I'm working on the Epps/Eppes line from the bottom up, so to speak. From Louisiana backwards in time. My husband's family is from Epps, West Carroll Parish, LA. We've been married 25 years and everyone there is very familiar with Epps Plantation - although now it's owned by some big company who uses it for their own purposes (meetings & dove hunts for their big wigs, I suppose). West Carroll Parish & East Carroll Parish used to be one Parish - Carroll Parish, LA.

I've decided in the last few days to finally satisfy my curiosity & learn more of the Epps family from that area.

The 1850 Carroll Parish Slave Schedule had John Epps listed as the owner of 13 slaves, although I haven't found him enumerated on the census in that parish.

John finally crops up in 1860 with his family at Monticello in Carroll Parish, LA. Monticello (small bump in the road) is across Bayou Macon - which separates East & West Carroll Parishes and only half a mile as the crow files & a mile by road from where my husband was raised. John & his family are in 143/138.

I backed up & found John W Epps on the 1840 Franklin Co, MS census, then realized his father was James Baugh Epps & his mother was Sarah Finch (from what I've seen online). I've found James Epps census records in 1800 Newberry District, SC; 1810 Newberry Co, SC; 1820 Amite Co, MS; 1830 Amite Co, MS. I've got more children for him based on these census records that I am working to find names for.

Now Ancestry.com's Mississippi Marriages, 1826-1900 says that John W Epps married Eliza Jane Jones 5 Feb 1851 in Jefferson Co, MS. She's an entirely different wife from the one I've seen attributed to him on Ancestry (Seleta Caroline Bonner).

I figured if I looked for his daughters (Sarah, Octavia & Ella L) on the 1850 census, I'd likely find my answer re: their mother.

Found them in 1850 in Hinds Co, MS as follows:
794/794:
Inman Williams 39 M Hotel Keeper & Planter $50,000 PA
Laura E 30 F MS
Saml B Williamson 41 M NJ
Sarah Epps (w) 71 F SC [1779, Sarah Finch Eppes, widow of James Baugh Eppes & mother of John W]
Preston Cooper 45 M Methodist Preacher Tenn
Lucretia F 35 M MS
Edward Middleton 18 M MS attended school w/in the year
Rufus 17 M MS attended school w/in the year [brother of Edward]
Sarah Cooper 7 F MS [these next 3 children of Preston & Lucretia Cooper]
Felicia 12 F MS attended school w/in the year]
Laura 6 F MS
Roxana Epps 11 F MS attended school w/in the year [1839, granddaughter of Sarah listed above & daughter of John W]
Octavia 9 F MS [granddaughter of Sarah listed above & daughter of John W]
unnamed Frank 30 M Musician Germany
unnamed Maller 25 M Musician Germany
NOTE: Seleta Caroline Bonner Eppes, listed online as mother of these 2 girls was supposed to have died in 1849. Don't know where their father, John W, is on this census or Ella L b 1847 from the 1860 census, but John remarried in 1851 and on the 1850 Carroll Parish, LA Slave Schedule he has 13 slaves. He was possibly caught traveling between Carroll Parish, LA & Hinds Co, MS at the time of this census.

Well, this didn't tell me exactly what I wanted to know about John W's daughters (currently believe they'd all be the product of a first marriage w/Eliza as their step-mother), so for a bit I decided to try to learn more about the unnamed (to me, that is) children of John B Eppes & Sarah. Based on the census records I currently have their children as follows:

1. 1st Daughter Eppes b bet 1795-1800 Newberry District, SC
2. 1st Son Eppes b bet 1795-1800 Newberry District, SC
3. 2nd Daughter Eppes b abt 1799 Newberry District, SC (this date to hold her in place)
4. 2nd Son Eppes b bet 1802-1804 Newberry District, SC
5. 3rd Daughter Eppes b bet 1805-1810 Newberry District (later Newberry Co), SC
6. 4th Daughter Eppes b bet 1805-1810 Newberry District (later Newberry Co), SC
7. 5th Daughter Eppes b abt 1811 Newberry Co, SC
8. 6th Daughter Eppes b bet 1811-1815 Newberry Co, SC
9. 7th Daughter Eppes b bet 1816-1820 Newberry Co, SC
10. John W (Epps) Eppes b 1812 Newberry Co, SC

I checked for HOH on both the 1820 & 1830 Amite Co, MS census for the surname Epp*. There was only one - James B Epps.

This means that all Epps marriages in Amite Co between 1820 and 1830 would be those of the children of James B Eppes. I found 6:

Mississippi Marriages 1776-1925 for Amite for Epp* finds 6 Eppes/Epps marriages:

1. Elizabeth B Eppes to John Edwards 16 Nov 1820 [Eliz. born 1801 SC per census]
2. Ballard Eppes to Mary Cates 17 Jan 1822
3. Mary W Eppes to Jesse Chandler 10 Feb 1825
4. Sarah K Eppes to G W Roberts 5 Oct 1829
5. Martha A Eppes to David Gordon 8 Dec 1829
6. Lucretia Epps to M C Middleton 8 Oct 1831 [Lucretia b 1815 SC per census]
Plus one for Caro Epperson to Nancy Neil 15 Jan 1824, which I have noted just in case.

So this means I have approximate dates of birth for 2 daughters of James B Eppes - Elizabeth & Lucretia. This would place Lucretia as the 8th child and Elizabeth as probably the 3rd on my list of children for James B.

Here's the research I've done so far based on these 6 Amite Co, MS marriages:

1. Searching for John Edwards in Copiah Co, MS, in 1830 the only Edward* there when I search is David.
1840 John Edwards is NS, Copiah Co, MS
1850 John Edwards, NS Copiah Co, MS image 140 of 149
enumerated 18 Nov 1850
1051/1051:
John Edwards 60 M Farmer SC [1790]
Elizabeth 49 F SC [1801]
Sarah E 21 F MS attended school w/in the year [1829]
Jesse M 18 F Student MS attended school w/in the year [1832]
Nancy 17 F MS [1833]
Harriett E 11 F MS attended school w/in the year [1839]

2. I've found where Ballard F Eppes purchased 80 acres of land in Pike Co, Ms Doc No. 917 Accession/Serial No. MS0020__.127. The image is a really nice one. However, I haven't found him on census records. Does anyone know where he was??

3. Jesse Chandler purchased 3 separate pieces of land in Hinds Co, MS 10 May 1826 (80.07 acres, 320.32 acres & 79.9 acres). But I haven't found him exactly. The only Chandles in Hinds county in 1830 is William.

4. George W Roberts purchased 2 parcels of land in Hinds Co, MS 14 Sep 1835 (39.09 & 40.25 acres, respectively), 2 parcels in HInds 10 Feb 1840 (80.94 & 80), 1 parcel in Leflore 1 Sep 1848 (172 acres), & a George W Roberts purchased 1 parcel of land in Pike Co, MS 30 Aug 1895 (40 acres). In 1830 Leflore Co there are no Roberts; in 1830 Hinds Co there are Allen, Issac, James, John & William Roberts. Would the William be George W??

5. David Gordon purchased 80 acres of land in Amite Co, MS 1 Dec 1849. In 1830 David, Jno & Wm Gordon are living in Amite Co, MS; in 1840 David Gordon is still in Amite Co as are 2 Johns, Joshua, M R, 3 Thomases & a William. I haven't looked at these images yet, but hoping they'll get me in the ballpark on Martha Eppes' dob.

6. As for Lucretia, I've been pulling on the string & unraveling the sweater on her. Am thinking her husband has to be the Martin Cade Middleton who purchased 79.75 acres of land in Franklin Co, MS 10 Nov 1840. This is because I just realized that I'd already enumerated her with her second husband & children & the 2 children by her first husband in 1850 Hinds Co (listed previously) with her widowed mother, Sarah, & 2 nieces, Roxana (Sarah Roxana) & Octavia Epps.

MS Marriages, 1826-50 shows Preston Cooper m Lucretia F Middleton 20 Dec 1836 in Franklin Co, MS. This cements for me that 1st husband was Martin Cade and confirms the 1850 census entry. Preston Cooper also bought land 3 Sep 1835 (240.28 & 78.31 acres) - haven't gone to BLM yet to confirm county.

Have found Lucretia & children in Yazoo Co, MS in 1860 (her husband must be deceased), she's mistakenly listed as a male L F Cooper and she & all children are listed as being born in SC (incorrect for the kids). In 1870 I initially didn't find her at all when I did a search (that was strange), but searched for her son Inman & found him listed. Then, on the image, Lucretia Cooper is HOH & they're still in Yazoo Co and Inman's older brother is listed as Feyuns??? (that would be Preston F?) and Felicia & her husband, Charles Smith are next door.

1880 Beat No 1, District 28, Bookhaven, Lincoln Co, MS
images 14 -15 of 38
Page 14/15B SD 3 ED 28
Enumerated 7 June 1880
84/118:
Burdine, Albert W M 42 married Gin Wright AL GA VA
Susan W F 33 wife married Keeping house MS Tenn SC [dau of Preston & Lucretia Eppes Middleton Cooper]
Mira C W F 9 daughter singla at school MS AL MS
Hanuzelle?? W F 7 daughter single at school MS AL MS [really have to figure out what her exact name was!]
Laura W F daughter single MS AL MS
Inman W M 2 son single MS AL MS
Caroline W F 64 mother law [s/b mother] widowed VA VA VA
Cooper, Lucretia W F 77 Boarder [s/b mother-in-law] widowed SC VA NC
Williams, Laura W F 60 Boarder widowed Dyspepria MS VA NC [would this be Laura, wife of Inman Williams from the 1850 census listed above?? With Lucretia Eppes Middleton Cooper having the name Inman crop up in her descendants, was Inman Williams related somehow to her???

Am I on the right track here? Can anyone give me dates on the other children of James B Eppes?? All help much appreciated. I know this has been long, but I've tried to show you my thinking (logical as possible) on how I am "attacking" this research.

Thanks!
Lisa