John Drake III (abt. 1805 - aft. 1880)

Born about 1805 in St. Martin, Louisiana, Orleans Territory, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Ashworth) Drake — married 10 Mar 1828 in Opelousas, Saint Landry, Louisiana

Descendants

Died after 1880 after about age 75 in Louisiana, United States [uncertain]

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Biography

John Drake III is a part of US Black heritage.

John Drake (III), a free man of color, said to have been a son of mulatto or melungeon John "Santiago" Drake and his white wife, Rosalie Abshire, was born in Louisiana, with an estimated date of birth c.1805.

His (putative) parents married in St. Martinville, Louisiana on 18 May 1800,^[1] and had three children baptized "in 1804" -- sequentially numbered in the record book, so most likely on the same day, and assumed here in order of birth. The first numbered entry, Francois, is here estimated born September 1800, based on his parents' wedding date and particular circumstances. (It seems unlikely that his mother's white parents would have allowed her to marry a free man of color at only 17 -- when interracial marriage was at that time prohibited by law-- unless a child was already on the way.) Second numbered entry Aaron's birth is estimated here at 1802, and their sister Angela, recorded last, is estimated here to have been born in 1803. No baptism record has yet been found for John (yet there is one for Solomon in 1813).

It seems reasonable to infer from the 1804 baptisms that John and Rosalie didn't have regular access to a priest, so based on the above and his marriage in 1828, John Drake's birth, if he was their son, could have been as early as 1804 (after the priest continued on his circuit) and as late as 1807 (unless he was a minor when he married in 1828). Because he wasn't baptized along with Solomon in 1813, it can further be surmised that he was old enough to not have been available when the priest came around.

On U.S. census records, race was generally determined by the eye of the census-taker, which accounts for the inconsistencies recorded over the years for many mixed-race persons. In 1820, John theoretically would have been 13 to 16 years old. His father's St. Mary Parish household was composed of a combined total of nine "free white" and "free colored" family members, and was listed next to his sister's "free colored" household, headed by Alexander Buxton (m. Marie Louise Drake), in St. Martin Parish. John Sr.'s household consisted of one free colored man, age over 45 (that would be John Sr.); one white male and one white female, ages 16-26; one free colored male and one free colored female, ages under 14; three colored males and three colored females ages 16-26. No slaves.^[2] Unless his mother Rosalie's age group is an error by the census taker, his father may have been widowed by 1820.

Maybe because their grandfather's name was John Aaron, there has been much confusion of John with his possible older brother, Aaron. To make it worse, the two both married Ashworth women. Aaron Drake married Sarah Ashworth on November 26, 1831.^[3]

John Drake married Elizabeth "Betsy" Ashworth on March 10, 1828 in Louisiana. ^[4]

Known children of the marriage:

1. Michey (Michelle?) Drake (c.1828)
2. Rachel Drake Clarke (c.1830)
3. Mary Gencey Drake (c.1833)
4. James Drake (c.1835)
5. Diana Drake (c.1837)
6. Ellender Drake (c.1840)
7. Jesse Drake (c.1842)
8. Milley Drake (c.1843)

In 1840 he was counted on the census in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, as a free man of color, age 36-55, with a free woman of color of the same age group, six daughters and a son; also a free woman of color age 55 or older.^[5] He was counted there again in 1850, but by then he was a widower with seven or ten children (the three youngest, listed after "Michey," seem likely hers-- his grandchildren).^[6]

By 1860 he had remarried. He and his wife, Dinah, were counted on the census in Rapides Parish, with four children^[7] In 1870 they were back in Calcasieu Parish. He was counted with several children and their spouses and children.^[8] In 1880 he was listed as eighty and living in his daughter's household in Calcasieu Parish.^[9]

John Drake died sometime after the census of 1880. Other researchers have attributed a Calcasieu Parish gravestone to him which says he died in 1892 and was with the NC Militia during the War of 1812. Anyone who died in 1892 and also was a soldier in 1812-15 would have been born before 1800. John Santiago Drake was old enough, but was living in Louisiana during the War of 1812.^[10]

Research Notes

• There is no documentary evidence here yet that he was a son of John Santiago Drake and Rosalie Abshire. It's entirely possible he was their nephew.

• "John Aaron Drake" was original name of the profile, but it is actually the names of two men combined, and the name of their grandfather. Aaron Drake married Sarah Ashworth on November 26, 1831. John Drake, this man, married Betsy Ashworth.

• According to the Louisiana marriage record of the Drake brothers' parents, their father was "mulatto libre." He was undoubtedly free; the "mulatto" term, however, is ambiguous. "The Real Academia Española traces [the term's] origin to mulo in the sense of hybridity; originally used to refer to any mixed race person." ^[11] Their grandmother, Charity Chavez, is said to have been at least part Native American.

Sources

1. ↑ Donald J. Hébert, Southwest Louisiana Records, 1750-1900, compact disk #101 ("SWLR CD"), (Rayne, LA: Hébert Publications, 2001; reprints by Claitor's Publications);
   • DRAKE, John - mulatre libre of Carolina; 14 years in this parish (Aaron & Charite CHEVES - of Virginia - 14 yrs. here) "Informacion de Solteria Producida" - [Marriage Investigation regarding the freedom to marry] dated: 10 May 1800

   [The application is in her name - since she marries a free mulatto.]

   Rosalie ABCHER - 17 years old (Jean - of Pennsylvania & Francoise HARTGREVE - of Virginia & 21 years in this parish) Assistant Wits: Charles Daniel FAGOT & John WHITE; Wits: Pierre ABCHER, John DRAKE, Jean Baptiste Louis CHEMIN, Jean THOMASSON, John DARAY, Mark LEE. Fr. Michel Bernard BARRIERE (SM Ch.: Marriage Investigation: Folio D, #24)

   • DRAKE, John - mul. libre of S. Carolina; 4 years in this parish (Aaron - of Elizabeth County, Virginia & Charity CHEVES - also of Virginia, all "mul. libres" [free mullattos] & 4 years of this parish) m. 18 May 1800 Rosalie ABCHER (John - of Pennsylvania & Francoise HARTGRAVE - of Virginia, they are 21 years in this parish) Wits: John ABCHER - father of bride, Aaron DRAKE - father of groom, Carlos Daniel FAGOT, Jean Baptiste Louis CHEMIN, Colas HEBERT, John THOMASSON, John DARCY, Marie Lee WHITE. Fr. Michel Bernard BARRIERE (SM Ch.: v.4, #195)
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHLW-GNT : accessed 10 December 2017), John Drake, St Martin, Louisiana, United States; citing p. 148, NARA microfilm publication M33, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 31; FHL microfilm 181,357.
3. ↑ "Louisiana Marriages, 1816-1906," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F4Z3-7ZT : 4 December 2014), Aaron Drake and Sarah Ashworth, 26 Nov 1831; citing reference ; FHL microfilm 6,010,600.
4. ↑ "Louisiana Marriages, 1816-1906," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4Z3-J2Z : accessed 18 January 2016), John Drake and Betsy Ashworth, 10 Mar 1828; citing reference ; FHL microfilm 6,010,599.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHTM-FHH : 8 December 2020), John Drake, Calcasieu, Louisiana, United States; citing p. 78, NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCJQ-NJF : 22 December 2020), John Drake, Calcasieu, Louisiana, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

   John Drake Male 40 Louisiana

   Jenny Drake Female 17 Louisiana

   James Drake Male 15 Louisiana

   Diana Drake Female 13 Louisiana

   Glenda Drake Female 10 Louisiana

   Jessey Drake Male 8 Louisiana

   Milley Drake Female 7 Louisiana

   Michey Drake Female 22 Louisiana

   Alfred Drake Male 4 Louisiana

   Uncle Drake Male 2 Louisiana

   Elisabeth Drake Female 1 Louisiana

7. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFP7-SV3 : 11 November 2020), John Drake, 1860.

   John Drake Male 50 La

   Dinah Drake Female 46 La

   Jesse Drake Male 18 La

   Melissa Drake Female 16 La

   Alfred Drake Male 14 La

   Emiley Drake Female 12 La

8. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8QT-2KQ : 19 March 2020), John Drake, 1870.

   John Drake Male 65 Louisiana

   Ellen Brunon Female 28 Louisiana

   Lucretia Brunon Female 10 Louisiana

   Levy Brunon Male 9 Louisiana

   Simeon Brunon Male 7 Louisiana

   Melissa Brunon Female 5 Louisiana

   Harvey Heard Male 50 Louisiana

   Melissa Heard Female 25 Louisiana

   William Smith Male 5 Louisiana

   Alfred Drake Male 22 Louisiana

   Emily Drake Female 19 Louisiana

   Elizabeth Drake Female 17 Louisiana

   Melinda Drake Female 15 Louisiana

9. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD6V-68V : 7 September 2017), John Drake in household of William Smithheart, Lower Sabine, Calcasieu, Louisiana, United States; citing enumeration district ED 10, sheet 532D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,254,450.

   William Smithheart Self Male 34 Mississippi, United States

   Elinder Smithheart Wife Female 34 Louisiana, United States

   Lavinda Smithheart Daughter Female 9 Louisiana, United States

   William Smithheart Son Male 14 Mississippi, United States

   Levi Brannif Stepson Male 19 Louisiana, United States

   Sim Brannif Stepson Male 17 Louisiana, United States

   Molissa A Brannif StepdaughterFemale 15 Louisiana, United States

   Mary S Herd Step-niece Female 10 Louisiana, United States

   John Drake Father-in-law Male 80 Louisiana, United States

10. ↑ FindAGrave Memorial, maintained by: Celeste Simmons; originally created by: Melissa Daigle; record added: Mar 14, 2009. Find A Grave: Memorial #34805832
11. ↑ Wikipedia, "Mulatto," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulatto Real Academia Española. Retrieved 14 June 2017. De mulo, en el sentido de híbrido, aplicado primero a cualquier mestizo.