William E. Beattie1

b. circa 1817
FatherJohn Beattie2,1 b. 3 Dec 1786, d. 1 Mar 1861
MotherSarah Edmiston2 b. 30 Jul 1790, d. 23 Dec 1868
BirthCircacirca 1817 William E. Beattie was probably born in Kentucky circa 1817 although the 4 census entries created during his lifetime report his age inconsistently (1850: 33; 1860: 40; 1870: 53; 1880: 65.2 
  William does not appear to have married. He spent his life in Pulaski County (Kentucky) where he was enumerated by name for the first time in 1850, at which time he was 33, lived with his parents, and worked as a coal trader. In 1860 William's father John, at age 74, still farmed the land his father had gifted him almost 50 years earlier. William and his younger brother Thomas Fountain helped run the farm.

John died in 1861 at which time William's mother Sarah was assigned her dower share of John's land and slaves. John's inventory listed 16 slaves including Denis, Jacob, Walter, Mary and a girl Emeline. In 1863 John's Pulaski County land was divided among his heirs. William and his siblings each received a long, narrow strip of land fronting Pitman Creek, amounting to about 23 acres per section. Sarah died in 1868 at which time her dower share of the land reverted to her children. The slaves had already been freed.

The 1870 and 1880 census entries suggest that William and his brother Thomas remained on the family land, and that many of the family's former slaves took the Beatie name, established their own households and remained to work on the farm. In 1870 William's household included his brother Thomas and two black housekeepers: 45 year old Mary Beaty and 19 year old Emeline Beaty. The neighboring 3 households were headed by 3 of the former slaves: 40 year old Jacob Beaty, 29 year old Walter Beaty and 35 year old Dennis Beaty.2,3,4,5,1 
Last Edited11 Apr 2012

Citations

  1. [S2445] Pulaski Co., Kentucky Deed Book 20: 139. The deed records the results of a survey conducted 30 Dec. 1862 to divide the land of John Beatie dec'd into 7 parts, after laying off the dower land. Each part was assigned to an heir. The resulting deed was recorded 17 Dec. 1863.
  2. [S2441] John Beaty household, 1850 U.S. cens, Pulaski Co., Kentucky, pop. sched., Division 3, p. 157 (typed), dwelling 197, family 197, viewed online at Ancestry.com, Jun 2010. Household includes: John Beaty, 63, farmer, owns land worth $2,500, b. VA; Sarah, 60, b. VA; William, 33, coal trader; Campbel, 28, coal trader; Fountain, 25; Emiline, 19; Florance, 14; all others b. KY.
  3. [S2461] John Beatie household, 1860 U.S. cens, Pulaski Co., Kentucky, pop. sched., District No 1 (Somerset Post Office, p. 277 (added script), dwelling 849, family 828, viewed online at Ancestry.com, Jul 2010. Household included: John Beatie, 74, farmer, owns land worth $7,000 and personal property worth $13,000, b. VA; Sarah, 70, b. VA; William, 40; Thomas F., 34, farmer; Emaline, 24; Florence, 22; all b. KY.
  4. [S2462] Wm E. Beaty household, 1870 U.S. cens, Pulaski Co., Kentucky, pop. sched., Somerset, p. 36 (original script), dwelling 241, family 241, viewed online at Ancestry.com, Jul 2010. Household included: Wm E. Beaty, 53, farmer, owns land worth $1,200 and pers prop of $700; Thomas F., 45, farmer, owns land worth $1,200 and pers prop of $700; Mary, 45, black, keeping house; Emeline, 19, black; all b. KY.
  5. [S2474] W.E. Beattie household, 1880 U.S. cens, Pulaski Co., Kentucky, pop. sched., Somerset Precinct 1, ED 87, page 17A (p. 124 stamped), dwelling 140, family 141, viewed online at Ancestry.com, Jul 2010. Household includes, W.E. Beattie, 65, farmer, b. KY/VA/VA; Thomas, 54, bros, farmer, b. KY/VA/VA; Wm B. Hudson, 40, servant, black; Kettie Hudson, 36, wife, black; Tilda Hudson, 18, servant, black.