Tuesday, June 20, 2017

"Mapsatilla" Was Probably "Mapsey Lilla"

Mapsatilla?  I don't even know where to begin with that.  No one by that name (beside this Mapsatilla) comes up on a search on Google or Bing search engines.  Maybe it is Massatilla?  1850 U.S. census, Madison County, Mississippi, population schedule, p. 143), dwelling 188, family 190, Mapsatilla Herrod; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 20 Jun 2017); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 376.


My 3rd great grandmother Celestine Letiticia Herrod had a sister who was born about 1840 in (likely) Madison County, Mississippi, and her name has been very difficult to figure out.

M. L. Herrod married S. B. Barnes in Madison County, Mississippi.


She is found in the 1860 Census living with S. B. Barnes:

Mapsey L.  Those initials match the marriage index record.  1860 U.S. census, Madison County, Mississippi, population schedule, p. 895, dwelling 797, family 795, Mapsey L. Barnes; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 20 Jun 2017); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 586.



And in 1870 she was living with Silas B. Barnes and 5 year old Narcissa (Bonus: Mom has a DNA cousin match at Ancestry to a descendant of this Narcissa, which was a very cool discovery the past week!):

Clearly says Mapsy.  A nickname, or her actual name?  1870 U.S. census, Madison County, Mississippi, population schedule, Police District No. 4, p. 73, dwelling 572, family 572, Mapsy Barnes; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 20 Jun 2017); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 739.

She likely died sometime about 1877.

I have cast about looking for the origin of Mapsatilla or anyone else on the planet whose name is Mapsatilla, with no success.  So concentrating on the Mapsey name, I did a search for it in the US Censuses 1850-1880, and in general in that era using Ancestry.  I made an interesting discovery.

According to various census records and family trees there was a Mapsy/Mapsey Lillia/Lilla (Wethersbee or Witherspoon) Cotten (born abt 1804 in probably Barnwell County, South Carolina), married to Haley Cotten, living in Franklin County, Mississippi in 1830 (when my "Mapsatilla's parents--Barney Herrod and Susan Wells-- were living there), and by 1850 this Mapsy Lilla was living in Leake County, Mississippi (neighboring county to Madison County, and where some of the the Herrod and Wells people ended up.

Is this a relative?  A family friend?  What kind of name is this?  I need more research, but I think this is possibly the same name of my aunt "Mapsatilla."

Mapsy Cotton in Leake County, Mississippi in 1850.  1850 U.S. census, Leake County, Mississippi, population schedule, Beat 5, p. 80, dwelling 528, family 587, Mapsy Cotton; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 20 Jun 2017); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 376.



Madison and Leake counties have been next to each other since their creation.
Image from the FamilySearch wiki on Mississippi.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

3 comments:

  1. Hello. My grandmother was also Mapsey Liler. She was the daughter of Elijah or Elizah and Emily Wyatt. She married Spencer Pierce and they lived in Newton County MS. It is such an unusual name. I am looking into these Mapseys to see if there is a possible connection. I have not been able to find her mother, Emily. Emily was born in 1857. My email is melodyandjoe@att.net.

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    1. I never got an email. My new email is kassiedee1989@gmail.com. I feel strong that we are connected to the Cotton family. Leake County MS. Haley Madison Cotton.

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