Broussards of Ascension Parish:Information about Benjamin Rosamond
Benjamin Rosamond (b. 1790, d. Bef. May 16, 1859)
Notes for Benjamin Rosamond:
[Rosamond-Master File 5-27-02.GED]
Benjamin Rosamond, R255, M. Born in 1790 in South Carolina. Was on the census for Attala County, Mississippi in 1850. Benjamin died in Attala County, Mississippibef 16 May 1859, he was 69.
In "Greenwood County Sketches" Benjamin, Susannah and son Thomas are mentioned as members of the Walnut Grove Baptist Church located near Ware Shoals in 1834.Before 1850, Benjamin had remarried to Jane Rogers Mays.
A number of records from the Walnut Grove Baptist Church were published in a series of newspaper articles in the "Greenwood Index-Journal" in the early 1940s. The text of these articles, written by Harry L. Watson, are contained in Volume 2 of "Greenwood Historical Society Scrapbooks". These were later reprinted in a book titled "Our Old Roads" by Margaret Watson, daughter of the author. Benjamin and his family are mentioned several times in these records as detailed below. Each article was numbered based on date of publicatiion, not the date of the church record.
---------- From "Our Old Roads" --------------
No. 101, Year referenced in text 1826. Newspaper article 6 November 1943.
(Regarding the Walnut Grove Baptist Church)
"The original minute book begins with this entry:
A Record of the proceedings of the Baptist Church of Christ at the Walnut Grove on Mulberry Creek in Abbeville District, S. C., constituted on the 24th day of June 1826 by the Rev'd Arthur Williams and Chesley Davis, both of the district aforesaid and teh Rev'd Moses Holland, of Pendleton District."
The names of the members constituted are as follows:
Samuel HillNancy Hodges
Richard GainesMary Youngblood
William GrahamPeggy Henderson
Valentine YoungDicey Sharp
Thompson HodgesJincy Gaines
Benjamin RosemondSusanna Roseman
Robert GainesFrancis Roseman
William HodgesJane Huskerson
James HodgesTabitha Hodges
It will be noticed the names of the male members are in the first column and the names of the female members are in the second column. And that was the way the members in all the churches sat in the early days and even within the recollection of people of middle age and better today, the men on one side, usually the right side after entrance, and the females on the left side after entrance.
No. 157, Year referenced in text 1837.
The church was again involved in neighborhood and individual difficulties. In one meeting in which the members were voting on the matter of fellowship with a former member who was now an officer of another church, it appeared after a vote that this former member would be "excluded" and this would embarass the sister church in which he was now an official. Whereupon, an old member, B. Rosamond who was also a charter member, got up and told the members voting to "exclude" that if they could not vote to keep the former member in good standing, to "sit still and not vote at all" so as to bring about harmony. His suggestion was followed and the record says twenty members "sat still and refused to vote" and this saved the day for the former member who was now an official in another church.
No. 164, Year referenced in text 1828. Newspaper article 4 December 1943.
The "Church at the Walnut Grove on Mulberry Creek" as it was always described by the clerk, did not show any gain in membership by the end of its third year. Beginning with eighteen charter members, it lost within two years two of these by letters of dismission and on Oct. 20, 1828 Susannah Rosmond died, the first loss by death. This brought the membership down to fifteen, but the addition of "Polly Hodges", wife of James Hodges by letter from Turkey Creek about this time, brought the membership up to sixteen. Then on Jan. 4, 1830 after a sermon by the Rev. Nicholas Ware Hodges, the first two members to be received by baptism are named. These were "Polly Hodges, sister of, and Mahala Hodges, the wife of Thompson Hodges." (This made the total membership eighteen again.) Incidentally, there are three "Polly Hodges" already noted in the record.
...(also from No. 164)
"On Christmas Eve, the Rev. Thomas A. Rosamond, "a member of the Methodist clergy" (a member of the Rosamond family of this section and many members of it were members of the Walnut Grove), preached and the following joined: John and Thomas Rosamond (sons of B. R.) and this notation by the clerk must have meant they were sons of Benjamin Rosamond, one of the charter members in 1826,..."
No. 165, Date referenced June 23, 1832.
At this meeting Valentine Young was granted the privilege of "a public gift of prayer within the bounds of the church". It was explained that this was the same privilege which had been granted to Richard Gaines and Benj. Rosamond, ...
---------------- End records from "Our Old Roads" ----------------------
Benjamin is also mentioned several times in "Abstracts of Old Ninety-Six, Abbeville District Wills and Bonds" as witness to wills and deeds.
According to an article in J.P. Coleman's "Choctaw County Chronicles" under New Zion Baptist Church, organized December 1842, Benjamin ws one of the first two deacons. Also among the organizers was a Rosander Rosamond (don't know who he/she is).
By 1850 Benjamin had sold his South Carolina property which was located somewhere near the Mulberry Creek/Saluda River area. He divided the profit with his sons and was living near his brother Samuel in Atalla County, Mississippi. In the same time period his other brother Thomas and all his sons except Thomas and Joseph were also in Mississippi. In 1850 Benjamin was listed in the Mississippi census as owning 9 slaves and being married to Jane. Census Ed. 126, 495/495.
In November 1858, James Rosamond (Benjamin's son James ??) was appointed guardian of Jerusha W. (who is this?) and Tilman J. Rosamond. Then on May 16, 1859, Jane is named as guardian of Tilman J. and Marion F. Rosamond. These are her sons by Benjamin. On this date she gave her annual accounting regarding her sons.
On 12/20/ 1858, William T. Wright, referred to as the guardian of Jantha Rosamond (presumably Jantha Mays who was under guardianship of Benjamin and Jane), gave his final accounting. Jantha at this time was married to John F. Temple.
1850 Census Data, Attala County, MS
Page 126 & 127
495/495 Rosemon, Benj., Age 60, farmer, value 400, born SC = means b. ca. 1790
Jane, Age 44, born 1806, SC = Jane Rogers Mays
Lucretia, age 14, born SC
Daniel, age 12, SC
Jantha, age 11, female, SC
Marion F., age 2, born 1848, SC - - -Contradicts Carroll County, MS birth.
Mayse, Abner, age 18, male, born SC--Question-when did Benjamin get to MS?
The above record is not the only that contradicts the birthplace of Benjamin's son Marion Francis Rosamond. The 1880 census of Montgomery County, AL which also lists his wife and children records his birthplace as Alabama. Any of these are possible since he could have been born just before the family left SC for MS, enroute between SC and Mississippi, or shortly after the family's arrival in Mississippi. However, the death certificate of Marion Francis Rosamond who died July 8, 1935 shows his birthplace as Mississippi, this information being provided by his son Joseph Franklin Rosamond with whom he was living at the time of his death.
One handwritten note from Ruth Menhel indicates that Benjamin was on the tax roll in Attala County in 1847. Since there is a probate record for Benjamin and Jane in 1845 in SC, that would date the move to MS between 1845 and 1847. And this would mean that Marion Franklin was born in Mississippi. But if Benjamin was on the tax roll in Attala County, that would indicate that Marion Francis was born there rather than in Carroll County.
Benjamin first married Susannah Hill, daughter of John Hill, Sr. and Susannah ? Hill. In John Hill Senior's will, he named his children as well as Benjamin and Susannah's seven sons to receive Susannah's share since she had already died. From the the will it says, "Susannah, who intermarried with Benjamin Rosemond, now dead, leaving as her only heirs her said husband Benjamin Rosemond, and seven children to wit, James, Benjamin, Samuel, John, Thomas, William and Joseph."
After the death of his first wife, ca 1843 when Benjamin was about 53, he married Jane Rogers daughter of Daniel Rogers Jr., & Lucretia Harris, in Abbeville County, SC. Born on 4 Oct 1803 in Edgefield Co., South Carolina, Jane died in Mississippibef 1870, she was about 66.
Following his marriage to Jane, Benjamin was made guardian to three Mays children, Abner Mays, Jr., Aletha Mays and Jessee Mays. I believe these are Jane's children from her first marriage to Abner Mays, Sr.The children are listed as neices and nephew of Benjamin's son Thomas and Sarah Mays Rosamond. "Mays Minors, Box 68, Pack 1658 - On Oct 14 1840, Benjamin, John Rosamond, Felix Rogers bound to Moses Taggart Ord., Abbeville Dist sum $2,000. Benjamin Rosamond made guardian of Lethe, Jessy and Abner Mays, minors of Abner Mays, decd. 1841. Rec'd of Mathew Mays, Admn. of S. Whitley, Decd., who was guardian of above children."
There is some confusion regarding children adopted by or under the guardianship of Benjamin and Jarne Rogers Mays Rosamond. I believe that the three Mays children to whom Benjamin was made guardian after his marriage to Jane were her children by Abner Mays, Sr. Their names were Abner, Jr., Aletha and Jessee.
In the 1860 census, Ally Wright, daughter of Althea Mays Wright is listed as living in the household of Jane Rogers Mays Rosamond.
Personal note: I can remember my dad, Ennis Herman Rosamond, and my Aunt Christine Rosamond Stedman referring to Benjamin's second wife Jane as the Widow Mays. Also, Dad said on several occasions he remembers his grandfather, Marion Francis Rosamond (son of Benjamin and Jane) referring to his brother Daniel. This must be Daniel Mays who was under Benjamin and Jane's guardianship after the death of his father.
In an email from Ruth Menhel, she said she had a record from the probate court in Edgefield County, SC that shows Benjamin and Jane Rogers being married in 1845.
Per "Attala County Pioneers" by Betty Couch Wiltshire:
Kosciusko, Attala County, MS Probate Book 1, 1858-1863.
Page 35: (Is this the page in Probate Book, or in "Attala County Pioneers"??
"James Rosamond, Guardian of Jerusha W. and Tilman J. Rosamond.(Note: Tilman is the brother of Marion Franklin Rosamond. Also, what is the date of this record? It can be assumed that Benjamin Rosamond died prior to this event, so it could help date Benjamin's death.)
Page 105:
May 16, 1859 - "Jane Rosamond, guardian of Marion F. and Tillman J. Rosamond presented her annual account".
Note: According to birth date of 1803 from Rogers book, Jane was forty-five years old when Marion Franklin Rosamond was born (making her age 48 at the time of the 1850 census), and about 47 when Tillman Jasper was born.This conflicts with birth date in 1850 census which shows her as 44 years old, i.e. born in 1806.
More About Benjamin Rosamond:
Census: 1850, Attala County, Mississippi.43
Children of Benjamin Rosamond and Susannah Hill are:
- +Thomas Henry Rosamond, b. October 19, 1811, Abbeville District, SC43, d. 188643.