Freeneytown, Texas: a BLACK Reconstruction Community

Charles Devereux and his sons John William, Samuel McDowell, and Charles Hughes were involved in enslaving over 150 African Americans for about 80 years, spanning from 1785 to June 19, 1865, in Texas. Samuel McDowell Devereux and his wife Anne Loyd Devereux were notable plantation owners in Devereux, Georgia, possessing 26 slaves by 1850. The Devereux family also had a presence in Hancock County, Georgia, where Samuel McDowell Devereux Jr. was born in 1851.

The DEVEREAUX family, originally from France, fled religious persecution and found refuge in Britain before Charles Devereaux settled in the early colony of Virginia. In 1785, Charles purchased a plantation near Wrightsborough, Georgia, where he owned several slaves. His son, John William Devereaux, became an adventurer and is known as the father of Covington County, Alabama. Initially, John William DEVEREUX did not support slavery, but his perspective changed after his marriage to Sally Thweat-Grigg and the passing of his father in 1805.

During the Anglo-American colonization and the Republic era, individuals with French Huguenot ancestry sought new opportunities in the Republic of Texas. Notable figures such as David Crockett, Mirabeau B. Lamar, John C. Duval, and Pleasant W. Kittrell were among those who ventured into the Republic and played a role in its development.

In 1841 Julien Sidney DEVEREUX Sr, escaping a troubled life, arrived separately in the Republic of Texas from the Val Verdi Plantation in Macon County, Alabama. Julien Sidney Devereux made the decision to move to Texas, seeking to escape trouble in Alabama. This decision resulted in the separation of families and friends among the slaves he chose to take with him. They were accompanied by approximately 42 slaves.  John William DEVEREUX traveled with slave Scott DEVEREAUX in 1842.

Undertaking an overland trip from southeastern Alabama to Texas in 1841 was a challenging endeavor. Andrew Scott wrote several letters to Julien Devereux from the trail during the summer of 1841, providing numerous details about the journey. The slaves primarily walked during the trip, and they faced rough roads, hilly terrain, and difficulties obtaining food and fodder in Louisiana. They crossed the Mississippi River on July 8, 1841, after cutting a road through a swamp. Andrew Scott’s wagons, including a large wagon and a Jersey wagon, broke during the trip and required repairs.

On January 16, 1843, Rusk County was established in the Republic of Texas and named after Thomas Jefferson Rusk. Texas was annexed by the United States in December 1845, leading to the end of its diplomatic relations with the Republic. On February 19, 1846, a formal transfer ceremony took place, officially making Texas a state within the Union.

Julien Sidney Devereux established the Monte Verdi Plantation in Rusk County, Texas, around 1846. By 1849, he had given it the name Monte Verdi, which translates to “green mountain” in Italian. The construction of the plantation house took place between 1856 and 1857, following the Greek Revival architectural style. Notably, the Monte Verdi Plantation stood as one of the largest antebellum plantations in Texas, covering approximately 10,700 acres at its peak. Slaves provided the labor on the plantation until their emancipation on June 19, 1865, following the end of the Civil War.

Slavery, Annexation, and the Civil War

The Republic of Texas was annexed by the United States in December 1845, leading to the end of its diplomatic relations with the Republic. On February 19, 1846, a formal transfer ceremony took place, officially making Texas a state within the Union. Even during the Civil War, Rusk County’s population continued to increase. The 1860 slave census recorded 6,133 slaves in Rusk County, out of a total population of 15,803, which encompassed both enslaved individuals and free citizens.

The issue of slavery was a contentious one for Texas, especially in its international relations. Rusk County, where Freeneytown is located, had a significant population of enslaved individuals. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that enslaved people in Texas were finally emancipated, following the end of the Civil War. This date is now celebrated as Juneteenth, a commemoration of freedom for African Americans.

Sarah Devereux Garrison LANDRUM has been hailed for her strength as a women planter in Texas, but little has been noted about her hatred for the North and having to give up her slaves. Word concerning the collapse of the Confederacy was received in Rusk County on April 12, 1865, when Robert Bruce Richardson, a Henderson resident, wrote the following lines in his diary: “Oh, God, Lee has surrendered! We are lost.” The following month, on May 29, Richardson noted the Confederate Army had disbanded, and “We are a conquered people.”

Slavery persisted in Texas until June 19, 1865, when Black Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and proclaimed the freedom of all slaves in the state. This momentous event, known as “Juneteenth” or “Emancipation Day,” marked the official emancipation of enslaved individuals in Texas.

After the Civil War, Sarah Devereux Garrison LANDRUM continued to hear from her old friend, Mr. M. A. Harcourt, who wrote her on April 22, 1872, during the Reconstruction era. She definitely was not a fan of the:

“Spring Ridge

Caddo Parish (Louisiana)

Dear Friend,

Looking over my ‘old letters,’ I found one that I prized highly and had laid it with my other treasures, reading it over, it carried me back to our dear sunny-faced, blue-eyed friends whom I loved so well. Those were happy days before the hateful Yankees polluted our once happy homes. It seems since they came among us and have located themselves in our beautiful South, their stinking, poisonous breaths turn to ice and freeze everything it touches. This has been the most severe winter we have ever had in the South, and I attributed it to the sojourn of the Yankees among us. Oh, my friend, when I think of the degradation of the surrender of our country to the Yankees, I hate too much to think of despising them. To have to submit to Yankee domination is more than my proud Southern blood can bear at times. God only enables us to bear it with Christian fortitude, but I may be tiring you and will stop. My relatives are all on the other side of the question and often tell me I must stoop too and kiss the rod with which I’m beaten.”

Texas Emancipation – 19 Jun 1865

Lincoln emancipated the slaves in 1863, but slavery in Texas persisted until 19 Jun 1865, when Black Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and declared the freedom of all slaves in the state. This significant event, known as “Juneteenth” or “Emancipation Day,” marked the official emancipation of enslaved individuals in Texas. During this time, Scott Devereaux was alive and registered to vote in Texas in 1867. He was living in Camden, Rusk County, Texas as a free man during the Apache Wars, a period characterized by conflicts between white settlers and Native Apache for control of the region.

Around June 19, 1865, Freeneytown, Texas was established following the emancipation of slaves. Despite being promised forty acres and a mule, the freed slaves never received this fulfillment. Many former slaves left their owners’ plantations and sought new homes, leading to the emergence of Freeneytown as one of the earliest homeless communities in Texas. This community holds great historical significance for African Americans, particularly the descendants of Scott Devereaux, Tabby Devereaux, and other slaves from Monte Verdi and neighboring plantations in Rusk County.

Geographically situated in Rusk County, Texas, at approximately latitude 31.952 and longitude -94.868, with an elevation of around 351 feet, Freeneytown represents the resilience and determination of a community that sought freedom through strong family and community bonds. It provides valuable insights into the wider history of Black communities in America, specifically pertaining to the descendants of slave families from the Monte Verdi Plantation in Rusk County.

George Edward FREENEY Sr was born in Cherokee, Rusk County, Texas in 1945. He explained to his son, George Edward FREENEY Jr that “the name Freeneytown was a name given by the White people to describe where the Black people lived. There were so many FREENEY’s and DEVEREAUX in those days until many moved to California.”

In 2018, the Texas Historical Commission awarded an Official Texas Historical Marker to the Monte Verdi Plantation, recognizing its significance in Texas history. The plantation, owned by Julien Sidney Devereux and Sarah Devereux Garrison, covered 10,700 acres and held great economic and historical importance in the state. The Devereux family papers, found in regional and state archives, contain records of the enslaved individuals who worked on the plantation.

Among the documented African American families at Monte Verdi in 1846 were Scott and Tabby, their son Anderson, and his wife. While some families remained in the area, residing in villages and communities that were once part of Monte Verdi’s lands, the plantation itself has a lasting legacy.

The dedication and recognition ceremony for the Texas Historical Commission marker took place on September 1, 2018, at Monte Verdi Plantation in Cushing, Texas, located at 11992 CR 4233 W in Rusk County.

The Texas Historical Commission marker serves as an homage to the Monte Verdi Plantation Family Slaves, recognizing their vital role in local history and providing educational value. At the dedication ceremony for the marker, over 100 descendants of the Monte Verdi slaves gathered to honor their ancestors. Julien Sidney Devereux’s 1856 estate records the names of 80 slave families who lived and worked at Monte Verdi in the 1850s. The research conducted by various groups, including the Rusk County Historical Commission and Texas Slave History and Inventory Preservation, helped uncover the last names of these families. Genetic Genealogy research by George Edward FREENEY Jr, and the Black Book :projects has connected DNA to living and deceased descendants and ancestors.

Origin of the FREENEY Surname

FREENEYs are genetic descendants of Scott DEVEREAUX and Tabby Devereaux ______. Daniel DEVEREAUX was born into slavery on September 10, 1825, in Montezuma, Covington County, Alabama, USA.

Daniel DEVEREAUX had seven sons and four daughters with a slave named Katy BRADLEY. He passed away at a young age of 30 on November 19, 1856, at the Monte Verdi Plantation in Rusk County, Texas, USA, just before the birth of his son, Daniel DEVEREAUX Jr.

After Daniel’s death, his widow Katy Devereaux BRADLEY was allowed to join in Civil Union with Martin FREENY, who inferred and raised Daniel’s children. It is important to note that Daniel is the biological father of “Little” Tabby DEVEREAUX, Tom FREENEY, Jane FREENEY, Elmina Henry FREENEY, Arthur “Art” FREENEY, Aaron FREENEY, Lucy Ann Williams FREENEY, Rolly2 FREENEY, Robert “Bob” DEVEREAUX Sr, George Elbert FREENY Sr, Daniel DEVEREAUX Jr.

Martin FREENY is their biological Uncle because Daniel’s brother Henry _____ was in a civil union with Martin’s sister Maria Henry FREENY.

George Edward Freeney Jr. adopted Freeneytown, Texas, through the Texas Almanac’s Land Rush program, aiming to preserve African American heritage and acknowledge the historical importance of Freeneytown to all Black communities in Rusk County.