Carroll Parish Slaves and the Steamboat Louisiana

While skimming through Mortality Schedules for the US Census, we came across some interesting notations.  One, in particular, was quite rare in these documents:

"In the case of the seven slaves who lost their lives by the explosion of the S.B. Louisiana, the owner and his white family was all that escaped of his effects on board said boat".  1850 US Mortality Schedules, Western District, Carroll Parish, LA, Remarks at bottom of Page 5 of 12.  Ancestry.com. U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. United States. Federal Mortality Census Schedules, 1850-1880 (formerly in the custody of the Daughters of the American Revolution), and Related Indexes, 1850-1880. T655, 30 rolls. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.

The seven slaves were listed as follows:
Line 26 - Stephen, age 60, male, black, slave, born in Virginia, died February 1849, cause: disease or cause of death: explosion of steamboat, number of days ill: *hard to read* may be Ins for instant.


Line 27 - Esther, age 60, female, black, slave, born in Mississippi, died February 1849, cause: disease or cause of death: explosion of steamboat, number of days ill: *hard to read* may be Ins for instant.


Line 28 - Frances, age 8, female, black, slave, born in Mississippi, died February 1849, cause: disease or cause of death: explosion of steamboat, number of days ill: *hard to read* may be Ins for instant.


Line 29 - Samuel, age 65, male, black, slave, born in Mississippi, died February 1849, cause: disease or cause of death: explosion of steamboat, number of days ill: *hard to read* may be Ins for instant.


Line 30 - Kate, age 21, female, black, slave, born in Mississippi, died February 1849, cause: disease or cause of death: explosion of steamboat, number of days ill: *hard to read* may be Ins for instant.


Line 31 - Nelly, age 35, female, black, slave, born in Mississippi, died February 1849, cause: disease or cause of death: explosion of steamboat, number of days ill: *hard to read* may be Ins for instant.


Line 32 – Luun?, age 10, female, black, slave, born in Mississippi, died February 1849, cause: disease or cause of death: explosion of steamboat, number of days ill: *hard to read* may be Ins for instant.


Line 33 - George, age 8, male, black, slave, born in Mississippi, died February 1849, cause: disease or cause of death: explosion of steamboat, number of days ill: *hard to read* may be Ins for instant.

Profile on Lake Providence - 1945

Recently found a profile published in 1945 on Lake Providence published by the Louisiana Writers' Project that is now featured on Google Books.  Tour 12 offers a bit of historical perspective as well as takes you on a journey from Eudora, AR down through Lake Providence and onto Tallulah, LA.  Very good resource to use if trying to track locations in the area outside of using current tax records with legal land descriptions.

Profile on Henry Goodrich

Link to a profile on Henry Goodrich of East Carroll Parish, LA and his family origins via the Harvard College Report for the Class of 1877.  The profile gives a glimpse into Goodrich's reactions regarding his father's plantation and slaves, as well as the family's activities during the Civil War.

ONCE PROUD PRINCES - Dissertation on Northeast Louisiana

ONCE PROUD PRINCES: PLANTERS AND PLANTATION CULTURE IN LOUISIANA’S NORTHEAST DELTA, FROM THE FIRST WORLD WAR THROUGH THE GREAT DEPRESSION, a dissertation by James Matthew Reonas, can be helpful in gaining context on what was going on in the Mississippi Delta area following reconstruction. 

Page 260 of the PDF lists all the sources used, which could help aid in your research of the area.

Page 271 of the PDF lists biographical information on the families in the area.

Bruce, Seddon, and Wilkins - Owners of Ashton Plantation

Document noting the contents of plantation records for Ashton Plantation, which was owned by William Webb Wilkins (d. 1859?), James Coles Bruce (1806-1865), and James Alexander Seddon (1815-1880).  Documents are a part of the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections at Hill Memorial Library at LSU Baton Rouge. 

These records have also been microfilmed and are a part of the Family History Library's holdings under FHL#'s 1672262 and 1672263.  This means microfilmed copies can be ordered through your local family history center if you cannot go to Baton Rouge to view the originals.