Elbert Scott & Rosa Sheppard
Rev. Elbert Scott and Rosa Sheppard
Elbert Scott was born around 1844 to Isam Scott and Mary Jones in Lowndes County Georgia. He would grow up enslaved by Hardy Hunter & then William Jones with the rest of his 13 siblings. As he approached the age of 20, he was emancipated and had his first child, Mitchell Scott with a woman named Dinah Wade. It is believed that he had at least one child with Dinah Wade either: Gene or Charley Scott. However, by the 1870 Census their mother Dinah Wade is not listed, but another woman named Rosa Sheppard appears as the wife of Elbert Scott.
Rosa Sheppard was born to London Sheppard and Jane Wade in Screven County Georgia around 1846. The original owner of Rosa and the Sheppard family has yet to be uncovered. However, when Hardy Hunter, the same owner who owned the Scott family died in 1856, he lists twenty six slaves and the Sheppard family has been identified within the ranks. It is unclear when Rosa Sheppard officially met Elbert Scott nor has a marriage record for the two ever been located.
Nevertheless, the couple would have 10 children: Willie Lee, Carrie, James, William, Lizzie, Robert, Doctor, Ada, Lawyer, and Mary Jane. The family moved from the Hunter Plantation lands to the Simmon Hill Community in Dixie in 1893. During this time period Elbert would become an ordained minister at Simmon Hill Baptist Church serving as an assistant pastor and performing many marriages for his siblings, nieces, nephews and many neighbors. He would also serve as Chair of the Thomasville Baptist Association from 1906-1910.
Elbert and Rosa would remain in this community raising their family and many grandchildren for the remainder of their lives. Along with their neighbors, they would become prosperous farmers, owning their own land and accumulating wealth throughout the 1900s and through the roaring twenties. In 1924, Rev. Elbert Scott would pass away around the age of 80.
Three Marriage Certificates showing Elbert Scott as the Officiant
Rosa was well into her nineties as 1940 approached. Her grandchildren remember her being a petite, dark skinned woman, that was affectionately called “Muh.” While she did not engage in any intense farm labor, she still routinely cooked and attended church until her health failed. On May 3, 1940, Rosa Sheppard died of old age at her home that she and her husband built. At the time of her death, she had nine living children, thirty eight grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren.After 150 plus years, the descendants of Elbert Scott and Rosa Sheppard are large in number and prospering across the country. Descendants of Lawyer Scott still own portions of the original plot of land that Elbert purchased in 1893. The same can be said for descendants of Prince Sheppard and many others. Elbert Scott and Rosa Sheppard are considered to be amongst the “veterans” of the Dry Lake community. Their descendants tend to have plenty of overlap with other pillar families of this community: Spencer, Rodgers, Gosier, Wooten, Frazier, Leonard, and many others. Around the early part of the 21st century, many roads in the area were named in honor of these pioneer families. The road that led to Elbert Scott and Rosa Sheppard’s home in Dixie was aptly named, Scott Lane. This will forever serve as a reminder of a grand and honorable legacy for centuries to come.
