Wednesday, February 19, 2014

52 Weeks 52 Ancestors Louisa/Lucy Shackleford Sherrod

52 Weeks 52 Ancestors - Louisa/Lucy Shackleford

This week's ancestor or not is Louisa/Lucy Shackleford.   Documentation or lack of it leads me to wonder which.  Verbally, Louisa/Lucy, wife of Silas Sherrod married 1860 in Lawrence County Alabama is related to our family.   They were buried on family own property a number of years, ago.  Sadly, the property was sold and the graves not moved.

Digging into the records in the beginning looked solid yet later on the information left more questions than answers.  A record of Louisa/Lucy (Shackleford) Sherrod’s birth is February 1827 according to 1900 US Census for Lawrence County.  She appears by name from 1870-1900 Census for the area married to Silas Sherrod.  In the 1880 census her mother, Kitty Shacelford (Shackleford) was born in Virginia and was listed as Silas' mother-in-law.  Louisa/Lucy's information showed her mother and father where both born in Virginia.  This information led to who and what impact the Shackleford family had in the area where my family lived.

The door opened on the Shackleford/Shackelford family and led to a ton of information.  Appears the Shackleford family history in this country began in Virginia with migration all over the South.  My interest is Alabama. Dr. Jack Shackelford was born March 20, 1790 in Richmond, Virginia migrated to Shelby County, Alabama about 1818, was forced to sell a plantation he own there and by 1829 was in Courtland Alabama.  Dr. Jack Shackelford was a doctor that cared for both white and black people in the area as well as a cotton planter.  He had been on Andrew Jackson staff in 1812 and helped build the Decatur Alabama Railroad.  Dr. Jack's son, Samuel W. Shackelford first married Margaret McMahon then married Addie Sherrod who inherited a plantation in Lawrence County Alabama from Col. Benjamin Sherrod mentioned in my previous posts.  Dr. Jack died January 27, 1857.  This was the key information for my family branches.


Shackleford/Sherrod connections were made on both sides of the color line. The histories of these families are intertwine somewhere along the way.  Previous research determined that Silas, Louisa/Lucy's husband was own by the Sherrod family.  It is possible that Louis/Lucy and Silas met on a common plantation owned by Samuel W. Shackelford and Addie Sherrod when they were slaves.  Prior to freedom, they were married (1860) and the 1900 Census records show Louisa/Lucy had one child and that child was living.  If we can trust the record, one question is how can the verbal history be valid that she is the mother of my second great grand mother, Celia Sherrod along with her sisters.  My family believes Louisa/Lucy is and I question whether it can be true.   Obviously, she has ties and was very much a member of the family.