BEFORE TILL archival sealBefore TillThe Living Evidence Archive

Research object · BT-CLM-00006

Did Laura Tolliver attend "Vicksburg College"?

Under Investigation· 3 sourcesLast reviewed August 8, 2026
Research & Interpretation byAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

The Claim

A published family history by Alma Smith Spearman states that Laura Tolliver was a student at an institution identified as "Vicksburg College" when she married John Smith.

Public Summary

The family account is documented. Laura's attendance is not. BEFORE TILL preserves Alma Smith Spearman's statement as evidence that the family account exists, while the institution itself and Laura's attendance remain unverified.

Evidence Reviewed

  • Partially SupportsModerate

    Alma Smith Spearman's published family history states that Laura Tolliver was a student at an institution identified as "Vicksburg College" at the time of her marriage to John Smith. This documents that the family account exists; it does not by itself document attendance.

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

    Source: Bibliographic details pending — family history by Alma Smith Spearman

    This evidence documents that the family account exists and was recorded by a descendant author. It does not document Laura's attendance at any institution.

  • UnresolvedContext Only

    Compiled research reports the 1900 census as indicating that Laura could neither read nor write. ORIGINAL IMAGE VERIFICATION NEEDED.

    Source: 1900 U.S. Census — Mount Hope, Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch

    Census literacy reporting is inconsistent across decades and is not by itself a reliable test of schooling.

  • UnresolvedContext Only

    The original page has now been read. Laura's line carries a single mark in the education columns, which the archive reads as column 17, "cannot write" - leaving column 16, "cannot read", unmarked. On the same page, Bettie's and John's lines each carry two marks. The reading is consistent with the compiled research report that Laura could read but could not write. The marks are small and faint, and the reading is the archive's transcription of the page rather than a certainty.

    Smith Laura | 18 | F | M | Miss | [one mark in the education columns]

    Source: 1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration

The Evidence Trail

Step 1 · Claim

Did Laura Tolliver attend "Vicksburg College"?

Under Investigation· 3 sources

BT-CLM-00006

A published family history by Alma Smith Spearman states that Laura Tolliver was a student at an institution identified as "Vicksburg College" when she married John Smith.

Step 2 · Evidence & Source

  1. Partially Supports · Moderate weight

    Alma Smith Spearman's published family history states that Laura Tolliver was a student at an institution identified as "Vicksburg College" at the time of her marriage to John Smith. This documents that the family account exists; it does not by itself document attendance.

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

    Bibliographic details pending — family history by Alma Smith Spearman · Authored Narrative

    BT-EVD-00075 ← BT-SRC-00040

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    This evidence documents that the family account exists and was recorded by a descendant author. It does not document Laura's attendance at any institution.

  2. Unresolved · Context Only weight

    Compiled research reports the 1900 census as indicating that Laura could neither read nor write. ORIGINAL IMAGE VERIFICATION NEEDED.

    1900 U.S. Census — Mount Hope, Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch · p. 7B (penned), dwelling 147, family 150 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00066 ← BT-SRC-00038

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    Census literacy reporting is inconsistent across decades and is not by itself a reliable test of schooling.

  3. Unresolved · Context Only weight

    The original page has now been read. Laura's line carries a single mark in the education columns, which the archive reads as column 17, "cannot write" - leaving column 16, "cannot read", unmarked. On the same page, Bettie's and John's lines each carry two marks. The reading is consistent with the compiled research report that Laura could read but could not write. The marks are small and faint, and the reading is the archive's transcription of the page rather than a certainty.

    “Smith Laura | 18 | F | M | Miss | [one mark in the education columns]”

    1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · p. 109 (penned), dwelling 786, family 773, line 34 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00054 ← BT-SRC-00036

Step 3 · Conclusion

Under InvestigationVersion 1 · Current · Unresolved confidence

Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

A published family account states that Laura Tolliver attended an institution identified as "Vicksburg College." BEFORE TILL currently preserves that account as family history, but Laura's attendance has not yet been independently documented within the archive. Census records also contain inconsistent information regarding Laura's literacy. The identity and historical context of the institution require additional research.

What is not known: Whether Laura attended the institution. What institution Alma meant by "Vicksburg College." When Laura supposedly attended. Whether records of the institution survive. Whether the school name was remembered accurately.

What could change this: 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.

How the Evidence Sits Together

What supports the claim

Observations that carry the claim forward.

  • Alma Smith Spearman's published family history states that Laura Tolliver was a student at an institution identified as "Vicksburg College" at the time of her marriage to John Smith. This documents that the family account exists; it does not by itself document attendance.

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

    Partially Supports · Moderate weight

    Bibliographic details pending — family history by Alma Smith Spearman

    This evidence documents that the family account exists and was recorded by a descendant author. It does not document Laura's attendance at any institution.

What complicates or contradicts it

Kept in view rather than discarded.

  • Nothing in this column for this claim.

What only provides context

Consistent, but not identifying or probative on its own.

  • Compiled research reports the 1900 census as indicating that Laura could neither read nor write. ORIGINAL IMAGE VERIFICATION NEEDED.

    Unresolved · Context Only weight

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

    Census literacy reporting is inconsistent across decades and is not by itself a reliable test of schooling.

  • The original page has now been read. Laura's line carries a single mark in the education columns, which the archive reads as column 17, "cannot write" - leaving column 16, "cannot read", unmarked. On the same page, Bettie's and John's lines each carry two marks. The reading is consistent with the compiled research report that Laura could read but could not write. The marks are small and faint, and the reading is the archive's transcription of the page rather than a certainty.

    Smith Laura | 18 | F | M | Miss | [one mark in the education columns]

    Unresolved · Context Only weight

    1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi

Research Conclusion

Under InvestigationVersion 1 · Current

A published family account states that Laura Tolliver attended an institution identified as "Vicksburg College." BEFORE TILL currently preserves that account as family history, but Laura's attendance has not yet been independently documented within the archive. Census records also contain inconsistent information regarding Laura's literacy. The identity and historical context of the institution require additional research.

What is known: Alma Smith Spearman recorded the education story. Several census records contain literacy observations regarding Laura.

What is not known: Whether Laura attended the institution. What institution Alma meant by "Vicksburg College." When Laura supposedly attended. Whether records of the institution survive. Whether the school name was remembered accurately.

Future research: 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.

Amberly's Research Notes

From the research notebook ofAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

What We Still Need to Find

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

Provenance, Access and Use

Source creator
Varies by record — see each source
Who made the original record.
Researcher of record
Amberly R. Carter-Mills — Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist
Located, transcribed, weighed and interpreted the evidence.
Publishing archive
BEFORE TILL: The Living Evidence Archive
Holds the object, its identifiers and its revision history.

Bibliographic details pending — family history by Alma Smith Spearman

BT-SRC-00040
Evidentiary weight 2 of 4. Authored family historyOriginal image: Publication details pendingA descendant-authored account. Evidence that the account exists; not automatically contemporary proof of the events it describes.
Creator
Not recorded
Date created
Not recorded
Repository
Not recorded
Collection
Not recorded
Record form
Authored Narrative
Source type
Book
Accessed
Not recorded

Access and use

No rights statement has been recorded for this source. Verify rights with the holding repository before republication.

BEFORE TILL publishes description, transcription and analysis. Reuse of the underlying record is governed by the holding repository. Cite this archive by its persistent identifier when quoting our reading of the record.

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

BT-SRC-00038
Evidentiary weight 3 of 4. Digital image of original recordOriginal image: Citation entered — image review pendingA photographic image of a contemporary record held by the repository named below.
Creator
Not recorded
Date created
Not recorded
Repository
FamilySearch
Collection
U.S. census, Copiah County, Mississippi, population schedule, Mount Hope
Record form
Digital Image
Source type
Census
Accessed
Not recorded

Access and use

No rights statement has been recorded for this source. Verify rights with the holding repository before republication.

BEFORE TILL publishes description, transcription and analysis. Reuse of the underlying record is governed by the holding repository. Cite this archive by its persistent identifier when quoting our reading of the record.

1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi

BT-SRC-00036
Evidentiary weight 3 of 4. Digital image of original recordOriginal image: Citation entered — image review pendingA photographic image of a contemporary record held by the repository named below.
Creator
Not recorded
Date created
Not recorded
Repository
FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration
Collection
U.S. census, Copiah County, Mississippi, population schedule, Townships 9 & 10 (Post Office Hazlehurst)
Record form
Digital Image
Source type
Census
Accessed
Not recorded

Access and use

No rights statement has been recorded for this source. Verify rights with the holding repository before republication.

BEFORE TILL publishes description, transcription and analysis. Reuse of the underlying record is governed by the holding repository. Cite this archive by its persistent identifier when quoting our reading of the record.

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