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Malinda (McGinnis) Meyers

Malinda (McGinnis) Meyers was born on the Oliver Hamilton Perry McGinnis Plantation in Bastrop, Texas during the Civil War on March 15, 1862 to my great great grandparents Oliver H. P. McGinnis who was the plantation owner (1821 -1895) and Eliza Jerry (McGinnis) (1827 -), which was one of his black house slaves. Malinda was named after her grandmother, Perry's mother Malinda McGinnis (1803 -1889). Oliver's great grandfather was Edward McGinnis (1750 -1817) who's ancestors came to this country from Ireland and settled in Tennessee. Oliver was born in Rutherford County, North Carolina and then moved to Georgia where he bought Eliza from a plantation owner there. Eliza's father was brought from Gambia, Africa on a slave ship to South Carolina then moved to Georgia where Eliza was born. In the mid 1800's Oliver, his family, and all of his slaves moved to Texas. Eliza had three older daughters and one son (Louisa (1856), Victoria (1858), Jean, and brother Mal) before my great grandmother Malinda was born. Malinda also had a stepbrother name Sam Randle (McGinnis) (1866) who's mother was another black house slave and was also fathered by Oliver.

One of Oliver's brothers, my great great uncle Col. Noble Lafayette McGinnis (1829 - 1898) fought in the Civil War for the Confederate Army. After the Civil War Eliza and all of her children including my great grandmother Malinda moved by wagon from Bastrop to Marlin, Texas where Malinda met and married at age 17 a Black Creole named Simonette Meyers, Jr. on March 11, 1879. Simonette had eariler moved to Marlin after the Civil War with his brother Emmit and mother Sarah Meyers from Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.

After Simonette and Malinda were married they had 13 children (Betty, Wonza, Sarah, Mattie, Ozellia, Manford, Markhanney, Edward, Emmit, Ethel, Jerome (my grandfather), Seymia, and one male child died after birth). Simonette died in Marlin on December 17,1936 and Malinda died in Marlin on June 22, 1965 at the age of 104. My family through the years has grown very large and each of us has a lot of pride in our Gambian, Creole, and Irish Roots.

You can find my great great grandfather's Oliver Hamilton Perry McGinnis family tree at this web site http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/k/y/l/James-H-Kyle/ODT10-0001.html but my great great grandmother Elijah Jerry (McGinnis) will not be found there because she was one of Perry's house slaves. And for more pictures please see Marlin Pictures – Page 3.