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"Old Caesar,"
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Old Caesar, ( a slave) who belonged to the Coons and was brought from South Carolina and set free in 1812, bought a tract of land by the Coon family's, and grew quite rich. This place is known today (1925) as the "Caesar Old Field." He, too, is buried in the same cemetery with old master.
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To escape harassment from Tories, the Coon family migrated from Orangeburg community of SC to Pike county, MS in the winter of 1811-12. With belongings packed in hogsheads, they walked the entire way in one of the worst winters for centuries. They brought with them one slave named Ciscero. He was given his freedom upon arrival, settled near the family at Woodville, MS and became quite wealthy and prominent in the community. Near Woodville, MS, there is a large tract of land still referred to as Ciscero's field. Additional research on this man has thus far been fruitless since his surname is unknown. He is buried in the Coon family cemetery near Woodville. |
The following information was gleaned from Pryor's book, cited above. In the following portion of this article, you will see page numbers in brackets -- e.g., [ p. 78] -- these refer to pages in the Pryor book where this information is found.
The slave Caesar was a real person who belonged to three generations of the Coon family. Caesar's status was the subject of a suit heard in the Wilkinson County, Mississippi, court in 1845 - 1846. The following are the details of "Old Caesar the Slave.
Caesar is left to John Lewis Coon in his father's will, 1792
Hans Caspar Kuhn (b. 1713, Switzerland; d. 1792, SC), in his will, left a slave Caesar to his son John Lewis Kuhn/Coon (b.1757, SC; d. 1822, MS).
Caspar Kuhn's will, signed 15 February 1792, states in part: ". . . I do give to my son Lewis one Negro man name Joe, also one Negroe boy name Caesar (sic). . . " [p. 38]
Coon family migrates to Mississippi, 1811-1812
John Lewis Coon (Kuhn) and several of his Coon relatives migrated from SC to SW Mississippi in 1811-1812 as part of a larger migration from the eastern seaboard into the new Mississippi Territory.
Movement from SC to MS required passports from the territorial governors because such movement went through "Indian territory" and was controlled by territorial authorities. On 1 November 1811, Lewis applied for a passport for ". . . Lewis Coon with his wife six children and one negro (sic) . . . " [ p. 78 ]. The "one negro" could have been Caesar, who had been given to Lewis in his father's will 19 years earlier, although the slave could be Joe, also given to Lewis in the will.
In 1813, John Lewis Coon appears on the Wilkinson County, MS, tax rolls. His wife died in 1815 and he appeared in the territorial census of 1816 as a widower. He last appears on the tax rolls in 1817 where he was taxed for a slave (not further identified). Again, this slave could have been Caesar or Joe, both of whom were given to Lewis in his father's will 25 years earlier. [p. 79] HOWEVER -- in view of later developments, it's probable that the slave or "negro" accompanying Lewis Coon and his family was Caesar.
Lewis Coon died intestate in 1822. [ p. 79] There is no record of his estate having been inventoried by executors or administrators.
Caesar appears in Jasper Coon's estate, 1841
John Lewis COON and his wife Mary FANNON had eight children:
Anna; b. 1783
Jasper S. M.; b. 12/26/1785; d. 11/25/1840 (Caesar the slave appears in his estate.)
Jacob; b. 6/17/1790 (In 1847-1849, he sues the administrator of his father's estate over Caesar.)
Margaret; b. 4/30/1792
Lewis W.; b. 5/28/1795
Charles A.; b. 4/25/1797; d. 1829 (I am descended from him.)
David Fannon; b. 8/29/1799
Mary Ann Elizabeth; b. 8/1802
On 20 November 1840, Jasper S. M. Coon died intestate in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. He was survived by his widow, Sarah, and five children whose ages ranged from over 21 years to 2 years. [ p. 122] The court ordered two individuals to act as appraisers to determine the content and value of Jasper's estate and, on 24 February 1841, an inventory of the estate was filed in the parish court. That inventory included:
Negro man Caesar aged 55 years, Venus his wife 33, and their children: Ned 14, Charles 12, Elizabeth 10, Henry 4, Susan 2 appraised at $2,500. [ p. 122 ]
Caesar is given to Jasper's son, Albert F. Coon, 1846
Although Jasper's estate was inventoried and appraised in 1841, it was not until five years later that the estate was divided among his heirs. In October 1846, the property in Jasper Coon's estate was divided into six lots that were approximately equal in value. Then, Jacob's widow and each of his children drew a lot and took possession of the property in that lot. Because there were slight variations in appraised value of the lots, some of the children gave cash to the others to equalize the distribution. Jacob Coon's son Albert F. drew the lot containing
Negro man Caesar age 61 years $300.00 [ pp 127 - 128 ]
Thus, it appears from this evidence that the "Negroe boy name Caesar " who was given to John Lewis Coon in 1792 by has father Caspar Coon is the "Negro man Caesar aged 55 years" in Jasper Coon's estate, and, he is the "Negro man Caesar age 61 years" given to Albert F. Coon in 1846. If Caesar really was 61 in 1846, he would have been born around 1785, making him 6-7 years old when he was given to John Lewis Coon in 1792. Up until now, it seems that the ownership of Caesar is a simple matter: He was passed from Caspar Coon to John Lewis Coon, thence to his son Jasper and, finally, to his son Albert.
But wait -- it's not that simple: Caesar's connection with Charles A. Coon, John Lewis Coon's son
Charles A. Coon died in September 1829, seven years after his father Lewis died in 1822. Charles had a number of minor children and his widow filed guardian accounts with the court listing property that would pass to these minor children -- none of these guardian accounts list Caesar as part of Charles' property. However, in September 1836, a guardian account was filed that includes a negro named Caesar.
In 1844 John King took over the guardian accounts after he married the sister of the minor children. In January 1845 the property of Charles A. Coon was sold at auction. According to a final accounting filed in 1847, the only property not sold was two Negroes, Caesar and John.
And now, the rest of the story
John Lewis COON (1757-1822) and his wife Mary FANNON (unk-1815) had eight children, listed above. From the evidence above, it seems clear that ownership of Caesar the slave passed from Caspar Kuhn to his son John Lewis Coon, to his son Jasper S. M. Coon, then to his son Albert F. Coon.
However, for some reason, in March 1845, Jacob Coon, son of John Lewis Coon and brother of Jasper, sued in Wilkinson County court over the status of Caesar. Pryor's book has one whole appendix -- Appendix A, pp. 393 - 411 -- devoted to documents from the court hearings regarding Caesar.
Jacob Coon sued one John King, claiming that John Lewis Coon had intended for Caesar to be freed upon Lewis' death and King, in violation of Lewis' wishes, not only had not freed Caesar, but also had attempted to secure "to himself above the entire effects of the said Lewis COON senr. deceased." [ pp. 394 ]
This suit by Jacob Coon against John King was filed in March 1845 and was heard in the Wilkinson County court in 1845 and 1846. Lewis Coon died 23 years earlier, in 1822. Why did Jacob wait 23 years to sue over Caesar's status when, as is documented above, Caesar was passed from Lewis Coon to his son Jasper, then to his son Albert -- a fact that Jacob certainly should have known. Let's note here that John King -- whom Jacob is accusing of funny business with Lewis's estate -- married Catherine Margaret Amanda Coon, one of Lewis' grandchildren. It could be that an internal family squabble led to this suit.
Appendix A of Pryor's book consists mainly of transcripts from the trials where evidence is no conclusive as to whether or not Lewis Coon intended for Caesar to be freed upon his (Lewis's) death. However, the court transcripts do provide a glimpse into Caesar's success, either as a slave or a free man. According to the court transcripts, Caesar had acquired quite an estate, consisting of:
Four horses
Seven oxen
Two wagons
Twenty swine
A large quantity of corn
A note from one Thomas J. Brown to whom Caesar apparently had loaned around $200.00
Another note from Daniel D. Anderson for about $140.00
A slave named John (yes, blacks in the South owned slaves)
Five head of cattle
100 pounds of sugar
100 pounds of pork
100 bushels of corn, and,
"farming tools."
The court transcript then contains considerable discussion about an arrangement in which Caesar paid $400 to several (perhaps all) of Lewis Coon's children. No reason is stated for this payment, however, it's possible that Caesar bought his freedom from the children of his deceased master, Lewis Coon.
One interesting court document is a letter signed by John King to his uncle (by marriage) Jacob Coon, dated Woodville (MS), 13 July 1844. Later court testimony shows this letter to have been written by another man, William M. Crisp, who also signed John King's name to the letter. Crisp stated that he wrote the letter, signed King's name, but King agreed to the content of the letter. Crisp also testified that Charles A. Coon, son of Lewis, had a bill of sale from Lewis' other children for Caesar, suggesting that Charles bought out his siblings' shares of Caesar. The best part of this letter, though, is this part:
I presume you have heard what a scrape that Caesar got into in this County. Reports say that he has been cohabiting with a white woman. I know nothing about it whether it is so or not though one thing is certain she has a Negro child and the people here are quietly enraged against him threatening to have him and his effects sold for the __ . . .
[ p. 406 ]
The letter goes on to say that John King wants to "protect the old Negro."
Whatever the truth of the matter, on 12 February 1846 the court dismissed the suit "without prejudice." A dismissal without prejudice means the plaintiff can bring suit again, however, Pryor's book shows no further proceedings on this matter.
Chronology
As best I can tell, this is the chronology of this twisted tale.
Date | Event |
Feb 1792 | Caspar Kuhn leaves Negro boy named Caesar to his son John Lewis Coon |
1811-12 | Coon family moves from SC to MS; "one Negro man" with them, possibly Caesar |
1822 | John Lewis Coon dies intestate, Wilkinson County, MS |
1836 | Charles A. Coon, Lewis's son, died in 1829; guardian account filed for his minor children lists a "Negro Caesar" |
Feb 1841 | Caesar, age 55 with a wife and children, appears in the estate of Jasper Coon, Lewis Coon's oldest son |
July 1844 | John King (married to Amanda Coon, granddaughter of Lewis Coon, daughter of Charles A. Coon) writes -- or has someone write for him -- a letter to his wife's uncle, Jacob Coon, in which he describes Caesar as "cohabiting with a white woman." King also says he will "get out letters of administration" for Lewis Coon's estate (Lewis died 22 years earlier). |
Jan 1845 | Charles A. Coon's property is sold at auction; two Negroes, Caesar and John, are not sold. |
March 1845 | Jacob Coon sues John King, his uncle by marriage, over the status of Caesar and other matters involving Lewis Coon's estate (23 years after Lewis died). |
Feb 1846 | Jacob Coon's suit against John King is dismissed without prejudice. |
October 1846 | Caesar, age 61, appears in a inventory of the estate of Jasper Coon; he is given to Jasper's son Albert, Lewis' grandson. |
Frankly, this is beginning to sound to me like the Abbott and Costello routine about "who's on first." Remember, the Coon family legend says that Caesar was freed in 1812, bought land near the Coon family land, and became quite prosperous. If the listing of Caesar's property that appears in the court records is accurate, he was, indeed, somewhat prosperous. At the end, we are left with several questions and possibilities.
It could be that Caesar was freed at some point
but remained near the Coon family, possibly working for them
from time to time. If the accounting of his belongings is accurate, he
could have been a free Negro, working his own land and
accumulating property.
As he aged, he may have found it to his advantage to go back
under the wing of one of the Coon family, which would explain
his presence in Jasper's estate.
Is the claim about Caesar cohabiting with a
white woman factual? If so, there likely would have been
threats against Caesar, causing him to seek protection from the
family of his former owner.
Are there TWO Caesars -- one given to Lewis Coon
by his father and freed, and, another owned by Jasper Coon and
inherited by his son Albert? And why does Caesar show up
in the accounting of Charles A. Coon's estate? In Pryor's book, she states
that she found no evidence that there were two (or more) Caesars. [ p. 411 ]
Perhaps Caesar never was freed, but, was allowed
to work some Coon land as his own, resulting in his accumulating
a modest estate while still being passed along from one Coon
family to another as chattel property.
Finally, consider this possibility.
Assume Caesar was freed at some point after the Coon family arrived in Wilkinson County, MS.
He obtained some land, worked hard, may have hired himself out to earn extra income, and became prosperous, accumulating property and cash, lending money, buying property, and the like. "Prosperous," of course, is a relative term. If he owned the livestock, wagons, implements, and produce listed above, he was better off than a lot of people of that time and place, black and white.
Remember -- this is SW Mississippi in the early 1800's. Slavery is the law of the land. Laws forbid teaching slaves to read, write, and "figure." Social mores prohibit personal relationships between blacks and whites. The entire legal and social structure is designed and operated to keep blacks "in their place" and "uppity niggers" may be crushed by the full force of the social and legal system.
A prosperous, free black man would be a slap in the face of white men who did not fare so well and it's possible that some degree of anger and jealousy were directed at Caesar by his less fortunate -- or less ambitious -- white neighbors.
Several witnesses in the trial testified that Caesar was "under the protection of" various members of the Coon family. This could mean that, although Caesar was free and managing his own affairs, he occasionally needed a white man to run interference for him with the law or with white people who didn't like him, and one or more of the Coon's helped Caesar. (NOTE: This practice of a white man protecting a black man or black family who worked for him extended well into the 20th Century. I recall my grandfather helping out black men who worked for him when they got into scrapes with the law or when they ran afoul of the Klan -- as late at the mid-1960's.)
Let's assume the foregoing is correct and John King is one of those who wants to take Caesar down a few notches, but, he can't do anything to Caesar until Lewis is dead. Lewis dies in 1822, King, as administrator of Lewis Coon's estate, starts his campaign to ruin Caesar -- to "put him in his place" -- and, after a few years, Jacob Kuhn catches on to what King has been up to and challenges him in court, resulting in the 1846-47 trials.
Caesar , in the meantime, decides he would be safer and almost as well off if he returned to the protection of the Coon family, so, he gives up his prosperity and freedom and returns to some degree of bondage to Jasper Coon, and, later, to Jasper's son Albert.
So, now, we have come full circle from two versions of a family legend, through facts and evidence, and back to the family legend. I guess that's what makes family history so intriguing -- there's always another question waiting to be answered, or not.
Back to Coon Family first page.
AFTERWORD
Then, there is this. My Richardson ancestors were part of the migration from SC to SW Mississippi in the early 1800's as described in the "Memoirs of Frances DuBose Richardson." One of these Richardson's was John Gaulden Richardson, about whom this is known:
John Gaulden Richardson, 1785-1856
A. Born 28 February 1785, Sumter District, SC
B. He was chosen to lead the first trip by the Richardson family to the Mississippi Territory.
C. 5 December 1808: “First Monday in December 1808” he departed the family home in South Carolina.
i. Accompanied by “two slaves, Caesar and Pina.”ii. “A two-horse covered wagon pulled by two mules;” carrying seed, farming and kitchen utensils.
iii. In Georgia, “engaged two Choctaw Indian guides.”
D. January 1809: Reached a settlement of friends from Georgia near Woodville, Mississippi.
i. Fourteen miles east of Woodville on the Woodville-Liberty road.
ii. Bought a quarter-section from a squatter named Clarke; this area is still known as Clarkesfield.
E. April 1809: Cleared land by burning the cane growing there and planted a cotton crop.
F. October 1809: Harvested the cotton, sold the crop for seed, returned to SC.
G. November 1809: Arrived at family home in SC.
i. 16 November 1809: married Margaret DuBose.
H. “Last Monday in November 1809,” departed with family, including one brother, and 100 slaves to return to Mississippi.
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