Family History

Origins

Very little information is recorded about the origin of the “Langford Family.”  The most popular version of Langford family folklore does not speak of our land of origin… It does speak of the route taken to arrive in Northampton County.

 It is widely held that our forefathers came to these shores from England and were most likely slaves owned by either the Langford or Lassiter families.  We have deduced that the first stop on these shores may have been in the Tidewater or Richmond, Virginia areas; and then relocated to the Isle of Wright County, Virginia, our ancestors migrated to Northampton, County. 

 Our forefather, James H. (Jim) Langford was born in 1805 and was owned by Jordan Beale at the time that he was emancipated by the State of North Carolina in 1852.  His emancipation occurred eleven (11) years before the Emancipation Proclamation on January1, 1863 and thirteen (13) years before the end of the Civil War in 1865.

We know through research that Jordan Beale of Potecasi (Northampton County) was a transplant from the Isle of Wright in Virginia.  When Jordan’s mother remarried, she awarded him and his brother to Willis Langford, her half brother.  Therefore, Willis was deemed their legal guardian. 

Since slaves were routinely given the last name of their owner, we believe that Willis Langford owned a slave that was the father of our ancestor, James Jim Langford.  Family folklore and all of the information that we can and cannot verify speaks of David and Sarah as the parents of James.  It is believed that David and Sarah were slaves, David a mulatto and Sarah a full-blooded African descent.  While some family folklore suggests that David and Sarah were never slaves, the fact that James was slave is proof that his parents were as well.  The children of slaves were also slaves until their emancipation.

Jim Langford’s First Marriage

We know that James married two times.  His first wife, Sydney Futrell was owned by Berry Futrell. It is almost a certainty that both Jordan Beale, James’ owner and Berry Futrell had to agree to this marriage.  We also know that when Berry Futrell died, his assets were sold.  We believe that Cornelius Lassiter and is sister Catherine became the owner of most of the slaves owned by Berry.

While living separately and owned by two different people, James and Sydney had seven (7) children (John Langford, James Langford, Elizabeth Langford Davis, Brodgie Langford, Lillie Langford, Rosa Langford Britton, Berry Langford). 

After James was emancipated in 1852, he purchased 309 acres of land from William Powell.  This land was adjacent to the creek plantation and is where he built his first home.  This property was located to the west of the village of Potecasi on Pollock’s Ferry Road.  Finally, James was able to move his family to a home where they lived together as a family.  Subsequently, James and Sydney had five (5) more children (Mary Matt Langford Jenkins, Mariah Langford Mitchell, Percilla Langford, Cornelia Langford Harrison, and Perlidia Langford).  

Although James now had his family with him, his wife and children were still the property of Catherine Lassiter.  Consequently, he was required to pay a monthly fee for their service from 1853 until 1865.  

His emancipation created another problem for James.  State law stated that upon emancipation, a freed slave must leave the State within 90 days or be subjected to re-enslavement. 
Since James did not want to leave his family and home, he explored his options and learned that the legislature would waive this requirement if he could present a petition signed by five (5) prominent landowners.  Eighty-three (83) signed the petition on James’ behalf.  As a result, James was allowed to stay with his family. 

Jim Langford’s Later Years

The North Carolina Congress established an agency, the Freedman’s Bureau, to assist with problems that former slaves were experiencing.  Each county selected delegates for membership.  James Langford was one of the three representatives from Northampton County.  As a member/delegate of the Freedman’s Bureau, James worked tirelessly to improve conditions for former slaves, both at the personal and community level.  One of his most significant contributions was to provide land and materials for a place of worship and a school for the community.  James H. Langford died in 1887 at the age of eighty-two (82), twenty-two (22) year after the end of the Civil War.  James (Jim) Langford left a great legacy for his family and the citizens of the county and the state, and for this reason we come together to celebrate.