Jacob Ramsey

Quick Facts

Significance:

Mississippi Homesteader

Place of Birth:

Mississippi

Date of Birth:

Abt 1830, North Carolina

Place of Death:

Toomsuba, Lauderdale County, Mississippi

Date of Death:

13 February 1909

Jacob Ramsey, like most African-Americans after the Civil War, knew that property ownership was the key to independence, financial stability, control over their own lives, and respect. In 1884, Jacob applied for a homestead at the Jackson, Mississippi Land Office, Application # 23110, and claimed 80.02 acres—the South ½ of the SE ¼ of Section 19, Township 7-N, Range 18-E of the Choctaw Principal Meridian.

Jacob accomplished all of the designated steps to prove-up on the land but not without several setbacks and challenges. He misplaced his receipt given to him at the time of his claim and he did not prove his claim within the five-year time frame required by law. It appears that Jacob filed several forms throughout the years relating to his claim but for many reasons, the process was not satisfactorily completed to obtain final title to the land for 17 years.

On November 28, 1890, Jacob filed for an additional homestead affidavit on the same land—six years after the original claim of 1884. On February 24, 1891, Jacob again filed for another homestead on the same land—seven years after the original claim of 1884. Was Jacob attempting to restart the proof process since the five years to prove up had been exceeded? On November 22, 1892, Jacob filed an affidavit summarizing the improvements made on the land—a dwelling house and outhouse and he was farming 35-40 acres of improved land.

On February 24, 1899, a date again beyond the new five-year proof period, Jacob paid a $7 fee to settle the land temporarily. On June 25, 1900, Jacob paid $4.25 to post notice of his claim in the Meridian Daily News; the claim was also posted in the Land Office.

The “Homestead Proof—Testimony of Claimant” finally filed on July 31, 1900, Jacob states that he was born in North Carolina and that he lost his duplicate receipt. He states that in 1884, he built a framed house and a corn stable, and 40 acres were improved to a value of $200. He had not been absent from the land at all and he lived with his wife and five grandchildren. On August 4, 1900, Jacob paid $2.70 to the land agent to satisfy the land agent fee. Jacob signed all of these documents with his “X”.

The 1900 United States Federal Census confirmed the family members of Jacob’s household which included his wife Leanna and two sons, Henry Ramsey(18) and William Ramsey(16). Five grandchildren lived in the household, too: Callie(16), James(11), Thomas(9), Tollie(15), and Joe(5).

Two witnesses were required to complete the “Homestead Proof—Testimony of Witnesses” so Columbus F. Shannon and Edgar A. Smith completed the forms on July 31, 1900, answering similar questions about the improvements on the land and the time frame of Jacob’s residence on the land.

On August 4, 1900, James Hill, Register, provided Jacob with Final Certificate No. 15305 that states “…..that on presentation of this certificate to the COMMISSIONER OF THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE, the said Jacob Ramsey shall be entitled to a patent on the tract of land above described.” But Jacob failed to present the certificate to the Commissioner as directed and on March 20, 1901, Jacob received official notification that he had failed to make final proof. Jacob hurriedly presented a sworn affidavit on March 23, 1901 stating that “….he failed to make his Final Proof for which he received Final Certificate No. 15305 through ignorance of the law, requiring him to make Final Proof within the Statutory Period, that he is an unlettered man, unable to read and write, and failed to inform himself of the duties required of him in reference to this claim….he prays that the patent be granted him upon the filing of this affidavit.”

One can only imagine how Jacob and Leanna were affected by this notification. The land represented their hopes and dreams for a better life. They had lived on the land for 17 years, raising their children and grandchildren there. They were some of the founding members of Little Hope Missionary Baptist Church near their land in Toomsuba, and were regarded as leaders in their community. Jacob’s multiple attempts to complete the proving up process never seemed to accomplish title to the land. His lack of ability to read and write appeared to play a role in his understanding and completing the land patent process. 

On October 1, 1901, 17 years after Jacob’s initial land claim, he was finally granted the land patent.

In spite of their challenging experience with the federal land patent process, Jacob and Leanna went on to acquire several other pieces of property through private land transactions.

One other interesting fact is revealed in the November 28, 1890 affidavit. Jacob swears that he did not serve for a period of 90 days or more in the Army or Navy of the United States during the War of the Rebellion. Often, I had imagined Jacob as a strong, fearless man fighting for the Union for his and his family’s freedom but I was never successful in finding proof. To my disappointment, the land application process confirmed that Jacob did not serve in the Union military and he swore he did not take up arms against the United States, an eligibility requirement for making the land claim. There would be no Civil War records for Jacob Ramsey that could give more genealogical information about Jacob prior to freedom.

Based on family Bible records, Jacob died on February 13, 1909.  Leanna died on August 4, 1915. The land was divided among the ten adult children, passing along the legacy of independence, financial stability, control over self, and respect. However, over the years, almost all of Jacob’s land holdings have been sold or lost due to non-payment of taxes, as many in the family migrated north. This is disheartening, knowing how Jacob struggled for nearly two decades to meet the requirements for his final land patent.

Patent Details - BLM GLO Records

~ Contributed by Ms. Jonnie Ramsey Brown

Jonnie Ramsey Brown
Photo Credit: J. Brown

More from the contributor: By the time I became fascinated with my family history, it was too late for any living person to give me a first-hand account of the lives of my paternal great grandparents, Jacob and Leanna Ramsey. However, my father was able to share some oral history about his grandfather Jacob, including the fact that Jacob owned land in Toomsuba, Lauderdale County, Mississippi, about 12 miles east of Meridian. “The Old Place” was the term of endearment given to the land where Jacob and Leanna resided and that location remained the anchor in the family, even after the home burned to the ground and long after Jacob and Leanna had passed on. One of my father’s earliest recollections was his 5^th birthday celebration on “the Old Place” in 1920. Lots of family lived nearby to celebrate with Daddy and there was plenty of food, in particular freshly fried chicken and home-baked pies and cakes. Daddy fondly remembered his early years on the family land, inspiring me to learn more. When researching the land in the late 1990s, I discovered that a land patent had been issued to Jacob Ramsey on October 1, 1901. Several years after my discovery, I requested the case files from the National Archives in Washington, DC, having learned of the existence of these documents and that they are a treasure trove of historical and genealogical information. When the envelope arrived, I was so excited, anticipating that an incredible story was about to unfold about my great grandfather.

More about the contributor: Jonnie Ramsey Brown descends from Jacob Ramsey, her paternal great grandfather. She is an author as well as a genealogist. Jonnie is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons & Daughters of the United States Middle Passage, First Families of Alabama and other genealogical and historical societies. Jonnie, a Certified Public Accountant, is now retired in Metro Atlanta, enjoying traveling and conducting genealogy research for lineage documentation for herself and others.