Jessie Alexander Brumfield 1838 LA – 1914 MS

Jessie Alexander Brumfield farmer and Civil War soldier, was born 27 September 1838 in Louisiana. He was the second of five children of Nathaniel Brumfield and Charlotte Temple (Ott) Brumfield.[i], [ii]In 1850 he was 11 years old, living with his parents and and attending school.[iii]He was only 14 years old when his father died. His mother then married his father’s brother, Elijah Brumfield. In 1860 he was living with his mother and his uncle/stepfather in Washington Parish, Louisiana. His older brother, Martin Penn Brumfield, lived next door.[iv]

The Civil War had a great impact on Jessie, his family and his community. His brother, Martin Penn Brumfield, was among the first to enlist. Martin enlisted in in 1861 and died in 1862. After Martin’s death Jessie and John joined the fight. They joined Company C, Wingfield’s, of the 3^rdRegiment of the Louisiana Calvary.

After the war Jessie did not remain in Louisiana. We do not know why he crossed the border into Mississippi but we do know that before the Civil War Louisiana had the highest per capita income of any southern state and after the war it had the lowest.[i]

Jessie married Martha Elizabeth (Alford) Brumfield, dauhter of Edwin Barksdale Alford and Martha P. (Smith) Alford. They lived in Pike County, Mississippi where they raised a large family: Martin Ellis Brumfield, Rose Ella (Brumfield) Brown, John Edward Brumfield, Newton N. Brumfield, Fletcher Boyd Brumfield, Daisy L. (Brumfield) Alford, Lucy May Brumfield, Sallie Joy (Brumfield) Brumfield and Lily E. (Brumfield) Alford.

In 1870 they were in Osyka, Pike County where Jessie farmed. His real estate was valued at $700 and his personal estate at $600. Martha was the mother of three children, Martin, Rose and John.[i]In 1878 those three children were attending school.[ii]In 1880 their six children ranged in age from 11 months to 13 years old.[iii]In 1885 the family had six children in school: Martin, 19; Rosa, 16; John, 14; Fletcher, 12; Lily, 9 and Daisy, 6 years old.[iv]In 1890 John, 19; Fletcher, 15; Lily, 13; Daisy, 10 and Sallie, 6 were in school.[v]

Jessie owned his own farm with no mortgage in 1900. Their home was south of Magnolia on Walkers Bridge Road. Jessie and Martha had three children still living with them: Fletcher, Daisy and Sallie.[i]Only Daisy and Sallie were still at school.[ii]In 1910 Jessie was 72 years old aand still farming. His nephew, James H. Brumfield, son of John D. Brumfield, was a laborer on his farm. Martha, 64 years old, was the mother of ten children, seven living.[iii]

Jessie Alexander Brumfield died 23 May 1914.

[i]1900 US Census, MS, Pike; digital image, Ancestry(ancestry.com: accessed 2015) Jesse A. Brumfield.

[ii]Haymon, Serena Abbess. Pike County, Mississippi School Census, 1900(Greenwell Springs, LA). J A Brumfield children.

[iii]1910 US Census, MS, Pike; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed 2015) Jessie A. Brumfield.

[i]1870 US Census, MS, Pike, Osyka; digital image, Ancestry(ancestry.com: accessed 2015) Jesse A. Bromfield.

[ii]Haymon, Serena Abbess. Pike County, Mississippi School Census, 1878(Greenwell Springs, LA). Eli, Rosa and John Brumfield.

[iii]1880 US Census, MS, Pike; digital image, Ancestry(ancestry.com: accessed 2015) J. Alek Brumfield.

[iv]Haymon, Serena Abbess. Pike County, Mississippi School Census, 1885(Greenwell Springs, LA). J Alex Brumfield Children.

[v]Haymon, Serena Abbess. Pike County, Mississippi School Census, 1890(Greenwell Springs, LA). Alix Brumfield children.

[i]Jones, Terry L., Louisiana in the Civil War: Essays for the Sesquicentennial (North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015) 163.

[i]Wallis, Ruth Temple. Descendants of Jacob Ott of South Carolina and Louisiana(Bogalusa, LA: Privately Printed, 1967.)

[ii]Clawson, Alma Dell Magee, Fields of Bloom  (Privately printed, 1972).

[iii]1850 US Census, LA; digital image, Ancestry(ancestry.com: accessed 2015) N. Bromfield family.

[iv]1860 US Census, LA, Washington Parish; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed 2015) Elijah Brumfield and Martin Brumfield families.

Obituary:

J. A. Brumfield was born Sept. 23, 1838, united with the Mt. Herman Baptist Church Oct., 1864, remained a member of the same until the organization of Bogue Chitto Baptist church, of which he went into the organization of, and remained a member of same until his death which occurred on May 23, 1914. from: Abstracts of Obituaries from the Minutes of the Magee’s Creek Baptist Association (Mississippi and Louisiana), 1882 – 1924 by Williams

Selected Sources:

• 1870 US Census, Osyka, Pike, MS
• 1880 US Census, Pike, MS
• 1900 US Census, Pike, MS
• 1910 US Census, Pike, MS
• Certificate of Death for Rose E. Brumfield Brown, File #16010; MS State Dept of Health, Vital Records.
• Clawson, Alma Dell Magee.  Fields of Bloom.  Privately printed. 1972.
• Compiled Service records of Confederate Soldiers who served in Organizations from the State of Louisiana. Fold3
• Conerly, Luke Ward and E. Russ Williams. Source Records From Pike County, Mississippi 1798 – 1910. South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1989.
• Criminger, Adrianne Fortenberry. The Fortenberry Families of Southern Mississippi. South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1984.
• Haymon, Serena Abbess. Pike County, Mississippi School Census, 1885.  Greenwell Springs, LA.
• Wallis, Ruth Temple. Descendants of Jacob Ott of South Carolina and Louisiana. 1967. Bogalusa, Louisiana. Privately printed.

• Williams, E. Russ. Abstracts of Obituaries from the Minutes of the Magee’s Creek Baptist Association (Mississippi and Louisiana), 1882 – 1924. Monroe, Louisiana: Privately printed, 1978. From the Louisiana Archives.