52 Weeks 52 Ancestors – Week 6 Patsey/Patsy Sherrod

52 Weeks 52 Ancestors – Week 6 Patsey/Patsy Sherrod

This week’s challenge is about Patsey/Patsy Sherrod, born 1770 in North Carolina and living in Town Creek, Lawrence County, Alabama by 1870.  She very well could be my fourth or fifth grandmother but the dots have not all been connected.  It is a work in progress that is being shared in this post.

The challenge of knocking down a brick wall, real or not can be very difficult.  Determination and a great deal of creative digging may offer the tools needed to make a crack or if fortunate knock the wall completely down.

Patsey/Patsy had no verbal history that has been shared with my branch of the family.  She was first found in the 1870 US Census in Town Creek as head of household.  The census did not list relationship of others in the household. Household 292 was no different than the others.  Patsey was living with Silas Sherrod and Louisa (Shackleford), both born Alabama during 1827.  Verbal history and records show them to be the parents of Celia Sherrod Carroll who is my second great-grandmother, born 1864 in Alabama.  Silas and Celia where written about in previous post.  Silas and his grandfather were own by Colonel Benjamin Sherrod who moved to the northwest area of Alabama about 1818 from Wilkes County Georgia.   Colonel Benjamin owned several plantations in and near Town Creek.   He died in Lawrence County, Alabama and his will was probated January 20, 1847 that left his Town Creek Plantation to his son, Sam Watkins Sherrod.  Sam then left the plantation to his son, Walter Sherrod before 1871.

In a US Commission Claim filed by Silas and supported by his former owner, Walter Sherrod, Silas referred to his grandfather without stating his name.  He stated Colonel Benjamin Sherrod own his grandfather.  This gave solid information about Benjamin owning this branch of my Sherrod family.  Finding Patsey/Patsy being head of household in Town Creek at age 100 leads me to believe that Silas was doing the Blacksmithing and Farming work to sustain the family.  Patsey/Patsy being born in North Carolina where the Sherrod came from provides the strong possibility that her owner, believed to be Colonel Benjamin Sherrod, moved her to Alabama with other slaves and property.

Trying to break my real or invisible brick wall by tracking the Benjamin Sherrod family that own a plantation in Town Creek. They clearly owned Silas’ grandfather and Silas.  More than likely this family own Patsey Sherrod during slavery.  Patsey would have been fifty-seven years old when Silas was born so she is probably Silas’ grandmother.    I’ve not found a copy of Benjamin’s will where perhaps slaves were listed.  Patsey may have  listed in the will.

Tracking the Benjamin Sherrod family, I found that his daughter, Susan Adelaide Sherrod, born September 14, 1825 inherited Hard Bargain plantation in 1847 that is southwest of Courtland near Town Creek.  She later married Samuel N. Shackelford and who did Silas marry, Louisa Shackelford.  This information is leading to a tool to break the brick wall real or imaginary of my Sherrod family on this Family Historian’s journey.

Patsey/Patsy I’m determined to find out how you fit into the family.