There is little extent biographical information about George Wilson. Contemporary accounts stated that Wilson lived in Carlisle, Kentucky, located in Nicholas County. One newspaper, the Maysville Evening Bulletin, said that Wilson was a prominent member of the African American community in Carlisle, and he was a member of the Oddfellows Fraternal Order. Another newspaper, the […]
Robert Haggard of Winchester, Kentucky was born in 1873. According to the 1880 Census data, Robert Haggard lived with his mother Nelly, and two brothers, Dillard and West, in Pinchem, a small area outside of Winchester. Robert’s oldest brother, Dillard, was born enslaved sometime between 1840 and 1845. It was likely that Nelly was born […]
There is no extent information about the birth, education, labor, or residence of Wick Willis. Information about the lynching Willis is derived from newspaper articles about the killing. Newspaper accounts from 1892 used racially biased language to describe Willis, presupposing his guilt when there was no evidence presented that an attack occurred. In late May […]
There is little extent biographical information on Jobe Grainger. According to contemporary accounts, Grainger was an African Americans man who lived in Simpson County until 1891. He worked as a farmhand in the town of Franklin near the Kentucky-Tennessee border. His name was various spellings in different newspapers, as “Job” or “Jobe.” He also went […]
There is little extent biographical information on Jackson Williams. The name “Jack Williams” and “Jackson Williams” were common, with over 40 distinct Jack Williams recorded in the census during the late 1800s. Yet, data from contemporary accounts found that that Jackson Williams was a white man who had two brothers, Thomas and an unnamed brother. […]
According to the 1880 U.S. Census, James Stone, an African American man, was born in 1875 to Henry Stone and Azora Stone. Henry Stone was born around 1830 in Tennessee, and it is likely that he was formerly enslaved. Azora was born in 1850 in Kentucky, and she also was likely formerly enslaved. In 1880, […]
The family of William Butcher appears in the 1880s U.S. Census. Butcher’s mother and father were African Americans born in Tennessee around 1860. They were likely enslaved. In the 1880 Census, John Butcher, William’s father, was listed as a 25-year-old farmworker and Alice Butcher, William’s mother, was a 21-year-old housekeeper. William Butcher was their only […]
While not much is known about Raymond Bushrod’s early years, it is worth noting that Bushrod spent significant amounts of time in Indiana, not Kentucky. According to the 1880 census, Raymond Bushrod’s parents were Horace and Nina Bushrod. Raymond had three siblings, Susan and Horace Jr who were older, and Charles who was younger. Horace […]
Robert L. Morton was a 21 year old Black man who lived until February 1897. He was born in Pilot Knob, Simpson, Kentucky, approximately 12 miles away from Rockfield. His occupation was unknown. The 1880 Federal Census has no record of Robert Morton’s mother or father. He lived with his grandparents, Isom Morton and Marian […]
Marshall Boston was likely born around 1863, as a census from 1870 shows him as about 7 years old. The timing of his birth coincided with the later years of the civil war, meaning Marshall Boston likely grew up as a free black man in a free black family. There is not much known about […]
