Lowndes County Georgia

Lowndes County Georgia

List of Emigrants to Arthington, Liberia

Eric Dewayne Jackson

One hundred and twelve Black men, women, and children emigrated from Lowndes County Georgia to Liberia in 1871 and 1872, just 7 years after the Civil War. These were families of farmers, craftsmen, and laborers who left Lowndes County looking for a better life, one free of terrorism and racism. When the Union Army withdrew from the region during Reconstruction, the civil unrest was so bad that on June 30, 1869 a local citizen made a jaded plea for help in the South Georgia Times (The Valdosta Time’s Predecessor). ” The person stated, “Dead (explicative)s! In this and neighboring counties. The land is literally strewn with deceased colored gentlemen. Every log has one behind it, ‘clay root’ conceals some half dozen, every gopher hole is trying to swallow; and has one half way down, every frog pond contains one or more… we need the military. These Ku Klux outrages must be stopped until the crop is gathered.”

The first group of 63 emigrants was headed by Jefferson Bracewell, a farmer and carpenter who was cited in the 1870 Census as having $6,000 of personal property. Aaron Miller, a farmer that owned 450 acres of land in what is now known as Hahira, Ga., led a second group of 59 people. The two groups settled in Arthington, Liberia. Liberia was founded by the American Colonization Society and former American slaves in 1822.

The Lowndes County settlers in Liberia prospered for a while then fell upon hard times. Many like Jefferson Bracewell and nearly his entire family died from Malaria while others were killed in conflicts with the local population. Aaron Miller was also one of the ones who died a few years after their arrival. Other settlements met similar fates. However, as the years passed some of these emigrants saw their dreams and ambitions fulfilled. Today descendants of former American slaves only make up 5% of the Liberian population.

[This document was made possible through the help of Renate Kraus Milner of the Lowndes County Historical Society, Dr. Crowley, Professor of History, Valdosta State University, and last and foremost. Mark David Howard, who wrote a Valdosta State University Masters Thesis titled African Departure: a History of the Liberian Emigrant from Georgia in the Reconstruction era.]
Lowndes County Georgia

List of Emigrants for Liberia

By Barque Edith Rose, From Hampton Roads, Virginia, November 7, 1871

No.	Name	Age	Occupation	Educat’n	Religion

1	Jefferson Bracewell	47	Carpenter	Read & Write
2	Rhoda Bracewell	40			Baptist
3	Joseph Bracewell	19		Read
4	Isaac Bracewell	18		Read
5.	Littleton Bracewell	16		Read
6.	Scinthea Bracewell	14		Read
7.	John Bracewell	13
8.	Dennis Bracewell	11
9.	Nathaniel Bracewell	10
10.	Joshua Bracewell	5
11	Sarah Bracewell	2
12.	Virginia Bracewell	1

13	Jefferson Bracewell, Jr.	21	Farmer	Read & Write
14.	Emily Bracewell	16
15.	Henry Bracewell	2
16.	Phyllis Bracewell	6mos

17	Toby Washington	24	Farmer

18.	Laura Lane	16

19.	Eli Ponder	22	Farmer	Read &Write
20.	Grace Ponder	20
21.	Isaiah Ponder	2
22.	Levi Ponder	1
23.	Nancy Ponder	50

24.	William Dickerson	45	Farmer
25.	Catherine Dickerson	42			Baptist
26.	Polly Dickerson	21
27.	Frances Dickerson	17
28.	Sara Dickerson	16
29.	Grace Dickerson	14
30.	William Dickerson, Jr.	10
31.	Lewis Dickerson	6

32.	Andrew Turkett	38	Farmer		Baptist
33.	Edith Turkett	40			Baptist
34.	Mary Turkett	15
35.	Annice Turkett	11
36.	Moses Turkett	8
37.	Cornelia Turkett	6mos

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Lowndes County Georgia

List of Emigrants for Liberia

By Barque Edith Rose, From Hampton Roads, Virginia, November 7, 1871

No.	Name	Age	Occupation	Educat’n	Religion

38.	James Robertson	21?	Farmer	Read & Write

39.	Henry Jones	38	Farmer		Baptist
40.	Martha Jones	28		Read	Baptist
41.	Jefferson Jones	7
42.	Henry Jones	1

43.	Lewis Hart	24	Farmer	Read & Write	Baptist
44.	Judy Hart	30			Baptist
45.	Laura Yerby	14
46.	Lawson Yerby	10

47.	Caeser White	34	Farmer	Read & Write	Baptist
48.	Elizabeth White	38			Baptist
49.	Katie White	12
50.	Isaac White	11		Read
51.	Jonas White	9		Read
52.	Mary White	8		Read
53.	Frances White	6
54.	Ann White	4
55.	Wesley White	2
56.	Simmie White	6mos

57.	Hood Kershaw	40	Farmer		Baptist
58.	Mary Kershaw	25			Baptist
59.	Reuben Kershaw	15
60.	Lewanna Kershaw	10		Read
61.	Charlotte Kershaw	8
62.	John Kershaw	5
63.	James Kershaw	1

The Edith Rose, Captained by A. Alexander sailed from Hampton, Virginia on Tuesday, November 7, 1871 direct for Monrovia, Liberia. The Emigrants settled in the Liberian town of Arthington.

Source: The African Repository: Vol. XLVII. December, 1871 (No. 12) pg.353-356

Lowndes County Georgia

List of Emigrants for Liberia

By Barque Jasper, From New York, November 21, 1872

No.	Name	Age	Occupation	Religion

1	Aaron Miller	40	Farmer	Methodist
2	Henrietta Miller	39		Methodist
3	Samuel Miller	13
4	Rachel Miller	12
5.	Sophia Miller	11
6.	Alonzo Miller	10
7.	Jacob Miller	6
8.	Henrietta Miller, Jr	4
9.	Sarah F. Miller	1

10.	James De Lyon	22	Farmer	Methodist
11.	Robert De Lyon	18

12.	Harriet Miller	28		Methodist

13.	Alfred Inman	16
14.	Robert Inman	12
15.	Lizzie Miller	11

16.	Jeremiah Horne	24	Farmer	Methodist
17.	Fereby Horne	19		Methodist
18.	Celida Anne Horne	3
19.	Joseph Horne	2
20.	Hannah Horne	6mos

21.	Anderson Obey	37	Farmer
22.	Susan Obey	35		Baptist
23.	Clarissa Obey	13
24.	Wallace Obey	11
25.	Julia Obey	7
26.	Peggie Obey	6
27.	George Obey	2
28.	Martha Obey	2mos

29.	London Wright	43	Farmer	Methodist
30.	Hannah Wright	35		Methodist
31.	Mary Wright	12
32.	Charlotte Wright	11
33.	Louis Wright	8
34.	Margaret Wright	5
35.	Rufus Lee Wright	1

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Lowndes County Georgia

List of Emigrants for Liberia

By Barque Jasper, From New York, November 21, 1872

No.	Name	Age	Occupation	Religion

36	David Wright	39	Farmer	Methodist
37.	Mary Wright	38		Methodist
38.	Samuel Wright	16		Methodist
39.	Richard Wright	15
40.	Thomas Wright	13
41.	Caroline Wright	11
42.	William Wright	9
43.	Andrew Wright	7
44.	Ellick Wright	5
45.	Fereby Wright	2
46.	Clarissa Wright	2mos

47.	Fortune Lemmon	39	Farmer	Methodist
48.	Lucretia Lemmon	35		Methodist
49.	Silvia Lemmon	18		Methodist
50.	Abaraham Lemmon	16
51.	Jordan Lemmon	14
52.	Julia Lemmon	9
53.	David Lemmon	8

54.	Emeline Clemmon	36		Methodist
55.	Marshall S. Clemmon	15
56.	William Clemmon	8
57.	Daniel Clemmon	2

58.	Rachel Nelson	55		Methodist
59.	Eliza Nelson	16		Methodist

The people traveled to Savannah, direct from their homes in Lowndes County early Saturday Morning on November 16. On the same day they took the steamer, “San Salvador,” which arrived at New York on the night of the 20^th. The next morning they were transferred by the government steamer “Henry Smith” to the “Jasper”. The “Jasper” left New York on Thursday November 21, 1872. The “Jasper” arrived at Monrovia on January 1, 1873 and the emigrants joined there friends and Family in the Liberian town of Arthington.

Source: The African Repository: Vol. XLVIII. December, 1872 (No. 12) pg.353-356