is for Keziah Frazier, my 3G grandaunt,
sister to my 3G grandmother.
Keziah was born in 1811 to John and Lucy Shiflett Frazier
of Orange County, Virginia, an area that later became Greene County.
Like most of the girls in her time, Keziah married a
neighbor, Lively Morris in November 1838.
They remained in the area and took up farming. The Morris farm was a respectable size
compared to the farms of their neighbors.
The 1850 non-population schedule indicates that Lively
and Keziah worked 30 acres of improved land and also had 300 acres unimproved,
with a combined value of $450. Farm equipment was valued at $5. Livestock included 1 horse, 2 milk cows, 4
other cattle, 11 swine, together valued at $115.
Certainly a few farmers had more acreage and more
livestock, but for the most part Lively and Keziah Morris were keeping up with
the Shifletts and Deans and Powells.
Keziah and Lively had at least 9 children:
- Leland (1840 - )
- Noah Jackson (1842 – 1928)
- Durrett (1844 - )
- Susan (1845 - )
- Polly (1847- )
- George Fountain (1848 - )
- Nancy (May 1852 - )
- Sarah Elizabeth (1853 – 1920)
- Kesiah Jane (1855 - )
At a young 44 years of age, Keziah died in childbirth,
October 1855.
You’ll Kick yourself if you don’t check out the Killer
blogs at A to Z April Challenge.
©
2014, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.
So sad that she died so young. What interesting names she and her husband had!
ReplyDeleteYeah, Lively is a doozy.
DeleteAn impressive List of assests...chidren included. With that many children, I'm guessing additional farm workers were not listed, which from the ones in my Southern Family Tree there were many....asset children and farmhands. So sad, but not uncommon, death from childbearing...happened to my Great Grandmother after 13 children...age 45...after the Civil War on a poor dirt farm.
ReplyDeleteSue CollectInTexasGal
AtoZ LoneStar Quilting Bee
Hmm, yeah, I guess children were cheap enough labor.
DeleteThose childbirth deaths were quite common. I read it was often the doctor's fault in the days when hand-washing wasn't revered.
Looks like her daughter was named in her honor - my 2nd great grandmother was most likely named for her mother, too, who died giving birth. Keziah (or Kesiah) is a beautiful name.
ReplyDeleteWell, that was one way to pay tribute to the mother who made the ultimate sacrifice.
DeleteI hope one of our kids uses that name. It has always been a favorite. I didn't realize she died in childbirth =(
ReplyDeleteI'll let you take it.
DeleteFarming is such a tough business. Good thing it was a large family. Can't imagine anyone dying in childbirth these days, but I suppose it still happens.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure most of those childbirth deaths could have been prevented if people and instruments were cleaner.
Delete