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Robyn’s Family History

Waters

All of us have our faith increased by the witness of others as to the guidance of the Holy Spirit when we ask for it.”
“Trust God and do not worry. Ask God to let you put us all in His hands for the best.”
“I plan to stop warning and being fearful about my two sons—unless I come across something unusual for I believe you both have a good basic background for living and that you have good intentions. I will always pray that you be guided by the Holy Spirit”.

My grandmother Pauline simply loved God, as these words from some of her letters can attest. She talked about God her entire life. Her story begins in a small town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland called Stillpond where Pauline Celeste Waters, was born in April 1915. She can be found as a young girl on the 1920 Caroline County census. My grandmother was the eldest child and only daughter of six children. Pauline was born the child of a minister and the Methodist church would go on to shape much of her life.

My grandmother was an outgoing, gregarious woman, with a great sense of humor. I have a wonderful memory of how she would place her palm on my forehead at the drop of a hat and say, “Let’s pray.” I wish I could have started this research when she was still living. She passed away in 1997.

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Pauline attended Bennett College, a Methodist school in Greensboro, NC. graduating in 1935. She then got a job teaching at Boylan-Haven, a private school for colored girls that was run under the auspices of the Methodist church. The school was located in Jacksonville, Florida, and it was while there that Pauline met a local man, William Smith, a young businessman who appeared to have a promising future. They were married in her father's parsonage in Bridgeville, Delaware on August 20, 1938 (photo above). Pauline stayed in Jacksonville more than 50 years, teaching and raising her two sons with her husband Bill. Pauline is remembered fondly by a whole generation of Blacks that attended Boylan Haven or Matthew Gilbert High School were she taught. She was a strict disciplinarian and did not not suffer fools kindly!

Her husband Bill would go on to prominence in the close knit community of Black Jacksonville as the the first Black owner/operator of three pharmacies and stores in the 1940s through the early 60s (the "Willie Smith" stores). See my “Smith” page for more about him.

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Pauline's father, Daniel George Waters (shown at right), was born June 17, 1875 according to his World War II Draft registration card. Daniel was a Methodist minister with the Delaware Conference of Colored Ministers. The Methodist Church was one of the earliest bodies in this country to actively take an antislavery stance (the other noted group being the Quakers). The Delaware Conference is a fascinating group that was formed towards the end of the Civil War in 1864. By 1886, the Conference claimed some 15,334 blacks as members, owned $250,000 in property and had constructed a large Methodist church in Princess Anne, Metropolitan United Methodist Church. The Delaware Conference became a driving force in the transformation of the lives of blacks on the Eastern Shore.

Pauline’s father, “Papa” as she affectionately called him, was a strong and proud minister who was staunchly dedicated to serving God and raising his family. He was known as a stern and very serious man, who centered his family's life around the church. “I know that Papa was ordained by God to preach the Word. He was indeed the priest in our home,” my grandmother recalled. “Bible reading and prayers with Papa on his knees was a regular happening in our home.”

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Daniel’s wife, Beatrice Prather (born July 18, 1888-shown below), was actually his third wife—Daniel was twice widowed. My great-grandmother Beatrice was an amazing woman who was a teacher educated at the Institute for Colored Youth in Pennsylvania (which became Cheney State University, the very first historically black college) and later earned other degrees in Nursing and Cosmetology. Attaining college degrees in the early 20th century was no small feat for an African American woman and speaks to a degree of economic opportunity Beatrice’s own family (the Prathers of Montgomery County) afforded her even before her marriage to the prominent Rev. Daniel G. Waters.

Daniel had five children with his first two wives, and six with Beatrice, so there were eleven children total. According to my grandmother, Daniel made sure all of the children had proper relationships with one another. Little is known about Daniel’s father, Samuel Waters. Samuel was born ca. 1849, probably in Fairmount, MD, and the family can be found on the 1880 Somerset County census. According to Daniel’s obituary, Samuel died while his son Daniel was still a young boy.

Moving further up the Waters family tree, Samuel’s father was also named Daniel (James) Waters (1824-1899). This points to one of the most important contextual clues in African American research: the naming tradition. It was extremely common for children to be named after aunts, uncles and grandparents. In fact, that occurs on both sides of my tree—my maternal grandmother and her siblings were all named after aunts and uncles. It is said that this tradition comes from the period of slavery. Because families were very often torn apart never to see one another again, names became the only ties that many slaves and ex-slaves had to family members.

Daniel James Waters was also a minister with the Delaware Conference of Methodist ministers. He and his wife Fanny Fountain (another surname historically connected to this area) were listed on the 1850,1860 and 1870 Somerset County census schedules.

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The last link I have in my chain thus far is Daniel’s father, my great-great-great-great grandfather Joshua Waters. He was born ca. 1770; the location of his birth is unknown. The majority of African slaves were in this country by 1800, either directly from Africa, or more likely, from Africa via the Caribbean. So it is entirely possible that he was my first Waters ancestor born in Africa. Joshua was owned by Susan(na) Waters. She freed him from slavery in the year 1819. Here is excerpt from the deed of manumission, dated February 1819:

“To all whom it may concern be it known that I Susan Waters of Somerset County in the State of Maryland for divers good causes and consideration me thereunto moving and also in further consideration of twenty dollars current money to me in hand paid have released from slavery—liberated, manumitted and set free, and by these presents do hereby release from slavery liberate manumit and set free my Negro man named Joshua being of the age of forty three years"

Susanna Waters was an interesting woman. Susan had no children, but when she died she left one of the lengthiest wills of any I’ve seen and provided great provision for her current slaves as well as several she’d already manumitted (including Joshua). Here is an excerpt from Susan’s will, dated April 10, 1828:
“Unto Nelly and Joshua during their natural lives two acres of land on the water near the cow gut landing to be designated by my executor, my loom with all my weaving implements…to Leah, 150 weight of pork and two barrels of corn…to Hannah and her son Jim, the liberty of living in the house built for them in the orchard, 100 weight of pork and two barrels of corn…all my remaining Negroes above the age of twenty-two to be free from servitude in any wise whatsoever”

I found Joshua listed for the first time as a free man on the 1820 Somerset County census schedules as an older man (that agrees with the age given on his manumission document the previous year). In 1820 Joshua apparently had a wife and six children in the household. Somerset County 1830 census schedules are not extant, but for free blacks, a curious substitution can be found. In 1832, a census was taken of free blacks in the state This was for the dubious purposes of resettlement to Liberia, Africa via the growing Colonization movement. This was seen as a means of curtailing the free black population which was widely viewed as a threat to the institution of slavery. Despite the effort, very few actually sailed to Africa. And unfortunately, the listing for Somerset County records the men and women separately and not by household, so it is not possible to reconstruct families, persee. Joshua can also be also found on the 1840 census, living near another Joshua Waters Jr., who may have been a son. Joshua Waters (Sr.) appears to have died by 1850.

What Am I Currently Researching On The Waters?

 I am attempting to trace Joshua’s ownership before Susanna Waters. Susanna was married 3 times to men that all owned slaves (in addition to her own father) so untangling the maze of ownership and exchanges has been extremely time-consuming. Check out my upcoming Research Article on this if you’re interesting in finding out more about the process I’ve used.
 

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