Household #187: Rountree, William

Back to the 1900 Census & Household Index

In the 1900 Barney census, William Ramtree headed a 4-person household. The table below preserves the exact names, relationships, ages, birthplaces, and occupations recorded for the household.

Household Snapshot

William Ramtree headed a 4-person household in the 1900 Barney census with 3 boarders, employees, servants, or other non-kin residents.

William Ramtree's listed occupation was Farmer.

All listed household members were reported as born in Georgia.

Newspaper and Public-Record Trail

Original Brooks probate records inspected September 20, 2026 name H. V. Rountree temporary administrator of Wm. Rountree on January 16, 1928, and permanent administrator on March 5, 1928. The corresponding bond is also dated March 5. These records identify the administrator and estate; they do not state a family relationship.

A sale return by H. V. Rountree reports a courthouse sale on the first Tuesday in October 1928, with the cover filed October 8. It includes a town lot in Barney sold to J. I. Moody for $70. The sheet gives no street, lot number, dimensions or building description. Five other tracts—not expressly the Barney lot—refer to G. I. Tillman's survey plat in Brooks deeds Book 42, page 101. The administrator's deed and plat remain to be inspected before assigning a location or earlier title.

Probate citation correction: the formerly cited Ancestry records 8635:120698 and 8635:129982 are two filmings of the same Lowndes County testamentary appointment, page 177, dated October 3, 1927, for a deceased William F. Rountree, with Mrs. Minnie Rountree as executrix. They are not Brooks 1928 probate evidence and are excluded from support for this household. The independent census, death and family findings below are retained; this correction does not establish a relationship between the two estates.

1900 Census Household

Children and Later Trails

No child-tracking items are open for this page because the 1900 table lists no children in the household.

Family Narrative

William F. Rountree was born about 1854 and died in 1928. Death-record evidence identifies his parents as Weston/Wesley Rountree and Edith Folsom, matching the Folsom-Rountree-Joyce network. He was the brother of Henrietta Elizabeth Rountree Joyce of HH#182 and uncle of George S. Joyce of HH#186.

The 1900 household is racially mixed: William is the White head, while Rilla Rountree, Manda Roberts, and Joe Hendrey are Black boarders. The earlier race line that treated William as Black was incorrect and has been removed. The boarders likely reflect post-emancipation labor, tenancy, or former-enslavement proximity, but no direct record proves a specific kinship or former enslaver relationship.

Rilla Rountree is the strongest boarder trail. The 1900 census lists her as a 92-year-old Black widow, mother of 10 children with 7 living. No occupation is recorded for her. A 23 August 1904 Valdosta Times item reprinted from the Adel News describes Rilla Rountree as an "old-time slavery woman" past 100, living on J. H. Kennon's place, with son Si Rountree age 77. The ages are approximate but the name and family pattern support the same Rilla/Rolla Rountree cluster.

Manda Roberts and Joe Hendrey remain unresolved. Manda may belong to the Roberts family network connected to HH#184 or HH#189, and Joe's surname may connect to Hendry/Henry variants near HH#164, but both are leads only.

Connections to Other Barney Families

William connects to HH#182 as Henrietta's brother and to HH#186 as George Joyce's uncle. Rilla's surname may reflect historic ties to the Rountree family, but the current evidence does not identify her enslaver, parents, spouse, or exact children beyond the newspaper reference to son Si/Simeon.

Research Notes

1. William's death record has now been located directly and should be cited for his death date and parentage.
2. Rilla's 1884 Brooks County marriage record has been located, but her full child list, especially Si/Simeon Rountree, still needs reconstruction.
3. Manda Roberts needs an adult trail before connecting her to Prince Roberts, Robert Roberts, or any other Roberts household; no safe continuation was found.
4. Joe Hendrey/Hendry has a likely same-district continuation in 1920 and 1930 Brooks County, but no marriage/death record was found to connect him to Peter Henry/Hendry.
5. Any former-enslavement relationship is historical context only unless supported by probate, labor, Freedmen's Bureau, estate, deed, or other direct records.

Online exhaustion update

The earlier claim that William's probate trail was closed online is withdrawn. Newly inspected Brooks appointments and the 1928 sale return provide further estate evidence; the administrator's deed, cited plat and estate-to-household details still need direct comparison. Rilla has a new Brooks County marriage hit, and Joe Hendrey/Hendry has 1920 and 1930 Brooks County continuations, but neither trail proves kinship to William Rountree or to the Henry/Hendry network. Manda Roberts remains a 1900-only boarder for this entry after targeted Ancestry searches; the similarly named 1880 Chattanooga result is not safe to attach. Former-enslavement or family-labor relationships remain unproved and should be pursued through estate, deed, probate, Freedmen's Bureau, church, and cemetery sources.

Open Research Questions

• Resolve the open items flagged in Research Notes above with direct records before expanding this household narrative.

Research Status

Active probate and title followup. The independently researched identity, death and cemetery findings are retained, while the two misassigned Lowndes probate citations are excluded. Brooks appointments and a sale return are now documented, but the Barney lot's bounds and the estate's relationship details remain open. Rilla and Joe have additional online leads; Manda and the boarder relationship questions remain unresolved.

Sources

• 1900 US Federal Census, Barney, Brooks County GA, William F. Rountree household (Ancestry 7602:52873653)
• Georgia Death Records, Wm Roundtree, d. 12 Jan 1928, Brooks County GA, born about 1855 Georgia (Ancestry 2562:710679)
• Brooks County temporary letters, p. 119, January 16, 1928, image 005782590_00562; permanent letters, p. 273, March 5, 1928, image 005782590_00180; administrator's bond, p. 357, March 5, 1928, image 005782592_00225. Wm. Rountree estate; H. V. Rountree administrator. Originals inspected September 20, 2026.
• Brooks Court of Ordinary, Sales Bills of Property No. 2, William Rountree estate, October 8, 1928 filing cover and sale schedule, left sheet. The schedule reports the first Tuesday in October sale; Barney lot to J. I. Moody, $70, without bounds.
• Excluded probate citations: Lowndes Letters Testamentary p. 177, October 3, 1927, image 005782717_00257, duplicate filming 005782648_00119. These are not Brooks 1928 records.
• FindAGrave via Ancestry, William Roundtree, born 30 Apr 1854, died 12 Jan 1928, Brooks County GA (Ancestry 60525:113076610)
• 1860 US Federal Census, William Rountree in Lowndes County GA (Ancestry 7667:11369318)
• Georgia Marriage Records, Rilla Rountree, 25 May 1884, Brooks County GA (Ancestry 4766:20281650)
• 1920 US Federal Census, Jo Hendry, Barney, Brooks County GA (Ancestry 6061:7326177)
• 1930 US Federal Census, Joe Hendry, Militia District 1571, Brooks County GA (Ancestry 6224:19964743)
• Valdosta Times, 23 Aug 1904, reprint from Adel News, Rilla Rountree aged formerly enslaved woman and son Si Rountree
• FindAGrave and compiled Folsom-Rountree material for Weston W. Rountree and Edith Elizabeth Folsom; secondary unless tied to original images
• 14 Oct 1899 Valdosta Times Barney-area farmer notice naming William Rountree
• Cross-reference: HH#182 Henrietta Joyce, HH#186 George Joyce, HH#184 Robert Roberts, HH#189 Prince Roberts, and HH#164 Peter Henry
• June 2026 online exhaustion searches for Rilla/Simeon Rountree, Manda Roberts, Joe Hendrey/Hendry, and former-enslavement relationship proof; no additional direct relationship proof located.

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