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Williams-Gilbert Family History

Williams-Gilbert Family History Our history as we know it begins with Abram Dering. Abram and his wife, Harriet, and their children lived in North Carolina. Census records show that Abram was born in 1815 and his wife Harriet was born in 1820. The Derings were slaves and worked as farm hands. It is believed that a family by the name of Williams owned the Dering family. Public records were very sketchy during this period of time, especially for slaves and other people of color. Only children under ten years of age were listed with their parents, and it was very common for slaves to misrepresent names and birth dates. Anyway, it looks like Abram and Harriet Dering left North Caroline with their six children: Agnis born about 1854, Fannie born about 1864, Ruthie or Ruth born about 1862, William, Patient and Hannah moved to Florida sometime shortly after 1865. Constitutionally slavery ended in 1865 so people of color were free to move around. It is believed that one of the Williams followed the Derings to Florida. Swain Williams (also known by the name of Mac Swain), thought to be a son of the Williams family that owned the Derings. He was a white man of Irish-Welsh descent who took a liking to one of the Dering girls. It is believed that Swain hitchhiked to Florida in search of the Derings. Once he made it to Jackson County, Florida, where the Derings ended up, Swain moved into a vacant house next door to the Derings. It was said that Swain was the only white person among a family of mulattas. Eventually Agnis and Mac Swain got together. Agnis took the name Williams when she began having Mac Swain’s children. They were considered a common law couple among the blacks, even though it was illegal for whites and blacks to marry or even cohabitate. In all Agnis and Swain would have nine children: Whitt and Mary (according to the 1880 U.S. Census both born in 1871), John (born about 1874), Lenora (born about 1875), Amelia (1880 U.S. Census Permelia; born about 1877), Matthew (born in 1877), Joel (born in 1880), Havannah (born in 1883) and Namon (birth date unknown). The 1880 U.S. Census lists another son, Joseph Lem Dering born about 1879. Agnis and Mac Swain lived together until their death. Mac Swain is buried in a “colored” cemetery at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Marianna, Florida. One of the daughters of Mac Swain and Agnis Dering was Havannah Cuba. Havannah lived with her parents and worked the land until she was sixteen years old. She then left to go live with her sister, Mary. The 1870 Census states that Flora Gilbert and eleven other Gilberts (maybe a slave family, as well) came to Jackson County, Florida sometime after 1865. One of Flora’s children was John H. Gilbert. John remained in Florida and eventually married Charlotte Pope. John and Charlotte (also called Clara O.) had three children: Abraham, David King and Flora. Sometime after 1878, Charlotte died. John H. then married Mary Williams. John H. and his second wife, Mary had two children: Ezell and William. Ezell married Carrie and had no biological children, but raised a girl by the name of Loisteen. It is not know whether William ever married or had any children. According to the 1900 Census, David