William C. Burnett - Murdered in Beaumont

Several of Alfred and Julia Burnett’s grandchildren suffered tragic deaths.  There was a work related fatality, an accidental drowning and murders to name a few.
One of the murdered grandchildren was Sherrod Burnett’s son William C. Burnett, born 18-Mar-1876.  William was murdered in Beaumont, Texas on 10-Feb-1914.

The story goes that William, a carpenter by trade and resident of Lake Charles, LA, was in Beaumont working with his brother in law, C.F. Myers.  He was shot and killed by Harvey F. Myers at 10 O’clock at the intersection of College and Park Street.   Harvey F. Myers was a brother to C.F Meyers.  A newspaper account of the murder can be found below.[1]   The newspaper article does not state a motive for the slaying.  A better image of the article can be found by clicking here.

William left behind a wife name Mattie and three children.  William is buried next to his parents in Orange Grove Cemetery in Lake Charles.   




Newspaper account of murder

William C. Burnett's Death Certificate

William C. Burnett's Tombstone, photo by Michael Burnett on 17-May-2014



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[1] Lake Charles Man Shot Dead By Relative On Beaumont Street”, Lake Charles Weekly American Press,   13-Feb-1914, Page 8.

Ancestry DNA - On Sale Through Father's Day

For those interested in genetic genealogy, Ancestry has their autosomal DNA kit on sale through 21-Jun-15.  The sale price is $89, which is $10 off the normal price.  Click here for more information.  All that is needed to take the Ancestry DNA test is a saliva sample.

Currently we have autosomal DNA from 15 of Alfred and Julia Burnett’s descendants.   Additionally, there is autosomal DNA from six of William C. Seaman’s descendants and eight descendants of Ignatius Grantham and Catherine Sheffield.

The DNA results are interesting - to say the least. I will be blogging about them in the near future.  If anyone has questions about autosomal DNA please contact me and I will do my best to answer.

William C. Seaman and Catherine Sheffield Marriage

William Christopher Seaman was married to Catherine Sheffield.  Record of the marriage can be found in the probate court records of Wayne County, Georgia.   Wayne County is where Catherine’s father, West Sheffield’s will was probated.  The marriage record can be found in the book, “Estates 1822-1855” page 202. 

 The following is as it is recorded in Wayne County.

State of Mississippi

Jackson County

I  Allen McLendon Clerk of the County Court of said county do certify that the rites of Matrimony was duly Solemnized between William C. Seaman and Catharine Grantham on the Second day of November in the year of our Lord on Thousand eight hundred and twenty eight as certified to this office by A. McLendon justice of the Peace. Given under my hand and private Seal there being no seal of office this 11^th day of January 1832.

A. McLendon Clk Cty[1]

It is possible the original letter from the Jackson County Clerk is filed with the West Sheffield estate loose papers.  Catherine was previously married to Ignatius Grantham, so at the time of her marriage to William Seaman her last name was Grantham.

The Jackson County, Mississippi court house burned in 1875 taking all of the records with it.  Unless a descendant has the original marriage license or certificate the recorded information in Wayne County, GA is the best proof we have of the marriage.

Wayne County, GA Estates 1822-1855, p. 202

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[1] "Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-30378-15495-40?cc=1999178&wc=9SBM-44M:267823301,267841001 : accessed 14 June 2015), Wayne > Estates 1822-1855 > image 103 of 174; county probate courthouses, Georgia.

 

William C. Seaman, Part IV

William Christopher Seaman, my GGG grandfather, was born in the Township of Granville, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada.  The Province of Nova Scotia is located on the east coast of Canada and Granville is located in the southwestern part of Nova Scotia.

William is the son of William Seaman 07-Aug-1764 to 14-Dec-1835 and Elizabeth Brewerton Benson 11-Jan-1771 to 13-Aug-1840. William’s material grandfather was Christopher Benson, which could be the source of his middle name. William had an older brother also named William Christopher Seaman who was born in 1792 and died in 1793.[1]

There are many online sources that show William’s birth date to be 16-Jun-1796, which is possible; however none of these cite the source of this date.    What we can find evidence of is William being baptized 09-Aug-1796, Middle District, Granville, Nova Scotia, Canada.[2]

By 1800 William and his family had moved to New York City, New York.   Little is known about William growing in New York City and by 1818 William was residing in Jackson County, Mississippi.

 William died in 1844 and is buried in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Map of Nova Scotia, Canada

[1] Burgess, Ross, and Ruth Burgess. Granville Township Book. Middleton, NS: Annapolis Valley MacDonald Museum, 2000. Print.

[2] Morse, William I. Gravestones of Acadie: And Other Essays on Local History, Genealogy and Parish Records of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. London: Printed by A. Smith & Co, 1929. Print.

William C. Seaman, Part III, Estate Appraisal

William Christopher Seaman died intestate or simply put, not having a will.

There is an extensive file concerning W.C. Seaman’s estate located in the Chancery Court records of Harrison County, Mississippi.  The file covers a period of two years after William’s death and a lot of interesting information can be gleaned from these records.

One of the first documents required by the court was an appraisal of the “goods, chattels and personal estate of William C. Seaman”.[1]  An appraisal of the estate was presented to the court on 19-March-1845.  The appraisal included an inventory and a list of people owing money to William.  These assets totaled $192.87, which is about $6,000 in today’s money.  Sadly, this was not enough money to cover William's debts.  Other court records document the sale of his real property to settle his debts.

Listed below is a partial list of the items appraised.

Two looking glasses, $2.00.

Three bedsteads, $6.00.

Two feather beds, $3.00.

Two tables, $1.50.

One writing desk, $3.00.

One dozen chairs, $4.00.

One lot of books, $2.00.

Two wheelbarrows $.75,

On cow, $5.00.

On pair of millstones, $1.50.

One pirogue, $.50

One skiff, $1.00.

A scan of the appraisal can be found below.

 

Estate Appraisal of W.C. Seaman page 1.

Estate Appraisal of W.C. Seaman page 2.

 

Every effort is made to cite my sources and give credit to others that have supplied information or photos for this blog.  If you use photos or information from this blog, including use in your Ancestry.com family tree, please consider giving credit to those which have furnished the information or citing the source for the material. Most of the credits or citations can be found in the photo captions or in the footnotes section.

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[1] Estate of William C. Seaman Appraisal, filed 26-May-1845.  Harrison County, Mississippi Chancery Court Records.

Magnolia Cemetery - "Graveyard Working"

On Saturday, 18-Apr-2015, Magnolia Cemetery in Ragley, Louisiana held a “Graveyard Working”, or Cemetery Cleanup Day.  This day is when family members and friends meet at the cemetery to clean and perform maintenance to their family’s graves.  It rained the night before, so the turnout was light. Nevertheless, a few brave souls showed up to help clean and preserve this graveyard.

Magnolia Cemetery is in the Ragley community, which is located in the SE part Beauregard Parish.  Magnolia is an old cemetery with graves dating back to the 1880’s or earlier.  The cemetery is divided into two sections by a chain link fence.  The section on the east side is where the oldest graves are located.  Two sides of the cemetery are bordered by tall pine trees and another side by Magnolia Church Road and the Masonic Lodge.

There are many Burnett’s and associated families buried in this cemetery.  Two of Alfred and Julia Burnett’s children are buried there; Sidnah and James Jefferson.

George Gilley and Pheriba Davis Gilley are buried at Magnolia Cemetery too.  Three of George and Pheriba’s children married children of Alfred and Julia Burnett and a fourth child married a grandchild of Alfred and Julia.

 Augustus Hodges and Alizenith Insall Hodges are also interned at Magnolia Cemetery.   Many of the Burnett’s in the Ragley area are related to this Hodges line.

During the cemetery cleanup day, we were able to clean the graves and headstones of James Jefferson Burnett, wife Leona, and Sidnah Burnett Gilley.  Below is a map of where James Jefferson and Sidnah’s graves are located and some before and after photos of the cleanup.


Aerial view showing grave location of James Jefferson Burnett and Sidnah Burnett Gilley.

James Jefferson and Leona Burnett graves before and after clean up. Photos by Michael Burnett.

Sidnah Burnett Gilley headstone before and after clean up.  Photos by Michael Burnett 18-Apr-15.



William C. Seaman, Part II

William Christopher Seaman spent much of his adult life serving in local and state government.  During this time he lived in Hancock, Jackson and Harrison County, Mississippi.  These three counties are located in the most southern part of Mississippi and are adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico.  There is evidence that William was a lawyer, which is consistent with the government positions he held.

Below are some of the documented positions he held.

1822, 1824 -Justice of the Peace, Jackson County

1827 - Representative, Jackson County to the Mississippi Legislature

1832 - Delegate, Jackson County to the Constitutional Convention of Mississippi

1841 - President Board of Police, Jackson County

1842 - Clerk of Court, Harrison County

Below are some good sources for further researching William Christopher Seaman’s public life.

Jackson County Courthouse archives, Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Harrison County Courthouse archives, Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi.

Cain, Cyril Edward. Four Centuries on the Pascagoula. Spartanburg, SC: Reprint, 1983. Print.

Cassibry, Nap L. Early Settlers and Land Grants at Biloxi. 5th ed. Vol. I, II. Biloxi, Miss.: Mississippi Coast Historical & Genealogical Society, 1986. Print.

Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi: Embracing an Authentic and Comprehensive Account of the Chief Events in the History of the State, and a Record of the Lives of Many of the Most Worthy and Illustrious Families and Individuals. Place of publication not identified: publisher not identified, 1962. Print.

 

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