Overview Location Date Constructed/ Founded Associated Surnames Historical notes Associated Slave Workplaces Associated Free Persons Associated Enslaved Persons Research Leads and Plantation Records Miscellaneous Information References Users Researching This Workplace

Overview

Location

(County, and state. Information to help others locate the land is optional.)

• T9N - R1E, section 31 in Jefferson County, MS.
• It consisted of the southern part of the old town of Greenville, MS (now extinct) on the Old Natchez Trace as well as land adjacent to the town. 

Date Constructed/ Founded

(Year the plantation/ workplace was established and/ or built.)

• It was begun in 1798.

Associated Surnames

(List of surnames associated with this workplace.)

• Hunt

Historical notes

(Historical summary of the workplace.)

• This workplace consisted of Abijah Hunt's home, his Greenville, MS general store and his public cotton gin as well as land adjacent to the town.
• Abijah Hunt is known to have owned at least two plantations.  Although there is no evidence proving slaves worked at this site (none are listed here in the 1808 or 1810 census with Abijah), they may or may not have helped out when the gin was running in the fall, when shipments of supplies were brought to the store, or when help was needed to run Abijah's residence here.  He was a bachelor.   

Associated Slave Workplaces

(Plantations/ workplaces connected to this one via owners' family and/ or enslaved persons.) 

• Adams County, MS
• Hunt Plantation
• Abijah's business partner William Gordon Forman owned the land at the Wilderness Plantation site. Abijah's nephew David Hunt later owned this plantation.
• Jefferson County, MS
• Abijah and his business partner William Gordon Forman owned land at the Oakwood Plantation site.
• Land purchased by Abijah somewhere in Jefferson County.  On August 4, 1794 land was granted to Don Juan Murdoch by the Spanish government. On July 19, 1802 Abijah Hunt and William Gordon Forman bought the land that had originally belonged to Juan Murdoch. The book, "Early Settlers of Mississippi," by Walter Lowrie, Southern Historical Press, Inc., 1986, records the certificates of title issued to partners Abijah Hunt and William Gordon Forman in 1805 for several tracts of land on Cole's Creek in Jefferson Co, MS. The certificates for 1,900 acres of this land were listed together in the book. The certificate for an additional 250 acres was listed, which also originally had belonged to John Murdoch, was listed in another area in the book. The total land purchased from John Murdoch's original Spanish land grant by Abijah and William was 2,150 acres. On November 23, 1816 Joseph Forman, acting as the administrator of the estate of his father William G. Forman, sold the 250 acre tract to David Hunt. On 17 Mar 1817 David Hunt sold the 250 acre tract to a Mr. Simms.
• The titles were often recorded a few years after the actual land purchases in those days. For example, it took until 1805 to get a certificate of title to a 195 acre tract that Abijah bought in 1800 on Cole's Creek with a cotton gin on it (David Odam, Sr. of Cole's Cr., Miss. Territory; Posted by: Virginia Weeks Warbington (ID *****8373); Date: January 23, 2005 at 10:19:56; http://genforum.genealogy.com/odam/messages/13.html ; Source: McBee, May Wilson, Natchez Court Records, 1767-1805; retrieved 21 Jan 08.)
• Claiborne County, MS
• Abijah Hunt Bayou Pierre Plantation
• One writer thought that Abijah's slaves had 600 acres of cotton under cultivation in 1811 on Abijah's land adjacent to the town of Port Gibson.
• Concordia Parish, LA
• Abijah and his business partner Elijah Smith owned land at the northern end of Lake Concordia/St. John. Abijah's nephew David Hunt later owned Hole In The Wall Plantation in Concordia Parish, LA as well as nearby Arcola Plantation in Tensas Parish, LA near Abijah's land.

Associated Free Persons

• (Bulletted list of free persons: plantation-owning family, overseers, etc. Example: "John Doe (b.1841-d.1885) - owner; inherited Doe Plantation from his father Joe Doe")

• Abijah Hunt

•  In 1798 Abijah Hunt moved from Cincinnati, OH to the Natchez District to invest the fortune he made supplying the U.S. Army at the then new settlement of Cincinnati The army was protecting Cincinnati from Indian attacks. In the Natchez District Abijah invested in every step of cotton production - growing cotton on his land with slave labor, ginning it at his public cotton gins, supplying farmers and planters in his general stores, and buying cotton at his cotton brokerage known as Hunt and Smith. He became one of the 18 richest men in the area in his day. He lived in Greenville and had one of his approximately five general stores as well as one of his several public cotton gins here.  He owned several thousand acres in each of three adjacent counties - Adams, Jefferson and Claiborne - as well as land across the MS river in Louisiana.  His other stores, gins and cotton land were located on or near the Old Natchez Trace on the 60 miles beginning in Natchez and running north east toward Nashville.  He died in a duel in 1811 - about 14 years after arriving in MS.

• Early on Abijah had a plantation with 61 slaves on the Bayou Pierre in Claiborne County.  He sold it and is know to have owned a large plantation in Adams County later in his life.  There is a record of his purchase of a slave in New Orleans.  Even after selling the Claiborne County plantation, he continued to grow cotton in that county, because he had a large cotton field on land adjacent to the town of Port Gibson the year he died - 1811.

• Greenville was in T9N-R1E sections 31 and 32.

• The upper part of the town of Greenville was known as "Huntston" or "Huntley" after Abijah Hunt ("Greenville," From: Mississippi Vol. I A-K by Dunbar Rowland, 1907, page 801-803, http://jeffersoncountyms.org/greenville.htm 9 Sep 2007, MSGenWeb Project, retrieved 21 Jan 08.) Upper part of the town didn't necessarrily mean the northern part. It probably meant literally the high ground, which was probably the southern part of Greenville.
• See where Greenville was on the map at the General Land Office website of the bureau of land management.
• The town is clearly marked as extending into Abijah Hunt's section 31 on a land survey map, with the Old Natchez Trace running through section 31.
• From studying deeds and maps:
• According to claim number 1100 (though it's very legalistic and hard to understand), Abijah bought 111 French Acres (100 American acres) on 23 June 1800 with a cotton gin on it. The land appears to have been in the vicinity of the southern part of Greenville. Furthermore, that on 3 June 1801, Abijah bought 84 more acres (apparently French acres), which brought his total to 195 French acres (so slightly less American acres). This land incluced lots number 15, 16 and 17 in the town of Huntston (the upper, or southern part of Greenville, was known as Huntston after Abijah Hunt). It corresponds with T9N R1E, section 31 in Jefferson County on current maps. Apparently Platner's branch off of the middle fork of Coles Creek (which ran by Greenville) was where the Hunt and Smith public cotton gin was located 
• Abijah Hunt
• Biography
• Abijah and his brothers originally went to Cincinnati Ohio in about 1788 when it was first settled. Abijah had been licensed in New Jersey by the U.S. Army to provide it with supplies in Cincinnati. This was just after the American Revolution when settlers were free to leave the original English colonies and move west to settle in native american land. The army was protecting the settlers in Cincinnati from native american attacks - and running native americans off. When the army was no longer needed in Cincinnati, Abijah took the fortune he made in Cincinnati and moved to the Natchez area to invest and increase it. Elijah Smith was Abijah's partner in his five stores in the Natchez District. All of the stores were located along the lower 60 miles of the Old Natchez Trace at: Natchez, Washington, Greenville, the Grindstone Ford (a Bayou Pierre water crossing just north of Port Gibson) and the Big Black River (at another river crossing - however this store is shown by one source to have actually been well to the east of the river near Utica, MS on "Hunt Road")
• The following quote is a biography written by an unnamed person on the University of Texas at Austin's website. UT may have the largest collection of Abijah Hunt's papers.
• "Abijah Hunt, a native of New Jearsey, formed a business partnership with his brothers Jeremiah and Jess Hunt, and Elijah Smith. He came to Natchez in 1798 as a sutler, or licensed merchant, for the United States Army stationed along the lower Mississippi River. Hunt received shipments of goods from his brothers, imported, made purchases and transactions in New York, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati, and gained a good reputation as a reputable man of business. Hunt began planting cotton, and with Smith opened several stores and cotton gins at Natchez, Washington, Greenville, Port Gibson, Big Black, and his original base of operation, Bayou Pierre. Hunt eventually acquired a 3,645-acre plantation in Adams County, and even larger tracts of land in Jefferson and Claiborne Counties. He used vertical integration as a business philosophy, growing cotton, ginning it at his own gins, brokering cotton for himself and others, ang charging a commission of 10% of the cotton to planters for processing it. The three Hunt brothers gained direct financial ties to England and became one of the largest commission mercantile entities on the southwestern frontier, supplying planters with all of their needs. They dealt in large quantities of cotton and contracted sales to British industrial consumers on behalf of their customers. Jeremiah would sometimes travel to Natchez to make plans with brother Abijah for the sale and shipment of hundreds of thousands of pounds of cotton to England. unt was also involved with the incorporation of the Bank of the Mississippi in 1809 after receiving a charter from the territorial legislature. He received an appointment as Deputy Postmaster from United States Postmaster General Joseph Habersham in the fall of 1799, establishing mail services “to that distant portion of the Union.” Hunt, who began sending the mail in January 1800, was responsible for the service along the Natchez Trace from Natchez to Nashville about 500 miles away. Hunt immersed himself in local politics as an outspoken Federalist, and became embroiled in a conflict with George Poindexter, a Democratic Republican who later became Governor of Mississippi. The two fought a duel on the west bank of the river opposite Natchez in 1811, resulting in his own death."
• Timeline for Abijah
• 1764 - (approximate year). Abijah was born in NJ.
• 1788 - (approximate year). Abijah, and his brothers Jesse and Jeremiah moved to Cincinnati because Abijah was licensed by the U.S. army to supply the soldiers who were in Cincinnati protecting the new settlement from native americans.
• 1798. Abijah moved to the Natchez, MS distirct to invest and increase the fortune he made supplying the Army in Cincinnati.
• Abijah and partner Elijah Smith started the business firm of Hunt and Smith. It was mainly a cotton brokerage, but also had five general stores along the lower 60 miles of the Old Natchez Trace and several public cotton gins. The stores were in Natchez and Washington in Adams County; Greenville (now extinct) in Jefferson County; and the Grind Stone Ford (a Bayou Pierre water crossing just north of Port Gibson) and the Big Black Rover (possibly at a ferry crossing at the river or well to the east near Utica, MS) in Cliaborne County. One of the public gins was in Greenville, Jefferson County.
• Abijah's early base of operations in MS was on the Bayou Pierre just north of Port Gibson in Claiborne County. His Grindstone Ford store was on the Bayou Pierre.
• 1800
• Abijah settled in Greenville in Jefferson County on land he purchased there in 1800.
• Abijah began planting cotton. He bought land in Adams, Jefferson, and Claiborne Counties in MS and near the Concordia/Tensas Parish line just across the MS River in LA.
• Claiborne County. Abijah Owned at least one plantation on the Bayou Pierre - a 900 acre plantation with 61 to 65 slaves that he sold in 1808. Abijah is shown with 16 slaves in the 1810 Claiborne County Census; thus, possibly the census was taken after he sold the Bayou Pierre plantation. One account states that Abijah's slaves had 600 acres of cotton under cultivation on his land that was adjacent to the town of Port Gibson in 1811. It seems like this would have needed more than the 16 slaves he is listed with in 1810 in Claiborne County. Thus, maybe the slaves had some cotton under cultivation - just not 600 acres, or maybe Abijah added more slaves in 1811.
• Jefferson County. William Gordon Forman was Abijah's partner.  Mr. Forman is shown as the owner on the original land survey map for the land that later was David Hunt's Oakwood Plantation in Jefferson County.
• Adams County. Mr. Forman is shown as the original owner on the original land survey map for the land that became David Hunt's Wilderness Plantation. Later Abijah owned a 3,645 acre plantation in Adams County.
• Abijah and his business partner Elijah Smith are shown on the original land survey as land owners at and near the site of plantations David Hunt later owned in LA near the Concordia/Tensas Parish line - Hole In The Wall, Arcola, and possibly Argyle plantations.
• 1808. Abijah was recorded in Jefferson County in the Census.
• In 1808 Abijah sold a plantation on the Bayou Pierre complete with 61 to 65 slaves.
• A LA slave record shows that Abijah bought a slave named Sam for $1,000 in Orleans Parish (probably New Orleans) and took him to Natchez.
• 1810. Abijah was recorded in Claiborne County in the Census.
• Claiborne County. He is listed with 5 slaves on one page of the census and with 11 on another page 
• 1811. Abijah was killed in a duel with rising politician George Poindexter. He left a $500,000 estate (huge in its day), much of which went to his nephew David Hunt. The cemetery where Abijah is thought to be burried is in section 11 of Huntley Plantation.

Associated Enslaved Persons

• (Bulletted list of enslaved persons. You can add several seperate lists with subheadings like "1850 - 1860: Slaves listed in the Doe Family Bible")

• Abijah Hunt - probably had between 34 and 100 slaves. The 1810 census lists Abijah with 16 slaves in Claiborne County. However, Abijah owned a 3,645 acre Adams County plantation, is known to have sold a 900 acre Claiborne County plantation with 61 slaves in 1808, and is thought to have had 600 acres in cotton in Cliaborne County in 1811. He owned well over 2,000 acres in Jefferson County, over 3,000 acres in Claiborne County, and land in Concordia parish as well. If one believes all the accounts about Abijah, near the time of his 1811 death his slave ownership would have fluctuated from about 35 up to maybe 100 as he bought and sold plantations. Abijah and his partner Elijah Smith (the firm of Hunt and Smith) hauled logs and probably cotton, had five general stores and several public cotton gins which all could have benefited from slave labor.
• Adams County - Abijah had the 3,645 acre Hunt Plantation. William G. Forman had the Wilderness Plantation land - possibly as a partner with Abijah. Abijah and partner Elijah Smith had a general store in Natchez and also one in nearby Washington. They probably also had one or two public cotton gins. Abijah had other land investments in land in Adams County. Slaves would be needed in most all of these enterprises.
• Natchez
• Sam. Sam's master John Hadley died, so Sam was sold. Abijah bought him on 3/10/1808 for $1,000 possibly in New Orleans and brought him to Natchez. Sam was born in about 1783. His occupation was listed as barrel maker/cooper. This record was found in the Louisiana 1719 - 1820 slave records at www.ancestry.com . When the record says that Sam was taken to Natchez, it could just as well mean the Natchez District, which included Adams, Jefferson and Claiborne Counties.
• Jefferson County, MS. Abijah and partner William G. Forman possibly Oakwood Plantation. Abijah and partner Elijah Smith had a general store and public cotton gin at Greenville, MS (now extinct). Abijah also had other land investments in Jefferson County
• The 1808 Jefferson County Census lists Abijah with no slaves.
• The 1810 Jefferson County Census lists Abijah with no slaves.
• Claiborne County, MS - 61 slaves. Abijah and partner Elijah Smith had two general stores. One was at the Grind Stone Ford just north of Port Gibson on the Bayou Pierre where the Old Natchez Trace crossed the bayou. The second was possibly just over the county line in Hinds County to the west of Utica on Hunt Road or on nearby land that Abijah bought on the Big Black River at a ferry crossing from Claiborne County into Warren County. Abijah had at least two plantations - one on the Bayou Pierre and one which adjoined the edge of the town of Port Gibson. At that time Greenville in Jefferson County was larger than Port Gibson. Claiborne County is where Abijah was supposed to have had his largest livestments in land.
• In 1808 Abijah sold an approximately 900 acre plantation in Claiborne County with 61 slaves included.
• In 1810 the Claiborne County Census counts Abijah as a resident and lists 5 slaves with him on one page of the census and with 11 slaves on another page - so the total is 16 slaves in 1810.
• In 1811 one source states that Abijah's slaves had 600 acres of cotton under cultivation on his land that was adjacent to the town of Port Gibson. For this to be true, Abijah would have needed to increase his 16 Claiborne County slaves in 1810 to about 120 slaves by 1811. Given the fact that Abijah left a $500,000 estate at his death in 1811, it is possible. However, most likely Abijah was primarily a merchant whose primary wealth was in his stores and public cotton gin assets. Land and slaves were probably just a smaller side line for him. Thus, it appears that the 600 acres of cotton under cultivation may have been an exaggeration. Based on the 1810 census, he would have probably had 11 slaves on the land adjacent to Port Gibson. Eleven slaves could have cultivated about 55 acres of cotton.
• Concordia and Tensas Parishes in LA. Abijah and his partner Elijah Smith had land investments near the Concordia/Tensas Parish line near where David Hunt later had Hole In The Wall Plantation and Arcola Plantation .

•  

Research Leads and Plantation Records

• (Bulletted list of primary sources, plantation records from archives, books, microfilm, etc., that you think would help the reader to find his/ her ancestors.)
• The University of Texas at Austin is supposed to have the bulk of the known plantation records for Abijah Hunt.
• The Natchez Trace Collection Supplement has a folder with some of Abijah Hunts papers in Box 4BZ25, lot 7. The page at the following link tells what is in this folder. Scroll down the page slightly to see the information. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/01227/cah-01227.html
• The Natchez Trace Small Manuscripts Collection has folders containing some of the papers of Abijah Hunt. This is a link to the index of the collection. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00140/cah-00140.html
• The Abijah Hunt folders are in Box 2E56 
• Email the UT at Austin library here http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/contact.html with the collection name and box no. asking approximately what is in the folder you are interested in and how many documents it contains. They give you three options to get more specific information.
• Visit the library yourself and get copies of what you want from their collection
• E-mail them an order with your credit card number to have an entire folder copied and mailed to you. They will not search out specific papers from a folder to copy and send to you - you must get the entire folder. With sometimes hundreds of papers in a folder at 25 cents per page plus other charges, it could cost you close to $100 to get the information sent to you.
• You can hire a "proxy" researcher from their list to go in and sort through the folder(s) you are interested in, who can copy only what you want and mail it to you. http://www.cah.utexas.edu/services/proxy_researcher.php 

Miscellaneous Information

• (Any additional information that does not fit under the preset headings)

References

• (Bulletted list of primary references that you used to add information to this page)
• McBee, May Wilson; Natchez Court Records; 1767-1805. 

Users Researching This Workplace

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