William Eison (abt. 1844 - aft. 1900)

Born about 1844 in Union, South Carolina, United States

Descendants

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Biography

William Eison is a part of US Black heritage.

William Eison was born enslaved by John Hames Eison, along with his mother, Elvira, and two brothers, John, and Fayette. John Eison eventually moved his family and enslaved people to Lauderdale, Tennessee.

Information about William is known mainly through a 1909 court case called "Gamble vs Rucker". WIlliam's father was alleged to be an older enslaved man, who had a daughter named Lucinda, a woman enslaved by John Eison, who was the same age as Elvira. The defendant, Mrs. Clara Rucker, was William's daughter.

William had Clara aged seventeen in 1861, her mother was Ada, another enslaved person of John Eison, who was the daughter of John's other enslaved person, a man named Ira.

Ada's fate remains unknown, it is not mentioned what happened to her, she presumably died. During the Civil War, William ran away to join the Union army. After the war, he returned and settled in Lauderdale, but Clara was sent to live with Andrew Soward (an ex-slave), and his family.

William married Melissa Jones in Lauderdale, on April 24, 1874. They had three daughters, India, Florence, and Harriet. Not much is known about William after 1880. It is presumed he was still alive in 1900,

In the 1900 census, his mother Elvira Eison stated that she had given birth to thirteen children, and that only two were living at the time. Fayette died after 1880, so it is presumed Willliam was also living at the time and died after 1900.

Sources

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GH49-N4R