Jacob Edward Sessions Sr. (1814 - 1875)

Born 14 Aug 1814 in South Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Florida Celebes Sessions — married 11 Jul 1861 in Providence, Union, Florida

Descendants

Died 17 Mar 1875 at age 60 in Lake Butler, Bradford County, Florida

Biography

In order to understand the migration pattern of the Sessions in Florida, maps are a helpful "visual." The FL county boundaries changed rapidly and numerous counties are mentioned in our early Sessions' family records to name a few: Hamilton, Columbia, New River, Union, Baker, Bradford and Alachua. A good multi-map reference is available the Florida Center for Instructional Technology. [2] ^[1] They basically situated in a small area of townships known as MacClenny, Waldo and Manntown where they are buried.

His proffered father, Edward Sessions who died about 1843, is said to have been a Methodist Circuit Riding Minister who had brought his family down from South Carolina in about 1835 or 40. Later recollections report our subject, the son, was also a circuit rider they called "Rev. Jake."

Occupation

Ministerial activities of Rev. Jake seem to come from the family tradition but may have hard evidence in earlier issues of the Baker County Press. ^[2] In censuses he gave his name as "E" and reported occupations of Clerk in Lee County GA 1850 and Wheelwright in 1870. [3]

The history is confusing as it's hard to imagine a clerk-wheelwright-circuit riding preacher all in one person. ^[3] Continuing: Rev. Jake Sessions' first wife's name was lost to present family members but they recall the names of that union's progeny - at which point the article lists incorrect children who were from a later generation. Part 2 of the story corrects this and continues with Jacob's second wife. One of the incorrect children was granddaughter Cora Estelle ^[4]

Jacob Edward Sessions and Two Wives

We know he had two wives. One wife appears to be Martha A. with him in 1850 and the second is Florida.as Florida Celebes Sessions whose father was Wade Hampton Sessions (another 'cousin') and mother Mary Allen appearing in Madison Co., FL about the same time as subject Rev. Jake did in Lake Butler, Union Co.

Death and Legacy

Reverend Jake Sessions completed his charge here on earth on the seventeenth day of March 1875, in Lawtey; and the widow moved up the old Alachua Trail Road to the little boomtown of Darbyville. ^[5] In the second part the writer offers profuse apologies admitting that he also reported Jake being in Lawtey in 1877! We don't know what went wrong but the 17 Mar 1875 date seems specific enough to be correct.

Obituary

"Rev. Edward Sessions, son of Edward and Mary(?) Sessions and brother of Rev. J.J. Sessions of Terrell County, Georgia, was born near Georgetown, South Carolina, August 14, 1814 and died near Lake Butler, Florida, March 17, 1875. He leaves a wife and eight children. W.J. Morris" Information provided by Jane Moore 1999 via by Geo Purdy Sessions, M.D. of Atlanta, Georgia. ^[6]

Jake is buried at Manntown Cemetery, Glen St. Mary, FL in a large family plot with a number of children and a grandchild or two. Only first names are on the markers. The Findagrave Memorials can be see here: [4]

Census Timeline

• 1840 Edward Sessions is in Lee Co., GA of the appropriate age with one son and one daughter, both under 5 years: 100010>10010> [5]
• 1850 on 2 Nov in Fiftieth Dist., Lee Co., GA as E. Sessions, 35 with wife Martha A., 25 and chn: John 12; Edward 8; Sarah 10; Susan 2; and No Name male, 2mos. His shown as a Clerk born SC. Everyone else was born in GA. [6]
• 1860 He is not located in SC, GA or FL. By 1858 or soon after he moved to New River Co., where Florida's father Hampton lived. On 11 Jul 1861 he married Florida Celebes Sessions in Providence, Union Co., FL which includes Lake Butler today. ^{[7] [8]}
• 1870 Again as E. Session, now 56 years with his second family is living in Bradford Co. Wife Florida is only 24, of the same generation as the next two who are Edward's children by his first wife. They are Susan, and her brother Jeremiah Osgood Sessions aka "No Name" now aged 19. "E" is shown as a Wheelwright and this was his last census entry. [7]

Sources

1. ↑ Courtesy of the Florida Center for Instructional Technology.
2. ↑ Issues: Oct 30, 1975; 1 Jan 1976; 3, 10 and 17 June 1976; 12 Aug 1976 and 2 Aug 1979.
3. ↑ The Baker County Press, 23 Aug 1979 P.2; The Way it Was by Gene Barber, column on "The Sessions Family, Pts 1 and 2.
4. ↑ Personal knowledge; grandmother
5. ↑ Barber, Gene, Baker County Press, "The Way It was: The Sessions Family, Part 1 Circuit Rider" issue 23 August 1979.
6. ↑ Southern Christian Advocate 1867-1878, Issue of May 19, 1875
7. ↑ New River is a 31-mile-long tributary of the Santa Fe River in northern Florida and was used as the border to create Union from Bradford county (formerly New River Co., Florida) in 1921.
8. ↑ [1]

• Barber, Gene, Baker County Press, "The Way It was: The Sessions Family, Part 1 Circuit Rider" issue 23 August 1979 and Part 2 "The Widow" issue 30 August 1879 in Baker Co., Florida.
• Personal knowledge; reviewed research and written by Breece-42
• Jacob Sessions on Find A Grave: Memorial #48202027