A Chronology of
Easom & Davidson History
From Georgia to Mississippi
1804 to 1923
By Wilburt Easom
Pictured Left: Messick and Caroline Davidson Easom
1804 – About age 19, Messick Easom, Sr. married (unknown wife) in Washington
County, Georgia.
Jan 1, 1806 - Messick Easom, Sr. won the land lottery drawing in Wilkinson
County, Georgia for 202 ½ acres of land.
About 1815, Messick Easom, Sr. & family moved to Twiggs County, Georgia.
Jan 1818 – Messick Easom, Sr. was one of 21 men called to serve on the Impaneled
Grand Jury of Twiggs County, Georgia. The Jury made the following presentments:
We present as a public grievance the almost entire neglect of Militia Officers
to execute our patrol laws.
We present as a grievance the apparent disregard of our laws to regulate trading
with Negroes.
We are sorry to find our public roads in such a bad state of repair. We request
that these, our presentments be published in the Georgia Journal.
Apr 1820 – Messick Easom, Sr. was one of 21 men, called to serve on the Grand
Jury of Twiggs
County, Georgia. The record read as follows:
“We, the Grand Inquest for Twiggs County…present as a grievance the state of our
public roads…we further present as a grievance, that some of our Court Officers
are remiss in their duties in suppressing vise and immorality.”
Messick Easom, Sr. & wife (name unknown) had the following children:
William – born Dec 5, 1805 in Washington County, Georgia
Solomon – born Jun 16, 1809
Isaac – born Sep 20, 1812
Charles J. – born Sep 10, 1814
Andrew J. – born Feb 7, 1817 in Twiggs County, Georgia
Joseph – born May 22, 1820 in Twiggs County, Georgia
Peter – born Jan 4, 1825 in Twiggs Co, Georgia
1825 to 1828 – Mother of the above children died.
April 1827 – William Easom (age 22) won the Land Lottery of Twiggs County for
202 ½ acres of land.
Nov 1830 – Federal Census of Twiggs County, Georgia shows the following:
Messick age 45
Nancy age 19
Messick Easom, Sr. was already married to Nancy Howell (daughter of Hezekiah
Howell & Rachael Parker.)
The 1830 Federal Census of Twiggs County, Georgia shows 5 other males living in this house & Nancy was the only female. The males would have been:
1. Isaac age 18
2. Charles J. age 16
3. Andrew J. age 13
4. Joseph age 10
5. Peter age 5
(Nancy was the stepmother of seven boys and two of them were older than she
was).
The census (1830) showed that Messick, Sr. owned 16 slaves at this time.
The 1830 Federal Census of Twiggs County, Georgia also showed William Easom as
head of household & one other male age 20-30 living in this house. This probably
would have been his brother Solomon age 21, since he does not show up on his
father’s census report. The report also showed that William owned 2 slaves, one
male and one female.
Feb 17, 1831 – William Easom died in Twiggs County at age 26.
Messick Easom, Sr. & Nancy Howell had the following children:
Messick Hezekiah Easom, born Mar 25, 1831 in Twiggs County, Georgia
Martin Van Buren Easom, born Jul 5, 1833 in Twiggs County, Georgia
1833 Twiggs County, Georgia – Messick Easom, Sr. was paying taxes on 505 acres
of land located ¼ mile due south of the town of Marion, Georgia in the center of
Twiggs County.
Feb 6, 1834 – Messick Easom, Sr. died suddenly in his home at age 48. Now, Nancy
has no husband, and a house full of boys, and only two of them her own:
Messick Hezekiah – almost age 3
Martin Van Buren – age 6 months
Nancy’s stepsons that may have still been living with her in February of 1834:
1. Isaac age 21
2. Charles J. age 19
3. Andrew J. age 17
4. Joseph age 13
5. Peter age 9
Jan 8, 1835 – Solomon Easom died in Twiggs County at age 26.
1837 – Joseph Easom died in Twiggs County at age 17.
1837 – Peter Easom died in Twiggs County at age 12.
About 1838 – Nancy (Howell) Easom married Joseph Davidson.
Jul 1840 – Charles J. Easom was one of 36 appointed delegates to attend the
convention in Macon, Georgia to support William Henry Harrison for president of
the United States. (Harrison was elected as the ninth president).
1843--Messick Hezekiah Easom left home at the age of 12.
Oct 18, 1844 – Charles J. Easom died in Houston County, Georgia at age 30.
The 1850 census showed that there were no Easoms living in Twiggs County at this
time. Messick Easom Sr., as well as his children William, Solomon, Charles J.,
Joseph & Peter were now deceased. Isaac, Andrew J. & Martin were now living in
other counties in Georgia.
The 1850 Federal Census of Twiggs County showed that Joseph & Nancy Davidson had
the following children:
1. Lucinda age 10
2. John age 9
3. Emely age 7
4. Zack age 5
5. Caroline age 4 (twin)
6. Adaline age 4 (twin)
7. James age 1
In early 1851 Joseph’s brother, Aaron Davidson died. He left his wife Martha and their three children:
1. Caroline age 5 (later married Messick Hezekiah Easom)
2. Mary age 2
3. Thomas age 1
Jun 24, 1851 – Joseph Davidson filed a petition for dismission from the
guardianship of Martin V. B. Easom.
Aug 17, 1852 – Found in the Georgia records where Joseph Davidson made
application for guardianship on the following children:
Caroline Davidson
Mary Davidson
Thomas Davidson
1852 – Messick Hezekiah Easom and his brother Martin Van Buren Easom were listed
in Wilkinson County, Georgia as school teachers, having taught sometime between
1852 & 1859.
Apr 1855 – Joseph Davidson files petition for dismission from the guardianship
of Messick H. Easom.
1856 – Messick Easom served with Captain Durrance’s & Captain McNeill’s Company
of Florida Mounted Volunteers in the Seminole Indian War. He served three
enlistments of 6 months each.
Around June of 1858, Messick, at the age of 27, returned home from fighting the
Seminole Indians. Living in the house when Messick returned home, would have
been:
Joseph Davidson
Nancy (Howell) Easom Davidson (his mother)
Messick Easom
Lucinda Davidson
John Davidson
Emely Davidson
Zack Davidson
Caroline Davidson
Adaline Davidson
James Davidson
Margaret Davidson
Martha Davidson, widow of Aaron Davidson & mother of:
a. Caroline Davidson
b. Mary Davidson
c. Thomas Davidson
In the fall of 1858 this group of people (could have been others as well) loaded
their wagons and headed west.
Nov 1, 1858 – Joseph Davidson signed papers to homestead 318 acres of land in
Butler County, Alabama near Greenville.
Nov 16, 1859 Joseph & Nancy Davidson purchased 562 acres of land in the SW
corner of Neshoba County and the NW corner of Newton, County, Mississippi. It
appears that he purchased this land “sight unseen”. The deed was signed and
money passed in the courthouse in Butler County, Alabama. According to the deed,
he paid $7,800 for this property.
He purchased this land from Daniel Thomas & his wife Elizabeth, who were living
in Butler County at this time.
The exact date of arrival in the Sebastopol area is unknown. We do know that
they came on a wagon train. The first night here, they camped on an old Indian
mound near the old Marvin Cox place. (This location is 1.6 miles from the stop
sign in Sebastopol going toward Philadelphia).
Aug 1, 1860 – Messick’s mother, Nancy died at age 49.
Aug 30, 1860 – the census showed that Messick Easom was living with his
stepsister Lucinda and her husband John Thomas in Leake County, Mississippi.
Sep 30, 1860 – Messick Easom married Caroline Davidson (daughter of Aaron &
Martha Davidson) in Neshoba County, Mississippi. Messick was age 29 and Caroline
was age 16 when they married.
Jul 27, 1861 at Iuka, Mississippi, Messick volunteered to serve in the Civil
War. He left a field of cotton and a new bride that was seven months pregnant.
He served to the end of the war, which was April 26, 1865. (Messick was actually
home on leave when the war ended). On Messick’s civil war pension application,
he stated that he received no injuries during the war.
Listed below are the children (with date of birth) of Messick & Caroline Easom.
Also listed are their spouses:
Mary “Henrietta”, born Sep 1861 – married Winfield Scott Bassett
William Elias “Bill”, born Jun 1864 – married Martha Jane Rogers
Charles Columbus “Charlie”, born Aug 1867 – married Mollie Putnam
Thomas Augustus “Gus”, born Aug 1869 – married Bettie Edwards
“Nancy” Lenoria, born Sep 1871 – died at age 9
“Ida” Elizabeth, born Sep 1873 – married William Oscar Jones
“Martin” Jefferson, born Jul 1875 – married Ethel Cooksey
“Albert” Messic, born Aug 1877 – married Onie McNair
“Oscar” Lee, born Jun 1880 – married (1) Lidia Phillips, (2) Docia Jones
Florence “Alma”, born Oct 1883 – married John Austin Walters
Susan “Callie”, born Jan 1888 – Married Alsy Livingston
In the late 1800’s, Messick donated land to Sardis Baptist Church to build a new
church. It was located just north of Sebastopol on the east side of what is now
known as highway 487.
In 1882 Sardis Baptist Church sent Messick Easom and two other men as delegates
to the Mississippi State Baptist Convention. The Sardis Church was used until
1956. At this time, they moved to the current Sebastopol Baptist Church
location.
The records in the Leake County Courthouse show that in the spring of each year
several people would come to Messick to borrow money. Each one would give a deed
of trust on their property until the money was paid back. Each note would be due
around Thanksgiving of each year.
Aug 11, 1901 – Caroline died from typhoid fever at age 56.
The records show that Messick was a Mason and was a member of the White Pines
Lodge #191 near Sebastopol.
May 25, 1923 – Messick Hezekiah Easom died in his home near Sebastopol,
Mississippi at age 92. (He lived to be older than any other Easom, before or
after his time).
02/08/2005 10:18:52 PM