Savannah Jay & Lawrence Daniel
In the late 1870’s Savannah Jay married Lawrence Daniel. Slavery was over and Lawrence was equipped with skills gained while working on the plantation and Savannah had become an excellent housekeeper and homemaker. The 1880 census listed 22-year-old Lawrence as a Mulatto farmer and 18-year-old Savannah’s occupation as “keeping house”.
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Savannah was known as a no-nonsense person who would “take no tea for the fever” meaning that she dealt directly with issues and problems. She was a woman who tolerated no nonsense. Lawrence was born into slavery in 1857. By the time the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in 1863, Lawrence was six years old and had already begun cultivating his farming skills on the Daniel Plantation. With only two sisters, Georgia (or Georgiana) and Mamie, and one brother Jimmy, Lawrence was born into what was considered a small family. His mother’s name was Amanda (Mandy). It is not known if she was born on the Daniel plantation or bought at a slave auction. She was 25 years old when Emancipation was passed. Mandy died at 41.
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Lawrence was 22 at the time of his mother’s death. From an early age farming was a large part of Lawrence’s life and his skills and knowledge enabled him to provide for his family. He became well known as a great farmer and people came from many miles to seek his advice about farming and farm equipment. Known as a sensitive and caring man, he was also aggressive and assertive. He eventually established himself as a landowner. This enabled Lawrence to hire other community members to help him tend his farm. Lawrence and Savannah were known as good providers and benevolent neighbors. They were active members of the church, the NAACP, and fraternal organizations. One of the pleasures that Lawrence received was having children “scratch his head.” He enjoyed having his dandruff scratched by the young grandchildren when they came to visit.
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Lawrence was 60 years old when Savannah died after which he was briefly married to Lizzie Springs. She was his daughter Ella’s mother-in-law. Lawrence was struck by typhoid fever at the age of 69 and died as a result of an intestinal hemorrhage. According to this death certificate as reported by his son Mack, Lawrence’s father’s name was Jim Daniel who presumably was one of the white Daniels. Lawrence Daniel is buried at Mine Creek Baptist Church in Johnston. Growing up, all of the children got nicknames and worked on the farm in some manner.
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When the Daniel children came of age, they all chose spouses from the local area. Resources did not allow for much travel outside the community so church was the primary meeting place for dating or “courting”. This centered around five local churches: Mine Creek, Pleasant Hill, Lockhart, Calvary (Cal-va-ree), and Pen Creek. All of the Daniel sons bought land and built homes adjacent to the family farm. As their families grew, all of the children made lives for themselves away from the family farm. A new century was on the horizon and the Daniel children wanted to seek new opportunities.
Children: Alice Bugg, Mack Daniel, James Daniels, Emma Wilson Andrews, Sophia Hurley, Winnie Watkins, Major Daniel, Johnnie Daniel, Ella Springs, and Lawrence Daniel.