Forts at Holly Grove
Holly Grove in the 1870’s
The plantation continued after the War. Tignal Jones Stewart had died before the War in 1855 at the age of 55. His widow was 56 when the War ended. They had no sons. The daughters, Sally and Penelope, had married in the 1840’s and were living in West Feliciana Parish. They too were widows by the War’s end and each had small children and a plantation to manage.
Penelope Stewart Mathews at Butler Greenwood had 5 children, ages 12 to 3, but her mother-in-law was still alive. Sally Stewart Fort had 7 children, ages 16 to 3. Her oldest son age 17 died in 1866.
Who was managing Holly Grove. I do not know whether Jones’ brother James Alexander was living or helping at Holly Grove. He was age 54 at the end of the War. The Cages may have lived or helped earlier but were then all in Terrebonne Parish where they were sugar planters. Harry had died in 1854.
We do have account books from 1866-1874.[1] The holding’s information sheet notes these are “account books for Magnolia Plantation, a plantation in Terrebonne Parish, La., owned by the Fort family of Bayou Sara, West Feliciana Parish, and leased by Mrs. Sarah A. Stewart.” Most of the two books, if not all are about Holly Grove and this is clearly stated in the second book and the freedmen mentioned at Holly Grove are also mentioned in the first book. I also have information that Magnolia was a plantation in West Feliciana although other members of the family, primarily the Cages and some West Feliciana planters (Barrows and Butlers) had invested in Terrebonne Parish sugar plantations. There is no hint of sugar in these account books. I think the information sheet is incorrect.
The first book is 1866-1870. It starts with a credit account with Magnolia, “ $270 Apr 20th pd to Hatch (sp) for Jones for use of Magnolia Plantation.” Jones is the 17 year old eldest son of Sally Stewart Fort. Mrs. Sarah Stewart was a widow as was her daughter Sally Stewart Fort. “$140 May 16 1866 paid to Jones Fort; June 6th Jones $34.50 for barrel of pork” Jones Stewart Fort died on 10 July. Was Sarah Stewart renting Magnolia from the Forts? The Forts lived at Catalpa and Mrs. Stewart lived at Holly Grove in Mississippi. These notes on page one are the only ones for 1866.
Most of the names in the account books are freedmen who are probably former slaves of the Stewarts. Especially in the second book are names of other members of the Stewart Fort family and neighbors. It would seem names of possible romantic interests of Charles S. Fort along with male friends are listed. Charles Fort was 21 in 1873 when he may have come to Holly Grove to assist his grandmother. He was single. He was to marry a local Wilkinson County girl, Sarah Wall in 1887. He was then 35. Her age at that time is not now known.
The account books are not neat. But one may get an idea of the names of the workers and maybe their wives. Mostly food is subtracted from their accounts but at times liquor, tobacco and clothes. Wages are paid to some mostly for cooking, blacksmithing, hauling, repair work. Also of note is money subtracted from worker’s accounts for bad behavior or poor performance. Recipes appear, inventories. Flowers are drawn and names of friends and family are written as if doodling. Charles Fort’s school VMI is also written in.
Sally Stewart was the daughter of Tignal Jones Stewart and Sarah Randolph. She married William Johnston Fort of Catalpa in West Feliciana Parish. Her descendants live today at Catalpa. And one of Sarah Randolph Stewart’s grandsons made his home at Holly Grove.
The other children of Sallie Stewart and William Johnson Fort:
3. Charles Mathews Fort m. (1885)[2] Sarah Jane Wall
b. 13 May 1852[3]
d. 11 July 1914 d. 25 Feb 1897[4]
Sarah J. Wall was the daughter of Alexander Edward Wall (b. 1805, Berryhill Plantation, Wilkinson Co. MS; d. 1866) and his second wife Geraldine Black (b. 29 Mar 1838, d. 28 Oct 1888, Wilkinson Co.). Alexander Wall was the son of John Wall (1757-183_) who had come to Wilkinson County in 1795 from Barbados, and Sarah Lovelace (1776-1825). [John Wall’s father was also John Wall (1704-) who had left Derbyshire for Barbados.] He obtained a Spanish land grant for 500 arpents in the western part of Wilkinson Co. signed by Francisco Luis Hector, Baron de Carondelet, the Spanish governor. This was called Richland Plantation. It is a Louisiana colonial-style. John Wall served as Alcalde for what is now Wilkinson Co. during the Spanish period. The home was on the Lower Natchez Trace from Natchez to Bayou Sara. The property left the family in 1820 when it was purchased by Chauncey Pettibone but later returned to Wall ownership in 1840.[5]
The Wall family owned land near Holly Grove. Alexander E. Wall bought a plantation west of the Ventress Place in 1844 and Sarah would have grown up near Holly Grove where she met Charles Fort as Holly Grove was his grandmother’s home. It is of interest that Sarah Wall Fort died at Holly Grove in 1897.[6]
Charles M. Fort went to VMI but came home early to manage his grandmother’s plantation, Holly Grove. He was in the class of 1874[7] so if he left early this would have been before 1874. There is a record book from 1875. An entry 2 Aug 1872, “Finished laying by my cotton.” He married Sarah Wall in 1885. And Charles lived at Holly Grove until he died in 1914. Sarah Wall Fort died in 1897, a few days after the birth of Jones Stewart Fort. The home was sold after Charles died and the contents distributed in the family.[8] Anna Key Fort Pipes organized the dispersal of the contents of Holly Grove after her brother, Charles’ death.
Children: all born at Holly Grove
1. Williams Wall Fort[9] m. (1915) Antionette Cobb
b. 4 Apr 1887
d. [10]
Children:
1. Guy
Cobb Fort
Children:
1. James
Gaston Murchinson, Jr. 1st Lt. US Army Air Force
b. 30 Aug 1918
d. 14 July 1943, buried Pythian
2. Jayne
Elizabeth Murchinson
b. 10 Apr 1921
d. 27 Nov 1995, buried Pythian
Cem. Bunkie
3. Geraldine
Fort Murchinson m. Titley
Children:
1. James R. Titley[16] m. Carol Ann
3. twin, b. 8 May 1888 who died a
few days after birth.
4. Anna Pipes Fort
b. 1892
d. as a toddler from a fall from the back steps of the house.
5. Jones Stewart Fort
b. 14 Feb 1897
[1] Hill
Memorial Library, LSU: Sarah A. Stewart account books.
[2]
Wilkinson Co. Marriages list 25 Apr 1887 but this does not fit with birth of 1st
child. It is more likely they married in 1885.
[3] I have
from the tombstone, Grace, 1852-1914.
[4] Catalpa
Bible: Sarah J. Wall wife of CM Fort died at Holly Grove February 25th
1897.
[5] The
Plantation World, p.p. 204-208.
[6] Catalpa
Bible.
[7] VMI
records
[8] Personal
communication, 2016, Jim Titley, Dallas.
[9] Lived
New Orleans, p. 515 of Vol II of HG deed abstracts
[10] This
date is not visible on tombstone at Grace.
[11] Lived
Bunkie La , p. 515 of deed abstracts
[12] son of
Duncan Cameron Murchison (1840-1907) who was b. in Chatham Co. NC and died in
Lenoir Co.
[13] per
personal communication Carol Titley
[14] Per Jim
Titley her grandson in Dallas, personal communication 2016.
[15] Buried
Pythian cemetery, Bunkie, Avoyelles Parish
[16]
executive architect IBM, Dallas TX
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