Leake County is located in central Mississippi surrounded by the counties of Attala, Winston, Neshoba, Scott and Madison.  The present day county seat of Leake County is Carthage and this is where I believe this Norred family resided although currently I have no solid proof.  However, I have found a reference to a small "rival" town called Haysville. ⁽³⁾  Haysville was located about 5 miles northwest of the present site of Carthage on the Robinson Road where it crosses the line between sections 21 and 22, in Township 11 North, Range 7 East.  The original plat of this township is on file in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and is inscribed at the bottom with "This Township was offered for sale on the 3rd of December 1834 under the proclamation of the President of the U. States of 7th July 1834, with the exception of the 16th Section & Section one, James Pickens' Reserve and the N.E., S.E., and S.W. quarters of Section 21, the reserve of William Hays, and preemptions on the S.E. 1/4 Section 26."  Straddling the line between sections 21 and 22, is a wavy lined rectangle which contains the words "NORRED'S STAND".  This has also been known as "Horses' Stand" according to a similar plat map on file in the Office of the State Land Commissioner in Jackson, Mississippi. 

     Isaac Russell Norred was married three times.  His first wife was Elizabeth Roark ⁽⁴⁾, year of birth unknown at this time in probably Pike County, Mississippi and she was the mother of Isaac's four sons, Charles "Charley" Owen, Joseph "Joe" Edward, James "Jim" Russell, and William "Willie" James Norred. 

     The second wife of Isaac Russell was Laurela G. Harmon Wadkins, born on the 24th of September 1850. ⁽⁵⁾  They were married on the 17th of September 1885 in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana ⁽⁶⁾ but had been living together for at least  five years prior to their marriage since Isaac and Laurela appear on the 1880 U.S. Census for East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana as "husband and wife".  They also have three other children living in the household - Effie, Eugene and an unnamed 8 month old male infant.  Effie and Eugene are actually "adopted" children with the surname of Wall. ⁽⁷⁾   I haven't figured out their relationship to Isaac and Laurela yet.  The infant appears in the family  bible records of Russell Norred (grandson of Isaac Russell) as Arthur H. Norred, born 12 February 1880 and another son, Iverson R. Norred, born the 3rd of December 1885 in Ascension Parish, Louisiana is also recorded.  Although most of the U.S. Census for 1890 was destroyed in a warehouse fire, luckily the records for Ascension Parish, Louisiana survived and it is here that Isaac Russell appears once again minus Laurela, Effie, Eugene, Arthur and Iverson.   Only four sons are listed in this census year - Charley, Joe, James and Willie.   I can only wonder about what happened to Isaac's family as there is no other known documents mentioning their whereabouts. 

     It is also interesting to note that in the 1880 U.S. Census of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, the neighbors of Isaac and Laurela are Roarks.  It is possible that they traveled with Isaac and his first wife, Elizabeth Roark, to the area and remained there after Elizabeth's  death, if that is in fact what became of her.  I doubt, that in the case of a divorce between Isaac and Elizabeth, that the Roark family would have chosen to live on the same land as Isaac and Laurela.  

     Isaac Russell's third wife was Kate Brown Teakle, born between 1844 and 1846 in Louisiana. ⁽⁸⁾  They were married on the 6th of June 1892 in the 10th Ward of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.⁽⁹⁾  Isaac and Kate were both up in age at this point and no children were born of this marriage.  However, Kate's niece, Katie Brown, lived in their household. ⁽¹⁰⁾  On a copy of an original map of East Baton Rouge Parish in 1885 is a piece of land, 190 acres in size, shaped like a squared off U, that is designated as the property of Mrs. K.T. Norred. By June of 1911, Isaac and Kate only claim to have about 50 acres of land valued at about $400.00 so betweent 1885 and 1911, 140 acres must have been sold either due to the need for money by an aging farmer or the inability to maintain the land.  Kate is still in possession of this land in June of 1916 but I have not, as of yet,  checked records to see what became of the land after her death.   Kate B.T. Norred died on the 22nd of March, 1923. ⁽¹¹⁾ 

     Born in the days of slavery, Isaac Russell took up arms for the Southern Cause on the 21st of April, 1862. ⁽¹²⁾  He enlisted at Delhi, Jackson Parish, Louisiana and served in the 31st Louisiana Infantry, Company C, under the command of Colonel Charles H. Morrison and Captain David Bryant with the rank of private.  He claims to have been taken prisoner in Vicksburg, Mississippi.  A short history and movements of the 31st La. Infantry can be found in Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr.'s wonderful publication "Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units: 1861 - 1865". 

     Isaac Russell Norred died on the 4th day of October in 1913 in Pride, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana of "dropsy and old age" and is buried, according to Kate B. T. Norred, in Bethel Church Cemetery, in the same parish.⁽¹³⁾  I have found no proof of his burial in tombstone inscription records so he may not have a headstone or it is illegible.  I plan to make a trip to this cemetery in the future to hunt for my great-great-grandfather for myself.   

Copyright, 1998. Deandra Norred Pardue.