Huddie William Ledbetter (abt. 1889 - 1949)

Born about 20 Jan 1889 in Mooringsport, Caddo, Louisiana, United States [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Martha (Promise) Ledbetter — married 20 Jan 1935 in Wilton, Fairfield, Connecticut, United States

Died 6 Dec 1949 at about age 60 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States

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Biography

Huddie Ledbetter is Notable.

Huddie William "Lead Belly" Ledbetter was a legendary American folk blues singer. Some of his songs became standards like "Goodnight, Irene", "Midnight Special", and "Rock Island Line". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.^[1]

Huddie Ledbetter was born in 1889 to parents Wesley Ledbetter and Sallie Pugh. The date of 20 Jan 1889 was given by him on his WWII Draft Registration.

He received his first musical instrument, an accordion, as a gift from an uncle after he had moved to Texas with his father and mother, and he played on the streets of Dallas with such legends as "Blind Lemon" Jefferson.

In 1918 he was imprisoned for murder, after serving six years, he was pardoned by Governor Pat Neff, who had visited the prison and heard him sing.

Lead Belly was imprisoned for attempted murder in 1930 in the Angola, Louisiana prison farm

He passed away in 1949. He died penniless and is buried in Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery in Mooringsport, Louisiana.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: Lead Belly
2. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #6121635
   Memorial page for Lead Belly (20 Jan 1888-6 Dec 1949), citing Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery, Mooringsport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3GL-84W : accessed 25 January 2021), Herdy Ledbetter in household of Wes Ledbetter, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 41, sheet 5A, family 91, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,643.

• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M29B-3HT : accessed 25 January 2021), Hudy Ledbetter, Leigh, Harrison, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 35, sheet 13B, family 257, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1561; FHL microfilm 1,375,574.

• "Louisiana State Penitentiary Records, 1866-1963", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4MT2-CXN2 : 28 May 2020), Huddie or Leadbelly or Walter Ledbetter or William or Boyd, 1930.

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMTF-CPD : accessed 14 September 2017), Huddie Ledbetter, Police Jury Ward 07, West Feliciana, Louisiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 8, sheet 7A, line 34, family , NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 826; FHL microfilm 2,340,561.

• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQGH-GKZ : accessed 14 September 2017), Huddie Lebettor, Assembly District 6, Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 31-486, sheet 1A, line 15, family 6, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 2634.

• "United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTS7-G2J : 24 November 2020), Huddie Ledbetter, 1942; citing NARA microfilm publication M1936, M1937, M1939, M1951, M1962, M1964, M1986, M2090, and M2097 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q5QX-WTX7 : 18 July 2020), Mr Huddie Or Leadbelly Ledbetter, 1949.

• Wikidata: Item Q314310, en:Wikipedia