When Daniel, Charity, and Penelope Reach
Louisiana
Daniel acquired property in the Eighth Ward of East Feliciana Parish. The following excerpt is from a book I found in Clayton Library in Houston.
When in 1800, old Leonard Hornsby took passage on a flat boat and floated out of South Carolina down the head waters of the Tennessee river and around by the Ohio and Mississippi to Natchez, with all his father’s slaves and herds, his household and kitchen outfit, his wagons, teams and agricultural implements, his gunsmith and his one-legged shoemaker, his big mastiffs, bull dogs and deer hounds, he was tolerably well equipped to plant and defend and expand an outpost in the vanguard of civilization, which he did in 1802 in the forks of Beaver Creek and the Amite river, to which his Anglo-Saxon love of running waters had attracted him. This outpost of the Hornsby’s, in 1802, lies in the extreme corner of the Eighth Ward, and is now the property of Judge W. F. Kernan. (this was written in 1892) When this site was selected there were none within hearing of his cock’s crowing for day-break, except the sly, scheming foxes, thirsting for chanticleer’s blood; none to hear the deep-mouthed baying of his big dogs, except the frightened bears, panthers, wolves and deer. No human being was nearer than old Mr. Furlow, a Georgian, who, with a hermit’s love of solitude, had planted his solitary cabin on the west side of Hephzibah Creek, about half a mile below the high hill, out of the sides of which gush the living waters as fresh and strong and life-giving as those which gushed from the rocks of Horeb when struck by Aaron’s rod. The place is central and has had many different proprietors after old Mr. Furlow was put away in his grave. His immediate successor was Daniel Eads, of Kentucky, who constructed the first grist mill just above where Hephzibah Church not stands. Two other leaders of Eighth Ward Society, Elisha Andrews and Major Doughty, followed Mr. Eads as proprietors of the Furlow place, and in 1812 or 1814 the Rev Ezra Courtney, having organized a numerous Baptist congregation, selected the portion of the place lying on the ease side of the creek for the site of a Baptist house of worship, to which was given the name of Hephzibah.
Furlow, Eads, Andrews, and Doughty, after life’s fitful fever, all sleep quietly in their graves, but the head waters of Hephzibah Creek still ripple and gurgle joyously by the foot of holy Hephzibah Church, the congregation of which multiplied amazingly.
This excerpt is from “East Feliciana, Louisiana, Past and Present, Sketches of the Pioneers, by H Skipwith. Published in 1892 by Hopkins Printing Company, New Orleans.
After they settle in East Feliciana Parish in Louisiana we have the stories of abuse by Charity which Penelope shared with her daughter, my Great Grandmother. Daniel came to Louisiana with considerable money and several slaves, so he was able to purchase land and become established fairly quickly.
During the next few years Charity made Penelope work with the slaves like a farm hand, deprived her of food, and tried to starve her. The slaves took care of her, shared their food and sheltered her from Charity as much as possible. Growing up she received no education. Charity’s brother William Watson and his family lived nearby. Charity’s nephew Michael Watson saw what was happening, he decided to marry the young Penelope. Daniel signed the marriage bond for his daughter to marry Michael 07 July 1820.
See Penelope and Michael's Marriage for the Marriage Bond, the only record we have.
The fanciful story was that Michael rescued Penelope and took her on an extended European Tour during which she was taught by tutors and they collected beautiful furniture for the new home they would build in Louisiana. This may have been the partial truth. However; I think this is the more likely scenario.
In the early 1800’s the cotton industry was growing in the South, particularly in North Eastern Louisiana and Mississippi. The Eades and Watsons and their neighbors had land and slaves. Daniel had grown up within a few miles of the Grayson family, who had a large cotton farm and associated spinning and weaving operation. We know the Eades were in the business of growing cotton in Georgia because Margaret (then age 6 or 7) describes how the bales are packed and bound. The cotton farmers in Louisiana hauled their cotton to New Orleans where they sold their product for whatever the cotton brokers would pay. The cotton growers of eastern Louisiana and Mississippi needed their own agents in Europe. I think that was why Michael Watson and his young bride were sent to Europe.
Penelope had no education prior to her marriage to Michael. After their marriage Michael took her to Europe for about 2 to 3 years. While there he hired tutors for her. They traveled extensively. Everywhere they went, Penelope collected seeds of all kinds. She later had flower gardens at their plantation, Stony Point, with plants from all over the world. But that part of the story comes later. I do have that fact verified by a descendant of William Watson.
When my mother was a little girl, she and her sister, Iris, would hide behind the curtains beside an open window, and listen to their Mother and Grandmother Mollie, Penelope’s Daughter, talk on the front porch. Mollie died in 1913, when Marie, my Mother, was 6. One night when the children were listening to their Mother and Grandmother talk, Mollie said that when Michael and Penelope returned from Europe, they did not want to live on the plantation with Daniel and Charity because of the bad relationship with Charity. So they build a house. This was probably between 1823 and 1825. I don’t know where the new house was, or if it was in town (Baton Rouge), or another farm, but it was next door to a Brown family, who became close friends. In the 1830 Census for East Baton Rouge Parish there are several Brown families, but none adjacent to Michael and Penelope Watson in 1830. It is possible they lived in town until acquiring their own farm.
Daniel Eades died in 1826. There was evidently no will, but there was a legal settlement which apparently split his estate between Penelope and Charity. When Charity died, Penelope was never mentioned in her will.
See Settlement of Daniel Eades' Estate for details.
Michael Watson had some association with the Montgomery family who had first acquired land in the area around Baton Rouge by land grant. I got much of this information from a Watson and Eades researcher Randy Hull who lived in the Baton Rouge area and was the GGGNephew of Michael Watson. His GGGGrandfather was Charity’s brother William. Randy and I corresponded and traded information from the late 1990’s until about 2003 when I lost touch with him.
The 1830 census has Michael and Penelope Watson living between John and Major Hugh Montgomery. The third entry past Hugh Montgomery is Dr. Hugh Montgomery. Major Hugh Montgomery died in the mid 1830’s leaving about 600 to 700 acres to his wife Jane. Some distant relatives tried to challenge the will, but she won out. Jane died in 1837. She had made a deal with Michael Watson whereby, in the event of her death, he was to purchase the Montgomery plantation, the house, slaves and slave quarters, a saw mill and a cotton gin for $18,000. He paid the notes to Jane Montgomery’s heirs in the manner she had prescribed. This Montgomery plantation probably was Stony Point.
See 1830 Census of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
In a November 2000 email Randy said he found, in the Baton Rouge Gazzette on microfilm, a notice saying Penelope was suing Michael for her peripheral rights. The suit said that Michael had sold slaves and property left to her by her father. I don’t know the date of the article or the suit, but it was after 1826, when Daniel died. Michael’s parents had a large plantation at Port Vincent which is in Livingston Parish.
In January 2001 I received another email from Randy saying he had found a booklet titled Historical Baton Rouge which has the location of Stony Point and includes a map showing the location. It is on Greenwald Springs Road. There is a Stony Point Cemetery there which Randy said he had visited. According to the booklet, the house is still there, or was when the booklet was written. It says the house was built circa 1830 and was originally a log house and was then “built over”. Also it says there used to be a small Post Office in the front yard. This site was also the location of the Stony Point Ferry which crossed the Amite River.
Stony Point was a US Post Office. These were the postmasters and the dates they took office:
James H Allison 9 July 1840
Michael Watson 15 October 1841
A O Hard 19 June 1848
John F Glover 24 July 1849
S F Blanchard 2 February 1854
William Stockwell 17 July 1854
Sidney F Blanchard 10 November 1854
John Maginniss 21 January 1856
William Roberson 9 October 1858
John B Powers 24 January 1860
Phillip Spiller 4 December 1866
John B Easterly 21 October 1869
Solomon Montgomery 6 February 1871
Ezra J Stillman 23 October 1871
Fred Weiss 23 July 1890
Willie T Stockwell 10 July 1894
Fred Weiss 22 January 1898
Mary Stoner 27 March 1899
Eventually Michael and Penelope owned acreage in 3 Louisiana Parishes; Saint Helena, East Baton Rouge, and East Feliciana, which all touch near where the current town of Stony Point is located.
This brings the story up to the mid 1830’s
Here are a few facts to help you keep the stories sraight.
Michael Watson was born in 1798 in Port Vincent, Livingston Parish, Louisiana or West Florida at the time. His parents William Watson from South Carolina and Abigail Torrance from Warren County Georgia had a Spanish land grant in the area which became Livingston Parish.
Penelope, the Daughter of Daniel Eades was probably born in Georgia between June 1804 and June 1805, but I have no proof of when or who her Mother was.
Michael and Penelope married 7 July 1820.
Michael died in a riding accident at Stony Point Plantation on 21 May 1848.
John Fredrick Glover was a Doctor whose clients were the plantation owners in North Eastern Louisiana and nearby Mississippi. He was born in South Carolina in 1819. His family were also prominent plantation owners in the area.
John Fredrick Glover married Penelope 20 February 1850.
Michael and Penelope had no children.
John and Penelope had a Daughter Mary Aurelia Rebecca (Mollie) Glover born at Stony Point 25 March 1853.
