•Part 4-A: Benjamin Magee
We continue to delve into the Magee family, with this week's focus on Benjamin Magee, the third son of William Magee (1762-1837) and Mary Margaret James Magee (1771-1867). Benjamin was born in 1798 prior to the Magees' move to the Hayes Creek community of Washington Parish. In December of 1814, Benjamin enlisted, together with his brothers John and Hezekiah, to serve under General Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans. He was said to have been in the entourage of Washington Parish men who met up with General Andrew Jackson at Ben's Ford, as he and his army were marching to New Orleans where they defeated the British. He served in Captain William Bickham's Co. of the 12th and 13th Louisiana Regiment, which unit was commanded by Col. Thomas C. Warner. Discharged in March of 1815 at the Navy Yard at Madisonville, Benjamin's service record extended from December 23, 1814, to March 10, 1815.
In 1819 he married Terry Ginn born to Jeptha Ginn and Penina Magee Ginn in 1801. Benjamin homesteaded the property that became the Donald Warren place, situated two miles north of Clifton, to the east of Highway 25. The Magee home was a significant two-story log structure that faced to the east and which was thought to have been approximately 70 feet from the front to the back. The home featured two large brick chimneys. Benjamin proved to be a successful farmer, active community leader, and like many in Washington Parish an avid hunter. When he died on April 22, 1847, he was "a rural pioneer mail carrier." My information on Benjamin Magee and his descendants derives from both the "William Magee and Mary Margaret James and their Descendants 1770 - 1993" book and the materials of my mother's first cousin Dr. T. C. W. Magee, which his daughter Margaret Magee Joffrion so generously shared.
The growth of Benjamin and Terry Magee's family was measured by the U. S. Census records between 1820 and 1840. In 1820, the couple had one female child, age -5 years. In 1830, their family had grown to three males and thee females, age -5 to 10 years. Then, in 1840, they had five males and four females, age -5 to 20 years. By 1850 Terry was the head of household, with eight offspring in her home.
After Benjamin died at home in 1847, both Benjamin's brother John Magee and Benjamin's son Zachariah filed suits in 1851 to settle his estate. Though the details of the final settlement remain a mystery, the Bounty Land Application made in 1857 revealed that John Magee was, at some time, guardian to Benjamin's minor children. As guardian of minors under the age of 21 and "next friend" to minors age 21, John Magee filed an application on behalf of their father's service in the War of 1812, all of this according to the Magee book. A land grant of 160 acres was issued on the first day of March 1858.
After her husband's death, Terry Ginn Magee married Rev. Jesse Crawford on June 2, 1851. Crawford (1795 - 1869) was a Baptist preacher in the Silver Springs community, just a few miles north of Mt. Hermon. The marriage was without issue. Terry Ginn Magee died in 1858.
Benjamin and Terry Ginn Magee had the following children: Arcadia, William Ginn, Zachariah, Harriet, Benjamin, John Warren III, Eliza, Mary Melissa J., Terry Melissa, and Huey "Hervey" Ginn Magee. I will attempt herein to provide basic information on the firstborn daughter and firstborn son.
Arcadia Magee (1820-1891), the firstborn, married Nathaniel Graves. It was Nathaniel who donated property for the Hayes Creek Church, which site included an original portion of the William Magee Cemetery. Nathaniel Graves also was Deacon of the church and was elected Treasurer of the Magee's Creek Baptist Association in 1880, roles he held until death. In addition, he was Police Juror and a member of the Franklinton Masonic Lodge #101. Arcadia and Nathaniel had the following children: Benjamin M. Graves, who married Margaret Lewis; Sarah Terry Graves, who married Allen W. Sharp; Harriet E. Graves, who married Jesse Stallings; Eliza C. Graves, who married W. Frank Robbins; Mary A. Graves, who married Liberty Fleet Magee; Melissa E. Graves, who married Wallace Stogner; Thomas Jasper Graves, who married Laura Bahm; Willie Nathaniel Graves, who married Malona "Babe" Stogner; John G. Graves (who must have died before the 1870 Census); Lenora Arcadia Graves, who married Byron Benton Burris; and Martina "Tina" Graves, who married Marcus Fleet Magee.
William Ginn Magee (1824-1909), the firstborn son, married Sarah Cole Woodruff of DeSoto Parish. The couple had the following children: Lucetta Cordelia Magee, who married John P. Fincher; Sarah Gabriellen Magee, who married Benjamin Franklin Riley; Benjamin Franklin Magee, who married Maggie Emma Adams; Terry M. Magee, born around 1854; William Seth Magee, who married Florence R. Tatum; Mary Eliza "Molly" Magee, who married James LaFitte Bardwell, first, Edward Quick, second, and Robert Chandler, third; and Georgia Ann Magee who married Riley Litton, first, and George Wynn, second.
•Stay tuned for next week's column which will include the remaining children of Benjamin and Terry Ginn Magee.
