History
The Beginning of the Anderson-Burnham-Howard Family Tree
The disruption of our lives through enslavement has made piecing together our family history a challenging journey. Our documented family story begins to take shape with the 1870 federal census, which gives us our first glimpse into our ancestors' recorded history. At the center of this history is Harriet Ford, the earliest known matriarch of our family tree.
Harriet Ford reported on the census that she was born in Kentucky around 1825. Based on the available records, she appears to have been sold into slavery and taken to Mississippi early in her life, as her sons are recorded as having been born in that state.
In the 1870 census, Harriet was living in Washington County, Mississippi, with two of her sons, William Anderson and John Burnham. Her eldest son, Monroe Howard, was living in neighboring Claiborne County, where he worked on a farm.
The 1880 census shows that the family members we have been able to trace remained in Mississippi, with the exception of John Burnham, who appears in that year's census in Texas. Unfortunately, a fire at the Commerce Department building in Washington, D.C., destroyed much of the 1890 federal census, leaving a significant gap in our ability to trace the family's movements and experiences during that decade.
By the 1900 census, at 75 years old, Harriet Ford and her adult sons and their families were living on various sharecropping farms in Lonoke County, Arkansas. This marked another important chapter in the family's history as its members established their lives in Arkansas.
Harriet Ford's descendants trace back to her three sons: Monroe Howard, William Anderson, and John Burnham.
Monroe Howard's Family
Monroe Howard was the father of four daughters—Rebecca, Agnes, Amanda, and Hattie—and one son, Jim Howard.
William Anderson's Family
William Anderson was the father of four daughters—Martha, Mary Liza, Peniniah, and Sophronia—and two sons, Elijah and Benjamin Harrison.
John Burnham's Family
Harriet's youngest son, John Burnham, has a particularly extensive family lineage. Historical records identify four wives and several children: Lucinda, John “Doc,” Joe Ford, Melvina, Laura, LeNora, Bertha, Beatrice, John “Cass,” Nettie, and Rachel.
There is also one daughter, Matilda Burnham, whose mother we have not yet been able to identify. Matilda appears in the 1900 census as an adult, and available records identify John Burnham as her father. While living in Lonoke County in 1900, Matilda married and subsequently moved with her husband to Jackson County, Arkansas.
The Beginning of Our Documented Family Tree
Through the surviving census records and other historical documentation, we can begin to reconnect the branches of our family and honor the lives of those who came before us. Although enslavement disrupted our ancestors' lives, separated families, and left many details of their histories unknown, the records that remain allow us to recover important pieces of our shared heritage.
Harriet Ford's story and the lives of her sons—Monroe Howard, William Anderson, and John Burnham—form the foundation of our documented family history. From these three branches, we trace the beginnings of the Anderson-Burnham-Howard family tree, preserving the legacy of our ancestors for future generations.