Andrew Lincecum, Free Born

Andrew Lincecum was born 1853-1860, likely in Louisiana.  This 3rd cousin of mine was a son of Rezin Bowie Lincecum and Annise (Annis, Annisa) Bowie.

I have seen Andrew's surname spelled many ways:  Lincecum, Linceycum, Lynscum, Lincecom, and Linscomb.  And though I've seen him referred to as Andrew most often, Andy and André are also noted.

My family and family history (so far as I know) is very caucasian white.  So it was a mild surprise to see R. Lincecum, a white planter, married to Annise, noted as Black in the 1860 Catahoula Parish, Louisiana Federal census.  These were the parents of Andrew, so his "color" was given as mulatto.  A notation was added to the census for the children of this union:  Free Borne --

What might that mean? Per Wikipedia:

The term free people of color…in the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, at first specifically referred to persons of mixed African and European descent who were not enslaved.  The term was especially used in the French colonies, including La Louisiane…  In these territories and major cities, particularly New Orleans, and those cities held by the Spanish, a substantial…class of primarily mixed-race, free people developed.  These colonial societies classified mixed-race people in a variety of ways, generally related to visible features and to the proportion of African ancestry…

In the Thirteen Colonies, settled by the British, and later in the United States, the term free negro was often used to cover the same class of people – those who were legally free and visibly of ethnic African descent.  It included persons of mixed race…

On the flip side, Christophe Landry of Louisiana Historic & Cultural Vistas, notes the following:

From 1699 to 1868, mixed color marriages were expressly forbidden.

So I wonder, were Rezin and Annise "officially" married? I just don't know the answer to that yet.

Returning to Andrew, specifically, his race was noted in a fairly consistent way across the census records taken throughout his life:  1880 – mulatto; 1900 – black; 1910 – black; 1920 – mulatto; and 1930 – negro.

Andrew was occupied as a farmer for the majority, if not all, of his adult life.  About 1887-1889, he married Minerva Maxwell, possibly a daughter of Jackson and Mary Jane M(c?)axwell.  Census takers considered her to be black, Indian, mulatto, and negro.  The couple had five children:  Wallace, Mary Ann (Anise), Roley, Otta (Ida), and Edward.

An interesting note might be that Andrew's son Roley (Rollo, Raleigh, Rolle, Rawlins) lived to be 100 years old.

By the time the 1940 Rapides Parish, Louisiana Federal census was taken, Minerva was a widow.  She later died on 22 September 1956.

Family Report for Altus Gideon Lincecum (1909-1979)

Altus Gideon Lincecum was born on 6 September 1909 in Headrick, Jackson County, Oklahoma. He was a son of Luke Anderson Lincecum (1859-1944) and Ida A. Bynum (1876-1952), and a great-grandson of famed naturalist Gideon Lincecum (1793-1874).

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BOOK #AD - Gideon Lincecum, 1793-1874: A Biography - "Possessed of a driving intellectual curiosity undeterred by lack of formal education, Lincecum examined all he confronted. He learned from Indians, he read widely, and he corresponded with the great minds of his day. In the process he became many things: physician, musician, botanist, entomologist, ornithologist, and translator of Indian dialects..."

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As a young person, Altus moved with his family from Oklahoma to Curry County, New Mexico, before settling in Sacramento County, California.

Altus held many jobs during his twenties and early thirties: chauffeur, "special police officer," watchman, and brakeman for the Southern Pacific Railroad. By 1943, however, he seemed to settle into being a motion picture operator. Altus held that job until at least 1960, working at the Liberty and Tower theaters in Sacramento. The Tower Theatre was built in 1938, and per Wikipedia, it is "the oldest remaining, continuously running picture palace."

Sometime between 1930 and 1934, Altus married Idaho-born Elayne Arlene Abramson (1916-1995). She was a daughter of Dave W. Abramson and Mary Smith. The young couple had two daughters, one being Gail Alyce Lincecum.

Altus appeared on a Sacramento County, California voter registration roll for the years 1934 and 1940. In both instances, his party affiliation was Democrat. Elayne was on the same list in 1940 with the same party affiliation.

Altus Gideon Lincecum died on 30 October 1979 in Sacramento County. Burial was in East Lawn Memorial Park.

Gail Alyce Lincecum was born on Christmas Eve in 1936. She spent most, if not all, of her life in Sacramento, California. According to her obituary, Gail was a 39-year employee of Aerojet, an American rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer founded in 1942. She was also a member and Past Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star.

Gail died on 11 May 1999. Memorial services were held for her at the Eastern Star Temple at 2719 K Street in Sacramento. This building dates back to 1928 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a rare example of a building devoted to a women's organization.

Order of the Eastern Star Emblem
Gravestone of Mrs. Nettie C. Hall
Evergreen Cemetery at Fitzgerald, Georgia