Joseph C. Hudson (abt. 1800 - 1852)

Joseph C. Hudson was born about 1800. Neither the names of his parents nor the exact location of his birth are currently known. ^[1] He married during the early 1820s to a woman named Charlesyann. She was born between 1800 and 1810, location unknown. Joseph and Charlesyann had two daughters, one born between 1820 and 1825, and the other between 1825 and 1830; no information is known about them. ^[2] The youngest child of Joseph and Charlesyann was named William D. Hudson, born in Alabama about 1828. Since Joseph and his family lived in Butler County Alabama in 1830, presumably William’s birth occurred there. ^[3]

The government first offered the rich bottom lands just north of Butler County for sale to citizens in the late 1820s and early 1830s, causing a wave of migration northward across the county line. This region became Lowndes County in early 1830, and Joseph Hudson joined in the migration to Lowndes. In the late winter and early spring of 1836, Joseph Hudson of Lowndes County Alabama bought several tracts of government land totaling about 240 acres. One purchase listed his name as Josiah Hudson and the other as Joseph Hutson, although we think that our Joseph C. Hudson made both purchases. Josiah and his wife Charlesyann Hutson sold about 140 acres later that year on 27 December 1836. ^[4]

By 1840, Joseph C. Hudson and his family had moved to Montgomery County Alabama, which borders Lowndes to the west. He left no official records there; in particular, there is no indication that Joseph owned a farm in Montgomery County. ^[5]

Sometime between 1840 and about 1845, Joseph moved his family to Union Parish Louisiana. He never owned any land in Union Parish, but family tradition says he first settled near D'Arbonne, a small community south of Farmerville, but he later lived just east of Farmerville, between town and Bayou d’Loutre, and later at Point. On 23 October 1845, Hudson served as the security for Daniel Payne’s bond as curator of the estate of John A. B. Nash. This document shows that Hudson could not sign his name, as he made his mark in place of his signature. At Nash’s estate sale the following November 4th, Joseph Hudson purchased bridles, shoes, a fur hat, two caps, a mirror, tools, gloves, wool socks, handkerchief, collar, ten yards cloth, and a vest, all for $22.86½. On 20 January 1846, the property that did not sell at the first sale was again offered at auction, and Thomas Hudson purchased twenty pounds of tobacco and one pound of indigo for $2.60. ^[6]

This Thomas Hudson who purchased property at the Nash estate sale was mentioned in various Union Parish records during the 1840s along with Joseph C. Hudson. Since Joseph named his second son John Thomas Hudson, this Thomas Hudson may have been a brother or other close relative. On 3 June 1845, the Union Parish Police Jury assigned Thomas Hudson to work on the road from Farmerville to the d’Loutre Bridge. The next year, on 14 July 1846, both J. Hutson and Hudson and son were both assigned to work on the same road. In that era, road work was a required civic duty of all able-bodied male citizens, including mature teenaged boys.

On 7 September 1846, the Police Jury appointed Thomas Hudson as the Captain of Patrol in Ward 5; this meant Thomas Hudson was the captain of the local militia of the southern portion of the parish designated as Ward 5. On 5 March 1849, the police jury approved this ordinance:

"Be it ordained by the Police Jury of Union Parish That John R. Parker, E. R. Parker, Johnson Malone, W. H. Pickens, Joseph Hudson, David Ward, & Wm. Ham be and are appointed commissioners to review and mark out a road commencing at the Bridge at Van Hooks runing [sic] there on the most practable [sic] ground so as to intersect the Farmerville road between Wm. H. Pickens and David Ward and make report at the June term next."

Later that year, on October 8th, the jury approved this ordinance:

"Be it ordained by the Police Jury of Union Parish That Wm. Cooper, H. Anderson, Benj. Hall, Thos. Hudson, Wm. Payne, Needam M. Bryan, Rush be appointed Commissioners to view and mark a publick [sic] road from Farmerville to Runnells bluff on the Darbone and make their report at the next meeting of this body."

These records show that in 1849, Joseph and Thomas Hudson lived in the area just east of Farmerville. ^[7] Thomas Hudson purchased 160 acres of land several miles east of Farmerville in July 1849. He sold this property in January 1850 and then disappeared from Union Parish. ^[8]

Sometime between 1840 and 1847, Joseph's wife Charlesyann died, either in Alabama or after they moved to Louisiana. About 1847, Joseph C. Hudson married Susan Acree, the daughter of Beverly Dandridge and Susannah Margaret Bowman Acree. ^[9] Dandridge Acree's father, William Acree, had moved from Hanover County Virginia to Spartanburg District South Carolina, and then about 1813, to Rutherford County Tennessee. About the time of Susan Acree Hudson's birth, her parents moved to Madison County Tennessee, where they remained until 1834, when Dandrige moved his family to what was then Ouachita Parish, later Union. Both Dandridge and Susan Bowman Acree died by 1844. Susan and her siblings lived on their parents' farm after their deaths, and it appears that after her marriage to Joe Hudson, they farmed a portion of her father's old farm. In 1850, Susan and Joseph Hutson lived that, near Rugg's Bluff on Bayou D'Arbonne. The census indicates that that Joseph could not read or write. They are shown with their eldest child, Josephine was born in about 1848 or 1849. ^[10]

Joseph and Susan Hudson's second child John Thomas Hudson was born later that year, on 9 December 1850. A little more than a year later, on 14 September 1852, Joseph C. Hudson died. Susan’s brother Daniel B. Acree settled Joseph’s estate, which was very small. Joseph's property was valued at only $43.75, but was sold for $51.25.His estate had $23.50 cash on hand at the time of settlement. There was also one claim of $60.00 on William Impson and one note on Taylor for $20.25. This Taylor is very likely a relative, as later court records show that Ivy Taylor was a cousin to Joseph's son, William D. Hudson. The total value of the personal items in the possession of Joseph C. Hudson when he died was $198.75. Even in this era, this amount was very small. The original papers on which Daniel B. Acree recorded the information of Joseph's estate have survived, and the spelling is amusing. For the appraisement of the property, Daniel writes: “…apasement [sic] of J. C. Hudson propity" [sic], and he also writes “The Amount [sic] of Sail [sic]. ^[11]

Sources

1. ↑ 1850 Union Parish Louisiana Census, Population Schedule, page 403, #866, dated 24 September 1850. This census gives Joseph C. Hudson’s age as 50 and his birthplace as Alabama. However, his birthplace is almost certainly incorrect. In 1800 there were very few white people in what later became the State of Alabama. This area was then populated by Creek, Cherokee, and Choctaw Indians, white traders and trappers, and only a few white settlers around Mobile and in the northern part of the state. Most likely, someone other than Joseph gave his birthplace as Alabama, which was actually his prior residence before moving to Louisiana. Joseph C. Hudson was listed near Drury and John Bolling in Butler County Alabama in 1830, and this John Bolling had married a Hudson in Virginia. Thus, there is a slight possibility that Joseph and the Bollings moved to Alabama together from Virginia and were related.
2. ↑ 1830 Butler County AL Federal Census, p. 296, line #1: Joseph Hudson. 1840 Montgomery County AL Federal Census, p. 159, line #14: Joseph C. Hudson. Lowndes County AL Deed Book 3, p. 277 (Josiah and Charlesyann Hutson to Silverter Carlow, 27 December 1836). The name Josiah was often used interchangeably with Joseph during this time period, and since there were apparently no other men by these names in this area, we believe it is likely this couple is our Joseph C. Hudson and his first wife. However, we have no firm proof of this. The statements on the daughters of Joseph C. Hudson and his first wife come from the 1830 and 1840 censuses. Both of these censuses agree as to the number of daughters and their ages. There are two female Hudson marriages in Montgomery County Alabama in the 1840s, but both are connected to other Hudson families and are not Joseph's daughters. It is possible that one of his daughters was the Mary C. Hudson who married William H. Berry in Union Parish Louisiana on 17 March 1846 (Union Parish Louisiana Marriage Book M, p. 57). Nothing further is known about the daughters of Joseph C. Hudson.
3. ↑ Hudson family tradition, related to Timothy D. Hudson by Woodrow W. Hudson, Sr. and his sisters, Reita Belle Hudson Carmack (great-grandchildren of Joseph C. Hudson). It was common knowledge among my grandfather's brothers and sisters that their grandfather John T. Hudson (a proven son of Joseph C. Hudson) had a much older half-brother named William D. Hudson. Woodrow W. Hudson, Sr. often talked of his Hudson cousins living near Marion, all children and grandchildren of Joseph H. Hudson, the son of William D. Hudson.
4. ↑ Cahaba, Alabama Land Office Entry #28589, dated 7 April 1836. “Joseph Hutson of Lowndes County Alabama…” bought the N½ of the NW¼ of Section 26, Township 12, Range 16. He paid $100 cash for this 80 acres of land. We have found no record of his selling this land this property. Josiah Hudson bought land on 3 February 1836 in Township 12, Range 12 in Lowndes County Alabama From Lowndes County Alabama Deed Book 3, pp. 277 – 278: Josiah Hutson and his wife Charlesyann Hutson sold land to Silvester Carlow on 27 December 1836. For a price of $1200, they sold Carlow the NW¼ of the SW¼ (34.72 acres), the W½ of the NW¼ (69.44 acres), and the SW¼ of the SW¼ (34.72 acres), all in Section 3, Township 12, Range 12. John F. Johnson and Jacob Barron (a Justice of the Peace) witnessed the deed. Josiah and Charleseyann Hutson both made their marks to the deed, indicating they could not write their names. It is not entirely clear whether this couple is the same as our Joseph C. Hudson and his first wife; however, it appears to be.
5. ↑ 1840 Montgomery County AL Federal Census, p. 159, line #14: Joseph C. Hudson. The Hudson household consisted of Joseph and Charlesyann, plus one male aged 10–15, one male aged 15–20, one female 10–15, and one female 15–20, with two household members engaged in agriculture. The youngest male was Joseph's son William D. Hudson, but the male aged 15-20 is unidentified. He could have been a relative, border, or farm worker.
6. ↑ Union Parish LA Succession Book C, pp. 35–70. This record is the succession of the Estate of John A. B. Nash, a Union Parish merchant.
7. ↑ Union Parish Police Jury Minutes Book 2 contains the references to the Hudsons from 1845 and 1846. The references for 1849 come from the WPA Transcriptions of the original police jury records, on file in the Special Collections Department, Hill Memorial Library, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This original volume disappeared from the Union Parish Courthouse by the 1990s.
8. ↑ Ouachita, Louisiana Land Office Military Warrant #38718, for 161.20 acres in Section 2, Township 20, Range 1 East, in Union Parish Louisiana, located by Thomas Hudson on 29 July 1849. Union Parish Louisiana Deed Book D, p. 206 (Thomas Hudson to W. B. Cooper, 7 January 1850). Thomas Hudson of Union Parish Louisiana sold this land to W. B. Cooper for $750, with James A. Auld and J. B. Jones witnessing the deed. Thomas Hudson made his mark to the deed. As no further record of this Thomas Hudson is found in Union Parish, he must have left the area after this making this record.
9. ↑ 1850 Union Parish LA Federal Census, p. 408b, Households #865: Harvey Hayman; #866: Joseph Hutson; #867: Thomas Owens. 1898 Union Parish LA Voter Registration, J. T. Hudson, a farmer in Ward One, son of Joseph Hudson, registered 29 August 1898. Union Parish Louisiana Deed Book X, pp. 154–155 (Heirs of Dandridge Acree, including John T. Hudson, 7 November 1885).
10. ↑ 1850 Union Parish LA Federal Census, Agricultural Schedule, #15: Harvy Hayman; #16: Joseph Hutson; #17: Thomas Owens. Joseph Hudson’s name is very difficult to read on the 1850 census. It is actually written as Hutson, but the second letter is written over, and the “u” is difficult to decipher. In fact, the only obvious way to determine for certain that the surname is Hutson is by comparing the Population Schedule with the Agricultural Schedule, the list of all farms in each county or parish. The 1850 Union Parish Agricultural Schedule is very easy to read, and it lists the farm of Joseph Hutson between the farms of Harvey Hayman and Thomas Owens. The Population Schedule has Hayman’s household as #865 and Owen’s as #867. Thus, household #866 on the Population Schedule is undoubtedly then that of our Joseph C. Hudson. The enumerator visited this region on 24 September 1850, recording that Hudson’s farm was valued at $100 and that he could not read or write but Susan could. Joseph was listed as age 50, born in Alabama, Susan was 28 born in Tennessee, and their daughter Josephine was aged 1, born in Louisiana. Some distance north, Joseph’s son William D. Hudson was listed living in the household of Elisha Ward, household #79. William Hutson was aged 20, worked as Ward’s overseer, and was born in Alabama.
11. ↑ Union Parish LA Succession Book K, pages 153–154, succession of Joseph C. Hudson, Succession #702. On 2 December 1852, Daniel B. Acree petitioned the Union Parish court with the information that Joseph C. Hudson had died on 14 September 1852. Daniel B. Acree requested that he be appointed administrator, and this was granted. Joseph's heirs were not named in these estate records. The spelling refers to that recorded in Acree’s handwriting on the original estate papers. The spelling was corrected it was recorded in the succession book.