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Christina Octavia SWIRE (1831 - after 1900)
Click here
to read Christina's letter to Philip, dated 1870's
Christina Octavia SWIRE
was the fifth daughter of
Roger SWIRE and
Frances Lydia COX. She was born 29
October 1831 at Spring Garden (now Ken Jones airport),
Portland, Jamaica. Her birth is recorded in the
Portland Parish Register in Volume 1, Folio 273. Her
mother's bible records her full name as Christina
Octavia SWIRE, but the parish register has her
name as Christiana Octavia SWIRE. She was known
affectionately as "Kissie/Kissy".
Christina Octavia
SWIRE
married about 1853 in Jamaica to Charles
SEYMOUR, who died within about one year of the marriage.
Their only child was born 18 November 1854 in Kingston, Jamaica.
Her name was Amy Jane
Lawrence Seymour. Christina Octavia
SWIRE
SEYMOUR immigrated to the United States with her daughter
and her brother Philip
SWIRE
before 1860. She located first in Louisiana.
Christina Octavia WOODS is reported to have lived after 1900
with a daughter or step-daughter who was married to a Mr.
TOWNSEND. She is reported to have died in 1903. It is believed
that she was buried in Mississippi.
Christina Octavia SWIRE SEYMOUR and her daughter are recorded on
the 1860 U. S. Census as follows:
1860 Louisiana Census, West Baton Rouge Parish, Bruley
Landing Township, Page 153, July 7, 1860
Dwelling #1501-1546
SEMOUR/CEMMOUR, Mrs. C. -- white, female, age 27 -- Born Jamaica
SEMOUR/CEMMOUR, Annie L. -- white, female, age 6 -- Born
Louisiana
By 1870, Octavia had remarried a Kentucky-born planter and moved
to Mississippi. A record of her marriage to James Coatsworth
WOODS has not yet been found. They are listed on the 1870 U. S.
Census as follows:
1870 Mississippi Census, Sunflower County, The First
Supervisor's District, Post Office: McNutt, Township, Page 469A,
July 19, 1870
Dwelling #348-318
WOODS, James C. - white, male, age 62, farmer, born KY
WOODS, Christina - white, female, age 35, Keeps House, born
Jamaica
WOODS, Thomas E. - white, male, age 23, At Home, born LA
WOODS, Pamelia - white, female, age 21, At Home, born LA
WOODS, Cary - white, female, age 6, At Home, born LA
WOODS, Amily - white, female, age 4, A t Home, born LA
Christina Octavia's daughter Amy Jane Lawrence SEYMOUR is said
to have remained in Baton Rouge when her mother remarried so
that she could attend a good school. She resided with her
mother's brother in 1870 as follows:
1870 Louisiana Census, West Baton Rouge Parish, Post Office:
Baton Rouge, Page 268A, Sept. 7, 1870
Dwelling #192-192
SWIRE, Philip - age 42, male, white, Farmer, $30,000 real estate
value/$3,300 personal estate value - born West Indies, parents
of foreign birth
SWIRE, Anna - age 31, female, white, Keeping House, born New
York, father of foreign birth marked then crossed out
SWIRE, Walter - age 8, male, white, born Louisiana, father of
foreign birth
SWIRE, Fanny - age 3, female, white, born Louisiana, father of
foreign birth
SWIRE, Maria - age 7 months, female, white, born Louisiana,
father of foreign birth, born in November
SEYMOUR, Jane - age 17, female, white, At Home, born West
Indies, parents of foreign birth
JOHNSON, Samuel - age 11, male, white, At Home, born Louisiana
KEAN, Henry - age 24, male, white, Farm Laborer, born New York
WALKER, Elizabeth - age 20, 30 or 50 (hard to read), female,
black, Domestic Servant, born Louisiana
WALKER, John - age 10, male, black, Domestic Servant, born
Louisiana
By 1880, Christina Octavia was
a widow again and residing in the household of a
physician in Mississippi as follows:
1880 Mississippi Census,
LeFlore County, District 1 - Beat #4, Page 231C
PORTWOOD, R. L. Self W Male W 39 MS Physician MS MS
PORTWOOD, W. N. Son S Male W 11 MS MS MS
PORTWOOD, R. W. Son S Male W 9 MS MS MS
WOOD, O.C. -- Other -- W Female W 40 JAMAICA Domestic
JAMAICA JAMAICA
WOOD, Anna Maria -- Other -- S Female W 9 MS JAMAICA
JAMAICA
WILSON, Chas. Other S Male W 39 DENMARK Domestic
DENMARK DENMARK
SNIDER, Peter Other W Male W 36 GER Farm Hand GER GER
In 1900, Christina
Octavia is listed in the Mississippi Census in her
daughter's family household as follows:
1900 Mississippi
Census, Quitman County
FULFORD, Peter -- b. Aug. 1850 -- married 25 years -
farmer -- Born: NC
FULFORD, Amy -- b. Nov. 1853 -- 6 children/5 living --
Born: Jamaica
FULFORD, Lawrence -- b. Apr. 1881 -- farmer -- Born:
Mississippi
FULFORD, Peter -- b. Dec. 1884 -- farm laborer --
Born: Mississippi
FULFORD, Jesse -- b. June 1888 -- Born: Mississippi
FULFORD, Rosa -- b. Aug. 1890 -- Born: Mississippi
WOODS, Octavia -- b. Oct. 1833 -- widow -- Born:
Jamaica -- mother of 5 children/2 living
WATSON, John -- b. July 1892 -- nephew -- Born:
Mississippi
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