The White Kin Of Vanessa Williams

As we watched last week on Who Do You Think You Are?, we learned much about the family of Vanessa Williams. One in particular was her ancestor, David Carll. He was a veteran of the Civil War and served as a private in Company I, US Colored Troops 26th Infantry Regiment, for the Union in New York. Sherlock and I did some sleuthing and found David Carll and his family in the 1880 census. They were living in Oyster Bay, Queens County New York and David's occupation was listed as a Boatman. The interesting fact with this family is that David Carll, listed as a mulatto man, was married to Louisa, a white woman. Note that there is an Appleford family on the bottom of the page.

Imagine the hardships an inter-racial married couple would've
gone through, 80 years before the Civil Rights Movement.

In the next census, Sherlock and I found the David Carll family again in Oyster Bay. David Carll and his children are listed as mulatto and his wife Louisa, is listed as white. Note again, the two Appleford households living above them on the sheet. The first one is George W. Appleford, who could be a brother to Louisa. The second household is a Freelove Appleford, who could be the mother of Louisa.. and obviously George W. Appleford.




Now coming to the 1860 census, the David Carll family dries up; David and Louisa would've been too young to be married. We naturally became interested in who this white wife of David Carll was. We did note that they lived relatively close to the Appleford family in both the 1870 and 1880 census. In the 1860 census, we found the George Appleford family, with wife Freelove, living in Oyster Bay. They had living in their household a son named George W. Appleford and a daughter Louisa Appleford.




Is Louisa Appleford the white wife of the mulatto man David Carll?


We then located the same family in the 1850 census. We believe Louisa was incorrectly recorded as Sophia. Looking at the details of the 1850 census, we find that the father George Appleford was born in England! He was an immigrant! The same wife Freelove is listed, as well as the son George W. Appleford. Other children are listed as well: Thomas, Mary S., Joseph and Wellington.





Doing some more detective work, Sherlock and I found some very facts about the Appleford boys. It appears that four of Louisa Appleford's brothers (Thomas, George W., Joseph & Wellington) served in the Civil War, and also her future husband David Carll.




Only in New York, could you have an English immigrant bear four sons to serve for the Union in the Civil War. He then also had a daughter who married a mulatto man, who also served for the Union in the Civil War.

What's your secret?
-Watson


Sources:
(In order of use)
1. Historical Data Systems, comp.. U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.
2. Historical Data Systems, comp.. American Civil War Soldiers [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.
Original data: Data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA form the following list of works.
3. National Park Service. U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
Original data: National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, online , acquired 2007.
4. National Archives and Records Administration. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
Original data: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. T288, 544 rolls.
5. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
6. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
7. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
8. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 1880 U.S.