William Harrison Buzbee
William Harrison Buzbee was born cir. 1805 to Elishah Buzbee and Elizabeth Gunter in Lexington, South Carolina.
William Harrison Buzbee married Nancy Cooper 17 Feb 1835 in Crawford County, Alabama. Nancy Cooper was born cir. 1801 in South Carolina. This union produce the following children: Louisa; William H.; Georgia; Arminda; Oliver Henry; and Lawrence.
Here is an entry about old place names in Alabama: VICTORIA Settlement with discontinued PO at 313147NO855618W in Coffee Co. First called SMUT EYE, supposedly because of the faces of the men standing around a fire outside J.C. Brown’s store would become coated with soot. Next, known as BUZBEEVILLE for William H. Buzbee, the postmaster. Finally, named for Victoria Winslow, a local beauty. Smut Eye PO est. in 1850; Buzbeeville PO in 1853; and Victoria PO in 1868 (F.S. Watson 1970, 74). Victoria is found at the conjunction of state roads 167 and 125, about 20 miles north of Enterprise.
Census through the years.
William and Nancy are found in the 1840 Crawford County, Georgia Census, with 3 boys, 1; 5-10, 2; 10-15 and 2 girls; 1 under 5, 1; 10-15. This shows all the children except Arminda who was not born until 1842.
1850 Coffee County, Alabama finds William and Nancy in household 796, both age 49, living with children: Louisa 20, William 18, Georgia A. 13, and Arminda 8. Arminda listed as being born in Alabama, showing that they moved to Alabama between 1840 and 1842.
1855 Coffee County, Alabama State Census, Pg. 2, shows William H. Buzbee, 2 males over 21, 2 females under 21 and 1 female over 21.
1860 Baldwin County, Alabama, Household 502, Family 395, shows William H. and Nancy Buzbee, both 56 yrs with William 23, and Arminda 18.
William H. Buzbee bought 40 acres of land in Coffee Co in 1851. A William or William H. Buzbee bought 160 (in 3 parcels) next to this piece of land on 1 September 1858 and another 40 acres about a mile NW on the same date. On 1 November 1858, William H. Buzbee bought 160 acres (in 2 parcels) about a half mile directly east of the original purchase mentioned above. Whether this was all the same William H. or both Sr. and Jr., I do not know. The last piece of property mentioned was about a half mile south of land bought by Evan Laney on 1 September 1858. About three-quarters of a mile directly east of this property, Elisha Buzbee (the younger one, I believe) had 40 acres. About a half mile north of this, and about 3/4 mile northeast of Evan’s property, Elisha Frederick and Elisha Buzbee owned contiguous properties. Evan Laney had another piece of property about nine miles ENE of the first one mentioned. Lawrence Buzbee has forty acres about quarter miles from this. These properties were in Dale Co. (Information provided by Jackie Buzbee Davis)
Death
William Harrison Buzbee died 26 May 1870 in Mobile County, Alabama. Nancy Cooper Buzbee died cir. 1866. U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 Name: William Busby Gender: Male Race: White Place of Birth: South Carolina Estimated Birth Year: abt 1805 Age: 65 Month of Death: May Cause of Death: Hemorrhage Census Year: 1870 Census Location: District 7, Mobile, Alabama Line: 17 Source Citation: Alabama State Department of Archives & History; Montgomery, Alabama; Archive Roll Number: 3; Census Year: 1870; Census Location: District 7, Mobile, Alabama; Page: 012; Line: 17.
