The Families

Daniel Drake; Pioneer Life in Kentucky

The James Duck family had strong connections with many of the original settlers of Amite. Land records, church notes, probates, and letters all reveal how interconnected the Amite families were in each others daily lives. The men gathered together for log rolling, barn raising, building roads while the women cooked and met for quilting parties. Drinking and dancing often went hand and hand with some participating more than others. Weddings were a two day social event for the entire neighborhood with the second day being the infare celebration. As the years progressed neighbors became family due to the numerous marriages among the younger generations. Most people in this time period chose a spouse from neighboring farms which did result in the marriages between cousins and other close relations.

The longest and strongest family connections with the James Duck family relates to the descendants of William Morgan and William Coleman Callender. William Morgan's father has not been documented at this time though there are two other Morgan men that show up in the very early Ebenezer records. On May 9, 1806 Batson Morgan and Elizabeth Morgan of Black Creek Church, South Carolina meet with others for the purpose of the formation of Ebenezer Baptist. By November 1st of the same year, Batson Morgan is censured by the church over the charge of "Shooting out the eyes of a bull which belonged to Lewis Perkins". January 3, 1807, Batson is pardoned by the church after "declaring he did not intentionally damage the bull". Problems continue related to this incident with Batson voted out of the church. Solomon Morgan appears in the Ebenezer notes December 31, 1808 along with several other members as they decide whether to exclude Mark & Hannah Cole, and Laban Bacot. Other researchers have focused their attention on a possible connection to a John Morgan that shows up early in the region but with no conclusive documentation. William Morgan and his wife Elizabeth Gayden had several children; one was Fielding Bradford Morgan, Sr., husband of Amanda Elvina Duck. Another son, John Morgan, was the father of Cynthia Morgan whom would marry her first cousin Fielding Bradford Morgan, Jr. William's youngest son, Hiram Morgan, was a well respected Confederate officer that organized the Amite Guards of the 33rd Company B, March 1, 1862. Captain Hiram Morgan was killed in action near Deer Creek, Mississippi, during the early phase to defend Vicksburg from the Union. William's one daughter, Diana D Morgan, would marry Michael David Corcoran; their grandson Frank Corcoran Causey married Creasey Neyland. Many more connections exist with the Duck family.

William Coleman Callender was a grandson of early Mississippi Territory settlers Alexander Callender and Mary Coleman. However, the Callender family appears in much earlier land records with a Robert Callender receiving a grant of 2000 acres from the British on December 6, 1768. Presbyterian historical writings place Alexander Callender in Mississippi by 1803 as an elder for one of the earliest Presbyterian churches in this region. First called Callender Meeting House and later Bethel Meeting House this church was located at the now extinct Uniontown, Mississippi. Alexander deeded to Bethel trustees 3 acres of land on June 4, 1803 with presentation before J.P. James Stuart on 12 July, 1803. The Bethel Meeting house lasted only a few years as families moved on to more easily farmed land or attended other newly formed churches in the area. William Coleman Callender with his wife Keziah Rentz, were the parents of William Ray Callender who would take as his first wife Mississippi Morgan, his second marriage to her first cousin Dora Isabella Duck. Robert Eli Callender, brother to William Ray, would have four children that married into the Duck family lines. Many additional family connections exist.

There were many other families that had strong family connections with the Duck family but time and space will only allow a limited number to be included in this work. The Taylor family of East Feliciana Parish had five first cousins marry Duck descendants. All five women, descendants of Billington Taylor, a Revolutionary War soldier, and early settler to the Feliciana's of Louisiana. Robert Taylor, son of Billington, can be found in the 1830  Feliciana census with our James Duck. Also in this same census is Robert Greenwell from which Greenwell Springs, Louisiana gets its' name and grandfather to three of these women.

On February 13, 1860 Joseph Nyland (Neyland), Asa Duck, and D.M. Duck are listed as witnesses to the will of Richard Dowley Shaw who died September 1869. It is this Richard Dowley Shaw whose descendants would later marry into the Duck family lines. Reference to the Shaw family can be found in Dale Edwyna Smith's, The Slaves of Liberty, Freedom in Amite County, Mississippi, 1820-1868. Richard Dowley Shaw, a respected Amite lawyer is noted for his 1858 representation of the Estate of James Brown. The case of Shaw vs. Brown revolved around the expressed desire of James Brown to leave his estate to his four children, born of his slave Harriet. His brother, John Brown, would contest this legal will and at one point demand Richard Shaw's property as security from the court. Regretfully, Mississippi law would rule in John Brown's favor while recognizing his two nephews as free black men. Sometime after 1865, in a different environment, Horatio Shaw, son of Richard, would successfully gain permission from the court to advertise for the two sons to help them reclaim their inheritance Though the outcome of his efforts are unknown, it is clear the Shaw family was motivated to pursue this case over a number of years. Henry Clay Shaw, brother to Horatio, is listed with Brig. Gen. W.S. Featherston's official report relating to the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee

"The color -bearer of the Thirty-third was killed some fifteen paces for the works, when Lieutenant H.C. Shaw, of Company K, carried them forward, and when in the act of planting them on the works was killed, his body falling in the trench, the colors falling in the works."

Two first cousins, Allen Parnell Ravencraft and James Fluker Ravencraft, married into Duck family lines, and are descendants of William Ravencraft an early settler of Pike County. William Ravencraft was known for his grist mill located on a little stream that formed a tributary for Magee's creek, later to be named Ravencraft creek. Source Records from Pike County, Mississippi 1798-1930, pp. 71-72

Lafayette and William T., both sons of Joseph "Joe" Ravencraft, appear in St. Helena Parish records along with their brother George. Lafayette taking as his wife Rachel Caroline Westmoreland, William would marry Lucinda Westmoreland, and George's wife would become Nancy Lambert. The Ravencraft men would serve in the 3rd Louisiana Calvary whose men were involved in the Liberty skirmishes during the Civil War. Lafayette and Rachel both buried at Bethel Baptist; were the parents of James Fluker Ravencraft, husband of Janie Neyland. William T. Ravencraft with his wife Lucinda became the parents of twins, Allen Parnell Ravencraft and his sister Allene Ravencraft. Allen would marry Lena Bell Duck, the daughter of Tom Duck and Amelia Callender. Additional connections exist related to the Duck family lines.

William Wesley Sanders also appears in St. Helena Parish records with the name often recorded as Saunders. William and his wife Mary Ellen Welch, had at least eight known children, four of these children had connections to the Duck family. Obie Lindolph Sanders married Julia Ann Duck, Celia Ann Sanders married a much older Henry Street Duck, William Henry's son Lehon Fred Sanders would marry Mary Ellen Duck, John Edwin Sanders daughter Samanatha married Duck descendant Carey W Johns. It appears that Maggie Harris Sanders Duck, daughter of Burrell Hampton Sanders, may also have some connection to the William Wesley Sanders' family in looking at early St Helena census records.

The letters of Amite men during the Civil War reflect the amount of communication and coordination that took place not only from the men in camp but also among those left of home. Mathew Dunn and the Lea family wrote letters full of information on Amite men including those they did not serve directly beside. This was no doubt due to the unreliability of the Confederate postal service which struggled to deal with troubled railroads, frequent movement of troops, and a general lack of adequate funding. Because many letters never reached their intended party it was necessary to repeat and include as much information as possible. The more reliable form of transport was men on furlough who carried letters, coats, socks, shoes, etc..... back and forth. For this reason neighbors learned quickly who was home or to be furloughed soon.

The men also had to remember oral messages as this was the only way some of the less educated could stay in touch with family members. The differences in the social classes lessened as the worries, grief and tribulations were shared during the war and reconstruction years. After the war numerous marriages resulted among families that had previously not been aligned. Below are a few partial quotes taken from the Lea family letters.

Camp Clark -this letter from George Lea

Oct. 24, 1861-H.M. Lea, father of George Lea

Camp Beauregard-from George Lea

Camp near Grenada-from I.G. Lea

Sunday Morning August 24th 1862-from H.M. Lea

Son George, at last I understake to sketch a letter we are all well at home except Ransom he is no better Jane Felder is still declining. All deaths up to that time the corpse of J.W. Foster arrived

Camp Near Bardstown-from George Lea

Redbluff Wayne Co Miss Nov 2d 1863-from T.M. Lea, brother of George Lea

In line of Battle, near Atlanta-from George Lea