In this post, I am taking another look at my great-great-grandfather, Morgan Lumpkin Brand of Newton County, Mississippi, and the family he and his wife, Levisa Harris Brand, raised during the late nineteenth century. My goal is to identify each of their children and learn what happened to them over the years. One child in particular caught my attention during this review, and her story led me down an unexpected path.
Problem
While studying the 1880 census for Newton County, I noticed something unusual. In Morgan and Levisa’s household, the enumerator listed a daughter named “R. F. Brand.” I have never seen this child in any other record connected to the Brand family. She does not appear in later censuses, in a marriage record, or in probate. The only clue I had before now was a family rumor that her name may have been Fanny, but there is no documentation to confirm that.
The 1880 census gives her age as eight, which places her birth around 1872.
This discovery led me to the obvious question:
Who was “R. F. Brand,” listed as the daughter of Morgan and Levisa Brand in the 1880 census of Newton County, Mississippi, and what evidence can help identify her within the family?
Verify the 1880 Census Entry
To start, I pulled a full transcription of the 1880 census entry for Morgan and Levisa Brand. This helped me see exactly how each child in the household was listed. Here is the information as it appears on the page:
| Name | Race | Sex | Age | Est. Birth Year | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand, M L | W | M | 47 | Abt. 1833 | Head |
| L | W | F | 38 | Abt. 1842 | |
| Brand, J L | W | M | 12 | Abt. 1868 | Son |
| I M A | W | F | 10 | Abt. 1870 | Daughter |
| R F | W | F | 8 | Abt. 1872 | Daughter |
| M A | W | F | 6 | Abt. 1874 | Daughter |
| T M (Twin) | W | M | 4 | Abt. 1876 | Son |
| M V (Twin) | W | F | 4 | Abt. 1876 | Daughter |
| B L (line was cropped from image) | W | F | 6/12 | Abt. 1879-1880 | Daughter |
Verify Enumerator’s Handwriting
Since initials can be tricky, I compared the letters the enumerator used elsewhere on the census page. The “R” and “F” in R. F. Brand match the way he wrote those letters throughout the sheet. There is no sign that this was meant to be “A.” or that the letters were misread. The initials appear intentional and clear. Any confusion would come from the informant, not the enumerator.
Compare the Family Across the 1870, 1900, & 1910 Censuses
1870 Census
Looking at the 1870 census for Morgan and Levisa helps set the timeline. At that time, they had two children at home: James L., age two, and Thomas M., an infant about eight months old. R. F. Brand was not yet born, which matches the 1880 estimated birth year of 1872.
What makes the 1870 census interesting is that Thomas M. only appears this one time. He is not in the 1880 household or any later record, which creates a second mystery child to account for in this family.
| Name | Age | Est. Birth Year | Sex | Race | Place of Birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand, Morgan L | 36 | Abt. 1834 | M | W | Georgia |
| Lovice [Levisa] | 28 | Abt. 1842 | F | W | Alabama |
| James L | 2 | Abt. 1868 | M | W | Mississippi |
| Thomas M | 8/12 | Bw. 1869-1870 | M | W | Mississippi |
1900 Census
The 1900 census gives another snapshot of this family twenty years later. By this time, only three daughters still lived at home: Maggie Rigdon, Beatrice, and Della. A grandson, Eugene Rigdon, was also living with them.
Notably, R. F. Brand does not appear in this household or anywhere else in the county in 1900. Since the daughters listed in 1900 match known children by age and identity, the missing child from the 1880 census would have been born between about 1870 and 1878. Her absence in 1900 suggests that she may have married, died young, or been listed under a different name in later records.
| Name | Relationship | Race | Sex | Birth Month | Birth Year | Age | Relationship Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand, Morgan | Head | W | M | Jun | 1833 | 66 | Married |
| Lavica [Levisa] | Wife | W | F | Dec | 1842 | 57 | Married |
| Rigdon, Maggie | Daughter | W | F | Sep | 1869 | 30 | Divorced |
| Brand, Beatrice | Daughter | W | F | Dec | 1879 | 20 | Single |
| Brand, Della | Daughter | W | F | July | 1883 | 16 | Single |
| Rigdon, Eugene | Grandson | W | M | Dec | 1886 | 13 | Single |
1910 Census
By 1910, only Morgan and Levisa remained in their home. This census includes one important detail that helps explain the missing children. Levisa reported that she had given birth to eight children, and seven were still living.
This tells us that one child had died before 1910. Since both R. F. from 1880 and Thomas M. from 1870 appear only once in any census, either one of them could be the child who passed away. R. F.’s brief appearance in 1880 and complete absence afterward makes her a strong candidate.
| Name | Relationship | Sex | Race | Age | Status | Years Married | Number of Children Born | Number of Children Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand, Morgan L | Head & Informant | M | W | 76 | Married | 40 | ||
| Lavisa M | Wife | F | W | 67 | Married | 40 | 8 | 7 |
Next Steps
As I continue researching this family, there are still a few questions to solve. R. F. Brand appears in the 1880 census and then disappears, and the same thing happens with Thomas M. in the 1870 census. Both children appear only once, and they may be connected to the eight children Levisa said she had in 1910.
My next steps are to check Newton County cemetery records, probate files, and church books for any sign of either child. I will also look at nearby families to see if one of the children may have been staying with relatives or listed under a different name. Every new record will help me get closer to understanding who these children were and what happened to them.
source citations
- 1880 U.S. census, Beat 2 Township 8, Newton, Mississippi, population schedule, Enumeration District 0086, sheet 591B, dwelling 277, family 277, entry for M.L. Brand household; digital image, Ancestry (accessed 12 Nov 2025).
- 1880 U.S. census, Beat 2 Township 8, Newton, Mississippi, population schedule, Enumeration District 0086, sheet 591B, dwelling 277, family 277, entry for M.L. Brand household; digital image, Ancestry (accessed 12 Nov 2025).
- 1870 U.S. census, Beat No. 4, Neshoba, Mississippi, population schedule, page 122, dwelling 920-2, family 920-2, entry for Thomas M. Brand; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 Nov 2024), image 8 of 52.
- 1900 U.S. census, Beat 1, Newton, Mississippi, population schedule, Township 8, Enumeration District 0049, sheet 194b (stamped), dwelling 171, family 171, entry for Morgan Brand household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 Jan 2025), image 21 of 41.
- 1910 U.S. census, Beat 2, Newton, Mississippi, population schedule, Township 8, Enumeration District 0088, sheet 2b, dwelling 27, family 27, entry for Morgan L Brand household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 Jan 2025), image 2 of 4.
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