Do you know where you fit in to the family?
Below is the story of how our family came to be.
The saga of the families begin with Mother Elvira and her four children -- Grace, Hampton, Rhina, and Rozena. The story, as passed down through oral history, is that our matriarch Mother Elvira came from the Ashanti tribe of Ghana, West Africa. Once enslaved and subjected to the horrific passage to America, she was bought and owned by Lawrence Porcher Hext of Barnwell, South Carolina. On Saturday, June 20th, 1857, Elvira and her family were then sold to Hext's daughter Mary Brisbane Hext and her husband John Thomas McConnell of Nesmith, South Carolina as a wedding gift. Get this, though -- the entire family was sold for only $5.00.
Mother Elvira and her four children (all under the age of 8) arrived at the plantation on the Burnett Swamp in Nesmith, South Carolina -- the same land that Elvira's daughter Grace and son-in-law George Dorsey would later purchase from James Zuell McConnell Jr. (nephew of John Thomas McConnell) for $165. Our cousin Tonya Jones-Boland (a Dorsey descendant), through countless hours of researching slave schedules, land records, etc. has documented that by 1892 (only 27 years after the Civil War), all of our Dorsey, White, Green, and McGee ancestors had purchased property and were landowners.
Grace, the eldest child, married George Dorsey in 1865. As mentioned earlier, George purchased 77 acres of land in Nesmith, South Carolina on January 21st, 1892 for $165. George Dorsey was also one of many of our ancestors who led the struggle for the freedom to vote; he registered to vote at age 53 as shown in the January 1896 Mingo Township (Nesmith), South Carolina voter registration book. It wasn't easy for him though -- he had to meet qualifications meant to discourage black voters such as grandfather clauses, literacy requirements, and poll taxes.
Hampton Green and Rosalina Mack married in 1871. On November 4th, 1904, they purchased 50 acres of land for $90 in Hemingway, South Carolina. Tonya Jones-Boland notes that from reading this deed, it is clear that Hampton Green owns property and this is the first deed recorded in the Kingstree, South Carolina courthouse.
Rhina married Travis McGee in 1867. There's no deed for them located in the Kingstree, South Carolina courthouse, but on George Dorsey's mortgage deed it states that Travis' property is "west" of his own. Travis McGee is listed in 1884, 1885 and 1901 as having paid taxes on land and personal valuables.
The youngest child, Rozena, married Jeffrand White in 1872. There's no deed located in the Kingstree, South Carolina courthouse for property owned by Jeffrand, but in George Dorsey's mortgage deed it states that Jeffrand's land is "east" of his own. Jeffrand is also listed in 1884, 1885, and 1901 as having paid taxes on land and personal property, just like Travis McGee.
On November 28th, 1917, four "fiery" young men purchased 333 acres of property for $4,000 -- George & Grace Dorsey's sons Mose and Peterson, Rozena & Jeffrand White's son Stephen, and friend Charley Chandler. They were the next generation to continue to exercise their right to purchase large amounts of land. The area of that property is today called "Sand Hill" in Nesmith, South Carolina. A white man named Jack Johnson put up the money for them to purchase those 333 acres. When that loan was repaid in full, a celebratory dinner was served in the home of Mose and Martha Dorsey. The relations between the Dorsey and Johnson families are still strong to this day. One of our older family members, Rhodie Scott (passed away around 2001), vividly remembered serving dinner to Jack Johnson at the home of Mose Dorsey.
Elvira and all of her children beat the odds by living through slavery, experiencing freedom, living through the reconstruction era, and even purchasing property with little to no formal education.
Although Dorsey, Green, McGee and White are the main branches of our family stemming directly from Mother Elvira, we can't forget the daughters of Elvira's children who also married. You are still immediate family if your name is Washington, Nesmith, Swinton, Scott, Mack, Weaver, Ceasar, McCrea, Miller, Cooper, or McKnight.
Now for the McGee-McCrea-Bradley connection:
Travis and Rhina McGee had 7 children -- Amelia, Irene, William, Laurie, Rozena, Netta, and Travis Jr (Junious).
The McCreas descended from Irene, who married Herbert McCrea in 1897.
Herbert and Irene's oldest girl Mabelle married William Bradley.
The point of this history and remembrance is that God has brought our family a very long way. May He continue to bless each member of this family as we go forward and do wonderful things with our lives.