Some African-American Outlaw relatives:
Dr. Benjamin Speller
– great grandson of James Outlaw
Former Dean of the School of Library and Information Sciences at North Carolina Central University.
I was a tenured Professor at NCCU for 28 year (serving as Dean for twenty years). I retired in 2004 after serving as a librarian, researcher, planning and budgeting officer, and Academic Dean in the UNC System for 42 years. While at NCCU, I also taught Management and Systems Analysis for the School of Business and the NCCU Department of Human Sciences. After retirement, I taught courses on the Internet for the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University at the main campus and at its program at California State University at Fullerton for five years.
Ben Speller’s retirement dinner
photo by the NCCU Public Relations Department Photographer
“From left to right my brother, Dr. Leslie C. Speller, Sr. Ph.D. (Physics); my close cousin through the Outlaws, Bonds and Spellers, Dempsey Bond, Jr. and his wife, Mary Kay; and of course, me. We really enjoyed ourselves. The Bonds and Outlaws were represented in large numbers at the dinner. My dad’s only brother, late John T. Speller’s son, John Jr. was the surprise relative since he is very reclusive (like some of the Outlaws) and usually only comes to a family funeral. We had not seen him in about 8 years. Everyone said that I have now won hands down as the favorite relative on all sides of these families because quite a few hard core “no shows” at reunions and other family events came to this dinner.”
“Dempsey Bond’s great grandfather is David Cherry Outlaw, son of Edward Cherry Outlaw and nephew of David Standley Outlaw, 1806-1868 (the guardian and uncle of Edward Ralph Outlaw). His great great uncle, George Outlaw, was the mulatto overseer of his father’s, David Outlaw, Plantation and also the Plantation Estate of Edward Ralph Outlaw. Dempsey’s mother is Lula Outlaw. She and some of her brothers have red hair and bad eyesight as did David Outlaw. He is also the ggrandson of Cullen Capehart Speller and gggrandson of James Bond, all plantation owners that links us to the free mulattos, blacks, and slaves in northeastern Bertie County where we all now own land that comprised the Speller, Bond, and Outlaw Plantations.”
http://www.williamstonhomecoming.com/Bond/
James Outlaw 1858 – 1925
& Malinda Mitchell 1859 – 1928
Evidently Edward Cherry Outlaw and his wife who was a Miller both died and left Edward Ralph Outlaw an underage heir. His cousin David Standley Outlaw, the lawyer and political leader in Bertie, was his guardian. I assumed that he lived with his uncle, Walter Miller who never married. At age eighteen 1858, Edward Ralph fathered my great grandfather, James Outlaw, who also lived with Walter Miller. I assume that the slave woman who we have not been able to identify also lived in Walter Miller’s house.
There were conflicting opinions about the paternity of James Outlaw because many thought that David Outlaw, Edward Ralph’s guardian and cousin, was my great grandfather’s father but we knew different, because he had a son and other children that he recognized who l grew up with. They had his genetic markers, red hair and very bad eye sight.
When, my great grandfather married, Edward Ralph deeded him 500 acres of land down the road from Walter Miller’s Plantation. Everyone thought that Walt Miller had made the gift so that make the case stronger so to speak. By the time my great grand father died in 1925, he had 2,500 acres of land in Bertie and surrounding counties that we know about. – Ben Speller
three photos of the James Outlaw Family Cemetery on Outlaw Farm Road off US Highway 13/17 in Bertie County North Carolina
the memorial with the two headstones and two granite slabs are:
white marble headstone, James Outlaw, August 15, 1858 – September 1, 1925
grey granite headstone, Malinda Mitchell Outlaw, 1859 – 1928
Maggie Outlaw 1888 -1985
Here is a photo of my grandmother, Maggie Outlaw, 1888-1985, James Outlaw’s daughter. At the time of this photo, she was 94 and was blind from the same condition as her great uncle, David Standley Outlaw. She was born November 14, 1888 and died October 30, 1985. She married Turner Speller, 1887-1965.
Ben Speller
Maggie Outlaw at age 85
Hello All. I can barely finish reading this page, I’m so excited!
SallysFamilyPlace.com has been a source of info for my family research for months, but today, while trying to find out who the father of Edward Cherry Outlaw was, I saw this page in my Internet search results.
According to my DNA, I am somehow related to Edward Outlaw and Anne Ivey through 3 of my White DNA Matches. All 3 of them are descendants of Ed and Anne. I can only hypothesize that my 3rd Great Grandfather, Axum Cherry from Bertie County, North Carolina, was a slave descendant of the Bertie County Outlaw slave owners. I think “Grandpop” Axum was also a slave descendant of the Bertie County Cherrys and he may be related to Thomas Cherry, who married Rachel Outlaw. I have 3 DNA Cherry Matches that I am in the process of researching.
“Speller” is also a family name that keeps popping up in my research and is a surname name in the trees of a couple of my Black DNA Matches.
Anyway, I just wanted to say Hi to y’all. I need to get back to reading this entire page!
Hey Ta-Wanda,
Alfred and Lucy are 4th great grandparents, by way of my great-grandma Mary Louise Bronston. I would love to hear more about the connections to the Outlaws in MS.
Hello Everyone.
First of all thank you Dr. Speller for putting this together and Sallys Family Place for putting this online. My name is James Outlaw III. I am a 4th great grandson of Alfred and Lucy. Can anyone share information on on which farm they were on or where I can find a copy of Ralph Outlaw’s will that mentions them? I am trying to verify the following lineage. Alfred Outlaw => Samuel D. Outlaw => Henry Outlaw => William Herman Outlaw => James Charleston Outlaw.
Also curious how has your experience been with DNA and has it helped you in your search.
Hello Shatia – I found some info on first Outlaws in MS, although I can’t verify the how factual it is. Please see below. Here is the link to the site: http://www.mygen.com/users/outlaw/
MISSISSIPPI, OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Outlaw, Dossey A., Plantation, 2173 Oktoc Rd., Starkville, 02000354, LISTED, 4/11/02
Dossey A. Outlaw came to Oktibbeha County from North Carolina at the age of nineteen. He was a member of the first board of Police of the county when he was but twenty-one.
Outlaw and Beverly had the first brick store in Starkville. Outlaw bought large tracts of land from the Indians. He returned to North Carolina and married Clara Eliza Harris, Jan. 29, 1835. He remained in North Carolina a few months. When he returned to Mississippi his wife’s mother came with them; also his half brother Napoleon Askew; also his stepfather, David O. Askew, his step-father wife, and their children then born unto them.
Also among this crowd coming to Mississippi from Bertie County, North Carolina was Coom Morgan who was dissatisfied at home. He remained in Outlaw’s employ until after the War between the States. Hence we see the origin of Morgantown of this county, for it is made of descendants of Mr. Morgan, who was so esteemed by the Outlaws.” info from Mr. P G Suddeth. in “1937 History of Oktibbeha County, Mississippi”
Hello James.
My experience with DNA has been very positive. I studied a little genetics in school, so I know a little about inheritance.
I am a Black American and when I first got my DNA results back from 2 different DNA ancestry companies, my very short-lived question was, “Who the heck are all these distant (5th to 8th and beyond) White DNA Cousins!?” That question was fleeting, however. Of course I knew who they were. They were my DNA Matches who descended from White slave owners who had children by their White wives AND children by their Black female slaves. And, apparently, there was a lot of that going on back then.
I’m also very excited that one can trace the ancestries of White DNA Matches descended from White slave owners fairly easily because many, if not most, if not all White slave owners descended from the wealthy nobility of England, Scotland, Ireland, France, etc, and their genealogies are pretty well documented not only through online sources, but also through books.
A word of caution is warranted, however. Some people appear to actually “create” relatives and connect them to these early Colonial American families, but there is absolutely NO documentation to verify that person’s existence! Or, the actual maiden name of a man’s wife is unknown, so someone may guess her last name or intentionally give her a last name that connects her to a “famous” family. This is particularly frustrating to me. I initially think that I am related to a DNA Match because they have a relative in their tree that connects to a “famous” family already known to me, but then I’m unable to verify that that relative was real. And that may mean that I am not related to that DNA Match through that family line.
But, overall, I love DNA analysis in ancestry studies. My Family Tree is primarily based on me and my DNA Matches “document-based” ancestry. For example. Bullard Andrews of Chesterfield County, VA is my 5th Great Grandfather. I already knew that his granddaughter, Susan Andrews was my 3rd Great Grandmother. My Aunt used to talk a lot about Susan being White when I was growing up. As of today, 8/4/2020, through my DNA Matches, I have found 11 White DNA descendants of Bullard’s. Susan’s granddaughter, my Great Grandmother Roberta Andrews/Godsey, has I don’t know how many Black descendants! I’ve attended numerous family reunions with them growing up. It is amazing to me that we now know our “White” Andrews ancestry that we had no idea about back then. Furthermore, through a variety of purely online sources, I believe that I have successfully traced my Andrews line all the way back to Guillaume D’Audrieu, who was born about 1000 A.D. in Normandy, France.
So, Yep! DNA has been great for me!
I am from Bertie County and I am trying to do family history on the Outlaw. My great grandparents are Pate and Mollie Outlaw. If anyone has information please email me.
I am researching my Outlaw line from Bertie, NC. I have been stuck at Alfred and Lucy Outlaw. They are the parents of my 2nd great grandfather Samuel David Outlaw who was the father of my great grandmother Serena Outlaw Smallwood. I would love to see if I can find more. I also recently DNA matched to Outlaw from MS.
Hi I am a descendent of the outlaws as well. Through Emma outlaw. Who had Alexander and Emma and eventuall married with greens and sherrods. My name is deyquan Nesbit. Great great great grandson of Emma outlaw
Also Deyquan your great, great, great, great grandparents are Samual Outlaw and Margaret Outlaw. Their daughter Emma Elya Outlaw was born September 21, 1879, of Bertie County.
She married Alexander Green (great, great, great parents) of Oak City, after his death married Haywood Bond in 1910 of Bertie County.
Emma and Alexander daughter your (great, great grandmother) Emma Green married Virgil Sherrod.
Hi Yvonne I am looking for any information you might have on my gggfather Jacob roundtree born in gates county n.c 1813 lived until 1917 deceased here in Virginia. I have a family tree and a picture of him but what i am running into when I try to find more about his parents and family when he was born most research terms white ppl spelled Rountree. I have court documents and his freedmen card. Any info will be helpful to trace my ancestors genealogy…
Hi Ta-Wanda!
I believe we are related ?
Alfred and Lucy are my great, great, great, great grandparents.
Found quite of bit of info in this book about Bertie Co, NC written by Arwin Smallwood. https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/9780738523958/Bertie-County-An-Eastern-Carolina-History?fbclid=IwAR3Ve_Qr6a3UvghGsCEuhIPvvGOyBnLBWGtNqluThWFCmebSUek-d3EPBR0
My name is Amber Outlaw, I am from Los Angeles by way of my father Cedric Outlaw – who is a twin to Frederick Outlaw- among a slew of 10+ more siblings with the Outlaw last name. Their father (my grandfather) is Clarence Outlaw from Starkville Miss. who then relocated to Los Angeles . Now there is a whole family of us on the West coast!
Hello. Outlaw ancestry here also. Does anyone have the MtDna maternal line of L3’s. I am L3e3b1.
HI MY GREAT GREAT AUNT IS HENRIETTA OUTLAW SHE WAS BORN IN MISSISSIPPI ON THE OUTLAW PLANTATION . I AM DURING MY GENEOLOGY RESEARCH AND IS TRYING TO ESTABLISH MY FAMILY TREE. ANY HELP AND OR PICTURES WILL BE OF HELP. SHE LIVED IN STARKVILLE , OKTIBBEHA MISSISSIPPI. THANK YOU.