MANSFORD PLANTATION
T17N-R13E
by John Earl Martin
December 2015

After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 surveying of the land began in 1814 in what is now Madison Parish. In the late 1820's the Federal Land Office' began selling off a few parcels, probably to a few select customers, but the real sale of the lands of Madison Parish began in 1832, peaked around 1837 and dwindled to a trickle by 1850. The first white settlers were those aforementioned recipients of French and Spanish land grants. By 1802 they had congregated along with a few hunters, fishermen, and traders, at a small trading post on a great bend in the River called Milliken's Bend, so named for John Milliken who owned much of the land facing the River. These lands were evidently obtained through the old land grants[i], as these were surveyed off in "arpents"[ii]. (Early recipients were Harbird Hood in 1827 and John Ingles in 1826.)

RC 1 This card refers to Dick Sevier’s map of early settlers and shows Richard Winn owning "Mansford" land in 1834, joined by Hippolyte Pargoud, Honore' P. Morancy, Gideon Gibson, Hughes Lee and Ed Lee in 1837.

RC 2A After the War and Reconstruction, when many landowners lost their lands through theft or poverty, there was at least some semblance of order as E.D. Batchelor sold 1,050 acres to William H. Steavens of Ohio in 1869. This land was in the center of the west side of "Mansford" with almost a section of the Maher land on what is now Talla Bena Pit. The Batchelor family was from Marion County, Miss.

RC 3 Dick Sevier's map of 1975 shows Napoleon Batchelor as Mansford's neighbor on the west side; Ganier Bros on the north; H.P. Morancey on the east by John Ingles; and by W.H. Steavens including "Ellendale" and "Taylor' on the southwest.

RC 3&4 Some sources indicate L.W. Balfour as owning some of the Ganier property. Since the Mahers. Morancys, and Ganiers were close, and in some cases intermarried, this was likely.

RC 5A Geo. Steavens (Ref. Card 2A) deeded the 1,050 acres in 1882 to his wife Louisa.

RC 6 In 1884, C.J. Mitchell bought at sheriffs sale some of the Balfour-Ganier property as a wedding gift to his daughter Amanda Mitchell Ganier.

RC 10A In 1891 Louisa Steavens died and left her 1,050 acres of Mansford land to her three grandchildren; Louisa Leonard Chapin, Marietta Leonard, and Samuel Leonard Jr.

RC 11 S. Leonard, Jr. and sisters in 1896 sold the 1,050 acres to Albert Caldwell and W.H. Ward. Caldwell was a prominent land speculator, soon to become president of The Ashly Co. and Ward was his partner for several years.

RC 8   In 1896 Ganier, Gamier, Mitchell and Mitchell sold the 1,436 acre tract of Mansfield to Caldwell and Ward at sheriff’s sale.

RC 15 Caldwell sells 1/2 interest in Mansfield, now consisting of 2,810 acres, to Ward for $325.00 in 1898.

RC 17A In 1902 W.H. Ward and W.M. Scott agree to a division of properties, wherein Mr. Scott retains Shirley Plantation; perhaps in anticipation of the approaching sale of the Ashly Company to the Deltic Corp. of Glasgow, Scotland in 1903.

RC 17B W.M. Scott sells Morancy Plantation, 1,298 acres, to E.W. Shirk in 1902.

RC 17 Sevier's map of 1903 shows Mansfield owned by W. H. Ward and Morancy Plantation owned by Citizen's Bank.

RC 18 W. H. Ward lost Mansfield in 1914 to a Burnett at sheriff’s sale. 2,756 acres for $48,000.

RC 19 Burnett leases Mansfield to Neal T. Holt with equipment and livestock for year 1915 for $5000.

RC 17C Meanwhile, in 1914 E. W. Shirk had sold Morancy to Joseph Shirk.

RC 17D Joseph Shirk sold Morancy to Clarence Kirschner.

RC  17F Kirschner sold Morancy in 1917 to Madison Parish natives D. H. Allen and A. E. Adams.

RC 17E In 1917 Allen and Adams sold Morancy to E. Scarborough of Madison Parish,

RC 20 Back to Mansfield for a while - In 1915, Burnett sold Mansfield back to First National Bank, Vicksburg, with all equipment and supplies. 2,756 acres for $1.00.

RC 22 In 1917 First National sells Mansfield, supplies and equipment, and stock in Mansford Store to Noel and Noel of Caddo Parish and Madison Parish For $125,000.

RC 24 In 1919, Noel and Noel sold Mansfield's 2,756 acres to John J. Henry and Joe Weinberg of Greenville. MS for $ 196,000

RC 25-26 In 1920 Weinberg and Henry sold Mansfield to Mansford Planting Co for $270,000, with the Mansford Store valued at $15,000. This company consisted of Weinberg and Henry owning 95 shares each and Frank Harbisson, their bookkeeper, and John B. Stone, their lawyer, owning 5 shares each.

RC 27 However, in 1921 Mansford Planting Co sold back to Noel and Noel for $111,000.

RC 29 In 1926 Noel and Noel sold Mansfield to A. W. Farney of Kansas City, MO for $100,000.

RC 30 With the1927 floodwaters just drying up, A. W. Farney sold Mansfield, 2,756 acres, to C. T. MacNeille for $65,000.

RC 31 MacNeille bought Morancy from E. E. Scarborough, 1,000 acres for $4,000. Morancy^'s acreage had decreased due to encroachment of the River; down from 1,298 acres in a period of some 100 years.

RC 33 In November 1947 R. A. MacNeilte sold to A. O. Logue of Vicksburg 4,204 acres for $156,000, consisting of Mansfield. Mansford, and Morancy Plantations, to be known hereafter as "Mansford"; perhaps named for a ford across a bayou that originally drained floodwaters from Clingaman Lake. A small bridge was built over the bayou when the road was a section of the original road to Lake Providence.

RC 34 In 1962, Logue sold 458 acres to H. N. Pippen, SE sec 32, and S 1/2 of sec 30 and 31.

RC 35 In December 1963 Logue sold 23/26 interest in Mansford for $530,769 with usufruct of 3/26 interest to Wortham and Evans of Houston, Texas.

RC 36 May 1965 Wortham and Evans sold Mansford to Albert Prevot, a French national for $1,015,926.

RC 39 December 1971, Prevot sold Ralph Loe 230 acres (located in NW corner of Mansford, sec 23 and 24) for $385 per acre.

RC 40 January 1972, Prevot and Roger Dupree signed a lease purchase agreement for 155 acres on Mansford's north line in sec 24, with an actual purchase in April 1975 for $60,450. See RC 20.

RC 41 Meanwhile - March 1972, Prevot sold the remaining acres of the west side of Mansford to Paul, Larry, Jimmy, and Billy Marsh 1,179 acres

RC 42 In 1972 Prevot sold to Jack Williams and Charles Rundleman of Missouri all of Mansford east of US Hwy 65 less the 25 or so acres sold to Mo. Pacific R. R. in 1902.  Some 1,765 acres.

RC 43 Again in 1972. Williams and Rundleman sold to Max Williams Mansford east.

RC 44 Legal descriptions of Marsh Bros, purchases of Mansford west in January 1973 are located in Book 30 in the Madison Parish Clerk's Office.

RC 45 April 1975, Prevot to Dupree, 155 acres

RC 46 July 1976, Max Williams to the John Terral family, 1,737 acres of Mansford, east of US Hwy 65

RC 47 Dupree to Larry Marsh and Jimmy Marsh, N. line cuts east of US Hwy 65. 5116,250

RECENT MANSFORD

MR. MACNEILLE was probably the longest-tenured owner of Mansford; in that from 1927 to 1947 he had a successful enterprise which included a large dairy, row crops, and a producing 120 acre pecan orchard, plus a thriving general mercantile store.[iii] From 1943 to 1948 the orchard was run by J. J. Kuhn who had some years' experience with the renowned Sam James Orchard at Mound. When Mr. MacNeille sold to Mr. Logue in 1947, Kuhn went to work for Mr. Stubbs at the Stubbs Orchard in Monroe, where he remained until the death of Mr. Stubbs. Kuhn died in 1959 leaving a lasting legacy at Mansford with his grafting of the Mahan variety pecan to a great many of the trees. He is also to be remembered for his work as refuge warden on the Singer Wildlife Refuge where he guided an expedition to study the rare black wolf and several expeditions to study the near-extinct Ivory Billed Woodpecker in the 1930's. This study fostered a movement that resulted in the creation of the Tensas River National Refuge.

The Hermione Museum has some material donated by Steve Mauton, whose father worked at Mansford in 1929-1932 and perhaps longer, that indicates R. R. Taylor was General Manager with C. M. Bridges as dairyman, succeeded in 1929 by E. G. McMillan, with a Mr. Garrison as bookkeeper. They did a large amount of business with Allen's Dairy of Vicksburg, as well as local sales

MANSFORD UNDER LOGUE

Early farm managers were Albert Paxton, Robert Hoseman and Frank Knox, all sons-in-law of Logue. Logue was no doubt impressed by MacNeille's dairy, having been a life-long dairyman himself. There were three sizable dairies in this period. F. M. Logue, Archie Logue and W. A. "B" Logue each had a dairy. Frank Knox saw to the row crops and beef cattle. In the early fifties they opened a modern creamery in Tallulah with delivery of dairy products to the home.

In 1962, Logue sold to neighbor H. N. Pippen 458 acres on south side of the place.

PREVOT 1965-1975

In 1963, Logue sold Mansford to Wortham and Evans, Houston Texas oil and insurance executives. In 1965 they sold to Albert Prevot, a French national. Prevot brought in Buddy Johnson as farm manager.

Early renters under Wortham & Evans and under Albert Prevot include Billy Hodge, Troyce Dukes, James Oscar and Russell Thornton, the Marsh twins (Joe & Jeff), Marsh Farms, JA Dupree and Roger Dupree, Charles Vining and Teddy Oliver. Others may be possible.

Also in 1972 Prevot sold the east side to Jack Williams and Charles Rundleman of Missouri who in turn sold to Max Williams of East Carroll. In 1976 Max sold to the Terral family of Lake Providence.

When Roger Dupree fulfilled his option on the north line cuts and got title, he sold this 155 acres to Larry and Jimmy Marsh.

So, Mansford is again divided, but now between two families that love the land and appreciate it for what it is - a landmark of Madison Parish "at the Mansford curve".

APPENDIX

1903 Land Ownership Map showing Extent of Ashly Company Holdings (Red)