Asa Jefferson Williamson (1820 - 1893)

Born 16 Oct 1820 in Georgia, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Brooks) Williamson — married 1848 (to 1872) in Coffee, Alabama, United States

Husband of Cornelia Ann Bivins — married 2 Jul 1873 in Upshur, Texas, United States

Died 16 Sep 1893 at age 72 in Franklin County, Texas, USA

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Biography

Asa Jefferson Williamson was born on October 18, 1820 in Putnam, Georgia. He was the third of eight known children born to Henry Williamson and Polly Simmons. ^[1]

[When moved to Texas? 1850 Census shows Henry ( Father) in Coffee County, but Asa (age 29) is not listed in household or nearby.]

At the time of the 1860 United States Census, Asa was 39 years old and listed as a farmer in Chambers County, Alabama, with real estate valued at $700, and his personal estate valued as $9,000. His family included his first wife, Sarah E., 32, and 6 children between 1 and 11 years old. His children were all born in Alabama, while he and his wife were both born in Georgia. ^{[2] [3]}

Immediately adjacent to Asa's entry in the 1860 census was his younger brother Isaac's household, with real estate valued at $500 and personal estate at $5,000. His father Henry, next door on the other side, is listed as born in North Carolina, with real estate valued at $3,000 and personal estate at $45,000.

Note also that the 1860 census in southern states also included the "United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1860", which was filled out at the same time as the regular census. This is a record of enslaved people listed by their owners, without names but listing age, gender, and color of skin for each. Asa Williamson's listing included 8 unnamed enslaved people, as follows: 65 F B (a 65 year old female who was black); 22 M M (a 22 year old mulatto male); 20 M B (a 20 year old black male); 20 F B (a 20 year old black female), 20 F B (a 20 year old black female); 9 F B (a 9 year old black female); 7 F B (a 7 year old black female) and 1 M B ( a 1 year old black male). ^[4]

Asa's wife Sarah died in 1872. On July 2, 1873, Asa married widow [Bivens-446 |Cornelia Bivins Birdsong] in 1873 in Upshur County, Texas. In 1880, he was 59 and living in Franklin, Texas, with his wife Cornelia, 41, and children from both of their previous marriages. ^[5]

On September 13, 1893, Asa died in Franklin County, Texas at age 73. He is buried in the Pleasant Hill cemetery, near Cornelia. ^[6] Note: Asa's Find A Grave memorial includes a striking photo of Asa, possibly in his sixties, and a granddaughter wrote the text .

To do: add profiles for all of Asa's known children with both wives. Note that Asa's youngest daughter Minnie Lominack died at age 83 in 1964 in Port Neches, Texas. Her death certificate identifies her father as Asa Williamson. ^[7]

Note for further research on the Williamson family: The Williamson family migration history illustrates the larger story of the land rush stimulated by the invention of the cotton gin and the expansion of slavery on the southern frontier prior to the Civil War. A useful starting place would be to research the migration of three generations of Williamsons prior to Asa, which cover dates, places and spouses of four generations of Williamsons through North Carolina, Georgia and then Chambers County, Alabama before the Civil War. and Texas. See: http://www.oocities.org/warreningriffin/wmsonall.htm

Sources

1. ↑ Family History of Zachariah Williamson (1752-1826) and his Descendants. https://www.oocities.org/warreningriffin/wmsonall.htm
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHDZ-DPF : Fri Oct 06 21:38:39 UTC 2023), Entry for Asa J Williamson and Sarah E Williamson, 1860.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHDZ-DPF : Fri Oct 06 21:38:39 UTC 2023), Entry for Asa J Williamson and Sarah E Williamson, 1860.
4. ↑ "United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1860", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WKNK-W6W2, Entry for Asa J Williamson, 1860.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1880", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFNZ-MV9 : Tue Oct 03 17:25:29 UTC 2023), Entry for Asa Williamson and Cornelia Williamson, 1880.
6. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVG4-46D4 : 13 December 2015), Asa J. Williamson, 1893; Burial, , Franklin, Texas, United States of America, Pleasant Hill Cemetery; citing record ID 111666669, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
7. ↑ "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3XN-CFR : Tue Nov 28 00:15:01 UTC 2023), Entry for Minnie Lominack and Asa Williams, 04 Feb 1964.