Varnado Family History & Genealogy

As I recall, my interest in genealogy had started to develop as early as age ten when I was living in the small rural community of Quentin in Franklin County, Mississippi in the first half of the 1950s, although I had no idea about what it was called at the time. Almost forty years passed and many of my relatives and others who could have answered many of my genealogy questions passed away before I decided to do something about a desire I had held for so long. As a genealogist, this experience is certainly better late than never for me.
When I completed the genealogy course I took at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tennessee, and started my research in 1992-93, I didn't know what to expect in terms of what I might find doing my African-American genealogical research. My hope was for me to realize enough success to justify the effort that would go into learning more about my Mississippi family roots. Now in my 50s, genealogy has provided avenues to many rewarding experiences for me.
Although the ten week course was interesting and Shirley Wilson, my teacher, had prepared me well, I still had no idea of the amount of information that awaited me in my search for a better understanding of the past as it relates to me, and to other family members. At this point, I am very pleased with the understanding I have gained through my research. I wish everyone who is doing research now, and who decides to do it in the future, as much success and enjoyment as I have realized in the past few years.
Through the review of basic research documents like census records, tax records, death certificates, etc., I quickly realized that the information my efforts produced was well worth the time I put into my research. My efforts produced an ancestor tree that included all of my 2nd great-grandparents with the exception of one set. Other than learning the birth place of her parents, I have been unable to find anymore information on my maternal grandfather's mother's line. I am pleased with the results of my work, and proud to display the ancestor tree, and show the outline descendant tree I produced using the Family Tree Maker software. Much of my research is done at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in Jackson, and at the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville.
My mother is Lenora Amos. Her parents are Leah Arnold (1888-1961) and Frank Amos (1887-1948). Leah's parents are Eliza Haney (1857-1946) and Edgar Arnold (1868-1947). Eliza is the daughter of Nancy (b. abt. 1835 d. aft. 1880) and Damon Haney. Both Nancy and Damon were born in Mississippi, probably Copiah County. Edgar's parents are Leah Gordon (1845-1879) and Allen Arnold (1843-aft. 1893). Both Leah and Allen are believed to have been born in Copiah County, Mississippi. Leah died in Copiah County, and Allen was living in one of the Mississippi counties of Copiah or Franklin when he passed away.
Frank's mother is Martha Owens (b. abt. 1871 d. aft. 1900) and his father is Alexander Amos (b. 1863). Martha was born in Mississippi but the names of her parents are not known. Alexander is the son of Jane (b. abt. 1820 d. aft. 1910). Both were born in Virginia, and Jane was living in Brookhaven, Lincoln County, Mississippi.
My father is Willie Ivy Robinson. He is the son of Narsis Bailey (1901-1938) and Thornton Edgar Robinson (1888-1933). The parents of Narsis is Mariah Hardy (1872-1946), and Eugene Bailey (1871-1946). Mariah is the daughter of Mahalia Haywood (b. abt. 1848 d. abt. 1881), and John Hardy (b. abt. 1847 d. abt. 1900). Mississippi is the birthplace of Mariah and she died in that state. John was born in Alabama or Mississippi and he died in Mississippi. Eugene's parents are Charlotte (b. bet. 1835-1841 d. aft. 1912) and Jacob Bailey (b. bet. 1815-1818 d. aft. 1880). The family resided in Amite County, Mississippi in 1870, and in 1880 thet were living in Franklin County.
The parents of Thornton Edgar are Elizabeth Dunn (b. abt. 1851 d. 1926), and Ivy Robinson (b. abt. 1847 d. after 1910). Elizabeth's parents are Elizabeth and Thornton Dunn (b. abt. 1808 d. after 1870). Elizabeth was born in Mississippi and Thornton was born in Louisiana. The parents of Ivy are believed to be Amanda (b. abt. 1822 d. aft. 1880) and Robert Robinson (b. abt. 1810 d. aft. 1880). Amanda was born in Kentucky and Robert was born in Georgia. In 1880, they were living in Pike County, Mississippi.
After completing about as much research as I could at the time on the ancestors of my parents, I started to research my wife's family and extended that line far beyond what I have reached in my search for my roots. Anyone who has done African-American genealogical research realizes the frustration encountered in this area of research due to the absence of records as a result of that dark period in American history known as slavery. It is, however, a Mississippi slave master-slave relationship of the 1860s resulting in miscegenation that has lead me far beyond any point I ever imagined I would reach when I decided to do genealogical research. The baby girl was named Elva Magee, and she was also called Elvie. The information presented here represents just a small part of The Elvie Magee Story.
For many years I have heard Lula Mae Robinson Varnado, my mother-in-law, describe the mulatto lady in the picture on the wall of the living room of her home in Jackson, Mississippi, as being the daughter of the slave master. Opposite the picture of Elvie Magee Varnado on the same wall hangs the picture of her husband, Charlie Varnado, Sr. Both Elvie and Charlie were born in Pike County, Mississippi, and they were living there when they passed away. Charlie is the son of Margaret Hornsby who was born around 1835 and died after 1880. His death certificate shows his father is Harry Varnado. Lula Mae is the daughter of Mamie Crump and Curtis Robinson.
As best as I can be determined at this point, this Varnado family starts with Harry Varnado. Not much is known about Harry. The only documentation I have been able to find on Harry is that of his son's death certificate. However, it is believed that he was a slave of Varnado descedants of Leonard Varnadeau, Sr., of Limoger, France. Leonard was born about 1717, and he died in the Orangeburg District of South Carolina around 1795. Some of Leonard's descendants settled in Southern Mississippi, in the area that is now Pike County. Family tradition has also given Frederick Harris as the name of the father of Charlie Varnado, Sr.
Elvie was born on April 1, 1863, and she died on July 30, 1922. Charlie was born on November 6, 1864, and he passed away on July 30, 1936, fourteen years to the day after the death of his wife. Information that Charlie provided for Elvie's death certificate proved to be very helpful to me in my research of the Magee family line some sixty years later, as immediately after I started it became obvious that this area of research would be very interesting.
From Elvie's death certificate, I learned early in my research on her family line that the man who fathered her was named Magee. Her death cert