Emely STANMORE

Birth: 1842
South Carolina
Death: unknown

The Stanmore family roots extend directly to Africa though genetic ties to our African foreparents who were brought to the Convention Prohibition of importing slaves, January 1808. The earliest account toe family ancestors is that of Stephan and Emely Boatwright, Columbus, South Carolina.

Obviously Emely was a bright child as her slave master, Boatwright, took her for her mother at the age of eight to be trained in the big house for servitude and nursemaid purposes. Emely's new adventure ended all communication between her and her mother. She never saw her mother again. In all probability Emely's mother was sold to another slave owner. Emely did her chores well. In later years she boated to her grandchildren that she never got a whipping.

At the early age of thirteen Boatwright married Emely to another slave, Stephan. This ceremony was conducted by having Emely and Stephan hold hands and jump over a broom handle. Stephan was most likely eighteen to twenty years of age.

Emely and Stephan began their role of family life with great uncertainties of a future together, and even less of rearing a family to maturity. Emely was afraid to dream of putting into practive the many skills of caring for a family that she has learned in the "big house". Their log cabin with its drab walls and simple furnishing was all that they were sure of. it was not unusual for Emely to join other slave women in breast feeding babies whose mothers kept long hours in the fields.

An old national controversy on the slavery question had reached a crucial stage. The father Boatwright encourages his son to leave with the slaves that were to go. A caravan was formed and the moved turned out to be a two year journey. Sickness and death and many other hardships were encountered before reaching their destination.

Boatwright bought a farm and organized his properties near Shreveport, Louisiana. In 1861 war was declared between the North and the South. The war was fought in the South and great destruction throughout. Emely and Stephan survived the war, but the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862 brought them and other hundreds of slaves to a startling question... How to survive? Many slaves were kept until after crops were cultivated in July 1863.

The first thing Stephan did was to exercise his rights to choose a name for himself. His choice was elegant a full of stamina. He announced to Emely and the children their name shall be henceforth "Stanmore". For well over a century the name reflected inherent power through the character of Stephan's children. Emily and Stephan were the parents of twenty children.

It was about the time that Stephan left home and went to Texas. After all of Emely's children were adults and were going their separate ways, she began to weaken. She became less capable of supporting and caring for herself and her youngest child, Cleveland, who was born with a handicap. Levi, Emely's son, moved his mother and younger brother to Cass County in Queen City, Texas.

Levi had longed to bring his parents together again. He had never been satisfied with their slave code marriage. He visited his father in Marshall, Texas and persuaded him to move to Queen City. The same day that Stephan arrived in Queen City, he and Emely were married in Civil Ceremony. They enjoyed their private home near Levi and his family.

Emely and Stephan lived to be near 100 years of age. Their reunion added much dignity and stamina to the Stanmore legend. Stephan could not read nor write but possessed a great ability for memorizing. He could cite long passages of the Bible verbatim and tired to weave meanings into his daily living. Emely loved to sing and often voiced her prayers aloud. She was a devout Christian and shouted her praises of love for Jesus Christ daily.

(History of Cass County People, By Cass County Genealogical Society, Altanta, Texas)

Contributed on 1/9/18 by gr2rumble
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Record #: 145613

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