead a person to approve of, acquiesce in, or fight for a definition of "property rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution" that included human beings? Perhaps this may be researched most effectively by reading the local newspapers from this time period.

Obviously modern civilization, such as it is, considers slavery immoral and worthy of condemnation. It is even often said that sufficient reason exists to violently prevent others from enslaving persons and keeping those persons in slavery. But I am torn: my ancestors were good people, in spite of their support of the institution of slavery. And as an American and a Catholic (in that order), I recognize a societally approved area of collective amorality in our national life today every bit as awful as slavery was. And yet I do not believe that sincere people on either side of the present issue are, by definition, condemnable and contemptible. Their opinions and even actions also cannot be cited as sufficient reason to take up arms against the U.S. government. People and democratic civil structures, throughout history, are good but are far from perfect. However they are capable of improvement by (peaceful) means, over time.

So can there be the possibility of pride in one’s ancestors concurrent with recognition of the evil of a civil institution for which they fought? I am proud of my southern American ancestors and recognize their heroism in a war that they believed themselves morally right to wage. I am proud of their survival of frontier conditions and their willingness to produce children who would benefit from their struggle. I am proud that they were, most of them, poor farmers who worked themselves into early deaths, worshipped God, and hoped for a better life for their children.

That having been said, in the seventh column of the third page of the 12 January 1860 issue of the Jacksonville Republican newspaper from Jacksonville, Alabama, there is a notice printed as follows.

For the purpose of accessibility in future Google searches by others, I have transcribed this:

ADMINISTRATORS SALE OF PERSONAL PROPERTY.
Under and by virtue of an order and decree of the Probate Court of Calhoun county, Alabama, made on the 21st day of December, A.D. 1859, we will sell
On Tuesday the 24th day of January, A.D. 1860.
At public auction, to the highest bidder, at the late residence of George Broyles deceased, all the PERSONAL PROPERTY belonging to the Estate of the said George Broyles, deceased, consisting of  

TWELVE Young and Likely NEGROS.
Eight head of Mules,
2 good brood Mares,
Six Cows and Calves,
One Road Wagon,
One Ox Wagon,
One Buggy and Harness,
One Cotton Gin,
One Wheat Thrasher,
One Set of Blacksmith Tools,
About 3000 pounds of Dried Pork,
Some Stock Cattle, Stock Hogs,
Some 75 head of Sheep,
Corn, Wheat, Fodder, Cotton Seed, Farming Utensils, Household & Kitchen Furniture, and many other things too tedious to mention.
Said property will be sold on a credit of Twelve Months with interest from date. All sums of five dollars or over, note with two approved securities will be required, to secure the purchase money — all sums under five dollars cash.
No property removed until terms of sale are complied with.
Also at the same time and place, the Plantation will be Rented for the year 1860.

BENJ. F. BROYLES, Adm’r.
ROSANNA BROYLES, Admx.
Dec. 22, 1859 — 5t.

Just in case the question comes up: I am not related to Broyles, nor to a man named Phillips, whose estate auction was announced in the eighth column of the same page:

It is transcribed as follows.

Administrators Sale Of Personal Property.
UNDER and by virtue of an order & decree of the Probate Court of Calhoun County Alabama, made on the 15th day of Oct., 1859, we will proceed to sell at public auction to the highest bidder, at the late residence of Joseph Phillips dec’d, on Monday the 9th day of January 1860, the whole of the personal Property belonging to the Estate of the said Joseph Phillips dec’d, consisting of Thirteen Likely Negroes, & Some Milch Cows, stock Cattle, Pork Hogs, & Stock Hogs, 2 yokes of Oxen, & Mules, Horses, Corn, Wheet, Oats & Fodder, & Rye, & Barley, & some thirty thousand lbs seed Cotton, 1 Cotton Gin, & Threshers, 1 Set of Black Smith tools, & 2 Ox wagons & farming utensils, 2 copper distilleries and stands, four shares in the South Western Rail Road Bank at Charleston S.C. & 80 acre Land Warrant issued in the name of decadent, & Household kitchen furniture, & other things too tedious to mention, said property will be sold on a credit of 12 months with interest from date on all sums over five Dollars, all sums under five Dollars, Cash, note & two approved securities will be required before the property purchased is removed.
ABEL PHILLIPS, C.W.P. PHILLIPS, Adms’ of said estate, Oct 20th, 1859.

Two weeks later, in the first column of page 3 of the 26 January 1860 issue of the newspaper, the following article was printed.

It is rendered as follows.

High Prices for Negroes. — At the late state sale of the property of Jos. Philips, dec’d in this county, 14 Negroes were sold at an average of $1233. One boy 23 years old sold for 1701. Several others sold for $1540 and $1550. At the estate sale of George Broyles [unreadable] on Tuesday last 12 Negroes were sold at an average of $1040. One woman and infant sold for 1765 — one boy 10 years old, $1200 — one girl 8 years old, $1385 — one boy 6 years old, $1200.

For all the rationalizations that have been made, the matter-of-fact description of the sale of adults and children, and the probable separation of children from their parents, stops one dead in his tracks in his reading. Were the eight-year-old (whose sale brought the equivalent of $40,000 in 2014), the ten-year-old ($35,000) and the six-year-old ($35,000) siblings? Was the woman with her infant ($51,000) also the mother of any of these children? Even if she wasn’t, these children were somebody’s. Did they ever see each other again? Within five years, the war would be over and the slaves emancipated. Were they still alive then? Had distance made reunion impossible? Who was the thirteenth slave in the Broyles auction and why wasn't he or she sold?

From what I have been able to determine, a few of my ancestors or their relatives owned slaves. I cannot defend that act, nor can I defend the act of defending the “property rights” of those who did. My ancestors were not perfect and neither were yours. But I reiterate that my ancestors and their neighbors did what they thought was right, just as most of us in this time do what we think is right. They remain my ancestors and, like it or not, my pride in my family and their history remains strong. I hope our descendants are able to say the same.