Thomas Covington Plantation

OVERVIEW

Location: Rockingham, Richmond County, Alabama; town of Wolf Pit
Date Constructed/ Founded: bef. 1850
Associated Surnames: Adams, Covington, Durant, Wall
Historical Notes: Thomas Arey Covington, son of Benjamin H. Covington Jr. (b.1780-d.1827) and Jane “Jennie” Wall Covington (b.1784-d.1844), was from a large slave-holding family in Richmond Co., North Carolina. He established his plantation near his slave-holding relatives in the town of Wolf Pit, near Rockingham, NC. He lived near his brother Stephen Covington, as recounted by former enslaved woman Louisa Covington Adams (b.1856). Louisa’s parents, siblings, and grandparents were enslaved by Thomas A. Covington and his family. Louisa’s grandmother was Lovie Wall, and her aunts went by the surname Wall, suggesting a connection to Jennie Wall Covington’s family. Life on the plantation was harsh and cruel: the enslaved families were provided barely enough food and clothing, Church and prayer meetings were forbidden, reading was banned, there were no holiday celebrations for the enslaved people, and the area was heavily patrolled by “patterollers” at night. During the Civil War when Union forces occupied Cheraw, South Carolina (ca. 1865), Union soldiers started to appear at Thomas Covington’s Plantation, which allowed Louisa and her family to leave towards Fayetteville. They eventually settled on the plantation of Peggy McClinton.
Associated Pages: Benjamin Covington Plantation (NCrich00001), Stephen Covington Plantation (NCrich00003)
Accession: NCrich00002

ASSOCIATED ENSLAVED PERSONS

Wall family: Lovie Wall (b.?-d.?); Nicey Wall (b.?-d.?) – dau. of Lovie Wall; Jane Wall (b.?-d.?) – dau. of Lovie Wall

Covington family: Jacob Covington (b.1819-d.?); Easter Wall Covington (b.1830-d.?) – wife (m.?) of J. Covington, dau. of Lovie Wall; Solomon Covington (b.?-d.?) – son of J. and E. Covington; Luke Covington (b.?-d.?) – son of J. and E. Covington; Joshua Covington (b.1858-d.?) – son of J. and E. Covington; Asbury Covington (b.1860-d.?) – son of J. and E. Covington; Jane Covington (b.1862-d.?) – dau. of J. and E. Covington; Stephen Covington (b.1866-d.?) – son of J. and E. Covington; Frances Covington (b.1868-d.?) – dau. of J. and E. Covington; Wincy Covington (b.?-d.?) – dau. of J. and E. Covington

Adams family: James Adams (b.?-d.?); Louisa Covington Adams (b.1856-d.?) – wife (m.?) of J. Adams, dau. of J. and E. Covington

Covington family: Bob Covington (b.?-d.?) – field overseer for T.A. Covington

Covington family: Charles D. Covington (b.1808-d.?) – overseer and carriage driver for T.A. Covington; Sarah Covington (b.1825-d.?) – wife (m.?) of C.D. Covington

1850: Female age 50 (b.1800), Female age 35 (b.1815), Male age 35 (b.1815), Male age 35 (b.1815), Male age 38 (b.1812), Female age 32 (b.1818), Male age 30 (b.1820), Female age 28 (b.1822), Female age 23 (b.1827), Female age 28 (b.1822), Female age 23 (b.1827), Female age 18 (b.1832), Female age 10 (b.1840), Male age 10 (b.1840), Male age 6 (b.1844), Male age 4 (b.1846), Male age 4 (b.1846), Female age 4 (b.1846), Female age 6 (b.1844), Female age 2 (b.1848), Male age 2 (b.1848), Male age 1 (b.1849), Female age 1 (b.1849) [1850 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedule, Wolf Pit, Richmond Co., NC, Thomas Covington, 23 total]

1860: Female age 65 (b.1795), Male age 60 (b.1800), Male age 45 (b.1815), Male age 45 (b.1815), Male age 45 (b.1815), Male age 45 (b.1815), Female age 45 (b.1815), Female age 40 (b.1820), Female age 33 (b.1827), Female age 33 (b.1827), Female age 25 (b.1835), Female age 20 (b.1840), Male age 20 (b.1840), Female age 17 (b.1843), Female age 17 (b.1843), Male age 14 (b.1846), Female age 14 (b.1846), Female age 11 (b.1849), Female age 11 (b.1849), Male age 8 (b.1852), Male age 8 (b.1852), Male age 6 (b.1854), Female age 4 (b.1856), Male age 2 (b.1858), Male age 2 (b.1858), Male age 6/12 (b.1860), Female age 3/12 (b.1860) [1860 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedule, Richmond Co., NC, Thos. Covington, 27 total, 8 houses]

ASSOCIATED FREE PERSONS

Covington family: Benjamin Hamilton Covington Jr. (b.1780-d.1827) – of Benjamin Covington Plantation (Richmond Co., NC, NCrich00001); Jane “Jennie” Wall Covington (b.1784-d.1844) – wife (m.1804) of B. Covington, dau. of J. and M.C. Wall (John Wall Plantation, Richmond Co., NC); Winston W. Covington (b.1805–d.1824) – son of B.H. and J.W. Covington; Dr. Calvin Cole Covington (b.1807–d.1876) – son of B.H. and J.W. Covington; John Wall Covington (b.1810–d.1858) – son of B.H. and J.W. Covington; Benjamin H. Covington (b.1812–d.1866) – son of B.H. and J.W. Covington; Harrison W. Covington (b.1814–d.1848) – son of B.H. and J.W. Covington; James M. Covington (b.1815–d.1840) – son of B.H. and J.W. Covington; Stephen W. Covington (b.1817-d.1879) – son of B.H. and J.W. Covington, owner of Stephen Covington Plantation (Richmond Co., NC, NCrich00003); Martha W. Covington (b.1821–d.1840) – dau. of B.H. and J.W. Covington; Edmund Deberry Covington (b.1823–d.1845) – son of B.H. and J.W. Covington

Covington family: Thomas Arey Covington (b.1819-d.aft.1865) – plantation owner, son of B.H. and J.W. Covington; Laura Emma Durant Covington (b.?-d.aft.1865) – wife (m.1853) of T.A. Covington; Harrison W. Covington (b.1856-d.?) – son of T.A. and L.E.D. Covington; Hassie Covington (b.?-d.?) – dau. of T.A. and L.E.D. Covington

HISTORICAL RECORDS AND DATA

• 1850 U.S. Federal Census, Wolf Pit, Richmond Co., North Carolina, USA (Ancestry.com) – Stephen Covington (b.1817), farmer, household 465 (p.12 or 282B); Thomas Covington (b.1819), farmer, household 467 (p.12 or 282B)
• 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Rockingham, Richmond Co., North Carolina, USA (Ancestry.com) – Stephen Covington, farmer, household 470 (p.16 or 363); Thos. Covington, farmer, household 473 (p.17 or 364)
• 1870 U.S. Federal Census, Wolf Pit, Richmond Co., North Carolina, USA (Ancestry.com) – Jacob Covington, at home, household 17 (p.3 or 663A); Charles D. Covington, farmer, household 19 (p.3 or 663A); Thomas A. Covington, farmer, household 69 (p.9 or 666A)
• Jane Wall Covington, memorial ID 57663746 (Find a Grave)
• Gen Benjamin H. Covington Sr., memorial ID 57663108 (Find a Grave)
• Slave Narrative: Louisa (Covington) Adams, Richmond Co., North Carolina (Federal Writer’s Project WPA) – Louisa Adams names many family members on the large plantation of Tom A. and Emma Covington. She describes inhumane treatment from Tom, including meager food, clothing, and whip marks/ lashes received by her father. Her father appealed to Tom’s brother “Steven” (Stephen W.) for help. She also describes the time during the Civil War when the Union troops invaded their town, which enabled her family to leave the Covington plantation for Fayetteville, NC.

REFERENCES AND DATA SOURCES

• Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
• Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. http://ancestry.com. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
• Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. http://ancestry.com. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
• Ancestry.com. 1850 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedules [database on-line]. http://ancestry.com. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2004.
• Ancestry.com. 1860 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedules [database on-line]. http://ancestry.com. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
• Find a Grave. [database online]. http://findagrave.com.
• The Federal Writer’s Project of the Works Progress Administration (1941) Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews With Former Slaves. Vol. 11, North Carolina Narratives, Part 1. https://memory.loc.gov/mss/mesn/111/111.pdf.