The Genealogy of 11 Generations of the African American Upshaws of Alabama

Our white ancestors traveled to America in search of a better life. Our African Ancestors were brought to American as slaves. Jeremiah Upshaw is beloved to be the progenitor of all North American Upshaws. Sucky is believed to be the first generation African brought to America as a slave.

1st Generation - Jeremiah Upshaw was the first Upshaw to arrive in Colonial Virginia in 1665. He married Cadelia Waring. They had one child, Captain William Upshaw.

2nd Generation - Captain William Upshaw was born in 1666 in Essex County Virginia. He married Hannah Forrest. They had 9 children. The youngest child Forrest Upshaw is the direct line to the African American Upshaws of Alabama.

3rd Generation - Forrest Upshaw was born in 1718. He married Ann Hunt. They had 3 children. John Upshaw Sr. is the direct line to the African American Upshaws of Alabama.

4th Generation – John Upshaw Sr. was born 1755. He married Amy Gatewood. They had 9 children. In the early 1800 John and his brother LeRoy migrated to Elbert County, Georgia. LeRoy Upshaw Sr. is the 5th child and is the direct line to the African American Upshaws of Alabama.

5th Generation – LeRoy Upshaw Sr. was born in Elbert County, Georgia in 1785. He married Prudence Francis Richardson. LeRoy Upshaw migrated to Barbour County, Alabama. LeRoy was a slaveholder of about 96 slaves in the mid 1800s. He is buried at the Cole Ridge cemetery in Spring Hill, Alabama. They had 4 children. The 2nd child Dr. William Thomas Upshaw is the direct line to the African American Upshaws of Alabama.

6th Generation – Dr. William Thomas Upshaw was born in Elbert County, Georgia in 1821. He migrated to Alabama with his father LeRoy Sr. William Thomas Upshaw was known as Old Man Jack, because he had a son by his white wife named Jack. He married Mary Holsey. They had 7 children. He also sired a mulatto child named John Upshaw Sr. by a slave named Rachel. In a will dated November 16, 1840-William Thomas father willed “one negro women, Sucky and her 5 children to his Caucasian wife”. Rachel was one of those 5 children. Dr. William Thomas was about 19 and Rachel was in her teens.

7th Generation – John Upshaw Sr. (mulatto) was born in 1841in Russell County, Alabama. He married Milly. Milly was born in 1846 in Russell County, Alabama. In the 1870 census John was listed as living in Hatchachabee, Alabama. They had 6 children. Dennis, William Sr., Russell, John Jr., Marcus and Lou.

8th Generation –

  1. Dennis Upshaw was born about 1858 in Russell County, Alabama. He married Lucinda Watkins. She was born about 1860 in Alabama. Dennis migrated to Tuskegee Alabama. They had 2 children-Eugene and Milton Upshaw.
  2. William Upshaw Sr. was born in 1860 in Russell County, Alabama. He married L. Williams, Loretta and Allice Cardaway. William Sr. and his wife Allice acquired over 1000 acres of land. That land today is known as the Flats. He was responsible for the well being of over 20 families that traded their labor for lodging, food and clothing. He owned several warehouses that stored food, clothes. Owned hundreds of livestock’s and acres of vegetable and cotton crops. He also owned a cotton gin to process cotton. William Sr. and Allice had 11 children: Pauline born unknown, William ll born 1882, Millie born 1887, Jackson born1888, Frank born 1891, Clara born 1893, Dennis born 1894, Alberta born 1895, Kittie born 1898, Margaret born 1901 and Luellen born 1906.
  3. Russell Upshaw was born in 1861in Alabama. He married Lizzie. They had 10 children: Willie born 1880, Lilla born 1890, Mamie born 1891, Lizzie born 1892, Pauline born 1893, Mack born 1896, Junior born 1897, Minnie born 1905, Timothy born 1907 and Luada born 1909.
  4. Marcus Upshaw was born in 1865. Not much is known about Marcus except that he migrated to Birmingham, Alabama.
  5. Lou Upshaw born about 1873. Not much is known about her. She also has an aka Tookie.
  6. John Upshaw was born in abt. 1864. Not very much is known about John.

This is a very breif history of the Upshaws of Alabama to the 8th generation The Upshaw Family continued to expand into the 9th generation, 10th generation, 11th and 12th generation.

Thank You.