Raifords in Tate County, MS
I got the following message from a member of the Tate County, MS Genalogical Society after my visit to their library in Senatobia last week.Mentioned in my notes at the end of this email is Raiford Payne. Col. Payne and I met in June, 1955 in Colorado Springs, CO where he had retired after his stint in the Army. He provided me with the notes on his research of the family was a descendant of William D. Raiford and Elizabeth Lark.
THE EMAIL:
I have done a look up for you on the Surname of Raiford in Tate Co, MS and
found the following-----
School Records-Negative
1850 Desoto Co Census
P. M. Raiford 27 m farming NC
A. E. Raiford 20 f TN
R. B. Raiford 26 m Farming NC
James Peeden 16 m Farming AL
Nancy Peeden 10 f AL
Index to 1850 Desoto Co Census
P. N. Raiford page 342 S
O. M Raiford page 419 N
Index to 1860 Desoto Co, MS Census
G Raiford page 227
J M Raiford page 220
P. N. Raiford page 50
W B Raiford page 227
Index to 1870 Desoto Co, MS Census
Nancy Raiford page 320
W A Raiford page 327
W B Raiford page 346
Index to 1880 Tate Co, MS Census
P. N. Raiford 198
Index to 1900 Tate Co, MS Census
Laura Raiford page 166
Philip Raiford page 151
Buried at Bethesda Cemetery in Senatobia, Tate Co, MS
Thomas G Raiford Feb 14, 1837 - June 26, 1860
Dr James I Bucey June 28, 1849 - April 7, 1923
Laura Raiford Bucey June1, 1871 - only date - his wife
Martha A Bucey Oct 9, 1816 - May 16, 1912
Marriages Tate Co, MS
Nannie Raiford to Charles J Windle 12-17-1878 Bk 2 Pg 46
Cora Lee Raiford to Phillip A Rush 2-9-1893 Bk 5 Pg 320
Laura F Raiford to Dr J L Bucey 12-17-1903 Bk 9 Pg 202
W B Raiford married Laura Cooper 2-21-1857 Desoto Co, MS.
NOTE: Desoto County is due west of Marshall county, Tate County is due south of Desoto County. Tate County was carved out of Marshall, Desoto, and Tunica County.
My great uncle, Philip (1837-1924) son of Robert A. Raiford of Edgefield Co., SC, and Margaret Bryan Wyche of Thomas Co., GA lived in Tate Co. until his death in 1924. He was married to Tommye Sales, 1842-1914. Philip and Tommye are buried in Como-Friendhip Cemetery outside of Como, Panola Co., MS. Buried with them are two fo their three children, Mamie and Douglas. Mamie married a Fain, Douglas never married. Their oldest child, Fraiser, married Mary and according to my notes - from Raiford Payne - they had no children.
Laura Raiford is described in the bookHERITAGE OF TATE COUNTY as a member of a"leading family" in Senatobia. Her name, along with others, was scratched on a window in the Perkins house in Senatobia at a party in the house and over the date of the party, "July 16, 1887." Laura was Dr. James Bucey's second wife. They had one child, Cora Lea Bucey who died at age three, b. Sept. 12, 1904 d. June 14, 1907. Cora Lea (Lee) seemed to be a popular name in the Raiford family of the time. My mother, Cora Lea Raiford, was named for her grandmother, Cora Lea Canon.
The only Nannie Raiford that I have was Thomas Woodward Raiford and Sarah Caroline Barbee's daughter, but if this Nannie was their daughter, Thomas would have been 78 when Nannie got married in 1878. This Nannie was most likely named after an aunt, but of Thomas and Sarah's ten children, seven were daughters and none of the three sons had a daughter named Nannie that I can find - yet.
My great-great grandparents Robert Andrew and Margaret Raiford didn't have any children or descendants named Nannie and William D.- down through 1955 - didn't, either. Of Malachi and Patience Wyche Raiford, the only information that I have on them is two sons - twins named Robert W. and Malachi - born in 1845 in Marshall Co.