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.
