African-American Kinseys of Eastern North Carolina

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Leah Foy Kinsey (b.1829, d.before 1900)

From the North Carolina Freedman's Savings and Trust Company Records:

Record for Leah Kincey. Date of Application: June 13, 1872. Born and raised in Jones County at Lemuel Simmons place. Residence: Dryboro. ge 43 or 44. Black complexion. Occupation-sells on the streets. Husband, William Kincey, dead. Children are Jennie, Owen, and Charlie. Father, Antony Foy, dead. Mother, Virtue Foy, dead. Crothers and sisters are Luke Foy, Thomas Foy, Susan Bryan. Signature made with an (x).

(Account #2908, pg 196 in the Bill Reaves' 1992 transcription)

From the 1870 Federal Census for Craven County, NC:

Name:

Leah Kincey

Age in 1870:

Birth Year:

abt 1829

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1870:

New Berne Ward 6, Craven, North Carolina

Race:

Black

Gender:

Female

Post Office:

New Bern

Value of real estate:

View image

Household Members:

Name	Age
Leah Kincey	41
Jane Kincey	17
Owen Kincey	11
Charles F Kincey	4
Watson Adams	64

From the 1880 Federal Census:

Name:

Lera Kinsey

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1830

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

New Berne, Craven, North Carolina

Race:

Black

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Self (Head)

Marital Status:

Widowed

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

View others on page

Occupation:

Keeping House

Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:

View image

Household Members:

Name	Age
Lera Kinsey	50
Owen Kinsey	20
Mary E. Kinsey	12

Looking into Lemuel Simmonses who were slave holders in Jones County during Leah's lifetime turned up two results, but only one had a strong connection to the Foy family: Lemuel Hill Simmons.

Lemuel Hill Simmons was the son of Needham and Elizabeth Rhem Simmons. In 1819, he married a woman named Mariah Foy, with whom he had several children. He passed away in 1846, while she lived until 1859.

http://person.ancestry.com/tree/45908096/person/6443894628/facts

Leah is listed in the estate papers of both Mariah and Lemuel Simmons, along other slaves bearing the names of the family members listed in her account. It is possible that they were Foy slaves brought onto the Simmons plantation following Mariah and Lemuel's marriage.

From the probate records of Mariah Simmons:

From the probate records of Lemuel Simmons:

Identifying Kinsey Slaves in the 1860 Federal Census of Jones County, North Carolina

In 1860, Jones County, North Carolina was home to roughly fifty-two slaves owned by Kinsey family members. By law, these individuals failed to be identified by name within the census, but their names may appear in probate documents detailing the "perishable property" of Kinsey slave holders. In order to discover their names, we must first identify their owners, and begin to rebuild the web of family ties through which they may have been transferred from family member to family member.

Here is what I have managed to find so far:

In the 1860 Federal Census Slave Schedule for Jones County, NC, the following slave holders with the Kinsey surname appear:

Tuckahoe Township
James H.
"J"
Jackson A.
W.C.
J.H.
Joab

Beaver Creek Township
Susan
Jobe L.
R.J.

These individuals appear to descend from two distinct branches of the Kinsey family of Jones County: the Joseph A. Kinsey and James D. Kinsey branches

The Joseph A. Branch includes:

Generation One
Joseph A. Kinsey (d. 1857) and Susan Rhem

Generation Two
James H. Kinsey

Generation Three
Joab
James H,, Jr.
Joseph

The James D. Branch includes:

Generation One
James D. Kinsey (d. 1844) and Lovinia Williams (d. 1853)

Generation Two
William C. Kinsey

The will of Joseph A.Kinsey describes how his slaves are to be divided amongst his children and grandchildren, including those listed above.

His probate documents provide much more detail, showing the actual inventory of the slaves, including the unnamed enslaved children from the will.

We can now compare the number of slaves allotted to the family members on this list to those enumerated for those family members in the slave schedule.

The same can be done with the James D. branch of the Kinsey family. In his case, there does not appear to have been a will, so the probate documents become especially important. In fact, it seems as if the majority of his probate papers concern the division of slaves. For our purposes, we should be paying special attention to those papers dated closest to the 1860 Census, which was taken in the summer of that year. The following papers, detailing the valuation and drawing of lots for the James D. Kinsey slaves are from 1859:

On the last page, we see that William C. Kinsey drew the last lot of slaves, which numbered five in total. This matches with the five slaves that he is said to have owned in the 1860 census.
(Note: It seems that the rest of the slaves were drawn by a man named E. Davis, who may have been the legal guardian of William C's minor siblings):

(Note: the 1860 Census shows that William C. Kinsey lived with Mary Jones, the woman listed before him in the slave schedule. It may be worth looking into her probate documents, as well)

Next steps: husbands often inhereted slaves from their wives' parents. Look into who was married to the male slave holders, and whether or not their parents have probate records. For females, look into family members-parents, siblings, etc.- who may have left them slaves.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Joseph A. Kincey's Slaves (from 1857 will)

1. Ellick

2. Wiley

3. Peter and Rose (wife)

4. Hannah and youngest children

5. Lettice and all children

6. Stephen

7. Ann (girl)

8. Judy and child, Louisa

9. Salem (boy)

10. Squire (boy)

11. Charlotte and two small children and boy, James

12. Moses

13. Hill (boy)

14. Holland (girl)

15. Olly (girl) and child

16. Anthony

17. Julia

18. Amanda and all children

19. Saney

20. Sam

21. Holland

22. Norris

23. Abraham (boy)

24. Narcissa

25. Fanny (old woman)

26. Zaccheus (boy)

27. Charles

28. Hester and daughter, Hagar

29. Haywood

30. Achilles

31. Leah and children

32. Milly and children

33. Aretus

34. Grey (boy)

35. Senas (boy)

36. Belzoza (girl)

37. Ben

1850 Slave Schedule count: 22 Females; 19 males