Blakeley Plantation
OVERVIEW
Location
Located in Warren County, Mississippi ten miles north of Vicksburg.
Date Constructed/Founded
c1840 - was establisted earlier when the area was still Adams County. Became Blakeley after 1840.
Associated Surnames
Blake, Downs, Ferguson, Conner, Savage
Historical Notes
Benson Heighe Blake moved to Mississippi in 1834 according to information on his application for a pardon after the Civil War. He married Caroline Downs Ferguson widow of Thomas Ferguson and owner of the property that became Blakeley Plantation. Blake inherited the property from Caroline after her death in 1849.
Blake married Mary Savage Conner daughter of Henry LeGrand Conner and Susan Evelina Baker in 1852 at Berkeley Plantation in Adams County, Mississippi. In 1862, Blake took the majority of his slaves, stores, and silver when the Union Army approached Vicksburg. He went to Demopolis, Alabama where he stayed until moving to a place sixteen miles south of Albany, Georgia. Most of the slaves returned to Blakeley Plantation with Blake after the Civil War.
Associated Slave Workplaces
Berkeley Plantation, Adams County, Mississippi
Davis Plantation, Warren County, Mississippi
Gaskins Plantation, Warren County, Mississippi
Redwood Plantation, Warren County, Mississippi
Associated Free Persons
- Benson Heighe Blake – owner
- Caroline Downs Ferguson Blake – first wife
- Mary Savage Conner – second wife
- Ann Gaillard Savage – mother-in-law
- Louisa Russell Conner - sister-in-law
Associated Enslaved Persons
- Isabella Edwards (b. Blakeley, MS 1855, d. 1920)
Research Leads and Plantation Records
Benson Heighe Blake Memoirs
Memoirs of Louisa Russell Conner - she was there ~ 1858-60, Fall 1861-63, Spring 1864-August, April-sum 1865
Miscellaneous Information
The area of Blakeley Plantation was part of Adams County, Mississippi when it was established by Thomas Ferguson. Thomas Ferguson inherited the land from his father William Ferguson. Thomas's mother, Phoeby Davis, was the sister of Fielding Davis Jr. who owned Altop Plantation, Wilkinson County, Mississippi. Fileding Davis Jr. married Lucinda Newman and their daughter Rosa Davis married Charles Balfour of Vernon Plantation, madison County, Mississippi. The land where Thomas ferguson's plantation was located became part of Warren County when Warren County was created in 1809. Blake named it Blakeley after he married Ferguson's widow and, later, inherited the property.
Benson Heighe Blake's sister-in-law, Louisa Russell Conner, sister of his second wife, Mary Savage Conner, came to Blakeley Plantation and lived there after the outbreak of the Civil War. Louisa had inherited Berkeley Plantation, Adams County, Mississippi from her parents Henry Legrand Conner and Susan
Evelina Baker.
Excerpts From Memoirs of Louisa Russell Conner
Mammy Jane – Mary/Puss’s nurse – her husband was Ned, no children
Mathilda – LRC’s maid
Ned/Daddy – “accomplished” dining room servant
Lucy – washwoman
p. 11 – Col. Benson Blake took some slaves to southwest GA near Albany May 1862
p. 21 – Blake returned Fall 1865 with “such of the negroes as wished to come home”
of special interest to me is pp. 16-17 about the contraband school, apparently about
1862: “[The Yankee] army was followed by hundreds of negroes and they formed these contrabands as they were called into camps or corrals. One of these corrals was on each of Mr. Blake’s plantations the one at Blakely being probably the largest as the accomodations [sic] were greater. There were seventeen hundred in this corral stored away in the quarters, in tents and in the gin to which they built two stories.... Very soon Yankee school teachers or ‘Marms’ as they were called arrived and took up their quarters in the corral to teach the negroes. The whole field presented a singular appearance dotted with camps, etc. and standing out in the sun and rain were carriages of various kinds which were brought there by the Yankees or negroes.”
Excerpts From MDAH subject file, prepared by WPA in March 1941
8 miles north of Vicksburg, formed 1842, on Yazoo and MS Valley Railroad, on US 61
1941 had Warren County Heading Mill, Kings Stave Mill
white children go to Redwood to school, Negro children go to Kings School, 3 teachers
There was a Negro Church that was burned not long ago
Some negro graveyards on Blakely Plantation
Col. Benson Blake, founder of Blakely which in the past comprised Section 15. He
served in the War Between the States in which he obtained his commission.
Blakely plantation home was built by Col. Benson Blake around an earlier house from Sassafras logs. In 1873 a body of a man who had been buried in lime in the cellar was exhumed. Later the skeleton of a horse was dug up on a point of land near the house. The horse had been buried with the saddle on. Investigation showed that this old house had been one of Murrell’s hangouts. The house is of classic southern architecture with several interesting variations. The Blake family have in their possession some of the oldest papers in the State of Mississippi. The colonel and lieutenant colonel’s commissions granted by George III of England in 1758 and 1766.
Indian Mounds are in the vicinity of Blakely near Kings. Some excavations have been made and pottery, arrow heads and some human bones have [been] found.
At one time there was a large cotton gin on Blakely Plantation but it has been dismantled and move[d] to some other locality.
Blakely Plantation consists of some six thousand acres with 1500 acres improved. One of the richest on Yazoo River. Has negro population of five hundred and one white. Home situated on high ridge and can be seen from Highway 61. Although there are two mills in Blakely, they are right on the border of Kings and the employees live there. In high water some of the land is subject to overflow. Cotton and corn are the principal crops grown.
Warren County Deeds
This is a list of slaves and goods transferred between Benson Blake and Daniel Brickell.
Z-17, 18 January 6, 1855 Benson Blake mortgaged to Daniel W. Brickell
of Yazoo County for $21,000
Wilson & Brecy[?] & their children Jeff, Amelia, Gilbert
Malinda and her children Maria, Bob
Manuel & Lavinia & their children Patsy, Essy
Carter & Ellen and their child Mary
Masedonia & children John, Dennis, Sarah
George & Rozelle
Rachel and her children Natchez, Julien
Anderson
Sarah
Jenny
Dolly
Ellen
Gamble and her child Ned
-- plus these “now on his Gaskin’s place on the Yazoo River”:
Adam and Caroline
Louis
Jess & Big
Lucinda
Sally
Harriett & Roberta [?]
Little Charlotte & Rachell
Jack and Eliza
Stephen and July Ann
Smith
Little Mary
Harry and Amy
Lucy
Minerva
Little Gilbert
Malinda
Edward
Mary
Margarett
Fanny
Primas
Tennessee
Little Jo
Charity
Henry
Pat and Emily
Emanuel and Mahala
Z-456 February 23, 1855 Benson Blake sold to John P. Cato
land in Township17, Range 4 East lying south of the
Milldale road
AA-273, 274 October 13, 1857 Benson and Mary S. Blake mortgaged to
Stephen Duncan of Adams County for $57,099.18
land on the Yazoo River about 7 miles from the City of
Vicksburg where Blakes reside and called Blakely, being
the NW4 Sec. 8, E2 and NW4 Sec. 7, fractional Sec 15 &
fractional Sec. 28, fractional Sec. 14, fractional Sec. 20 and
Sec. 19, all in T17, R 4 East, total 2,7059 acres, and also
Henry
Hester
Elick
Priscilla
Ann
Phil
Warner
Mary D
Mecane [?]
Lucinda
Jemima [?]
Becky
John Nutt
Lucy
William
Martha
Charles
Tarry
Leroy
Sophy
Laughlin
Jane
Washington
Cynthia
Mary
Carry
Washington
George
John Davis
Lucy
Little Fess/Tess
Mary
Field
Josh
Little Henry
Big Bob
Charley
Little Bob
Noah
George
Fanny
Amanda
Struther
Margaret
Patsy
John
Lewis
Gilbert
Richard
Joe
Lydia
William
Cynthia
Jim
Emanuel
Eveline
Eliza
Mary
Julia Turner
Short Minerva
Nancy
Anna L
Sarah L.
Leah
Susan
Josephine
Maria & child
Sarah
Mortimer
Anderson
George W.
Dick
Warren
William F or T
Francis
Minns [see Louisa’s memoirs]
Dudly
George
Sam
Horace
Alexander
Andrew
Ben
Henrietta
Parmelia
Joanna
Marie or Maxie
Sophia
Patsy
Anna
Phillis
Emma
Fanny
Emeline & child
Martin
Rose & child
Julia & her three children
AA-559 January 10, 1857 Colin B. and Laura L. Buckner of Vicksburg sold
to Benson Blake for $11,000
Martin about 50
Moses about 28
Jasper about 15
Parmelia about 30
Julia about 23 and her three children
Edgar about 5
Minerva about 3
Lavinia 6 months
Rose about 36 and her 2 children
Andrew 4
Eliza 6 months
Emeline 36 and her three children
Anna 14
Solomon 5
Salisbury 3
Fatima 40
AA-590 July 1, 1858 Benson and Mary S. Blake mortgaged to
E. D. Baker of Adams County
land on the Yazoo River about 8 miles from Vicksburg
called “Gaskin,” being Lot No. 1, Sec. 6; 2/3 of Lots 2, 3,
and 4, Section 6; 2/3 of Sec. 16; fract. Sec 5; Lots 1 & 2,
Sec. 17; 2/3 of Lots 4 & 5, Sec. 17; lots 1 & 8, Sec. 30;
lots 2, 3 & 4, Section 29, all of Lot 3, Sec. 17; Lots 3 & 6,
Sec. 18; Lots 3 & 7, Sec. 30, except about 90 acres lying on the south side of Chickasaw Bayou, sold to W. Lake; also
2/3 of SW4 Sec. 27, all in T17, R4 East – 1,807 acres; also
Bill
Stephen
Primos
Emanuel
John
Ward
Henry
Pat
Dick
Adam
Little Joe
Morgan
Big Bob
Lewis
Beverly
Sam Davis
Carter B.
Anderson B.
Emanuel B.
George
Little Gilbert
Jefferson
Ned [see LRC]
Moses
Jasper
Smith
Jackson
George
Tom
Lewis
Henry Baker
Harry
Jack
Essy
Dennis
John
Billy White
Long Jess
Martain [?]
Edwin
Gilbert
Fredrick
Westly (Could be Ryan Whitley's 3rd Great Grandfather, Wesley Whitley)
Solomon
Andrew
Edgar
Lit Smith
Caroline
Charlott
Big Lucinda
July Anne
Lit Mary
Long Mariah
Minerva
Mary
Margaret
Fanny
Tennessee
Charity
Annie
Emily
Charlotte
Minor
Elsy [Alse??]
Halsy/Haley [?]
Mahaily
Hester
Malinda & baby
Y [app. Yellow] Ellen
Ellen G.
Rosett
Patsey
Julia Ragan
Rose
Emeline
Jinny
Mariah
Francis
Sall.
Lit Rachael
Julia
Amelia
Malinda
Becky
Lavinia
Harriet
Amy
Eliza
Minerva
Mary B. Rhorberson [?]
Louisa C.
Issabella (Could be Ryan Whitley's 3rd Great Grandfather Isabella Edwards)
Hester
Allice
Missouri
BB-136 February 19, 1859 James B. Robinson of Terrebone Parish, LA
sold to Benson Blake all Robinson’s interest in
“Blakely plantation and the negroes and other
personal property on the same” and more
particularly described in a deed from Alfred C.
Downs and wife to Robinson as trustee for
Caroline M. Blake, now deceased but then the wife of Benson Blake dated April 5, 1841 and recorded in Book 2, pages 197-200 in Probate Clerk’s office, being the same real and personal property conveyed to A. C. Downs about the same time by Andrew Haynes, Caroline M. Blake and Benson Blake, executors of Thomas Furguson, deceased, and the same as given to Benson Blake by the said Caroline M. Blake in her last will and testament now on record in the Probate Clerk’s office. Attested in New Orleans 2/19/1859 by William Shannon, Commissioner of Deeds for Mississippi.
BB-699-701 July 14, 1860 Benson and Mary S. Blake mortgage to Stephen
Duncan of Adams County
plantation on Yazoo River about 7 miles from Vicksburg, adjoining Gaskins ... containing 2,034 acres, also
Bill
Stephen
Primus
Emmanuel
John Ward
Henry Pat
Dick
Adam
Lit. Joe
Morgain
Big Bob
Lewis
Beverly
Sam Davis
Carter
Anderson B.
Emanuel B.
Lit. Gilbert
Jefferson
Ned B.
Moses
Jasper
Smith
Jackson
George M.
Tom
Elleck
Harry
Jack
Essy
Dennis
John
Lg Jess
Martin
Edwin
Gilbert B.[?]
Fredrick
Westly (Possibly Ryan Whitley's 3rd Great Grandfather, Wesley Whitley)
Soloman
Edgar
Lit. Smith
Caroline
Charlotte,
Lg Lucinda
July Anne & baby
Lit. Mary
Lg Minerva
Mary
Margaret
Fanny
Charity
Anne
Emily
Charlotte
Miner
Elsy & baby
Hester
Susanah
Georganna
Mahaily
Lit Hester
Malinda B.
Yellow Ellen & baby
Ellen Gamble
Rosett
Patsy B.
Rose
R. Emeline
Mariah B.
Francis
Sall
Lit Rachell
Julia
Amelia
Malinda
Becky & child
Missouri
Louisa C.
Happiness
91 total –
now on Gaskins and Redwood plantations adjoining
DD-149, 150 1866 Recorded in deed book from a Chancery Court
case brought by Mary S. Blake by William T. Martin, Complainant, vs. Benson Blake, adjudicated by Jacob I. Yerger, Judge of the 3rd Judicial District sitting in Chancery in Warren County
refers to property acquired by Benson Blake belonging to his wife “in her own right” from estates of her father, mother, brother and other relations, including plantation on Yazoo River called Redwood Place containing about 1,200 acres in Township 17 of Range 4 East, Sections 27 and 7 valued at $10 an acre and other wild uncultivated & swamp lands west of the Yazoo River containing 2,355 acres valued at about $2 per acre
In a book indexing Warren County Probate cases, I found the following, which case files may be on microfilm at MDAH:
# 818 Solomon C. Whitley
# 1058 White Whatley
# 1065 Benjamin Wheatley
# 1233 Caroline M. Blake Benson Blake, executor
# 2536 Tillman Whatley
# 2537 Greenbury Whatley
# 2557 D. W. Whatley
# 2684 William M. Whatley
# 2789 Benson Blake Mary S. Blake, executor
# 3771 Mary S. Blake
References
Warren County, MS Deeds
Research By Jan Hillegas - Jackson, MS Spring 2011 (djackson921@wmconnect.com)
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