Sometimes clues to a death can be found as such. Lucas and Catherine Vanarsdale of Attala Co., had a son Ahasnerus Burton b. ca. 1848 in Leake Co, MS, He was sent to Bossier/Webster Parish, Louisiana after his fathers death in 1871 to take over as Agent in resolving the estate of his murdered Uncle William D. Vanarsdel. A. Burton, a single man, was sold two parcels of land by his mother, land formerly belonging to William D., his Uncle. Most likely the plantation house was included, as A. Burton would have needed a place to live. William had 4 natural children by Eliza Sergeant, his mulatto cook, who was a former slave. One of those children, a son, was called Canada and was about 3 years younger than A. Burton. Since A. Burton had a plantation house to live in, he needed a cook, housekeeper and people to maintain the grounds, so he probably hired Eliza and her family, if they were not still living there. A. Burton owned land in Webster Parish, LA, died suddenly intestate. W. H. Adams filed for Administrator of the Succession of A. Burton in 7 Feb. 1880, and in those papers he said that A. Burton died in Attala Co. MS, but the death date was blank. A Judgement filed by his Webster Parish Administrator W. H. Adams, dated 1886, mentions that A. Burton was deceased 20 Dec. 1875 which was the date he was actually selling two parcels of land, so most likely since the Judgement involved those two parcels of land, the clerk wrote in the date of the land sale vs. the correct date of death. So which was the right date? Canada Vanarsdel named his first son Burton, b. 5 Nov. 1879 leading me to believe, that the child was named after Burton and that Burton probably died around the birth of the baby shortly there after. Since the courts did not let any grass grow under their feet in LA when someone died without a will, the request to be an Administrator was normally filed quickly. The courts were not going to wait from 1875 until 1880 to do so. There for, using the date of the baby's birth as a marker as well as the date 7 Feb. 1880 when the Adminstrator filed to be appointed, I am guessing that the date of A. Burton Vanarsdale was as mentioned between Oct. and Dec. of 1879. Just shows the interaction between slaves, former slaves and planters and their families when the relationship was good. A. Burton didn't know anyone really down there, so all t hings being equal, they probably struck up a friendship of some kind, they were cousins after all. The point is, that often there was more of a relationship between master and slave, than most people probably realize. Keeping track of the names of slave and former slave children and their decendants may help solves those genealogical mysteries in both families. Judy