Langston Family Study by E.J. Stephens Jr.

Date: 21 Feb 1984
Location: Union County, Mississippi, USA
Surnames/tags: Langston Mississippi

This family study was written by Edgar J. Stephens Jr. for Erin Langson Carlisle in 1984. The letter, study, and certain transcriptions are in the possession of Anna Lamb. Below is a transcript of the study as written by Mr. Stephens.

The Langston Family

William T Langston was born in S.C. about 1779 or 1800 of parents who also were born in S.C. As a young man, he moved to Georgia where he was married but the name of his wife has not been established. His son, Leroy Jasper Langston, was born in Georgia in 1819.

W.T. Langston may have come on to that part of old Pontotoc County, Miss. which later was in Union County. It is said that he was a Baptist minister who was pastor of churches in several southern and western states but that he requested he be buried at New Albany, Miss.

The next record of him is in the 1880 census of Union Co., Miss. He was 80 years old at the time. While in Texas, he had married Mrs. Mary Nowlin, a widow who was born in Prussia of German parents. In their home was their daughter, Laura, age 10, and Mary Langston’s son, John Nowlin, age 16, both of whom were born in Texas. Also in the home was James Brooks, W.T. Langston’s great-grandson.

James Brooks’ identity is proof that William T. Langston was the father of Leroy J. Langston as developed in the sketch of the latter.

It is not known when W.T. Langston died and his burial place has not been located. Mary may have returned to Texas after her husband’s death because James Brooks was living in Blooming Grove, Navarro Co., Texas when L.J. Langston died.

Laura Langston was living in Union. Co., Miss. when she was married to Pat Mahoney on October 3, 1886 in a ceremony performed by Rev D.L. Cogdell. L.J. Langston was bondsman on the marriage license application.

Leroy Jasper Langston

Leroy Jasper Langston was born in Georgia in 1819. He married Anna B. Glenn, age 19, who was born in Alabama in 1826. Whether they were married in Alabama or Mississippi is not known but their oldest son was born in Miss. in 1845.

Anna B. Langston was the daughter of James J Glenn and Margaret Glenn, both of whom were born in S.C.

J.J. Glenn had settled near the Town of New Albany prior to 1847, for about June 1, 1847 he deeded to Joseph A. Robbins over 100 acres of land located, according to present landmarks, east of North Street and bisected by Miss. Highway 15 North. About January 1, 1850, Mr. Robbins sold L.J. Langston 130 acres of land, including part of the Glenn property he had purchased, for the sum of $590.

In 1849, Mr. Langston was serving as Constable in Police District No. 1, Pontotoc Co. in the area now Union Co. During the Civil War, he served with the 5th Regiment, First Brigade, CSA.

On August 18, 1866, J.J. Glenn deeded to Anna B. Langston 160 acres of land, the consideration being his love and affection for his daughter, the grantee of the deed. This land was described as the NE1/4 of Section 9, Township 7 South, Range 2 East and in later years was known as the Thomas M. Coker homeplace on Miss. Highway 30 East.

On the same date, Mr. Glenn sold to L.J. Langston, for the sum of $1,582.50, the 296½ acres of land which joined the land given to Anna. Though he bought and sold land for profit, he retained this 296½ acres as long as he lived. He always signed his name “L.J. Langston” but two records indicate that he was usually called by his middle name “Jasper”.

The 1870 census of Pontotoc Co. listed him as Jasper Langston, age 51, occupation farmer, with real estate valued at $4,000 and personal property valued at $3,000.

During these years together Jasper and Anna became the parents of six known children, all of whom were born in Miss.:

Robert A., in 1846

William Thomas, on February 14, 1848

Margaret, in 1850

John Oliver, in 1852

Eliza, in 1854

Asa N., in 1858

On the 1870 census, there were listed with Jasper and Anna their daughter, Margaret Brooks, with her 3 year old son James, and Oliver, Eliza, Asa, and Louis Langston, Harriet Glenn age 17, and Anna’s father John Glenn, age 78, classed as a retired farmer. Louis Langston, also born in 1854, has not been identified.

Robert, age 24, and William, age 22, were on their own. Robert was listed as owning personal property only, valued at $550 while William owned real estate valued at $1,200 and personal property valued at $200.

New Albany was beginning to grow and businesses were relocating on Mill Street (now West Bankhead). In 1876 E.P. “Pete” Wiley operated a grocery house and saloon on part of the lot now occupied by the Jackson Hardware building. In 1877, he and Jasper Langston bought a lot across Mill Street and operated a like business there.

Anna B. Langston died prior to 1880, still owning the 160 acres of land her father had given her. On January 12, 1884, Eliza sold her undivided 1/7th interest in the land to J.O. Langston for $100. On December 21, 1844, A.N., R.A., and W.T. Langston sold the interest each owed in said land to John Oliver Langston for the total sum of $450.

Margaret Books had died leaving her minor children, James Brooks and Anna D. Wiley who jointly owned a 1/7th. In order that J.O. Langston might acquire a fee simple title to the land, on April 25, 1887, J.L. Langston filed suit in the Chancery Court of Union County, Miss. for partition of the land through sale under court order, making all persons owing an interest in the land parties to the suit.

James Brooks, age 20, was living in Texas and Anna D. Wiley age 12, and J.O. Langston were in Union County. Neither of the minors had legal guardians but summons was issued to A.S. Wiley, father of Annie Wiley. At a public sale ordered by the court, J.O. Langston purchased the property for $630.

After Anna’s death, L.J. Langston married Harriet Collins Wilson, daughter of Moses Collins and Elizabeth Smith Houpt Collins, who was born in 1821. Harriet, a widow, was first married to Dr. Mumford Wilson and the couple lived first at Tardyville and then on a large lot across the street from and west of the courthouse, part of which is now the site of First National Bank. At the time of her marriage to Dr. Wilson, her father gave her 100 acres of land known as the Town Lands. This property lay north of High Buncomb Road (now Highland Street in New Albany) plus the land on which the former Rainey Hotel building was located. The couple had no children.

The 1880 census of Union Co. lists Leroy J. and Harriet Langston, Asa N. Langston, son age 21, and Anna Wiley, granddaughter age 5. There also were two servants.

A railroad company began acquiring right-of-way for construction of a railroad running east from Memphis in 1885 and acquired a 100 foot right-of-way along the south side of Harriet’s 100 acre tract. Known as the Memphis, Selma, and Brunswick R.R., it was succeeded by the Memphis, Birmingham and Atlantic R.R and finally became the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham R.R. in 1887. The Gulf & Ship Island R.R., running north and south, acquired right-of-way from Harriet along the west side of her 100 acres in 1877.

This 100 acre tract was later surveyed and platted as the Rogers Survey of the Langston Subdivision. Usually referred to as the RSLS, it is the principal area in “north town”. The surveyor was Dr. Marion Fenner Rogers, father of the late Miss Daisy Rogers.

L.J. Langston died February 21, 1889 in Union Co., Miss. His heirs were his widow, Harriet Langston; his sons, Robert, Oliver and Asa; his daughter Eliza; children of his predeceased daughter, Margaret, being James J. Brooks and Annie D. Wiley; and children of his pre-deceased son, Thomas Langston, being Turah, A. DeWitt, Robert Lee, Emma, Lula, Lillie and Crenna Langston.

On February 27, 1889, J. Oliver Langston and A. Eliza Langston joined a petition to the Chancery Court of Union Co. for the appointment of J.O. Langston to serve as administrator of decedent’s personal estate. The money received from sale of the personal property and from collection of accounts owed to the estate totaled $765.90.

Since the administration of the estate did not include decedent’s land and since minors’ rights were involved, Eliza Langston on September 3, 1889 filed a petition for sale under court order of decedent’s 457 acres of land which was purchased at the public sale for a total amount of $1,446.

By, 1891, J.O. Langston had moved to Navarro Co., Texas and Harriet was with him. She had returned to Union County by October 7, 1896 when she deeded to J.A. Collins the SW ¼ of Section 13, Township 7 South, Range 2 East in consideration of his agreement to maintain and support her during her natural life. She also reserved a life estate in the land.

Harriet had died by March 21, 1898 when J.A. Collins conveyed the property to his wife, M.A. Collins. Harriett’s grave has not been located but she may have been buried in the space next to her father in the Collins lot in the New Albany cemetery.

William Thomas Langston

William Thomas Langston was born on February 14, 1848 in Miss., the second child of L.J. and Anna B. Langston. When the 1870 census of Pontotoc Co., Miss. was made, he was a single man living near the home of his parents east of the Town of New Albany. In the next house was the family of John C. Glenn, his uncle. Thomas’ occupation was farmer with real property valued at $1,200 and personal property at #1,200.

Further east in the Locust Grove area was the home of John B. Stewart, a widower, with his daughter, Anna D. Stewart, who was born August 9, 1848. Her mother E.J. Stewart, who was born in S.C. in 1825, had died in 1863 and was buried in Ebenezer Associate Reformed Presbyterian church cemetery.

Samuel Stewart, born February 12, 1801 in Anderson District, S.C. was an Elder at Generostee A.R.P church and his wife, Rebecca S, Patterson Stewart, born December 1, 1804 in S.C., was a member of the same church. The couple with their eight children came to Mississippi in 1847, stopping first in Tishomingo Co. with the exception of their two oldest sons, John B. and William P., who came on to the Ebenezer A.R.P. church area with their uncle, James G. Stewart. The remainder of the family moved to the same area in 1849 where all of them, including the younger children as they became older, joined Ebenezer church. John B. Stewart removed from Ebenezer with his certificate in 1853.

Thomas Langston and Anna Stewart were married about 1870-1872. Since Union County was formed in July 1870 and the county courthouse burned in October 1881, all public records during this eleven year period were lost. Some deeds made during that period were recorded again in the new records which were started after the fire.

On May 5, 1877, L.J. Langston deeded to W.T. Langston an 80 acre tract of land in the Ingomar community (S ½ SW ¼ 31-7-3) and an undivided interest in other land west of this tract. This tract evidently was the Thomas Langston family home.

William Thomas and Anna D. Langston were the parents of seven children:

Turah, born September 29, 1873

A DeWitt, born November 1, 1874 (twin)

Robert Lee, born November 1, 1874 (twin)

Emma, born about 1876-1877

Lilla (Lillie), born December 22, 1877

Lula, born December 24, 1878

Crenna, born 1881

W.T. Langston died February 11, 1885 and was buried in New Albany cemetery.

After the death of L.J. Langston, petitions were filed in the Chancery Court of Union Co., Miss. on behalf of each child, stating that W. T. Langston was the father of the child and that L.J. Langston was grandfather of the child who should be entitled to share in both estates; that the child’s mother should be appointed legal guardian of said child. The court approved the appoint in each case, setting the guardian’s bond at $150 in each instance.

John. B. Stewart, Anna’s father, and W.A. Liddell, a druggist in New Albany, were sureties on each bond. Since the seven children would jointly share in a 1/7th interest in their grandfather’s estate, their joint share amounted to $57.07. From the sale of their grandfather’s land, Anna received for all guardianships a total amount of $183.65. The court authorized Anna to use these funds in the care and education of the children.

On January 12, 1901, Anna and six of her children sold to R.L. Langston, the seventh child, for the sum of $800 the north 80 acres of the home place and 2 acres in an adjoining section.

Anna Stewart Langston died December 24, 1935. She is buried in Ingomar cemetery.

Anna left a will by which she devised her property to her children and to the descendants of any predeceased children, so that all would share equally per stirpes. The devisees, on November 7, 1936, sold the home place (S ½ SW ¼ Sec. 31-8-3) to Mrs. Corinna Langston Carlisle.