Wade Pittman

Quick Facts

Significance:

Louisiana Homesteader

Place of Birth:

Columbia, Marion County, Mississippi

Date of Birth:

April 1848

Date of Death:

1906

Wade Pittman submitted his Land Entry Application #7570 on September 25, 1883, at the New Orleans land office for 158.82 acres of land located in Washington Parish, Louisiana, and received his Homestead Patent Certificate #5577 on October 23, 1895.

Wade Pittman was born in April 1848, in Columbia, Marion County, Mississippi. At the age of 45, Wade Pittman of Lee's Creek, Louisiana, settled on his land in July 1883. He established his residence by August of that same year and built a dwelling house of pine logs lumber, 18X20 kitchen, smokehouse, corn crib, and stable valued at $100.

Pittman cleared and cultivated 12 acres for seven seasons of farming and agricultural purposes. 

At the time of his application, Pittman had a wife, Eliza Jane (Tyson) Pittman(sometimes spelled Tison), and had the following children as noted in the 1900 US Census (Amada Pittman, Lacyse Pittman, Abram Pittman, Samuel Pittman, Laura Pittman, Isabell Pittman, Perdie (Perdee) Pittman, Elijah Pittman, Merida Pittman, Susan Pittman, and Hubert Pittman). They had a total of 15 children including their eldest son Thomas Monroe Pittman. 

In compliance with the homestead guidelines, Wade named two witnesses to testify on his behalf, Gus Dean (30 years old) and William Morris( 21 yrs.) both from Lee’s Creek, Louisiana. These men supported Wade’s testimony concerning the improvements and length of time he had established actual residence.

A notice was placed in the New Era newspaper in Franklinton, Louisiana on December 31, 1894, notifying the community of Wade’s final steps to become a landowner. That newspaper named Gus Dean, William Morris, and John T. Childs as witnesses.

It would be 12 years and 1 day later that Wade’s application would be approved on Sept 26, 1895, and 27 days after approval would his patent be granted on October 23, 1895.  

Wade mentioned in his land application that he had a smokehouse and it seems that he has passed this tradition of smoking meat to his descendants. To this day, a wild hog is smoked for the annual family reunion on the same land as his descendants. Thomas Pittman, one of Wade’s sons also received a homestead land patent #12085 on May 9, 1905, in the area known today as Bogalusa, Mitch, Louisiana. Family input claims that the community of Mitch, Bogalusa, LA was named by the Pittman’s and many descendants either live or still own land in that community today. 

Patent Details - BLM GLO Records

~ contributed by Marilyn Stubblefield

More about the contributor: Marilyn Stubblefield is the 3rd great-granddaughter of Wade Pittman, and her information is based on records through an internet search, original land entry papers, as well as information passed down from the descendants of Wade Pittman.