Laura Tolliver Smith

Laura Tolliver Smith was born about 1852 in Copiah County, Mississippi. Surviving post-Civil War records identify her as a formerly enslaved member of the family associated with H. G. D. Brown's Lucky Hit plantation. She later married John Smith and raised a large family. Some details preserved in family history — including a claim that she attended an institution called "Vicksburg College" and the family's relationship with Bishop C. H. Mason — remain subjects of ongoing research.

1. Laura Tolliver was formerly enslaved on H. G. D. Brown's Lucky Hit plantation.

   Documented

   The 1865 Freedmen's Bureau register associates Laura's former enslaver with Lucky Hit plantation. The precise location of Lucky Hit has not been independently established and no coordinates are recorded.

   BT-CLM-00085 · High confidence

2. Laura Tolliver was formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown.

   Documented

   The 1865 Freedmen's Bureau register provides direct named evidence that Laura was formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown. The unnamed eight-year-old female recorded in Brown's 1860 slave schedule is consistent with Laura's approximate age but cannot independently be identified as Laura.

   BT-CLM-00084 · High confidence

• The eighty-acre place

  “John and Laura acquired approximately eighty acres, with a house, barns, livestock, a blacksmith shop, wells, orchards, pastures, streams, gardens, trees, and poultry.”

  Earliest known teller: Alma Smith Spearman · BT-TRD-00097

• Laura attended "Vicksburg College"

  “Laura Tolliver, while yet a student of Vicksburg College, was given in marriage to John Smith, a country farmer.”

  Earliest known teller: Alma Smith Spearman · BT-TRD-00098

• Bishop C. H. Mason in the Smith home

  “Around 1897 John and Laura Smith welcomed Bishop C. H. Mason into their home, extended an ongoing invitation for him to stay when in the area, their son Joe cared for his horse and buggy, and their oldest grandson Mason Harrison Smith was named for him.”

  Earliest known teller: Alma Smith Spearman · BT-TRD-00099

• Did Laura Tolliver attend "Vicksburg College"?

  Under Investigation

  What institution was remembered as "Vicksburg College", did Laura attend it, and do any of its records survive?

• Did John and Laura Smith own an approximately 80-acre farm?

  Under Investigation

  What do county deeds, tax rolls, plat maps, agricultural schedules, mortgage records, and probate files show?

• Did Laura and John Smith provide hospitality and support to Bishop C. H. Mason around 1897?

  Under Investigation

  Can Bishop Mason's movements around 1897 be independently documented? Do COGIC records, Mason biographies, or church records mention John, Laura, or Joe Smith? Can Mason Harrison Smith's name and relationship be documented?

• How many children did John and Laura Smith raise?

  Under Investigation

  Which household, probate, guardianship, church, and family records can identify the children individually?

• What do census records indicate about Laura Tolliver Smith's literacy?

  Under Investigation

  What do the original census images show, and who reported the household's information in each year?

• · Identify educational institutions operating in Vicksburg and surrounding Mississippi communities during the relevant period. Investigate Reconstruction-era education available to formerly enslaved students. Search school catalogs, newspapers, Freedmen's Bureau educational records, institutional archives, and local histories. Do not conclude that no institution existed until research establishes it.
• · Search county deeds, tax rolls, plat maps, agricultural schedules, mortgage records, and probate files.
• · Search COGIC institutional records, Mason biographies and itineraries, church minutes, and local newspapers.
• · Reconstruct the household across all available censuses; search probate, guardianship, church, and cemetery records.
• · Review all four original census images inside BEFORE TILL and record what each column states.
• · Review the original register image inside BEFORE TILL. Search Brown estate, probate, tax, and Freedmen's Bureau labor contract records.

1. Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation

   Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872 · Digital Image

   Digital image of original record · Original image: Citation entered — image review pending · BT-SRC-00035

2. 1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi

   United States Bureau of the Census · FamilySearch · U.S. census, Copiah County, Mississippi, population schedule, Townships 9 & 10 · Digital Image

   Digital image of original record · Original image: Citation entered — image review pending · BT-SRC-00036

3. 1880 U.S. Census — Rose Hill, Union County, Kentucky

   United States Bureau of the Census · FamilySearch · U.S. census, Union County, Kentucky, population schedule, Rose Hill · Digital Image

   Digital image of original record · Original image: Citation entered — image review pending · BT-SRC-00037

4. 1900 U.S. Census — Mount Hope, Copiah County, Mississippi

   United States Bureau of the Census · FamilySearch · U.S. census, Copiah County, Mississippi, population schedule, Mount Hope · Digital Image

   Digital image of original record · Original image: Citation entered — image review pending · BT-SRC-00038

5. 1910 U.S. Census — Mayharris, Copiah County, Mississippi

   United States Bureau of the Census · FamilySearch · U.S. census, Copiah County, Mississippi, population schedule, Mayharris · Digital Image

   Digital image of original record · Original image: Citation entered — image review pending · BT-SRC-00039

6. Bibliographic details pending — family history by Alma Smith Spearman

   Alma Smith Spearman · Authored Narrative

   Authored family history · Original image: Publication details pending · BT-SRC-00040

7. Find a Grave memorial for George Smith (1881-1936), Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, Illinois

   Find a Grave contributor (unidentified) · Find a Grave · Find a Grave memorial ID 92711754 · Other

   Research lead — derivative source · Original image: Derivative source only · BT-SRC-00041

8. 1860 U.S. Census Slave Schedule — H. G. D. Brown Household, Copiah County, Mississippi

   United States Bureau of the Census · FamilySearch · U.S. census, Copiah County, Mississippi, slave schedule · Digital Image

   Digital image of original record · Original image: Citation entered — image review pending · BT-SRC-00034

33 discrete observations were extracted from these sources for this case.