Joseph Henry Sample-probate record 1910

I have been doing some probate research on several line and found the Letters of Administration for my great grandfather. He died intestate and his son John was named administrator.

I contacted Howard County Arkansas hoping that there would be some paperwork regarding his probate. Unfortunately they were unable to find anything.

Another dead end. This family is really making it difficult to find out anything about them!

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Ancestry.com. Arkansas, Wills and Probate Records, 1818-1998 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

Census Sunday- Jessie Sample

My paternal great grandfather and great grandmother Joseph and Celia Sample lived in Lincoln Parish Louisiana in 1880. 



Sample,  Joseph H. age 31-farmer

              Celie E. age 20-Keeping House

              Mary E. age 5-daughter

              Lucinda age 4-daughter

              Dora C. 7 months-daughter



Living with them was a 23 year old black male whose relationship to the head of the household was listed as Servant.

Because Celia is one of my brick wall ancestors I am at the point where I need to start visiting some repositories in Arkansas  to find more information.  Because of that and because I have not done much African-American research I decided to see if I could find out anything about Jessie.

The indexers with Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org both entered Jessie’s last name as Sample, and looking at the record it does fit the pattern most indexers used to avoid having to write the same name multiple times.  I find it doubtful that that was his actual name, but looked into it as if it was. Then I looked into African-American men named Jessie, last name unknown. 

The information I have on Jessie from the census, assuming it is accurate:

1. He was 23 in 1880
2. He was a farmhand
3. He was born in Louisiana
4. His parents were born in Louisiana
5. He could not read or write
6. The category for Married/Single/Widowed was left blank

I have searched the census in Lincoln Parish for an African-American Sample family. I have also searched for an African-American resident of the area in 1860 and 1900 but so far have not come up with anyone that really fits the criteria listed above.

I have not done much African-American genealogy, but hopefully I can find something on this person.  This may turn out to be one of those unanswerable questions that curiosity drives me to look into.  At the very least, I will learn a little about African-American research in Louisiana and about some additional sources that I am not currently aware of.

Fearless Females Blog Post: March 20: Elusive or Brick Wall Ancestor

I have posted about my paternal great grandmother Sealy Elizabeth AUTREY Sample before.  So far, she just seems to have appeared out of no where and married my great grandfather Joseph H. Sample.  I have put together a timeline (which was an idea I got from a webinar by Marian of Marian's Roots & Rambles) to organize what I have and to plan for a future research trip to Arkansas and Louisiana where I can hopefully either prove or disprove what we believe about her.

9 Mar 1860 is the birthdate listed on her headstone in Lee Cemetery, Saline County, Arkansas. 
     Birthplace is unknown-census records list it as Union Parish, Louisiana.

1860 US Census-Union Parish, Louisiana.  This is the family which we think was Sealy's.  It's the
     household of:
          Jno Autry (born in Alabama) head
          Dianacy  (born in Mississippi) wife
          M. F. -7 daughter
          Jane P. -6 daughter
          Thos. M. -4 son
           E.P. -2 son
           C.E.-3 months daughter

1870 US Census-Union Parish, Louisiana- the household has a 10 year old daughter named Elizabeth.

7 Jul 1878- Lincoln Parish, Louisiana-marriage certificate for Sealy E. Autrey and J.H. Sample

1880 US Census-both are living in 6 Ward, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana.

      Household:

          Joseph H. Sample 31

          Clie E.  20

          Mary E. 5

          Lucinda 4

          Dora C. 7m

          Jesse 23 (servant)

1900 US Census-family now in Benton, Saline County, Arkansas

          J.H Sample 51

          Celia 40

           Katie 21

           Susie 19

           Palvin 15

           Lillian 13

           Minnie 11

           Joe 5

           Paralee 2

15 Jul 1907 Benton, Saline County, Arkansas death date inscribed on headstone.

My plan is to visit Union Parish, Louisiana and Saline County, Arkansas and try to find legal, property or other type records that may shed some light or indicate if this is the right trail.