The Gilmore Family History In West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana

Wallace Gilmore
Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

My husband is a descendant of Tasco Gilmore, Sr.,  and  Katie Sturgis Gilmore.  Tasco Gilmore, Sr., was born in 1840 and died in 1921 in West Feliciana, Louisiana. He and Katie were the parents of: Andrew Gilmore, Frank Gilmore, Courtney Gilmore, Tasco Gilmore, Jr., Annie Hannah Gilmore, Hiram Gilmore, Randolph Gilmore, Maggie Gilmore, Annie Gilmore and Vanicia Gilmore.

The Gilmore's are a very large family. We visit two churches in the area: Greater New Hollywood Baptist Church and Hollywood Baptist Church cemeteries. It appears to have been a split somewhere in the history of the church.

We drove around sightseeing and visited the West Feliciana Historical Museum in St. Francisville.  We drove to Rosedown Plantation and it was too much walking for me, so we decided to go somewhere else. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery. I was very happy to see that he found a lot of his ancestors graves.

West Feliciana Genealogy Connection with Gaynell Brady

Tracing Their Steps by Bernice Alexander Bennett

Bernice A. Bennett

A visit to her grandmother's house in New Orleans, a bowl of gumbo and a table full of memories open the door for Bernice Alexander Bennett's adventure to verify that her 2x great grandfather owned a lot of land in Maurepas, Louisiana.  Maurepas is an unincorporated community in the southwestern area of Livingston Parish, Louisiana. Livingston Parish is one the Louisiana Florida Parishes. 

Tracing Their Steps is a Memoir about a journey to show how the power of oral history can serve as a guide to capturing a beautiful family history. You will learn how an African American man born before the Civil War managed to acquire over 159 acres of land during the 19th century under the Homestead Act of 1862. Bennett's research has proven without a shadow of doubt that African Americans were homesteaders. 

This compelling story will keep the reader fixated on how each step and, the many twists and turn in the journey links closer to verifying that the land did exist and further clarifies what happen to this land in the 20th century. Bernice is an award-winning author, genealogist, nationally recognized guest speaker, storyteller, and producer-host of the popular Research at the National Archives and Beyond Blog Talk Radio Program. She is also the first recipient of the  Ida B. Bennett had documented her African America roots in the Orleans, St. Helena and Livingston parishes of Louisiana, as well at the Edgefield Greenwood counties of South Carolina. 

African Americans in Covington by Dr.Eva Semien Baham

African Americans in Covington" is a collection of stories, memories and photographs covering the history, lives, and triumphs of Covington's African American community. The forward by Rev. Mallory Callahan, it was published in 2015 as part of the "Images of America" historical series by Arcadia. Covington is the seat of St. Tammany Parish government and sits north of Lake Pontchartrain in the New Orleans metropolitan area. One person of African descent was present at the founding of Covington on July 4, 1813. Most African Americans in antebellum Covington were slaves with a modest number of fee people, all of whom covered nearly every occupation needed for the development and sustenance of a heavily forested region. 

The Vernon Family of Amite, Louisiana

 

From Left to Right
Glynis Vernon Gordon, her son Vernon Gordon, Rev. Willard Vernon and his  wife
   Mrs. Alma Harrison Vernon.

The Dudley Family of Amite, Louisiana

Seated from left to right: Ms. Gisele Ricard & Baby, Mrs. Maggie Lee Dudley, Mr. O.D. Dudley, Mrs. Mildred Ricard, and Natalie Ricard. Back Row: Mrs. Norma Jean Ricard, Mrs. Tonell Ricard, Mrs. Shirley Griffin, and Craig Ricard. 

Were Your Ancestors Homesteaders in the Louisiana Florida Parishes?