William Pearl Varnado (1811 - 1855)

Born 1811 in Indian Village, Marion County, Mississippi, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Rebecca Jane (Thompson) Varnado — married 1830 in Greensburg, St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, USA

Descendants

Died May 1855 at about age 44 in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, USA

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Biography

William Pearl Varnado was born 1811 in Indian Village, Marion County, Mississippi.

Lore states that while traveling from Georgia the group of travelers stopped because of flooding on the Pearl River, his mother began giving birth while there, waiting for the river to recede.

A settler, the only white man in the area, by the name of White came down to greet the group and invited the Varnado's to his cabin so that the mother could give birth in what comfort was available. Making an agreement that they would catch up in a day or so after the mother recuperated they stayed behind while the group moved on.

Several days later, when they continued on they couldn't locate the trail or catch up with the group so they stopped where Oskya, Mississippi is today and made a home there. According to Phillip Mullins book "The Ancestors Of George & Hazel Mullins" they were only about forty miles from their destination. Louis G. Varnado, who was born in 1874, is credited by Phillip Mullins with telling the above story in his book published in 1986 but he doesn't say how many days they traveled before giving up and stopping, nor is there mention of how many stayed behind. ^[1]

We know from the passport issued in Georgia that Samuel Varnado had his family with him. Did his grown children who traveled with him remain or travel onward?

Comment

See Migration Below

William Pearl would have been 19 years old at the time of the 1830 census. I was unable to locate him on that census.

So, we see from 1830 to his appearance on the 1840 Census for Pike County, Mississippi major changes in his life. He married and became a father to three children.

William Pearl married Rebeca Thompson who was the daughter of William P Thompson and Nancy Ward Thompson in 1833 Greensburg, St. Helena Parish, Louisiana. She was the youngest of seven children of Nancy who later would married Moses Varnado.

In the Census of 1840 we find William Pearl Varnado listed.^[2]

Between 1840 and 1850 William Pearl and Rebecca Thompson Varnado moved their family to St Helena Parish, Louisiana. We are unsure of why William Pearl decided to do this. Was it because of the influx of people to the Pike County, Mississippi area and the lack of available land? We may never know for sure. Was this just a continuation of the planned destination that was halted at his birth?

The town of Bolivar, St Helena Parish, Louisiana, which is just southeast of Spring Creek, Louisiana, is about 18 miles from Osyka, Mississippi, so this wasn't a major move away from family for William Pearl and Rebecca. It should also be mentioned that James Thompson who is found listed next door to William Pearl and Rebecca age 39 is a brother to Rebecca. He might have already been in that area when William Pearl and Rebecca moved their family there.

William Pearl Varnado lived and died in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana as shown in the records located in the 1850 Census for St Helena Parish, Louisiana.^[3]

This 1850 Census list in household # 373: Pearl Varnado age 37 born Mississippi, Rebecca age 37 born Louisiana, Nancy C. age 19 born Louisiana, Hardy age 17 born Louisiana, and Samuel H 13 born Louisiana.

Since the 1850 Census for St Helena Parish shows the children for William Pearl and Rebecca Thompson Varnado, we can get an approximate birth year for his children. Nancy C. was 19 so born about 1831, Hardy age 17 born about 1833, and Samuel H. age 13 born 1837.

William Pearl and Rebecca both died in 1855 due to a measles epidemic. This information came in part from an oral history taken from Mr. Junie Ricks who was quite elderly at the time and in part from the Doris Varnado Green papers in the public library in McComb, Mississippi.^[4] Mr. Junie Ricks also told us that William Pearl was buried near his home-place in St Helena Parish, Louisiana. No gravesites with stones exist as far as anyone has been able to locate.

The spelling of the surname changed from Varnadore to Varnado for the first time during his life. From that time to now the Varnado's of Louisiana and Mississippi use the Varnado spelling.

MIGRATION

Passports Issued By Governors Of Georgia, 1785 to 1809 and 1810 to 1820 (Page 81) MONDAY 18TH MARCH 1811 ON SEVERAL APPLICATIONS ORDERED THAT PASSPORTS BE ORDERED FOR THE FOLLOWING PERSONS TO TRAVEL THROUGH THE CREEK NATION OF INDIANS. ONE FOR MESSRS. SAMUEL VERNANDO AND JAMES HUGHES. THE FORMER WITH HIS WIFE SEVEN CHILDREN AND TO NEGROS AND THE LATTER HIS WIFE NINE CHILDREN AND TWO NEGROS AND ONE FOR MR. JOHN O. MACKER WITH HIS WIFE AND THREE CHILDREN, MRS SARAH MACKER AND NINE NEGROS ALL FROM ORANGEBURGH DISTRICT S.C.

Sources

1. ↑ Ancestors of George and Hazel Mullins Chapter 4: The Journey West
2. ↑ "United States Census, 840," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRL-VDP : accessed 1 May 2015), Wm Varnado, Not Stated, Pike, Mississippi; citing p. 162, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 216; FHL microfilm 14,841.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCJD-KJZ : accessed 23 April 2015), Pearl Varnedore, St. Helena parish, St. Helena, Louisiana, United States; citing family 373, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
4. ↑ Doris Varnado Study William Pearl Varnado[ http://www.msgw.org/walthall/pikevert.html]

ADDITIONAL SOURCES AVAILABLE

1. Family Meeting St. Helena Parish Tutorship of Minor-Samuel

2. Moses Bible Pages Varnado Genealogist Summer 1981 Page 3

3. Irene Morris & Mrs. C. A. Magee Interview With Doris Green

4. Doris V'do Study Willaim Pearl Varnado Irene Morris - Source

5. Family Meeting St. Helena Parish Tutorship of Minor-Samuel

6. Doris V'do Study Willaim Pearl Varnado Irene Morris - Source

7. Obit Minutes of the Magee's Creek Baptist Association P. 53

8. Doris V'do Study Willaim Pearl Varnado Irene Morris - Source

9. Obit Minutes of the Magee's Creek Baptist Association P. 53

10. Doris V'do Study Willaim Pearl Varnado Irene Morris - Source

11. Obit Minutes of the Magee's Creek Baptist Association P. 71

12. Doris V'do Study Willaim Pearl Varnado Irene Morris - Source

• http://records.ancestry.com/william_pearl_varnado_records.ashx?pid=18712610

• Ancestors of George and Hazel Mullins Chapter 4: The Journey West

• Doris Varnado Study William Pearl Varnado

• Leonard Varnadeau Chart in Varnado Genealogist Spring 1987 pg 3

• Pike County, Mississippi 1798-1876 from Luke Ward Conerly

• "United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCJD-KJZ : accessed 23 April 2015), Pearl Varnedore, St. Helena parish, St. Helena, Louisiana, United States; citing family 373, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• "United States Census, 1840," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRL-VDP : accessed 1 May 2015), Wm Varnado, Not Stated, Pike, Mississippi; citing p. 162, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 216; FHL microfilm 14,841.

• http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/132290/person/-2121515529/story/14731697-fea1-47fb-924f-2011890f3730?usePUBJs=true

• Source: S-328048307 Ancestry.com, Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Page: Ancestry Family Tree Data: Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=67780847&pid=1401