When I began investigating my family history in Tangipahoa, I encountered others with distinctive family histories in Tangipahoa Parish, including Robert "Free Bob" Vernon, whose great-great-granddaughters—Glyniss Vernon Gordon, Jackie Dukes, and Ferry Hannibal—shared insights into their notable and unique Vernon family heritage.
 |
| Robert "Free Bob" Vernon |
Robert was born in 1832 in Rankin County, Mississippi, as an enslaved individual and passed away in July 1915 in Tangipahoa Parish. He was the progenitor of seventeen children: Willie, Riley, Georgia, Lula, Jim, Nancy, Isaac, John, Florence, Emma, Guy, Sam, Owen, Toby Stamp, Anna, Lettie, and Robert Vernon, III.
He observed as his first wife and sons were sold into slavery on a plantation in Mississippi. Robert labored diligently to secure his freedom. Subsequently, he relocated to Louisiana, where his father, Robert Vernon, resided. He constructed a cabin on one hundred and sixty acres; his father assured him that if he toiled diligently to cultivate the land for five years, he could gain ownership of the land. Robert undertook these challenges and began laboring intensively on two parcels of land.
Robert received information indicating that his first wife, who had been sold into slavery, had passed away, leaving their two young sons alone in Mississippi. In response, he acted as any concerned and devoted father would, traveling to Mississippi to retrieve his sons and bring them back to Louisiana to reside with him and his new family. Upon his return, Robert engaged in the cultivation of cotton, expanding his landholdings by acquiring additional acreage at the low cost of four dollars per acre. Over time, he amassed a total of twenty-three hundred acres. He further demonstrated community-mindedness by donating four acres to establish a centralized church for the African American community. The old log cabin on the property was repurposed into a church on Big Creek, which, organized in 1869, became known as Mount Canaan Missionary Baptist Church.
 |
Free Bob's descendant conducting genealogy
research at the Amite Genealogy Library |
He joined church and became an energetic and
dedicated worker for his church and community. Although he couldn’t read or
write, making only his “X” he possessed the God given wisdom, which he used
wisely to provide for his family, the church, and community. Robert had a great
love for books. He had his own personal book collection.
]He became a member of the church and served as an energetic and committed worker for both his religious community and the broader society. Despite being unable to read or write, signing only with his "X," he demonstrated divinely endowed wisdom, which he applied judiciously to support his family, the church, and the community. Robert had a profound appreciation for books and maintained a personal collection according to his descendants. This oral history has been passed down from generation to generation.
