Mary Ida Culpepper1,2

Female, #36949, (15 Feb 1894 - 21 May 1941)

ParentDaniel Culpepper (circa 1858 - )
ParentMargaret Reid (say 1870 - before 1912)
Mary Ida Culpepper|b. 15 Feb 1894\nd. 21 May 1941|p36949.htm|Daniel Culpepper|b. circa 1858|p36948.htm|Margaret Reid|b. say 1870\nd. before 1912|p38155.htm|Luke Culpepper of Wilcox Co. AL|b. circa 1817|p42024.htm||||(?) Reid|b. say 1845|p42018.htm|Sibby (?)|b. say 1847|p42019.htm|

African* She was an African-American. 
Birth*15 Feb 1894 Mary was born on 15 Feb 1894.3 
 She was the daughter of Daniel Culpepper and Margaret Reid. 
Marriage*after 1920 She married George Yates at Riverside, Riverside Co., California, after 1920. 
Married Nameafter 1920 As of after 1920, her married name was Yates. 
Death*21 May 1941 She died at Riverside, Riverside Co., California, on 21 May 1941.4 
Biography* The following is from a Feb 2000 e-mail:
.
My name is Sandra Louise Schiffer Durbin. My Mother's name was Lornetta Inez Yates Taylor. Birth date 10/28/27 Death 1968.
.
My Grandmother's was Mary Ida Culpepper Yates. Birth and death dates not yet known.
.
My Great-Uncles and Great-Aunts were Wayan (Will) Culpepper, Mamie Culpepper Johns, Langston Culpepper, Zeola Culpepper Jones, Daniel Culpepper, Herbert Culpepper (half brother), Finley Culpepper (half brother) and an additional girl (half sister), name unknown, who died young.
.
My Great-Grandfather was Daniel Culpepper of Wilcox County. Birth 1858? Death date not yet known. My Great-Grandmother was Margaret Reid Culpepper. Birth and death dates
unknown. Daniel then married Amy Reid, Margaret's younger sister and had Herbert, Finley, and a girl, name unknown.
.
I have been researching my family history. I have come upon Erasmus Culpepper III., listed in the 1850 census of Wilcox County, Alabama. In interviewing the oldest remaining family members, I have come across some very interesting information.
.
Erasmus III. had a son by the name of Ernest, who was listed in the 1850 census as being a year old. According to my Great-Aunt Ethel Culpepper, who is still alive, and was married to my Great-Uncle Langston Culpepper, born in 1899 and who died in 1983, the name given to my cousin Ernest, son of Langston Culpepper, was given that name because of the same Ernest Culpepper listed in the 1850 Wilcox County census. My Uncle insisted on that names to honor the
white Ernest Culpepper for literally being my family's savior.
.
Apparently, according to my Great-Grandfather's story, it was Ernest Culpepper ( a white man) who moved my Great- Grandfather's family to the Lower Peachtree, Alabama property, near where some members of my family still live today. It was Ernest who took care of obtaining a house and land for my Great-Grandfather and his family. It was also Ernest who kept my Grandfather and his family safe from all harm. I believe that it was probably also Ernest Culpepper who bankrolled the
trip out to California for my Great-Grandfather and his entire family (except for the youngest, Mamie, who was in love, and ran off and got married so she could stay in Lower Peachtree, Alabama.
.
Where would former slaves get money to do all of that?
.
When Daniel Culpepper and his family arrived in California,in the early 1900s, we apparently had money and went on to become one of the more prosperous Black Families of Riverside County, California, and we are listed as such, in the County Historical records. My Grandmother, Mary Ida Culpepper Yates, owned several properties and businesses while she was alive. This was back in the late 1920s and1930s. After Mary (call by the name of Ida at this time) died, when my Mother was 13 years old, things went wrong (probably because of the depression). And although we still owned three residential lots, in the 50's and 60's, we were poor by today's standards.
.
One time, when I was talking to My Uncle Lank, back in the early 1980s, he told me that Daniel Culpepper (my Great-Grandfather), and his other brothers and sisters(?), did not have a "real Daddy". When I question him further, he said that all he knew was what his father said that his mother( my Great-Great- Grandmother) had told him. Unfortunately, My Uncle did not know, or could not remember his Grandmother's ( Daniel Culpepper's Mother) name.
.
What I know is that it was highly ir-regular for a slave owner to take such interest in his prior owned slaves. Why give my family land, a home, money, help us move to the Lower Peachtree property, while keeping our entire family safe (after the civil war, when it was very unsafe for people of color living away from a town) and then help us on to California.
.
My question is " Was Erasmus Culpepper III., the 32 year old of the 1850 census, my Great-Grandfather's Father and was Ernest Culpepper my Great-Grandfather's half-brother?
.
Why would the Culpepper family do all of that for someone who was "just" a former slave?
.
Was my Grandmother named after the 13 year old Mary Culpepper listed on the 1850 census?
.
I know that both my Great-Grandfather, with his family and his brother, with his family, all moved to California. Even at the turn of the century, it was probably not cheap to bring all of those people to California.
.
I should note that I was told that my Great-Grandfather had a light complexion, as did my Grandmother, as do I. I also have long hair , as my grandmother did. The lighter complexion does not happen with every generation. My deceased mother had, and my brother and sister have a dark complextion. I was married to an Irish man and our daughter does not look half and half, she looks more white than black.
.I find this all very interesting.


(Names referenced above: Mary Ida Culpepper Mary Ida Culpepper). 

Family

George Yates (say 1893 - )
Marriage*after 1920 She married George Yates at Riverside, Riverside Co., California, after 1920. 
Child

Charts Descendants of Luke Culpepper of Wilcox Co. AL (African-American)
Last Edited 6 Oct 2000

Citations

  1. E-mail from Sandra Louise Schiffer Durbin, e-mail address to Lew Griffin.
  2. E-mail from Jennifer Walker (Mrs. Harry Walker) to Lew Griffin, 1999/2000.
  3. State of California Department of Health Services / Center for Health Statistics, compiler, California Death Index, 1940-1997, Online database at Ancestry.com, 2000.
    http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=5180
  4. State of California Department of Health Services / Center for Health Statistics, compiler, California Death Index, 1940-1997, Online database at Ancestry.com, 2000.
    http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=5180
    listed as "Ida M. Yates."