Jefferson County Mississippi Biographies and Biographical Sketches

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CARRADINE FAMILY Biography

In endeavoring to trace the genealogy of the Carradine family, we find that they were early residents of the Old North state and of Spanish origin. The paternal grandfather of Leonard W. Carradine, Fayette, Miss., Parker Carradine, came from Georgia, direct to the locality now known as Jefferson county, Miss., about the year 1772. He married Miss Penelope Hill, of Georgia, a family which has since become famous for its distinguished sons. She died in Madison county, Miss., about the year 1835. His brother, David, married her sister, and was the grandfather of Dr. James S. Carradine, of New York city, and Rev. Beverly Carradine, of St. Louis. On account of a leading part taken by himself in a revolt against the Spanish authorities in favor of the United States in 1781, Parker Carradine, together with several others, was seized by the Spaniards and carried to New Orleans in irons. At the end of six months they were released, owing to the clemency of the Spanish governor. During the territorial period he held the office of United States commissioner. He served as sole inspector for Villa Gayoso and Cole’s creek of the first election ever held in Mississippi for a representative allowed to the American settlers to congress. He died about 1820 on his plantation near Old Greenville, Jefferson county, where he had passed through so many stirring events. His youngest son, William Rapalie, was born in 1810, was educated at Transly vania university, Ivy., practiced law at Shreveport, La., and died in Natchez at the age of twenty-five. He married, in 1837, Miss Rebecca Chew Wilkinson, and they had but one child, Leonard Wilkinson. She was married in 1843 to John Hunter, a young Marylander, who was at the time deputy marshal of the state of Mississippi under Marshal William Guinn, and afterward became a successful merchant. He was collector of the port and mayor of Natchez for many years and was holding the latter office at the time of his death. He also held the office of general disbursing agent of the Confederate government for Louisiana and Mississippi. His death occurred at Natchez in 1863. He was popular with all classes, a devoted husband and the kindest of fathers to his stepson, having no children of his own. The Wilkinsons were an old Maryland family who came to the colony with Cecil Calvert (Lord Baltimore) and intermarried with that family, the latest instance having been the marriage of Frances Chew (great grandmother of subject) to Mumberd Calvert, one of the earliest sheriff's of Mississippi. On February 21, 1774, Ann Herbert Dent, daughter of John Dent, married William Wilkinson. She was a direct descendant of a younger son of the house of Herbert, who had also come over with Cecil Calvert as was a custom of younger sons of noble houses at that period. A brother of hers weut West and was one of the ancestors of Mrs. General Grant. A sister went to Georgia and was the grandmother of the Lougstreets. In 1708 Mrs. Ann H. (Dent) Wilkinson, her husband having died, moved to Washington, Miss., induced to do so by her kinsman, Gen. James Wilkinson, who was in command of the newdy purchased region and wrho was engaged in the work of organizing a territorial government. Her family consisted of George (grandfather of L. W. Carradine) and six daughters. At the battle of New Orleans George Wilkinson w as on the staff of General Wilkinson and was commissioned by General Jackson to report news of the victory to the territorial seat of government at Washington, Miss. Isaac Dunbar married Mary and afterward Elizabeth; Sandy Calvert, for whom the city of Calvert, Tex., was named, married Barbara; Thomas Miller married Ann Herbert; Sarah, the eldest, married Dr. Briscoe, of Washington city, and lived to the age of ninety-three years; Jane, the youngest, was the wife of Gen. James Long, who was commander of the Americans in Texas during their first struggle with the Mexicans in 1810. Mrs. Long was one of America’s greatest heroines, if not one of the greatest of any land or age. Mirabeau Lamar in his history of Texas, and Foote in his history of Texas and the Texans, do full justice to her career. In 1820 she left Jefferson county, Miss., to join her husband in Texas. One year later she was with a detachment in a fort on Galveston island while General Long was with the main body at Goliad. The detachment was ordered to join the main body by forced marches. It was imperatively necessary to leave her behind with a three weeks’ old infant and a female negro servant. For a number of days she, with the assistance of her servant, loaded anti tired the morning and evening guns, kept lighted the watch fires and beat the reveille and tattoo, thus deluding the Mexicans under Santa Anna, who was then a young man, until the Americans had succeeded in their object. Santa Anna’s admiration for her heroism was such that he offered to grant any wish that she mi ght make. She only desired to be sent to her husband, who in the meantime had been defeated and sent as a prisoner to the City of Mexico. He then gave her a safe conduct to that place, which she succeeded in reaching only to find that her husband had been assassinated, or so represented, the day previous. To the day of her death she refused to believe tho story and remained unmarried. Her death occurred in 18S1 at the age of eighty three.

In opening the state fair at Bryan, Tex., in 1879, Jefferson Davis appeared with her before the thousands present, and introduced her as the mother of Texas. She was revered by all Texas, and enriched by both the republic and state of Texas. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Eliza Green Freeland, whose mother was Frances Chew. She moved in 1800 to the vicinity of Washington, Miss., in company with several other families of her near relatives from Calvert county, and Sarah, a sister of Frances Chew, was the wife of Beverly S. Grayson, who was noted in the early history of Mississippi. Sarah was also the mother, by previous marriage, of Governor Fielding Bowie, of Maryland. Claiborne, in his history of Mississippi, mentions the above named families as: “ the emigration from Maryland, consisting for the most part of educated and wealthy planters: the Covingtons, Graysons, Chews, Calvits, Wilkinsons, Freelands, Wailes, Bowies and Magruders,” from Calvert and Prince George’s counties. Leonard Wilkinson Carradine was born at Roaldy, the okl family residence near Washington, Miss., on the 22d of January, 1838. He passed a part of his boyhood in Jefferson county, then moved with his parents to Natchez in 1818, and received his education at Yale college and the university of Virginia. He left tho latter institution to enter the Confederate army in 1801. Having become permanently incapacitated for further active service from the effects of camp fever after the Kentucky campaign of 1802, he continued to serve the Southern cause as a deputy disbursing agent, also in the secret service until the close of the war. After this, he planted in Louisiana and Mississippi for five years with varying success. In 1871 he moved with his family to southeastern Texas, where he invested in some real estate and engaged in business, but before he could make a success of this, circumstances beyond his control forced him to return to Mississippi. Since 1874 he has been a farmer in Jefferson county, the locality" with which his ancestors were so long identified. In 1883 he received the appointment of county superintendent of education, and the following year was elected sheriff, having served his county in the latter office nearly four terms. Although the county has long been well and justly noted for the faithfulness, superior capability and sterling honor of her officials, Mr. Carradine has fully sustained this reputation. Ho is most admirably fitted to perform the functions of his office, for he is not only courteous and kind in his demeanor, but is very courageous and firm. Everything about his office moves with clockwork precision, and that an intelligent and painstaking official is at the helm is seen at a glance. Since 1885 he has been a resident of the town of Fayette, but still gives some attention to farming. Personally' and in every private relation and duty' of life, too much can not be said in his praise. He married Miss Emma ltivers on the 2d of November. 1863, second daughter of Col. Douglas L. Rivers, whose residence was in Natchez, and planting interests in Louisiana. Colonel Rivers was born and reared in Virginia, and came from one of its oldest and best families. His mother was a Miss Rives and cousin to Alexander and John C. Rives. He was educated a lawyer, was state senator for several years, and tilled tlie position of provost marshal of Concordia parish, under the Confederate regime. He was a noble specimen of manhood, physically; genial, brave and chivalrous in character, and the several scars upon his person bore witness to many encounters in the defense of principle or the fair fame of woman. He died October 10, 1873. Mr. and Mrs. Carradine were the parents of seven children, of whom three survive: John Hunter, the eldest, a young physician at Fayette, graduated at Mount St. Josephs, Maryland, and at Tulane medical school, Now Orleans; he also attended one term at the medical department of Vanderbilt university, Nashville; Rebekah Wilkinson, and Emma Herbert, who inherited her mother’s musical talent, and is taking a course at the Cincinnati conservatory of music. Mrs. Carradine’s mother is yet living and well preserved, abounding in reminiscences of the past, and delighting to relate the incidents and history of early and eventful times, as she received them from the lips of the actors themselves who have long ago passed away. But few families have been longer or more completely identified with the early history of either Maryland or Mississippi. [Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi, Chicago, The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1891.]