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John Douglass of Mississippi
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The most definitive research on John Douglas appears to
have been conducted by Edgar Lamar Douglas as recorded in the book "The
John Douglass Family of Mississippi," published 1962. Some researches
have claimed that his work is based strongly on family tradition and
contains many error. However, it provides the most complete picture of
John's life. The following summary is primarily derived from this
book--where evidence seems lacking for some events, they are
appropriately indicated.
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John Douglas was born in North
Carolina, in or near Rowan County. John was apparently his parent's only
child. Soon after his parents wedding, his father returned to Scotland
or Ireland on business. While he was there he was taken ill suddenly and
died, after which John was born. His mother died shortly after his
birth, and he was reared by his grandparents.
Although John's
parents are unknown, David Douglas is thought to be John's grandfather
with relatively high confidence, based upon land transaction records.
On May 20, 1776, twelve year old John Douglas enlisted as a Drummer
in the fight for America's freedom. The "Drummer boys" were usually
young boys and held the rank of private, receiving the same pay as the
other soldiers. (It is noted that there were four different John
Douglases who enlisted in the Revolutionary War. In the book, Edgar
Douglas outlines how he discerned the correct John Douglas enlistment).
John first served in Captain Samuel Reid's Company, 6th North
Carolina Regiment and was later transferred to the 1st North Carolina
Regiment and served with this unit until his discharge late in 1778.
John's unit fought in the Battle of Guilford Court House.
In
1801, John Douglas sold his land in Lincoln Co., North Carolina (which
was formerly part of Rowan County). From there, John made his way to
Georgia and then to Mississippi. During this period John lost his first
wife (name unknown). He later married Mrs. Nancy Walden Denman, a young
widow, the daughter of William Walden.
On 28 April, 1802, John
was issued a passport by the state of Georgia for travel through the
Creek Nation, required to reach Mississippi. Traveling with John was a
William "Walton", thought to be John's father in law William Walden. At
this time there were only two routes into Mississippi. John chose the
northern route which took them across northern Georgia and into South
Tennessee. Upon arriving in Tennessee, the party was warned by friendly
Indians that it was not safe to travel further west or south for the
Creek Indians were at war. They remained in south Tennessee for thee
years until the Indians were at peace. According to family tradition,
this Tennessee location was on top of Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga,
Tennessee.
In 1805 a treaty with the Choctaw Indians was signed and
the United States purchased land in southern Mississippi. Upon resuming
their migration from southern Tennessee, John and his partly supposedly
were going to settle in Amite Co., Mississippi. It is alleged that upon
the party arriving at Doak's Store on the Natchez Trace, a short
distance from Jackson, MS, that the guide that was to take them to Amite
County did not show up. Rather, a man from Lawrence County told them of
the opportunities there, and the group made their way there instead of
Amite County.
John and his group made their way to the Fair
River, where the Natchez-Fort Stevens Road crossed. This area at the
time (ca 1810) was in Marion County but soon became Lawrence County in
1814. (In 1870 it eventually became the eastern part of Lincoln County).
Here John settled with his father-in-law William Walden. The cabin that
they built in 1810 still stands. The original logs are boarded on the
outside and ceiled inside. The land on which they settled was owned by
Elijah Smith, who had three daughters eventually marrying three of
John's sons.
In 1830 the Choctaw Indians signed the Treaty of
Dancing Rabbit Creek, by which they sold to the United States the rest
of their land in Mississippi. This opened up virgin land to white
settlers and John and his sons moved to Yazoo County around this time,
some 80 miles to the north of their original Mississippi home site in
Lawrence County (or the eastern part of today's Lincoln County). The
area of settlement in Yazoo County was between Benton and Vaughan, in
the vicinity of Black Jack Baptist Church (which would only later be
established until 1844). John's wife, Nancy, died in Yazoo County in
August, 1836. (Extensive searching by Edgar Douglas has failed to find
her burial spot). Although no land purchase records are known from Yazoo
County, records of John and his sons selling land between 1835 and 1839
are found.
In October, 1836, three month's after Nancy's death,
John and his son, Ransom, sold their holdings in Yazoo Co. They moved
south to near the town of Allen, in Copiah County, Mississippi. There
they bought 900 acres of land and settled. John's son, Elisha, being
single also accompany them to Copiah County. John lived three years in
Copiah County, dying on November 9, 1839. His sons buried him in the New
Providence Baptist Church cemetery.
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The 1896 book
"Mississippi Baptist Preachers," by L. S. Foster also has a short
summary of John Douglass. As part of a biography on Elisha Douglass,
John's son, it states:
"John Douglass, father of Elisha Douglass, was
a Carolinian by birth. He lived successively in North and South
Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi. With a colony of
Georgians, he settled on Fair River, nine miles west of the present
Monticello in Lawrence County, while Mississippi was still a territory,
and was truly a pioneer in the wilderness."
Note:
• Based on the 1773 will of William Douglas of Rowan County, NC, it
appears that David Douglas was John Douglas’s uncle and not his
grandfather.
See also:
•
The Douglas family in
Mississippi
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Sources
Sources for this article include:
•
The John Douglass Family of Mississippi, by Edgar Lamar Douglas
•
Mississippi Baptist Preachers, by L. S. Foster
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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