History, Family, Ties and Circumstance; these are the elements by which we as descendants of slaves are able to attain a sense of one’s self, one’s own being. Today this is important for the young as well as the old. Why? You may ask. Because the African American’s role in the making of this great United States of America is one that is rarely discussed, mentioned or even acknowledged. If we do not desire to know who we are or where we come from and if we do not attempt to trace the paths of our forefathers and mothers we may never know what part they played in making life what it is for us today. The task is at hand.

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In researching our family history, I have found out many things good and bad, happy and sad. No matter, it is still what makes us what we are today. We would do our ancestors a great injustice if we are ashamed of it.  It is merely the story of their journeys. We can only learn from them and gather strength and a sense of great pride. We come from good stock. What I have prepared for you today is but a sketch, a mere glimpse into the lives of our ancestors. I am excited to share this with you.

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This is Our Story:

Our forefathers and mothers were people like you and I. Some were mixed with white and black, black and Indian and some were full bloodied Africans. They came to Wakulla County as slaves; people bought and sold like property. Brought here to work on the small plantations and large farms of well to do whites. Many of us are carrying these white slave owners’ names right now today. The men generally worked in the fields and the women mainly washed clothes, cooked, cleaned and tended to the slave owner’s children. Children depending on their age had chores to do also. Slavery was a way of life.

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One hot summer day in June of 1860 the census takers went around to every farm and plantation in Wakulla County and took count of every slave and who their slave owner was. Even though only first names of the slaves were used this document tells us where our ancestors were at this time. The 1860 Slave Census can be obtained in Tallahassee at the State Archives. On this very day Hillary Simmons a white slave owner of the Shell Point District had listed as her slaves the MILLS children. Effie age 14, George age 10 and Charity age 8. According to our oral history they were siblings. No doubt born into slavery. I was unable to find any record of their parents. However, other census records for years after record that the Mills were born in Georgia. We can only imagine the struggle of 3 young slave children without a mother and father. But they grew up, they overcame. In 1870 Effie was married to Joseph Allen and had 2 children. George and Charity maintained a home together. He a farm laborer and she a housekeeper.  In 1880, the census reflects that George had met a bride Florida Williams and they began their family. The youngest sister, Charity could not be found on the 1880 census. She could have married or passed away but I cannot say exactly what happened to her.

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The ALLENS were a rather large clan. They were from South Carolina but had been in Wakulla County for many years. This is evident by the age of the eldest of the Allen Slave, who was Judah a black female listed as 90 years old in 1860. Sarah E. Allen a 60 year old South Carolina native was their slave owner. She owned 23 slaves in the Newport District. The Allen family lineage is somewhat confusing because there were so many of them and frankly I was unable to get it all straight. But, what I do know is that in 1860 Jane Allen was 18 years old and had a 2 year old son Peter. In 1870 Jane Allen was 28 years old and living in the household of Eliza Allen who was probably her mother since she was 59 years old.  At the time Jane also had Peter 12 Spruce 7 Tobias 6 Bruce 4 Wallace 3 and Wilson 2. There were many other Allen households:  Joseph Allen, Edward Allen, William Allen, Abraham Allen, Jacob Allen, Prince Allen and Stephen Allen.  But to date it is agreed that we come from the Jane Allen lineage.  In 1880 Jane Allen was not on the census in Sopchoppy. This means that she was either in another district or county. It was common for people in Sopchoppy to go between Wakulla and Franklin counties. However in 1885, she was Jane Booth and had married James Booth a 36 year old farmer and had children with him.  Jane was not 38 and the Booths had quite a household. Of the Booth children there was Mary 14, Lawrence 10, Arthur 9, Adolphus 8 Christian 7 and Anna 3. And Bruce, Wallace and Wilson Allen were still at home. They also shared their home with cousins, Ephraim Rosier and Violet Allen.

 

The ROSIERS, Ephraim and Violet and their children, Clara, George, Merride, Arthur and Jake began the Rosier lineage as we know it.  Like the Allen Clan, there were other sets of Rosiers like Tom Rosier, Jonas Rosier, Alford Rosier, and James Rosier. The Rosiers were born in Georgia but were not found on the Wakulla County 1860 slave census.  They could have been on the Franklin County Slave Census since oral tradition says they grew up there. Ephraim and Violet went on to have other children and Jonas Rosier married Laura Bradham and had Willis, Julia, Tena, Ian, Jonas E. and DM.  The SIMMONS: Amos Simmons, the beginning of the Simmons as we know it was also not found on the Wakulla County Slave Census. His case is like the Rosiers, more than likely he came from neighboring Franklin County. However in 1870 his brother Charles and his sister Rose were in Wakulla County. Charles was living with the Greens and Rose was living with the Bradhams. By 1885 Amos had made it to Wakulla County and had married Nancy and had one daughter Susan. Nancy’s mother Cherry Givens, Charles and Rose were also in the household.

 

The SIMMONS first born Susie and the first born of George and Florida Mills, Charlie met and married like many of our other forefathers and Mothers too numerous to name. These relationships are what create the Ties that Blind the MILLS ALLENS ROSIERS AND SIMMONS and We can and should be very proud of our forefathers, our roots and family heritage. This is proof that we didn’t happen here by chance.  Struggle after struggle, day after day, year after year and generation after generation their perseverance, strength and faith in God is what enables us to have this reunion today.