Anyone with an Ancestry account? Help needed?

Question

I need some help with finding information on my great-great-great grandfather. His name was Limerick Mobley. But it may be under Lem Mobley because that's what they called him. He lived somewhere in South Carolina, not sure which part though. I think he had two kids Maggie Lee and Hattie if anything about offspring comes about. The mother's name was Mary Garvin. I want to find out because there's a rumor in my family that Limerick was white(I have a lot of light skinned people in my family and I don't think it's a coincidence) and I really want to know so I can explore this part of my heritage. If you could help me out, you would be a lifesaver. Thanks!! =]

P.S. And if Limerick is white, are you able to tell me which part of Europe his family is from?

Answer 1

1880 United States Federal Census

about Limbrick Mobley

Name: Limbrick Mobley

Home in 1880: Waxhaw, Lancaster, South Carolina

Age: 8

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1872

Birthplace: South Carolina

Relation to Head of Household: Son

Father's Name: Charles

Father's birthplace: South Carolina

Mother's Name: Elizabeth

Mother's birthplace: South Carolina

Neighbors: View others on page  

Occupation: Farm Laborer

Marital Status: Single

Race: Black

Gender: Male

Household Members: Name Age

Charles Mobley 33  

Elizabeth Mobley 26  

Minerva Mobley 9  

Limbrick Mobley 8  

Charles Mobley 6  

Kate Mobley 4  

__  Mobley 7M  

1880 United States Federal Census

about Charles Mobley

Name: Charles Mobley

Home in 1880: Waxhaw, Lancaster, South Carolina

Age: 33

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1847

Birthplace: South Carolina

Relation to Head of Household: Self (Head)

Spouse's Name: Elizabeth

Father's birthplace: South Carolina

Mother's birthplace: South Carolina

Neighbors: View others on page  

Occupation: Farmer

Marital Status: Married

Race: Black

Gender: Male



Name: Elizabeth Mobley

Home in 1880: Waxhaw, Lancaster, South Carolina

Age: 26

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1854

Birthplace: South Carolina

Relation to Head of Household: Wife

Spouse's Name: Charles

Father's birthplace: South Carolina

Mother's birthplace: South Carolina

Neighbors: View others on page  

Occupation: Farm Laborer

Marital Status: Married

Race: Black

Gender: Female

Working on the premise that most freed slaves didn't move far from where they were enslaved after the war, I looked for a 13 y/o male slave owned by someone named Mobley from Lancaster District SC. This is very possibly Lem's father:

13 Male Black J B Mobley Lancaster, South Carolina

His parents were both black, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have been lighter skinned. However, this same census enumerator did list several slaves as "mulatto" and didn't list any on this particular plantation that way. Either the owner didn't give him reason to believe his slaves were mulatto, or he wasn't mulatto. There's nothing pointing to Lem's family having a European heritage. There is a lot of evidence that it COULD have been possible. But in the era of Jim Crow, the quality of racial information was as reliable as the bigotries of the person recording it. Even a smidge of African heritage in a lily-white family was enough for them to label a man "black" back then.

Answer 2

I think I found him in 1880 but not any other census. He is listed as mulatto, which is a light skinned black. He should be in York County in 1870-when he died but I didn't see him.

South Carolina Delayed Births, 1766-1900 and City of Charleston, South Carolina Births, 1877-1901

about Hattie Mobley

Name: Hattie Mobley

[Hattie Burris]  

Birth Date: 8 May 1887

Birthplace: York

Father's Name: Lem Mobley

Mother's Name: Mary Garvin



Listed as *****:

Hattie Burris

Home in 1930: York, York, South Carolina

Age: 19

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1911  

Relation to Head of House: Daughter  

Father's Name: Mack

Mother's Name: Harriet

Mack Burris 47  

Harriet Burris 40  

Mary Burris 21  

Hattie Burris 19  

Lessie Burris 18  

James Burris 17  

McEleva Burris 12  

Sarah Burris 8  

William Burris 6



Hattie Bussie

[Hattie Burris]  

Home in 1920: York, York, South Carolina

Age: 36 years  

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1884

Birthplace: South Carolina

Relation to Head of House: Wife  

Spouse's Name: Mack

Father's Birth Place: South Carolina  

Mother's Birth Place: South Carolina  

Marital Status: Married  

Race: Black

s*x: Female

Able to read: Yes  

Able to Write: Yes  

Image: 428  

Neighbors: View others on page  

Household Members: Name Age

Mack Bussie 38  

Hattie Bussie 36  

Mary Bussie 12  

Hattie Bussie 10  

Lessie Bussie 9  

James Bussie 7  

McElma Bussie 1  



Mack Burris

Age in 1910: 28

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1882

Birthplace: South Carolina

Relation to Head of House: Head  

Father's Birth Place: South Carolina  

Mother's Birth Place: South Carolina  

Spouse's Name: Hariet

Home in 1910: Bethesda, York, South Carolina

Marital Status: Married  

Race: Black

Gender: Male  

Neighbors: View others on page  

Household Members: Name Age

Mack Burris 28  

Hariet Burris 26  

Mary Burris 2  

Hatty Burris 1



Harriett Mobley

Home in 1900: York, York, South Carolina

Age: 13

Birth Date: Jun 1886

Birthplace: South Carolina

Race: Black

Ethnicity: American  

Relationship to head-of-house: Step Daughter

[Stepdaughter]  

Father's Birthplace: South Carolina  

Mother's Name: Mary

Mother's Birthplace: South Carolina  

Marital Status: Single  

Residence : York Cotton Mill Town, York, South Carolina

Amos Shaw 44  

Mary Shaw 33  

Harriett Mobley 13  

Andrew Mobley 8  



Mary Garvin

Home in 1880: Bethesda, York, South Carolina

Age: 14

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1866

Birthplace: South Carolina

Relation to Head of Household: Daughter

Father's Name: Gus

Father's birthplace: South Carolina

Mother's Name: Maggie

Mother's birthplace: South Carolina

Neighbors: View others on page  

Occupation: Laborer

Marital Status: Single

Race: Black

Gender: Female

Gus Garvin 45  

Maggie Garvin 28  

Anderson Garvin 16  

Mary Garvin 14  



Samuel Mobley

Home in 1880: Bethesda, York, South Carolina

Age: 14

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1866

Birthplace: South Carolina

Relation to Head of Household: Something other than a direct relationship (Other)

Father's birthplace: South Carolina

Mother's birthplace: South Carolina

Neighbors: View others on page  

Occupation: Laborer-Servant

Marital Status: Single

Race: Mulatto

Gender: Male

James Moore 25  

Bishop Moore 20  

Samuel Mobley 14 misspelled on index

Answer 3

Looks as though the other two answers fills the bill; same info that I found, so it seems this is your family member.  If you would like a copy of the original documents, let me know where to email them too, I'll be glad to send them to you - FREE of course.

I'm a big fan of genealogy and know what it is like to see the many hand writings and my family member's signatures from way back.

Let me know, and congrats on finding you family member.

Marine