Black Families of Edgefield Plantation – Woodville, Mississippi: Part 5

Part 5. Division of the Black Families

By 1808, the estate was settled and divided equally among Percy’s 4 surviving children he had with Susanna Collins Percy. Each received:

• Equal valued Tracts of the 7100 acres of land
• Equal shares of the enslaved Black Families
• One fourth of the stocks of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs, and of the household furniture and farming utensils which was valued at $6,757.12
• Cash to be paid by the Executors to make each division equal to the others…
• Total dollar value given to each of $16,189.28

It turns out that Charles Percy had 3 wives. His first wife, left back in England, had a son Robert who arrived in Wilkinson County in 1802 and received a part of the Estate. In a court hearing he was given $2000 and acres of land on Bayou Sara (now St. Francisville) in West Feliciana Parish Louisiana. He moved there, purchased enslaved Africans, and started Beech Woods plantation. Many of the West Feliciana Parish Percys are descendants of Robert Percy.

By comparing and contrasting the inventory in 1794 in Part 3 and 10-years later in 1804 in Part 4, I was able to sort and identify the family groups. I have highlighted the division of the families among the 4 Percy children in different colors in the tables shown below.  In instances where a person’s name is highlighted in a different color, it signifies that that person has been separated from their original family. Now, a look at the families;

These are some of the earliest families to arrive in Mississippi.  Born between 1734 and 1804, these ancestors cleared the Mississippi forests and built the indigo and cotton plantations that helped spawn the world’s industrial revolution.  The families continued to grow and grow, and it is an honor to be able to call them by their names, and continue to elevate and remember them.

The share of the Estate given to Sarah Percy, who married John Ellis of Natchez in 1799, would eventually become the Edgefield Plantation.  John Ellis died in 1808 and his Estate, which includes the Sarah Percy property, would be divided equally between her and their 2 children.  This would add more people to Sarah Percy Ellis’ estate.

Next: Natchez Black Families Added To Edgefield Plantation