Stephen Presley

         

Father Stephen Presley was born a slave in Darlington County, South Carolina in 1820. He was owned by Boykin Witherspoon, a prominent planter from Society Hill. Presley was a carpenter by trade. He married another slave by the name of Phyllis McIver Presley. Welsh Neck Baptist Church records indicate that the couple fellowshipped there as slaves but were dismissed i­­n October,1854 along with 6 other servants of Boykin Witherspoon to “join some church in Louisiana.”

  Witherspoon, like many other Darlington District residents migrated west in search of fertile ground idea for planting. They settled in a then virtually unoccupied area of Desoto Parish, Louisiana which was previously inhabited by the Caddo Indians, bringing with them over 200 slaves including Presley, his wife, Phyllis and 5 of their 8 children, Isam, Alfred, Caroline, Mariah, Elsie, Sophia, Peggy and Celia.  

As a carpenter, Presley along with other

slaves helped with the building of

Witherspoon’s Buena Vista Plantation which

 was designed by Architect, M. Robbins in

1859 and was used as a Confederate Hospital

 during the Civil War.

After slavery, Presley founded, built, and

pastored 3 churches in Desoto Parish

including Bethel Baptist Church in Frierson,

Morningstar Baptist Church in Gloster and

Mechanicsville Baptist in Caspiana,

Louisiana. The later was named for the

church and town in his native Darlington

District, South Carolina.

In the words of his great-grand-daughter, the

late, Aletha Jackson, “although he was born

a slave in South Carolina, he resolved to

 show that in spite of circumstances,

changes, crises, confusion, conflicts and

even chaos, he would live a life that would

help build a Christian community that would

foster justice and peace in the hearts of

men and in the lives of the community.”  To

that end, all of the churches he founded in

Louisiana are still serving the community

over a 100 years after his death in 1904.

His many descendants gather every other

year for a Reunion to celebrate his legacy

and their Louisiana/South Carolina roots. His

great-great-great grand-daughter, Karen

Burney, a Genealogist from California makes

visits to Society Hill to research and honor

her ancestors.

Presley was a man of great faith and a true

son of South Carolina.

WELCOME TO TREES

Greetings, fellow researchers! I want to welcome you all to The Roots Exchange and Education Society (TREES). I want to thank you for your interest in TREES and would like to let you know that I am truly grateful that you chose to visit this site today.

I would also like to ask you for your patience while this site was UNDER CONSTRUCITON as it is our goal to create for you a website that provides a comprehensive amount of resources that will enable you to reconnect with your ancestral pasts.

I strongly encourage you to continue to follow the as I have some exciting things planned for the future that you won't want to miss.  PLEASE check back periodically and don't forget to become an official follower of TREES. If you have any questions, you may email me at trees4us@live.com 

Thanks again for visiting TREES. 



Karen Burney

President and Founder

The Roots Exchange and Education Society (TREES)

QUICK GUIDE AND STEPS FOR TRACING YOUR ANCESTRY

1)   START WITH WHAT YOU KNOW AND WORK YOUR WAY BACK-

Write down the names of your ancestors that you already know such as your parents, grandparents, great-grands, etc. Obtain oral history from your family members, especially the elder members of your family

2)   TYPES OF RECORDS-Census, Birth, Marriage, Death, Military, Land, and many more

3)   WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION: Genealogy Websites such as Ancestry.com, Familysearch, Rootsweb, Social Security Death Index, Google search or other website.

4)   PLACES TO SEARCH-Public Library (Most have ancestry.com for free), Latter Day Saints Family History Center, Local History Center, Local Courthouse, Vital Records office or holder of the record you are searching for, your home computer

Introduction

I created The Roots Exchange & Education Society (TREES) as a means of educating, sharing, and connecting with others in pursuit of their ancestral pasts. Genealogy is a passion of mine and I strongly believe that EVERYONE should know who they descended from.   

 A tree has many branches and is one of God’s most awesome creations.  Over time, leaves spring forth and add to the tree’s amazing beauty. However, as time passes, the leaves wither and fall off.  This is part of life’s cycle.  As the seasons, years and, centuries change, the leaves are replaced by new ones that are just beautiful as the ones that preceded them.

The branches of the tree multiply over time and take direction in many ways but they are all still part of the same Tree.

But, the life and beauty of the Tree including its branches and leaves lies in the "Roots."  The life of a tree would not be possible without its roots.  The roots of a tree run deep and are responsible for the life and longevity of the tree.  The roots are therefore the most important part of a tree.  Without roots, there is no life.

Such is the life and generations of man.  Without the ones that came before us, there would be no life. It is therefore important to acknowledge the ones that came before us and in order to acknowledge them, we must know who they were.  Hopefully, The Roots Exchange & Education Society (TREES) will enable YOU to connect with your ancestral pasts or your “Roots.”

May God bless you in your pursuit!


DEDICATION AND PRAYER:

FATHER GOD, I PRAY THAT YOU BLESS THIS SITE AND ALL WHO VISIT IT. I PRAY THAT YOU ALLOW IT TO BE A RESOURCE AND CONDUIT FOR THOSE SEARCHING FOR THEIR LOST ANCESTORS TO RECONNECT WITH THEM. I THANK YOU FOR USING ME AND OTHERS TO ASSIST IN THAT EFFORT AND THAT YOU GIVE ME THE STRENGTH, COURAGE AND WISDOM TO SHARE THE TOOLS THAT WILL ENABLE PEOPLE TO FIND THEIR ANCESTORS ACCORDING TO YOUR WILL. YOU ARE THE SAME GOD YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER. YOU ARE THE SAME GOD THAT OUR FOREFATHERS AND MOTHERS CALLED ON DURING THEIR LIFETIMES AND THE SAME THAT WE DEPEND ON TODAY. WE THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING THE RECORDS TO BECOME AVAILABLE TO ALLOW US TO FIND THOSE WHO WERE LOST BUT ACCORDING TO YOUR WILL CAN NOW BE FOUND. THANK YOU LORD FOR GIVING US BACK OUR HERITAGE! I WILL FOREVER PRAISE YOUR NAME. AMEN