I have gotten a little closer in my search for the date and location of Spencer DeMumbrie’s death. I am almost positively positive that he most definitely died in Austin, Tunica County, Mississippi. Probably on his plantation. As for the date…well, he definitely died sometime between September 1874 and September 1876. How have I pinpointed this? Why, with Tunica County tax records, of course!
In 1874 Spencer appears on the tax rolls for the last time alive (well, I can’t see the 1875 tax rolls for Tunica County, so he may have been alive on that one, too). He claimed:
5 cattle valued at $75
3 horses valued at $200
2 mules valued at $200
10 swine valued at $20
2 carriages valued at $30
1 watch valued at $40
Personal property valued at $100
In 1876 the tax list shows the Estate of Spencer DeMumbrie, meaning that he had passed…probably recently. The Estate claimed:
17 cattle valued at $145
5 horses valued at $250
2 carriages valued at $20
In 1877 Effee Jane Gilchrist, Spencer’s 3rd and last wife, claimed:
3 cattle valued at $45
6 horses valued at $240
3 swine valued at $15
1 carriage valued at $10
1 watch valued at $20
Personal Property valued at $330
She also stated that she lived at DeMumbrie’s the prior year and the current year. By this she more than likely meant DeMumbrie’s Landing on the Mississippi River.
The last tax record I can find concerning Spencer and Effee is 1879. That year Effee claimed:
4 horses valued at $60
4 horses valued at $200
Personal property valued at $260
After that there are no tax records listed until 1882. Effee Jane isn’t on that tax list, nor does she appear on the 1880 census. So, the search continues…
