Sunday, January 22, 2012

Is Milly Holyfield the Sister of Luke & Mark Rivers?

Luke and Mark Rivers are sons of Mark Rivers and Annie Parker. In 1850, Luke Rivers[1] was married and living with his wife and four children in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. He is 40 years old and his wife is 25; he has 3 daughters and a son. His father is deceased and there is evidence that his Mother is living with Luke's brother Samuel. Samuel has a 65 year female named Ann Rivers in his household.

Family tradition states that Mark Rivers went to Missouri. Other than Family tradition very little is known about the composition of the Mark Rivers family. Around 1929, Minnie Sanders Rivers put together a pamphlet on the Rivers Family of Chesterfield County. This is an extract of the actual data from her pamphlet[2].

2. Mark [Rivers], b. abt 1735; m.(1) ______ Brown; ch: Betsey, m. Wm. Rivers (1st cousin) son of Fredk. Rivers; m. (2) Betsey ____, ch; Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; m. (3) Annie Parker; ch. Sam, m. Katie Parker; Flora Ann, umn.; Mark went to MO.; Sarah, unm; Martha, m. ______ Moore ; Wesley, m. in GA.

Sometime around 2000 and early 2001 I connected with a researcher who was researching the Dryman/Driman family of Mississippi and Texas. Through that contact I learned that her Dryman ancestor, Jasper Newton Dryman, was living with Mark and Irena Rivers in Jones County, Mississippi. A review of the 1850 Census[3] for Jones County Mississippi did in fact show Mark, Irena and Jasper in the same household.

Mark Rivers, b. about 1808 in SC married Arena Catherine Hancock in Feb 1840 in South Carolina. Shortly after this marriage, he and Catherine migrated to Jones County, Mississippi.

Between 1850 and 1858 Luke Rivers and his family migrated from Chesterfield, South Carolina to Jones County, Mississippi and can be found in the 1860 Census[4] for Jones County.

We now have two sons of Mark Rivers and Annie Parker living in Jones County, Mississippi; brothers - Luke and Mark Rivers.

In 1858, Mark filed for DIVORCE[5] from wife Catherine Hancock Rivers. Yet in 1860, he and Catherine Rivers are still together and listed in the 1860 Census for Jones County. Luke Rivers was a witness at his brother divorce hearing in January 1859. Divorce action filed on 1 Jan 1859 and granted on 9 April 1859.

To Catherine Rivers Greeting

You are hereby notified that on the fourth Saturday of January I shall procede before James A Smith at his residence a Justice of the Peace of Jones County and State of Mississippi to take the testimony of J M Musgrove, Luke Rivers, Thos C. Bryant, Seborn McGee and other to be read as evidence in a certain cause pertaining in our Chancery Court wherein Mark Rivers is plaintiff and yourself is defendant on the part of the plaintiff you can appear and cross examine if you see fit.

January 4th 1859

J E Welborn

Sol for Plaintiff

About this time, I learned that Emilla (Milly) Holifield, wife of Moses Holifield, was said to be a sibling to Mark Rivers. Various records and secondary sources, on the internet, indicate that Milly & Moses were married about 1819 (definitely before 1820). They are listed in the 1820 census for Anson County North Carolina and in the 1840 Census for Jones County, Mississippi.

Patricia N. Edwards and Jean Strickland in their book "Who Married Whom[6]" states that Moses HOLIFIELD, b. 1800, SC, Married (1) abt 1829, Emilia RIVERS, born abt 1800 in SC; married (2) abt 1867, Mrs. Nancy M. SUMRALL, born abt 1838 in AL; four (4) children listed from 1st wife - Mark, Jonathan, James & Moses, Jr. ; three (3) children listed from 2nd wife - William Martin, Mary Elizabeth and Charlie HOLIFIELD. [Either I made an error is my abstract or the Authors are off by 10 years on the first marriage date]

In 1972, H. H. Daniels published a book entitled "Two hundred and one years: this book is memories and history of John Holifield family[7]". From the description of this book on the FamilySearch website we find these comments.

"John Holifield was born in 1769-70 in Chesterfield District in S[outh] C[arolina] ... John raised his family there until 1850 when he moved to Jones Co., Miss. His eldest son Moses left S.C. about 1830, moved to Green Co., Ala. then on to Jones Co. in 1836.

My contact back in the early 2000 when we researched this family together stated that Harlan Daniels (author of "201 Years") told her on the phone that Emilia Holifield was the Sister of Mark and Luke Rivers.

Circumstantial evidence along with family folklore clearly indicates a possible connection between Emila "Milly" Holifield, Luke Rivers and Mark Rivers. There is no doubt that Mark and Luke are brothers; but, is Emila "Milly" Holifield their sister? More research is required and time will reveal the truth.

If you have any information related to individuals in this article please contact me at CPurvis1 [@] gmail.com



[1] 1850 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Page 168A, Line 6, Family #1065, Dwelling #1065, Household of Luke Rivers; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2000); citing National Archives Microfilm M432 Roll 851.

[2] Minnie Sanders Rivers, The Rivers Family of Chesterfield County, SC; unpublished, 1929, page 3.

[3] 1850 Census, Jones County, Mississippi, population schedule, Jones County, Mississippi, Page 129B, Line 13, Dwelling 3194, Family #194, Household of Mark RIVERS; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2000); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 374.

[4] 1860 U. S. Census, Jones County, Mississippi, population schedule, Ellisville, Jones County, Mississippi, Page 705, Line 7, Dwelling #303, Family #303, Household of Luke RIVERS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2000); citing National Archives Microfilm M653 Roll 584.

[5] Jones County, Mississippi, Volume 1 page 31-35 , Mark Rivers vs. Catherine Rivers, Divorce Case, 1st January A.D. 1859; Circuit Court Chancery, .

[6] Patricia N. Edwards & Jean Strickland, Who Married Whom (Ashdown Arkansas 71822: Strickland Books, 1986), page 68.

[7] Harlan H. Daniel, Two hundred and one years: this book is memories and history of John Holifield family (N.p.: n.p., 1972).

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