Dorcas Magee, the fourth child of William Magee (1762-1837) and Mary Margaret James Magee (1771-1867), was born in 1800, perhaps in Georgia, prior to her parents' move to Washington Parish. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information relating to her. Notably, when some of the earlier Magee histories were written, for example in 1954, Dorcas was omitted. Her brother Jeremiah was listed as the fourth child of William Magee I. Dorcas, whose existence has been recognized since, married Edmund Andrews, who was born in 1774 and who died in 1836 in Amite County, Mississippi. Amite County was Dorcas's place of residence at the time of her husband's death, and it is where her estate was probated. Accordingly, it is presumed to be her place of burial.
Notably, Edmund was around 26 years older than Dorcas. At the time of their marriage, he had five children by a former marriage. As early as 1810, he owned property, according to the U. S. Census of Amite County, and by the 1830 Census, he operated a 2,000 acre farm. It is thought that he was operating his father-in-law William Magee's estate and residing next to his mother-in-law Mary Margaret James Magee. Edmund and Dorcas had the following children: Gabriellen Mary Andrews, born in 1831, and Marion Augustus Andrews, born in 1833 (no additional information available on Marion Augustus). Upon Edmund's death in 1836, his heirs - his wife and children - each received $4,372.03, a substantial sum at that time.
Upon Dorcas's death the following year, her children were placed in the care of her brother John Magee, under tutorship. He handled their estate until they came of age.
Gabriellen Mary Andrews (1831-1908) married Dr. William Luke Magee (1833-1861), a well-known local physician, first, and Captain Wiley Collins, second, with whom she had no children. Dr. William Luke Magee was the first medical school graduate who practiced in Washington Parish. Gabriellen and William Luke were charter members of Fisher Methodist Church. He died of a heart attack shortly after he began his medical practice. Gabriellen and William Luke had the following children: Ida Adelia Magee, who married Henry Eugene Sherling, who was murdered; Marion Leonard "Bud" Magee, who married Martha Elizabeth Stafford; and Mary William Magee, who married Walter Edwards.
Dorcas's brother Jeremiah Magee, the fifth child of William and Mary Margaret James Magee, came in rapid succession. Born on January 10, 1801, in Georgia, before his parents moved to Washington Parish, Jeremiah married Linea Davis on January 10, 1828. She was born in North Carolina in 1810 to Zaborn and Ester Bullock Davis, who also were early settlers in Washington Parish. Inheriting a large tract of land, Linea deeded this property, as evidenced by land records in Washington Parish, throughout her life to their children: Eldridge, Salena, Zaborn Davis, and Hosea Lafayette Magee. The three brothers - Eldridge, Zaborn, and Hosea - all served in the Confederate States Army.
Jeremiah "Jerry" and Linea Davis Magee were charter members of Enon Baptist Church as evidenced by church records. When the church was organized, they were two of the original nine signers of the "Rules of Decorum" on December 31, 1838.
The "William Magee and Mary Margaret James and their Descendants 1770 - 1993" book, my primary source for this series, discussed in detail the burial of the couple. A well-known farmer, Jeremiah Magee died on July 4, 1865, and is buried with his wife in the Enon Church, Magee Cemetery which is situated just north of Enon on the west side of Highway 16. Surviving Jeremiah for a minimum of 35 years, Linea lived with her son Zaborn and his wife Lenore at their residence, a log house just north of Enon across the road from the cemetery.
An article entitled, "The Magees" published in the "Bogalusa Daily News" on November 19, 1976, indicated that the Jeremiah Magee homesite was two miles south of the Enon Bogue Chitto River bridge on Lee Road, said information attributed to Dr. Theo. W. Gayer, who was the son of Adolphus and Linea Amanda Gayer. The area was described as the wilderness, and it was noted that bear and other wild animals ravaged the Magee's hogs in their pen.
Census records reflect that Linea, at age 70, was living with son Zaborn and daughter-in-law Lenore on June 21, 1880. On June 23, 1900, Linea at age 90 remained in Zaborn's household, together with Linea's daughter and Zaborn's sister Salena Magee Morris (Richardson) who was age 69. It was the 1900 Census that established that Jeremiah and Linea Magee had seven children, from which it is surmised that the couple lost three infants.
•Stay tuned for the next installment in this series, which will cover the four surviving children, of Jeremiah and Linea Magee. It will also provide information on their cemetery markers, pictured with this column.
