Last updated: March 27, 2022
Person
Phoebe Ann Bartlett Franklin
Quick Facts
Significance:
Louisiana Homesteader
Place of Birth:
Waterloo Plantation, Geismar, Ascension Parish, Louisiana
Date of Birth:
March 10, 1835
Place of Death:
She died at her home in Dutch Town, Ascension Parish, Louisiana at 80 years of age.
Date of Death:
November 27, 1915
Place of Burial:
Possibly Cornerview Cemetery which is steps away from her property
Phoebe Ann (Bartlett) Franklin submitted Homestead Land Application #13822 on March 10, 1892 and received her Homestead Patent # 5937 for 42.23 acres of land in Ascension Parish, Louisiana on April 11, 1896.
Wealthy banker and enslaver, William J. Minor, revealed in his "List of Negroes" diary (housed at Louisiana State University) that Phoebe (Bartlett) Franklin was born to Frederick and Molly Bartlett on March 10, 1835 at his Waterloo Plantation in Geismar, Ascension Parish, Louisiana. She was enslaved there until she was emancipated.
Phoebe Ann Bartlett married Shedrick "Shed" Franklin, Sr., when they were both enslaved on the same plantation. They were the parents of nine children (Amy, Minty, Betsy, Moses, Corrine, Shedrick, Louisa and Willie). Their daughter, Edy, died at birth in December of 1856 and Shedrick Franklin, Sr., passed away in August of 1885.
Phoebe Franklin filed her Homestead application #13822 on March 10, 1892. They established continuous residency in 1874 cultivating 6 acres containing a small "shanty" house, corn crib, cotton house and outhouse, all valued at $100.
As head of her household, Phoebe and her two youngest children, Louisa (about 10 years of age) and Willie (about 9 years of age) resided with her at the time that she initiated her application. She could not read or write and signed her documentation by marking an "X".
In 1892 Phoebe's witnesses to prove up her claim were her neighbors; Moses Bureau (also a homesteader), James Banks, Edmund Jackson and George Roberson. These four men, in the year 1892, were collectively willing to assist and support a woman in such a lucrative, personal endeavor.
Phoebe Franklin received her Homestead patent # 5937 for 42.23 acres of land on April 11,1896. By that time, she had already cultivated four additional acres of land (up to 10 acres). Acquiring this land felt unprecedented for an African-American woman in the deep south to be afforded such an opportunity. Researching maps of Phoebe's homestead it appears as if this land was once the very property of her former enslaver, William J. Minor and the Waterloo Plantation where she was enslaved. This could explain how the land was accessible to her for cultivation. A respected elder historian at William Minor’s Southdown Plantation in Houma, Louisiana, stated that Minor would grant his slaves specific areas on his land (at his various plantations) to produce their own crops.
Phoebe Franklin sold over 10 acres soon after acquiring her land. In September of 1944 her two surviving daughters, Corrine and Louisa, and their deceased siblings’ offspring, received full ownership of her property.
~ contributed by Kimberli Hornes (and on behalf of her beloved Mama, Joyce).
More from the contributor: Phoebe Ann (Bartlett) Franklin is my maternal Great-Great Grandmother, whose story I am beyond honored and privileged to share. (Phoebe > Corrine > Doris > Joyce > Kimberli). I am so proud of Great-Great-Grandmother Phoebe Franklin and her industriousness, steadfast attitude that has been handed down throughout the generations to the daughters of her maternal line. A formerly enslaved woman did not allow anything to hinder her from pursuing an opportunity that could benefit her and her offspring for years to come.
In 1920 my Great Uncle Shed lead the family as they migrated to Detroit, Michigan. This included his mother, my Great Grandmother Corrine (Grandmama Phoebe's Daughter) and her children; my 17 year old Grandmother Doris, Great-Uncle Sandy, Great-Uncle Richard, and their baby sister, Montana (Nancy).
I had the pleasure of having all of these relatives (except for Grandma Corrine and Aunt Nancy) in my life, to assist in nurturing and raising me. I am proud to say that my mother and I were born and raised there in a loving, warm and thriving environment.
More about the contributor: Kimberli was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and is an Early Childhood Education Teacher, residing on the west coast. She enjoys taking a "Sentimental Journey home..." by way of consistently indulging in personal, Genealogical research. She is currently and excitedly seeking to research deeper into her maternal, Cherokee Native American ancestry via "Moytoy" family Great-Grands (who were tribal Chiefs, including an Emperor) and their familial connections to the African-American community.