History of the Balfour Family of Richland Parish Louisiana submitted by Rosemary Davis ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** WILLIAM BALFOUR OF NORTH CAROLINA AND HIS DESCENDANTS THROUGH HIS SON, CHARLES ROBINSON BALFOUR BY STELLA BALFOUR This book has been written to consolidate information obtained from official documents, information received through correspondence and stories handed down in the family. Care has been taken to verify dates and secure documented information where possible. I wish to mention here my gratitude to my sister, Rosemary Balfour Davis, for lending me encouragement along the way, for driving me several thousand miles on the sentimental journeys to Madison County, Mississippi, and to Raleigh and Tarborough, North Carolina, and for driving me to the many libraries, archives and courthouses, where she joined me in research and helped verify the information handed down in the family, and not the least of all for sharing with me the expense of this so large an undertaking. Baton Rouge, Louisiana May 1, 1980 FOREWORD Balfour is an old Scottish surname and some of the earlier Balfours figured prominently in the history of Scotland and England. Following is an excerpt from Surnames of Scotland by Black, published by the New York Public Library in 1946: BALFOUR. From the lands or barony of the same name near the junction of the rivers Ore and Leven in the Parish of Markinch, Fife (Scotland). John de Balfure, who appears on an assize in 1304 is the first of the name in record (Bain, 11, 1592).... William de Balfure witnessed a charter by Duncan, earl of Fife between 1331 and 1335 (Laing, 39). Michael de Balfure who witnessed a Ysabella do Fyf in 1365 (RMS., 1, 221) may be the Michael de Balfwre who was present at the perambulation of the bounds of Kyrknes and Louchor in 1395 (RPSA., p. 5). Over twenty branches of the family of Balfour possessed at one time or anther landed property in Fife. The name was originally pronounced with the accent on the last syllable, but Anglified usage has shifted the stress forward to the first. Some of the most prominent of the name are Sir James Balfour (d. 1583), author of Balfour’s Practicks; Robert Balfour (C. 1550-1625) philosopher, and Greek scholar; Nisbet Balfour (1743-1823),soldier, John Hutton Balfour (1808-1884), botanist; and last but not least James Arthur Balfour (1848-1930), statesman and philosopher, created Earl Balfour Whittinghame I found the following entry in Colonial Bertie County Vol. 111. 1730-1739, Books D and E, page 177, by Mary Best Bell, mimeographed Windsor, North Carolina, 1963-64: E-119 JAMES BALFOUR & WIFE ELIZABETH OF Hanover county, Va. To RICHARD MOOR, SEN. November 17, 1736, 20 pds. for 640 A.” There is a William Belfore listed on the Dobbs County, North Carolina Tax List of 1769. Dobbs County formed in 1758, is discontinued County and has since been divided into several counties. In List of Immigrants to America 1600-1700" by John Camden Holden, a James Belfour is listed on page 355 as having been granted tickets to Antegua on the Sloop, True Friendship, on October 7, 1679. On page 470 of the same publication John Belford was granted tickets to Barbados Island. Others of the name were found in various records but thus far we have not been able to connect our line with any of them. However William Balfour, from whom we are directly descended, could very well be the son of the William Belfore on the Dobbs County Tax List of 1769 CHAPTER 1 WILLIAM BALFOUR 1770 (?) -1835 Although early records indicate that Balfours were in America prior to the Revolutionary War, this history begins with William Balfour, The earliest known ancestor of our line who, it is believed, was born ca. 1770. William was not listed on the first United States Census of 1790, but he is listed on the United States Census for Edgecombe County, North Carolina for 1800 and again in 1810. The first mention of William Balfour was found in the November 1792 Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of Edgecombe County, now a permanent part of the records of the North Carolina State Archives at Raleigh. He and two other young men were appointed patrolers for the town of Tarborough and also to secure the tobacco warehouse from being robbed. He and the same two men were also appointed for this purpose again in 1793. These same court minutes give a good account of what William was doing during the years he was in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. In November 1792, an ordinary license was granted to him to run a tavern at his dwelling house in Tarborough. The taverns of the time accommodated overnight paying guest ,served meals and were meeting places for political discussions It appears from the minutes that throughout the years William was awarded contracts to have repairs made to the courthouse and the public pump, to build bridges across various creeks in the County and maintain the public roads. He was also appointed inspector of the tobacco at the Tarborough warehouse. One minute entry of August 29, 1798 read John Thigpin orphan about 8 years of age is ordered to be bound apprentice to William Balfour until he be 21 years of age to learn the business of a farmer. William was released from this covenant on May 24, 1802, and the orphan was bound to John Lukey. The November 1810 minutes states that -The orphan, Joseph Bullock, age 13, son of Celia Bullock, be apprenticed to William Balfour to learn the art of merchant. This indicated that William was engaged in farming as well as the mercantile business. A reading of the minutes from 1796 through 1818 indicates that William was practicing law. He was named executor in many of the wills probated in court. He was appointed by the court to represent widows and orphans in estate matters and on several occasions served as justice when court was in session. An excerpt from the May 23, 1803, minutes reads: The following justices are appointed to receive the list of taxables from the inhabitant this year 1803 -- William Balfour in Captain Balfour’s Dist. 10. He received this same appointment in 1804, 1805, and 1806; but in 1806 the District was referred to as Capt. Bullock’s. Captain Balfour may have died or moved to some other part of North Carolina. It is very probable that this Captain Balfour and William were close relatives. As can be seen from the public records and documents of Edgecombe County, William Balfour became well established. His property transactions spanned a period from March, 1796 to December 4, 1818. Most of the transactions were in silver dollars or British pounds. On May 11, 1799, William sold to Edmond D. McNair a tract of land designated as No. 59 on the Plat of the Town of Tarborough for the sum of 750 pounds. This deed conveyed a cabin, a dwelling house, a kitchen, a stable and all other outhouses appertaining to the same as occupied by the said Balfour. At this time William also owned several hundred acres of land outside the Town of Tarborough, apparently under cultivation. It is believed that he built a home for his family on this land and lived there until the family moved to Louisiana around 1819. No land grants to William were found in the records of the Office of the Secretary of State of North Carolina. William took an active part in the civic and political affairs of the Town of Tarborough, Edgecombe County, and also the State of North Carolina. Twice he was elected to represent Edgecombe County in the General Assembly at Raleigh, in 1809 and again in 1811. While William lived in Edgecombe County, four of his children were born: Julia Ann in 1797, William Lovett on March 25, 1802, Josiah P. In 1808, and Charles Robinson on December 14, 1812. Josiah P. Balfour died in 1825 after the family had moved to Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. There may have been others born who died in infancy or during their childhood but no record to verify this has been found. While no record has been found as to William’s formal education, it is believed that he was well educated, and his children received private tutoring and formal educations well since all records indicate this to be true. Although no marriage bond or records pertaining to his marriage were found in the North Carolina State Archives, it is believed that William first married an Elizabeth Lovett or Elizabeth Lovett Sugg. Other than a Sheriff’s sale of a lot for unpaid taxes in 1832, the last real estate transaction by William of record in Edgecombe County was a deed dated December 4, 1818, conveying 450 acre of land to Jesse C. Knight for the sum of $4,500. William had probably already made plans to move to Feliciana Parish. Since it is also known that Bennett Barrow brought his family to Feliciana Parish from Edgecombe County around this same time, it could be that the two families made this journey together. More than likely the two families knew each other for on at least one occasion Bennett Barrow and William Balfour were appointed by the court to act for the heirs in an estate proceeding. The Borrow family was already well established in Louisiana and stories of their success and of the rich fertile lands of Louisiana likely influenced the decision of both men to move to Louisiana. The long and hazardous journey was sometimes made by families banding together in wagon trains and coming overland through Tennessee into Louisiana. Others chose to build flat boats and float down the Ohio River into the Mississippi River and on down to Louisiana. There is no record of how William and his family made this trip nor of the exact time. In any event William was in Feliciana Parish by March 6, 1820, for there is a sale of 262 arpents of land from Edward R. Chew to Rev. Balfour recorded on that date in Notarial Book C, Office of the Clerk and Recorder, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. William is the only Balfour listed on the 1820 U.S. Census for Feliciana Parish, taken in November of that year. He lived in the Little Bayou Sarah District and was head of the household consisting of 1 white male under 10 years of age, 1 white male from 10 to 16 years of age, 2 white males from 16 to 26 years of age, 1 white male over 45, 2 white females under 10 years of age, 2 white female 10 to 16 years of age, 1 white female from 26 ti 45 years of age, 2 male slaves under 14 years of age, 2 male slaves from 16 to 26 years of age, 1 male slave from 26 to 45 years of age, 3 male slaves over 45, 3 female slaves under 14 years of age, 3 female slaves from 10 to 26 years of age, 1 female slave between 26 and 49 years of age, and 2 female slaves 45 years and over. The Census record shows him as being engaged in the business of "manufacture". More than likely William was operating a cotton gin or a sawmill, or possibly both at that time. I have not been able to account for the number of people in William’s household in 1820. His son, William Lovett, would have been 18 years old, Josiah P. Would have been 12 years of age and Charles would have been 8 years of age. While the family resided in Feliciana Parish, Julia Ann met and married William Gartley. The marriage bond, which William Balfour co-signed with William Gartley, dated April 13, 1825, recorded in Book AA, page 29, Office of the Clerk and Recorder of West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. It was also during this time that William Lovett, the oldest son, met and married Elizabeth Davis Gartley. Two more children were born to William and his wife while he lived in Feliciana Parish -- Eliza Ann on January 2, 1824, and Emily in July of 1825. Not many records exist of Williams life in Feliciana Parish, but the following interesting notation was found in Hephzibah Church Books (Feliciana Parish, Louisiana) Merritt M. Shilg Memorial Collection, Vol. 1, 1813-1840: Dec. 9 1826 - Church met in conference Resolved that the church call for Elder Wm. Belfor and Elder J. R. Randelson to set with Br. E. Courtney and E. Andrews as presbytery in the case of Wm. Allen at the next meeting of the church in January. His name was not mentioned again in the Church records, and it was in 1827 that William moved to Madison County, Mississippi. When William moved his family to Madison County Mississippi, his son William Lovett and his wife, and some of the Gartley family also moved there around the same time. The Choctaw Indians had sold a vast area of land in Mississippi to the United States. New counties were formed, land was bought and cleared for cultivation and large plantations were established. The earliest record of William in Madison County was found in the Original U.S. Land Entries book. On October 29, 1827, he purchased 80 acres of land, and continued purchasing Government owned land through January, 1833. During this period of time, William purchased a total of 1,034 acres of land from the Government. The family prospered in Mississippi. Records of Madison County show that William Balfour accumulated a large estate. He cleared and cultivated virgin land, grew cotton and other farm products, operated a gin and a mercantile store and owned stock in the steam boat The Congo. Tax records indicate that he paid taxes on real estate and personal properties such as slaves, carriages, sulkeys, horses and cattle. During this time William still owned land in Feliciana and East Baton Rouge Parishes, Louisiana, as reflected by a Power of Attorney dated May 5, 1829, from William and his wife Nancy , to William Gartley, recorded in Notarial Book C pp, 174-175, Office of the Clerk and Recorder of West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. It empowers Gartley ...to collect and receive all property and money whatsoever that may be coming to us in the Parish of West Feliciana and East Baton Rouge in the State of Louisiana. One of the interesting documents found in the Chancery Clerk’s Office, Madison County, Mississippi, is a donation made by John M. Pettigrew to William Balfour Which reads in part as follows: This indenture made this twenty-first day of December in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Twenty-nine between John M. Pettigrew of the State of Alabama and County of Green, of the First Part, and William Balfour of the County of Madison and the State of Mississippi, of the Second Part. Witnesseth that the Party of the First Part for and in consideration of the natural love and affection which the Party of the First Part has and entertains for Nancy Balfour and for and in consideration of the sum of One Dollar to him paid by William Balfour, together with the regard, esteem and affection he has and entertains for the said William.... the following Negro slave of the name of Washington....to have and to hold the aforesaid Negro for and during the natural life of his wife the said Nancy Balfour, for the sole benefit, use and advantage of the said Nancy... This document and the Power of Attorney to William Gartley are the only ones found in which the name of William Balfour’s wife is mentioned. William’s oldest son, William Lovett Balfour, became one of Mississippi’s most prominent planters, developing and operating several large plantations. He was a well known philanthropist, founding Mississippi College at Clinton and contributing to many other educational and religious organizations. William Balfour probably died in early 1835. The following notice is found in Newspaper Notices of Mississippians 1820-1860, published by the Mississippi Genealogical Society: Balfour, William-Estate Notice March 1835 Term, Probate Court, Madison Co. C. R. Balfour, Excer. Jackson, Mississippi May 1, 1835. Following is the complete text of William Balfour’s will recorded in Will Book A, page 21, Chancery Clerk’s Office, Madison County, Mississippi: In the name of God Amen I William Balfour of the County of Madison and State of Mississippi being sick of body but of sound and disposing mind and memory. Knowing that it is appointed unto man to die and the days of the years of my pilgrimage are but few, yet being as many as fall to the common lot of all men -- think it best to make a disposition of the little property that it has been the pleasure of God to bless me with in the following manner, to-wit: My will and desire first is that after my death that my body be disposed of according to the wish of my children for God hath said of man thou art and unto dust thou shalt return again. My soul I recommend unto God who gave it and hath said as I live you shall live also. My will and desire next is that all my just debts be paid and the balance of my property after my debts shall have been paid be equally divided between my three children to-wit: Charles R. Balfour, Eliza Ann Balfour and Emily Balfour and if either of my children without lawful heir of their body shall die my will and desire is that the property be equally divided between the other two and so in case of a second death the survivor receive the whole - and in case all my three aforesaid children to-wit Charles R. Balfour, Eliza Ann Balfour and Emily Balfour, shall die without legal heirs of their body that the whole of the property be equally divided between William L. Balfour and Julia Gartley, my daughter (and wife of William Gartley), or their children. I constitute and appoint Charles R. Balfour Executor to this my only and last will and testament. I further desire that should Charles R. Balfour my Executor aforesaid deem it most to advantage of all concerned to sell all or any part of the freehold estate, he shall have full power to do so first by obtaining the consent of my son William L. Balfour and my son-in-law William Gartley and the money arising out of such sale to be laid out in the name and for the benefit of my said three children, to-wit, Charles R. Balfour, Eliza Ann Balfour and Emily Balfour subject to the causes as mentioned before as though the land estate had not have been sold but when the money arising out of such sale shall be laid out it must be by my Executor Charles R. Balfour, by and with the approbation of my son William L. Balfour and my son-in-law William Gartley. In presence of s/Robert V. Davis) In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and s/Wm. A. Echols) seal this 17th day of Nov. 1834. S/William.Balfour Note that William did not mention his wife, Nancy in his will, nor did he mention any other wife. There was no mention of Nancy and no mention of a wife in any of the estate files in the Chancery Clerk’s office. It is likely that William was a widower when he died. Note also that neither William Lovett Balfour nor Julia Ann Balfour Gartley were named as direct legatees in William’s will. However, they were named to inherit William’s estate in the event the three named legatees all died without issue. At the time of William’s death William Lovett Balfour was a wealthy man as was William Gartley, Julia Ann Balfour’s husband. It is apparent that William desired to provide as well as possible for his three younger children. William Balfour was an outstanding man, civic and political l eader who contributed great to the growth of the Town of Tarborough and Edgecombe County, North Carolina. He was a brave and fearless man. In 1819, at a time when there was no comfortable means of travel, he made the hazardous journey with his family from North Carolina to Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. There cleared virgin lands and engaged in business. Seven years later, with faith and confidence in himself, he moved his family to Madison County Mississippi, and again cleared virgin lands. His name is written many times in the early records of Madison County because he was prominently engaged in agriculture as well as various other enterprises. His ability and leadership futhered the progress of this area of Mississippi. Above information from teh follwoing sources: Bibliography U.S. Census, Edgecombe County, North Carolina, 1800 and 1810; U.S. Census, Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, 1820; U.S. Census, Madison County, Mississippi, 1830; North Carolina State Archives, North Carolina State Library; Minutes of Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Edgecombe County, North Carolina, 1786-1818; Records, Clerk Superior Court, Edgecombe County, North Carolina; North Carolina Government 1585-1975-A Narrative and Statistical History issued by Thad Eure, Secretary of State; Records of State; Records of Clerk, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana; Records of Chancery Clerk, Madison County, Mississippi; Louisiana State Library, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; East Baton Rouge Parish Library, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Monroe, Louisiana; Library of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. CHAPTER 11 CHARLES ROBINSON BALFOUR December 10, 1812 - October 24 1874 When his father died, Charles Robinson Balfour was 22 years of age, and his sister Eliza Ann, was 11 years of age and his sister Emily was 9 years of age. Charles became executor of his father’s estate in May 1835 and the estate was not finally closed until 1847. Besides having the care and guidance of two young girls, Charles was entrusted with running his father’s large estate. He also had several hundred acres of his own land under cultivation. Since there were no public schools at that time, and few private schools, most families of means had private tutors for their children. It is likely that Eliza and Emily had such tutors until they were sent to a private school for young ladies in Nashville, Tennessee. Even though a good many of the receipts of paid bills of Charles’ administration of his father’s estate were missing from the files in the courthouse in Canton, Mississippi, There were a number of interesting ones still in the records. There were tax receipts reflecting the payment of taxes on real property, personal property such as slaves, carriages, cattle, horses. There were receipts for tuition and board for Eliza and Emily from a private school in Nashville, Tennessee. There were also receipts from a music master for music lessons taken by the two young ladies while attending school. They had an account with a department store in Nashville which was billed on a yearly basis. There they purchased such items as ribbons, material for making dresses, thread, kid gloves, calf shoes, hose, fine shoes, fine capes, soap, hooks and eyes, cologne and even sarsaparilla. They also purchased school supplies such as Smith’s Grammar, spellers, quills, ink stands, ink, copy books. Little Readers, arithmetic books, slates, slate pencils, history books, dictionary, music, Smith’s Geography and Atlas, Bible and many other items necessary in their schooling. There were also bills paid by Charles for repairs to the gin on the plantation, the drier and the cotton thrasher, for repairing wagons, for bagging material, rope and cotton baskets--items like 48 pounds of soap, half box of tobacco, 35 gallons of whiskey (at a cost of $7.00) barrels of prime pork, barrels of flour, drug items such as castor oil, turpentine, laudanum, camphor and syringes. There were paid receipts from a doctor who came to the plantation to give medical care to the members of the household as well as the slaves. All of the items reflected the lifestyle and manner of living of that era. On January 7, 1839, when he was 27 years of age, Charles married Catherine J. Hudnall, believed to be the daughter of Thomas and Sally Hudnall of Madison County, Mississippi. According to the 1870 U.S. Census, Catherine was born in Tennessee. The marriage bond is co-signed by Baldwin Hudnall. Charles is listed on the 1840 U.S. Census for Madison County, Mississippi, as head of a household consisting of 1 male under 30 years of age, 1 male under 50 years of age, 1 female under 5 years of age and 1 female under 26 years of age. The 1850 U.S. Census for Madison County listed Charles R., occupation planter, with a household consisting of his wife, Catherine, his son Charles, and it also lists the overseer, John Brown. Life was not without sorrow for Catherine and Charles. Of the five known children born to them three died in early childhood- Elizabeth, born in 1839, died in 1844; William born in 1846, died in 1849; Thomas Hudnall born in 1851, died in 1857. Their son, Charles Perry, born March 7, 1849, and their daughter, Eliza, born July 4, 1857, lived to marry and have descendants. In 1843, at the age of 17, Emily, Charles’ sister, married Robert Martin. She died in 1846 at the age of 20. Not too much was found in any of the records about Charles’ sister, Eliza. On the 1850 U.S. Census for Madison County, she is listed as a member of William Lovett Balfour’s household and apparently still unmarried at that time. William Lovett died in 1857. His will stipulated that the sum of $500.00 a year be paid to Eliza until his youngest son became of age. Eliza died April 8, 1860, and according to one source of information was a Mrs. Seur when she died. Charles R., his brother William Lovett, and William Lovett’s son, William S., were member of the Mississippi Free & Accepted Masons of Madison Lodge No. 73. No record was found of any public life other than a commission as Justice of the Peace in 1855. After his father’s estate was settled in 1847, Charles and his family continued living in Madison county, Mississippi, until around 1858 or 1859. During 1858 Charles R. started buying land on Boeuf River in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana. We do not know why he chose to leave Mississippi. In the column “By the Boeuf”, April 4, 1964. Issue of the Richland Beacon News, Dr. Harrison Jordan is quoted as saying that the Balfours followed their neighbors, the Wells, to Morehouse Parish from Madison Station, Mississippi. Two deeds recorded in Morehouse Parish show that Charles R. Purchased land from the Federal Government on November 13, 1858, and on June 21, 1859. In a deed dated November 11, 1858, Charles R. Purchased 413 acres of land in Morehouse Parish from William D. Bradley. This deed recited that Charles R. Was a resident of Madison County, Mississippi. On June 4, 1859, Charles R. purchased 121 acres of land in Morehouse Parish from James W. Blake. This deed recited that Charles R. was a resident of Morehouse Parish. On June 18, 1859, he purchased 126 acres of land from Elizabeth C. Sharplin. On October 25, 1859, he purchased 121 acres from James C. Richardson. Additional acreage was purchased from VS&P Railroad on October 24, 1859. All of this land now lies in Richland Parish, Louisiana. During Charles R. and Catherine’s lifetime the place was called Holly Grove Plantation. So named by Catherine because a beautiful grove of holly trees covered a ridge down near Boeuf River. After they died, the place was often referred to as The Balfour Place, and during the time that my family has owned a portion of it, we referred to it as The Place. It is believed that Charles R. lived in a log cabin on the land he purchased, and Catherine and the children remained in Madison County, Mississippi, until a home could be built. On July 30, 1859, Charles R. and his sister, Eliza, sold land which they owned jointly in Madison County to Lewis M. Leggetts. Charles R. and his wife Catherine, sold land which they owned in Madison County to the same buyer. It is believed that the permanent move to Louisiana was made after the sale of this land. There is no record of the type house Charles R. built for his family. Dr. Jordan described it as a beautiful house. My cousin, Ben Edwards Simms, a great grandson of Charles R., visited the house as a young man. He recalls that the house was well built, constructed of cypress cut from the large brake situated on the plantation. There was a long gallery across the front of the house facing Boeuf River. A hallway went through the house from the front to a gallery that ran across the back of the house ending in an alcove which housed the kitchen, pantry and other storage areas. He couldn’t recall the number of rooms but does remember that it was a large, comfortable plantation-style house. In 1916 the house was destroyed by fire. At that time my father, Hugh Ben Balfour, Sr., my mother, Ethel Belle Toombs and my two brothers, Hugh, Jr. and James T oombs, lived in the house. My brother, Hugh, recalls the day of the fire. He said the blaze started from the fireplace in one of the bedrooms. My father was away on the plantation and by the time he could be summoned the fire was beyond control. Although the plantation consisted only of a little over a thousand acres of land, Charles R. was a successful and prominent planter in Northeast Louisiana. He operated a cotton gin as well as a sawmill on the property, and also raised many cattle and other livestock. In the 1860 U.S. Census for Morehouse Parish, he valued his real estate at $45,400.00 and personal property at $50,900.00. Slaves were not listed on the census but their value was probably included in the personal property. The C. R. Balfour family is mentioned in at least two histories of Northeast Louisiana. The following information is found on page 101 of “Eastern Louisiana - A History by Frederick William Williamson and George T. Goodman: “Godspeed’s list of early settlers in the area without question incomplete, as it is known that among the earliest settlers in that region were also the C. R. Balfours, the Harrison Jordons, the Thomases, the McIntoches, Wells, Uptons, Stivers, Scotts, Richard Hatch, the Youngers, Alsbrooks, Calhouns, Fred G. Hudson, Col. John S. Summerlin and John Potts. C. C. Davenport says in his book, Looking Backward- Memoirs of the Early Settlement of Morehouse Paris, that up to the Civil War there were a few private schools in Morehouse Parish, country roads connecting all settlements, a courthouse, several sawmills, people were riding in buggies and carriages and socially the area has built up. He also stated that, At that time the parish of Morehouse extended several miles in the east of Boeuff River. There was at the time east of Lake Lafourche and the public road leading to Girard, several valuable plantations.... On the East side of Boeuff River, still in Morehouse Parish, there lived Charles Balfour, Dr. Tom Jordan and his son, Dr. Tom Jordan.... The land which Charles R. settled in Morehouse Parish was later made a part of Richland Parish. Charles R. took an active part in the political and civic activities of Richland Parish. He served on the first Police Jury and was instrumental in getting roads and bridges built to make transportation safer and easier for the people of the Parish. On May 16, 1870, he was appointed by the Louisiana Legislature, along with James. Leggett, W. Day Oliver and Thomas Jones to represent Richland Parish on the first State Board of School Directors. He was a charter member of the Past Master of the R. F. McGuire Lodge 209, Free & Accepted Masons, Rayville, Louisiana. At his death, the Lodge published a Tribute of Respect in the Richland Beacon News. The Delhi Chronicle (both of Richland Parish) and the Vicksburg Herald of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Following the Civil War, Charles R. mortgaged his real property to bankers in New Orleans in 1866 and in 1867. No other mortgages were found in the records and it is believed that these were necessary due to financial reverses caused by the Civil War. He was able to overcome these financial reverses and at his death on October 27, 1874, he left a fairly large estate to his wife, Catherine, and his two children, Charles Perry and Eliza. Catherine died September 19, 1889, some fifteen years after Charles R. Since no diaries or personal papers of Charles R. Or Catherine are available, little is known of their personal life. The Balfour family and Jordan family were closest of friends as reflected by the following excerpt from By the Boeuf, a c olumn in the April 4, 1964, issue of the Richland Beacon News. Which quotes Dr. Harrison Jordan as follows: The Balfours lived across the Boeuf from the Jordans. They owned the flat that we used to cross the river.’ My mother said Major Balfour was the highest class gentleman she’d ever known. She was governess for their daughter Eliza before she married my father, Dr. William T. Jordan. Dr. Jordan’s mother was Frances Elizabeth Harrison and later became mistress of Trio Plantation in Richland Parish . The Balfours were close friends with early settlers of Northeast Louisiana--the Jordans, McIntoches, Wells, Scotts, Calhouns, Hatchs, the Summerlins and many others, and shared with them in the development of this area of Louisiana. Sources of above information 1840 and 1850 U.S. Census, Madison County, Mississippi; 1860 U.S. Census, Morehouse Parish Louisiana; 1870 U.S. Census, Richland Parish Louisiana; Abstradex of Annual Return Mississippi Free and Accepted Masons by Jeanne Hand Henry; Register of Commissions, State of Mississippi; Original U.S. Land Entries, Madison County, Mississippi; Records of the Office of the Chancery Clerk, Madison County, Mississippi; Records of the Probate Court, Madison County, Mississippi; Marriage bond, C.R. Balfour and Catherine Hudnall, Marriage Bond Book F, page 69, Circuit Court Office, Madison County, Mississippi; Excerpts from Charles R. Balfour Family Bible; “East Louisiana A History of the Watershed of the Ouchita River and Florida Parishes (Fredrick William Williams and George T. Goodman); “Looking Backward Memoirs of the Early Settlement of Morehouse Parish,” by C.C. Davenport; Louisiana State Department of Archives; Department of Archives & Manuscripts, Louisiana State University; East Baton Rouge Parish Library; Louisiana State Library, Richland Beacon News, Rayville, Louisiana. CHAPTER 111 CHARLES PERRY BALFOUR May 7, 1849 - January 27, 1921 Charles Perry Balfour was 10 years old when his family moved to Louisiana. It was pointed out in Chapter 11 that his father, Charles Robinson Balfour, had come to Louisiana from Mississippi in 1858 and purchased several tracts of land along the Boeuf River In what is now Richland Parish. Here again there were no diaries or personal letters and papers left so little is known of the personal life of the family. However, it is known that Charles and Eliza had private tutors in the home for some time, and as they grew older attended private schools in the area. They participated in the social life of the young people and from all accounts were popular and well liked by their contemporaries. Like his father and grandfather, Charles Perry became a planter, and he also entered into various other business enterprises, being in partnership at one time in a mercantile store. Throughout the years he invested in several business sites in Rayville, was owner along with J.W. Simms, of the Rayville, Gin Company, and the first telephone exchange in Rayville was operated from a building owned by him at the corner of Highway 80 and Louisa Street. On July 9, 1873, about a year prior to his father’s death, Charles Perry married Miss Fannie Edwards. The ceremony was held in the home of the bride’s parents at Girard, Louisiana, and Wiley P. Mangham, Owner-Editor of the Richland Beacon News , a close friend of Charles Perry, was a guest. He wrote a glowing account of the wedding in the Beacon. We do not know where the young couple lived after their marriage, but a child, J .R. Balfour was born March 22, 1874. Fannie never recovered childbirth and died June 19, 1874. Her infant son died soon thereafter. She is buried in the Balfour Family Plot, New Salem Cemetery, north of Girard, Louisiana. After the death of his young wife, Charles Perry continued with his business affairs. He also took part in the civic and political affairs of the area. He did not marry again until October 24, 1880. His second wife, Lula Lethea Moore, also from Richland Parish, was the daughter of Dr. Madison Tyler Moore and Mary Emily Webb. The Moore and Webb families had large land holdings and were also prominent in the civic and social affairs of Northeast Louisiana. It appears that after their marriage, Lula and Charles Perry lived first in the home on Boeuf River built by Charles R. I n 1891, Charles Perry bought what is now known as The Balfour House in Rayville, Louisiana. In the division of Charles Perry’s property after his death in 1921, the house came to my father, Hugh Ben. We moved there when I was around 4 years old. I grew up there along with my brothers and sisters, Hugh, James, Catherine and Rosemary. In its day this was a grand old house the grounds of which originally occupied the greater part of a city block. Constructed mostly of cypress, the house sits high upon old brick pillows. A porch trimmed with intricate gingerbread design extends across the front of the house to the bay window of the large parlor. Two large, well designed gables adorn the roof on either side of the front of the house. A center hallway extends about thirty feet and opens into a side gallery which extends about thirty feet further. Two bedrooms open off the right side of the hallway and the parlor opens off the left. At the end of the hallway another door opens to the left which leads to three more spacious bedrooms. At the end of the last bedroom is another gallery and across this gallery is the large dining room and kitchen. This gallery connects to the side gallery described above and continuers on around the house to a bathroom. The ceilings throughout the house, including the galleries, are twelve feet high. Doubtless some of the galleries and rooms were added to the house after Charles Perry bought it. As was the custom in those days, there was a servant’s house in the back yard which was still there when I was a little girl. My devoted nurse and cook for the family, Daisy Baker, lived there with her family for many years. The servants’s house was torn down around 1930. The Balfour house, in sad state of repair, still stands, a nostalgic reminder of the gracious way of life prior to and at the turn of the Twentieth Century. James Toombs Balfour, 111, and his wife, Ellen, presently own the house. The following children were born to Lula Leatha Moore and Charles Perry Balfour: 1 Eva Balfour, born September 3, 1881, died December 27, 1949; 2.Hugh Ben Balfour, born October 6, 1882, died March 11, 1942; 3.Rosa (Polly) Balfour, born April 24, 1884, died March16, 1934; 4.Myrtle Balfour, born May 18, 1886, died March 1956; 5.Louis Lidell Balfour, born December 25, 1888, died April 20, 1913; 6.Charles R. Balfour, born January 1, 1890, died May 10, 1912; 7.Lawrence Balfour, born June 17, 1892, died July 13, 1892; 8.Fred Balfour, born September 23, 1893, died March 23, 1919, St. Nazaire, France; 9.Evans Balfour, born April, 1896, died November 17, 1896; 10.Clyde Balfour, born February 7, 1898, died October 20, 1927. Charles Perry Balfour and his family were active in the religious, civic, social and political affairs of Richland Parish. On February 11, 1892, Charles Perry, along with P. H. Toler, E. McDonald, G. B. Brumby and W.P. Mangham, formed a corporation known as the Rayville Baptist Church. He was a staunch supporter of public schools and was instrumental in seeing that adequate buildings were constructed and teachers employed to instruct the children of the Parish. He served as President of the Richland Parish Police Jury from July, 1883 Through June, 1888. He was President of the Tensas Basin Levee Board for a term which began in 1895. He also served two terms in the Louisiana Legislature, from 1904 through 1912. While Charles Perry was active in business and public life and his family was growing up, the Balfour House in Rayville was the center of social activity for the younger people. Myrtle Salmon Stodghill related to the writer stories of the parties she attended there. John Summerlin also spoke of the many social gatherings he attended and mentioned paying court to a popular young lady in the parlor of the house. The Balfour girls, Eva, Myrtle and Polly, attended Whitworth College in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Hugh Ben attended Louisiana State University during the 1900-1901 term. He is shown in a photograph with the other cadets of the freshman class in the first issue of the LSU year book, the Gumbo, published 1899-1900. Hugh also attended Louisiana Polytechnic institute in Ruston. Louis Lidell attended Pharmaceutical school. I have no information as to the schools Fred, Charles and Clyde attended. The family was saddened by the death of Lula Balfour on November 4, 1910, at the age of 50. Charles Perry remained a widower until his death on January 27, 1921. The family was not to escape the sadness of losing loved ones. On May 10, 1912, Charles Balfour died in Santa Monica, California, as a result of injuries received when the horse he was riding slipped and fell. At the time he was employed by the Bison Motion Picture Company and working in a movie being filmed in California. He was 22 years old and had never married. Louis Lidell died of spinal meningitis on April 20, 1913, at the age of 23. He was practicing druggist at Bastrop, Louisiana, at the time of his death. He too had never married. Fred Balfour served in the Army uring World War 1. After Armistice was signed he, along with many other young soldiers, contracted influenza. He died March 23, 1919, at the age of 29, also having never married. Of the 10 children born to Charles Perry Balfour and Lula Lethea Moore only Eva, Myrtle and Hugh married and left descendants. Following are excerpts from Charles Perry’s obituary published in the January 29, 1921, issue of the Richland Beacon News: Colonel Balfour, as he was affectionately known to his friends, was one of the best brains the parish has offered. Since early manhood he has occupied prominent public positions, being at various times President of the Police Jury, President of the Tensas Basin Levee Board, Representative in the General Assembly during both the Heard and Blanchard Administrations, as well as holding numerous other places of responsibility and trust. During all his public service which occupied the greater part of his useful life, his service was characterized by unselfish devotion to duty, unswerving honesty and absolute fearlessness. In all of his public service he did his plain duty without hope of fee or expectation of reward except satisfaction his conscience felt in doing what he thought was for the betterment and up building of this Parish and State.... In the death of this grand old gentlemen the Beacon News and its editor feel a keen personal sorrow. He was the friend and champion of our cause at all times and the debt of gratitude which we owe for favors from his great warm heart we could never Pay. Few men have lived and enjoyed and deserve more confidence and respect in this parish and it will be a long tie before we know the like of him again. Sources for the above information are: 1850 U. S. Census, Madison County, Mississippi; 1860 U. S. Census, Morehouse Parish, Louisiana; Records of Office of Clerk of Court, Richland Parish, Louisiana; 1898 Voter Registration, Richland Parish, Louisiana, Louisiana State Archives; Correspondence with Secretary, Richland Parish Police Jury; Membership in the Legislature of Louisiana 1880-1980 published by Louisiana Legislative Council; Richland Beacon News, Rayville, Louisiana; Richland Parish Tax Rolls. EPILOGUE The writer is the daughter of Ethel Belle Toombs and Hugh Ben Balfour, son of Chalres Perry Balfour. This book attempts to cover information not readily available to the family gleaned and documented from various records in North Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana after exhaustive research. It is hoped that in the future information can be brought up-to-date as to the lives of the descendants of Chalres Perry Balfour by some of the younger members of the family. THE DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM BALFOUR 1.Julie Ann Balfour1797/1844 m. William Gartley April 13 1824 2.William Lovett Balfour1802/1857 m. Elizabeth Davis Gartley 3.Josiah P. Balfour b. 25 Feb. 1808 d. 30 Oct. 1825 4.Charles Robinson Balfourb10 Dec. 1812d. 24 Oct. 1874m. Catherine J. Hudnallm. 7 Jan. 1839 (7 Apr. 1824- 19 Sept. 1889) 5.Eliza An Balfour b 2 Jan. 1824,d 8 Apr. 1860 6. Emily Balfourb15 July 1826 d 24 Mar. 1846 m. Robert M. Martin 15 June 1843 THE DESCENDANTS OF CHARLES ROBINSON BALFOUR AND CATHERINE J. HUDNALL 1.Elizabeth Balfour b. 18 Nov. 1839-d. 7 May 1844 2.William Balfour b. 30 Cot. 1846-d. 9 Sept. 1849 3.Charles Perry Balfourb 7 Mar. 1849-d 29 Jan. 1921 m. (1) Edwards m 9 July 1873 (d. 11 June 1874) (One child J. R. Balfour, born 22 Mar. 1874.Died in infancy) m. 25 Oct. 1880 (2) Lula Lethea Moore(b. 4 Oct. 1860-d.4 Nov. 1910) 4.Thomas Hudnall Balfourb. 15 Jan. 1851-d. 18 Nov. 1851 5.Eliza Ann Balfour b.4 July 1857- m. Dr. D. R. Sartor15 May 1878 THE DESCENDANTS OF CHARLES PERRY BALFOUR AND LULA LETHEA MOORE 1.Eva Balfour-b.3Sept.1881 d.27 Dec.1949 m.(1) Joe Simms 4 Dec. 1902 ( 1874-1918) md(2)Charles Franklin Newberry(1888-1959_ 2.Hugh Ben Balfour b.6 Oct.1882 d.11 Mar.194 m. Ethel Belle Toombs 1 Nov. 1911(b. 28 Apr. 1882 d. 31 May. 1961) 3.Rosa (Polly) Balfour b. 24 Apr. 1884 d. 16 Mar. 1934 Never married 4.Myrtle Balfourb.18 May1886 d. Mar.1956 m. Ernest Bainbridge Lipscomb m. 30 Dec. 1909(1884) 5.Louis Lidell Balfour b.25 Dec.1888 d. 20 Apr. 1913 Never married 6.Charles R. Balfour b.1 Jan.1890-d.10 May 1912 Never marr 7.Lawrence Balfour b. 17 June 189 d. 13 July 1892 8.Fred Balfour b. 23 Sept. 1893- d. 28 Mar. 1919 never married 9.Evans Balfour b. 20 Apr. 1896 d. 17 Nov. 1896 10.Clyde Balfourb. 7 Feb. 1898 d. 20 Oct. 1927 Never Married THE DESCENDANTS OF EVA BALFOUR AND JOE SIMMS 1.Ben Edward Simms-b. 29 Oct. 1903 m. Leola Rowanb. m. 28 Apr. 1928 No descendants 2.Marjorie Simms b. 4 Nov. 1908 m. Charlie C. Ebym. 15 Feb. 1935 No descendants THE DESCENDANTS OF EVA BALFOUR SIMMS NEWBERRY AND CHARLES FRANKLIN NEWBERRY 1.Lula Newberry b. 21 Nov. 1917 m. William Achilles Guy, Sr.(1904/1978 2.Louie Newberry b. 21 Nov. 1917 m. Elva Ann Harris m14 Aug. 1943(1914_ THE DESCENDANTS OF LULA NEWBERRY AND WILLIAM ACHILLES GUY, SR. 1.William Achilles Guy, Jr. B. 19 Dec. 1953 THE DESCENDANTS OF LOUIE NEWBERRY AND ELVA ANN HARRIS 1.Courtland Louis m. 14 Aug. 1943 m. Dian Daidone 2.Elva Ann Newberry b. 4 Dec. 1946 m. Leslie Eugene Macem. 2 Oct. 1971 3.Marie Louise Newberry b. 10 Mar. 1951 m. Mark Merris THE DESCENDANTS OF COURTLAND LOUIE NEWBERRY AND DIAN DAIDONE 1.Brooks Lewis Newberry b. 29 June, 1963 2.Troy Franklin Newberry b. 11 Sept. 1966 THE DESCENDANTS OF MARIE LOUISE NEWBERRY AND MARK MERRIS 1.Mark James Merris b. 4 Sept. 1971 2.Paul Alexandria Merris b. 17 Aug. 1973 THE DESCENDANTS OF HUGH BEN BALFOUR, SR. AND ETHEL BELLE TOOMBS 1.Hugh Ben Balfour, Jr.b. 4 Nov. 1912 m. Myrtis Earlene Newsom m. 5 Dec. 1937 (1918) 2. James Toombs Balfour b. 23 Aug. 1914 m. Claudia Jo Fost 3. Catherine J. Hudnall Balfour b. 14 July, 1916 d. 20 Apr. 1970 m. Carl Smith m. 6 Feb. 1933 (1908) 4. Stella Margarrite Balfour b.2 Nov 1920 d. Nov.1998 m. John Virgil Jack, Sr.m. 17 July 1939 (1917/1995) 5.Ethlyn Rosemary Balfourb.24 Nov1924 m.John Walter Davis 3 Mar1943 THE DESCENDANTS OF HUGH BEN BALFOUR, JR. AND MYRTIS EARLENE NEWSOM 1. Allene Elizabeth Balfour born and died 21 Sept. 1941 2.Earlene Olivia Balfour 3.Shirley Dianne Balfour b.22 Apr1946 m. Grover Carlton Adkins, Jr m.1 Sept. 1979 THE DESCENDANTS OF JAMES TOOMBS BALFOUR AND CLAUDIA JO FOSTER 1. James Toombs Balfour, 111 m. Ellen Papas 2.Rebecca Balfour m. Michael Joseph Hamm M. 18 Aug. 1979 THE DESCENDANTS OF JAMES TOOMBS BALFOUR, 111 AND ELLEN PAPAS 1.James Pappas Balfour b. 1 Jan. 1980 THE DESCENDANTS OF CATHERINE J. HUDNALL BALFOUR AND CARL SMITH 1.Nancy Elizabeth Smith b.2 May 1934 m. Gordon Edward Davis m.Sept.1956 2.Carl James Smith b. 17 Aug 1935 m. Ellen 3.Ethel Mae Smith b. 222 Oct 1936 m. (1) Miles Harvey Carterm. 2July,1966 m(2) Guy Williamson 4.Catherine Balfour Smith B.20 Jul1942 m. Ben Scott Pipes, Jr. 16 Jun. 1961 5.Wilma Kay Smithb.9 Sept.1950 m.James David Blackwell . 14 July 1969 THE DESCENDANTS OF NANCY ELIZABETH SMITH AND GORDON EDWARD DAVIS, JR 1.Gordon Edward Davis, Jr. b. 29 Oct. 1957 2.David Balfour Davis b. 18 Oct. 1959 3.Carla Kay Davis b. 8 June 1963 4.James Wesley Davis b. 24 Nov. 1967 THE DESCENDANTS OF ETHEL MAE SMITH AND GUY WILLIAMSON 1.Miles Harvey Williamson b. 22 Apr. 1958 m. Kathy Lynn Williamson 2.Michael Wayne Williamson b. 21 July 1959m. Judy Johnsto 3.James Timothy Williamson b. 21 Nov. 1960 4.Donald Lynn Williamson b. 20 Dec. 1961m. Marilyn Harris THE DESCENDANTS OF CATHERINE BALFOUR SMITH AND BEN SCOTT PIPES, JR. 1.Catherine Balfour Pipes b. 7 July 1962 2.Suzanna Elizabeth Pipes b. 2 Nov, 1965 3.Ben Scott Pipes b. 9 Jan 1968 4.Joseph Bozeman Pipes b. 11 Aug. 1973 THE DESCENDANTS OF WILMA KAY SMITH AND JAMES DAVID BLACKWELL 1.Amy Renee Blackwell b. 13 Feb. 1972 2.John David Blackwell b. 19 Sept. 1973 THE DESCENDANTS OF STELLA MARGARITE BALFOUR AND JOHN VIRGIL JACK 1.John Virgil Jack, Jr. b.13 Oct.1940 m. Patsy Joyce Waller 4 Aug. 1966 2.Joseph Ben Jack b. 4 July 1943 m. Betty Ann Shelton 4 Aug.1966 3.Charles Balfour Jack b. 17 Sept. 1953 THE DESCENDANTS OF JOHN VIRGIL JACK, JR. AND PATSY JOYCE WALLER 1.Christopher Patrick Jack 2.Traci Elizabeth Jack THE DESCENDANTS OF JOSEPH BEN JACK AND BETTY ANN SHELTON 1.John Randall Jack 2.Michael Lee Jack THE DESCENDANTS OF ROSEMARY BALFOUR AND JOHN WALTER DAVIS 1.Ronald Edward Davis b.31 Jan.1946 m. Linda Gayle Killingsworth m. 28 Mar. 1966 (1949) 2.Sharon Rose Davis b.18 Feb.1949 m.William Layton Hargrove(1946) THE DESCENDANTS OF RONALD EDWARD DAVIS AND LINDA GAYLE KILLINGSWORTH 1.Ronald Edward Davis, Jr.B. 28 Oct. 1966 2.John Walter Davis b. 16 Dec. 1968 3.Delia Elaine Davis b. 22 Dec. 1976 THE DESCENDANTS OF SHARON ROSE DAVIS AND W. L. HARGROVE 1.Tammany Kay Hargrove b. 29 July 1968 2.Tiffany Ann Hargrove b. 10 Mar. 1975 THE DESCENDANTS OF MYRTLE M. BALFOUR AND ERNEST BAINBRIDGE LIPSCOMB 1.Millard Balfour Lipscomb b.5 May1912 d.5 Oct.1978 Never married 2.Ernest Bainbridge Lipscomb, Jr.b.20 Oct.1914 M. Betty McCabem. 12 June 1940 THE DESCENDANTS OF ERNEST BAINBRIDGE LIPSCOMB, JR. AND BETTY McCABE 1.Ernest Bainbridge Lipscomb, 111 b. 17July1941 m. Lynda Carol Miller m. 28 Aug. 1965 2.Marie McCabe Lipscomb b.30 May1944 m.William Edward McMillan 26Aug.1967 3.Balfour McCabe Lipscombb. 14 May 1945 m. Mary Elizabeth Winders m. 4 June 1967 NOTE: Charles Perry Balfour’s sister, Eliza Married Dr. D. R. Sartor. There are descendants of this marriage but I was unable to obtain their names.