Charles Roundtree's Deposition

1873 Deposition of Charles Roundtree in the Southern Claims Case of Mary Lemons Buie
Lincoln County, Mississippi
October 1873
Transcribed by Linda Durr Rudd

Charles Roundtree was a slave of the Buie family.

Testimony

Charles Roundtree (Colored) testifies: Age 59; reside on the Buie place in Lincoln County, Miss., am a laborer in the mill of Mr. Buie. Lived on the place doing the last 45 years. Was a slave before the war; owned by the Buie family, and was a field hand. I have often hear Mr. Daniel Buie who is now dead say that he was not in favor of the war. I don’t know whether they were all Union or not, but they used to complain mightly about the war.

In relation to property witness says in the spring of the year while the war was going on Mr. Grierson and a large lot of Yankee soldiers came to our place and stopped in the road and a lot of the soldiers went into the field where the hands were ploughing and bedding up land for corn and told them to stop their work and get the mules out - they did so and they put their saddles upon them, that they took off from the horses and mules that they were riding. They rode them off and led off the stock that they took the saddles off from - some of our mules were sorrel and some blacks - one was a roam horse - there was 7 mules and one horse - I was not ploughing myself but I was right with those who were - I was cleaning up the ground - the mules were good large ones and worth according as mules are selling now $200 a piece they were large heavy mules and I do not think that the oldest was over 8 years old - they were all raised upon the place except one - we used to keep a “Jack” upon the place and used to raise our own stock the color of the mules was sorrel and black. Just about half and half - the horse was a roam color - I am not interested in the claim - I have a good recollection of what happened upon that day as it astonished me. The stock was taken between eight and nine o’clock in the morning. The overseer Mr. Hemphill was present.



Federal Census Information for Charles Roundtree

1870 - Lincoln County, Caseyville, MS - Page 99
Chas Roundtree, 55, MS - Rebecca, 18, MS

1880 - Lincoln County, Beat 5, MS - Page 128
Charles Roundtree, 65 - Caroline, wife, 44 - John Quarles, stepson, 17 - Georgia Ann Johnson, granddaughter, 17 - Henry Merchant, boarder, 15
All were born in Mississippi as were their parents.



Sources

NARA - Record Group 123 - United States Court of Claims - Congressional Jurisdiction - Southern Claim File of Mary Buie - Case # 2568
Caroline Roundtree's Death Certificate - MS1924 - 8796

Southern Claims Case of Mary Lemons Buie

Remembering Their Names