George Saffarrans—Coppersmith, Tinsmith

Historical church, county court, census and local history books and records show us that George Saffarrans was born in Pennsylvania; was married in Maryland; In 1810 was living in Botetourt Co., Virginia where his first four children (John, Elizabeth, Mary and Catharine) were born; he moved for a time to a farm near Gallatin, TN where daughters Susan and Bellfield and sons George, Rufus and William Henry were born in 1820-1829.

He was in Mississippi in 1834-1836 as son Webster was born there. His son John must have been with him in Mississippi as John and his first wife, Matilda had two daughters, Mary and Caroline born there. In this time period there were a number of business enterprises operated by
members of the Saffarrans family in or near Aberdeen, Monroe County, Misssissippi.

Historical sketches published by the Aberdeen Examiner in a series of articles 1936-1938 chronicled:

"ABERDEEN, 1835-1845: Before Aberdeen was dreamed of, there was a place on the east side of the river where East Aberdeen now is, which went by the name Morgan's Ferry. Maps made around 1820 to 1825 show a spot labeled Morgan's Ferry which the trails, traces and roads on both sides of the river converged.

Not many years later, the name Morgan's Ferry had been changed to Martin's Bluff. The writer has not discovered for what Morgan the ferry was named for nor what Martin lent his name to the bluff.

The high bluff on the east side of the river, well above flood levels, and the good approach banks made this an excellent place for a crossing. Robinson James, the Indian who owned Section 36, across from the bluff may have operated a ferry here. When the old Aberdeen town lots were
sold, Daniel Saffarans paid four thousand five hundred dollars for the exclusive ferry privilege on sections 26 and 35, the sections touching the river owned by the Aberdeen Land Co."

"J.C. Wilson & Company, a large mercantile firm in Martin's Bluff composed of J.C. Wilson, Daniel Saffarans and Reuben Davis, had Martin's Bluff surveyed and laid out in town lots. These they tried to sell, with some degree of success, by auction and by private sale. Their plan called for a ferry with landing rights on the west bank of the river.

When it was going strong, Martins Bluff was a regular landing place for boats in the Mobile service and farmers east and north east to the Alabama line, loaded their cotton for Mobile, and received supplies consigned to them.

At one time, J.C. Wilson and Company of Martin's Bluff did the largest business of any firm in the county outside Aberdeen with few exceptions and in those instances, the firm was almost on a level with those that surpassed it. But Martin's Bluff could not stand the pace. Aberdeen was too close at hand. Bridging the river and the building of railroads ended its existence. Even the name disappeared. It is now known as East Aberdeen, a junction point on the Frisco railroad."

"May 1, 1839. There was a meeting of the stock holders of Aberdeen called by T.W. Baxter, Henry Anderson, G & J Wightman, Francis Leech, G. McFarland, B. Blocker & Co., David Saffarrans and Daniel Burnettt......"

"Sale of Lots in Old Aberdeen: ........was sold at auction in October 1836. The sale of lots was as great success. Two hundred and eighty two pieces of property was sold for $78,684, and the remainder brought more than $100,000 in addition. The largest purchaser was Jacob Cohen
of Charleston, South Carolina, who paid $17,053 for seventy nine lots of land. The second largest was Josiah Leftwich who paid $13,362 for fifty four pieces. The third was David Saffarans who paid $12,210 for his purchase.........Daniel Saffarans (ferry) $4500.

Among the firms not known to be dealing wholly in real estate were:

______Vinson & Saffarans;
______Merchandise: Stokely Vinson and Saffarans
______Branham Saffarans & Co."

"...This is as good a place as any to give the history of the saw mills located on the West bank of the river just below Matubee Creek, always a saw mill site. There must have been a mill there in 1836, or soon thereafter. The first record of ownership we have was "Branham & Saffarans & Co."

"A partial list of firms and individuals who conducted stores, shops or factories somewhere in Monroe County at some time prior to 1886:

______Boyer and Saffarans
______Branham Saffarrans & C0
______Vincent & Saffarans
______D. Saffarrans & Co
______Vinson & Saffarans"

"Among names of men who figured prominently in early days of Monroe and then passed on leaving little to remember them by; ..David Saffarans .."

From the above historical sketches we find that in 1835 to 1845 the following people / businesses:

______Daniel Saffarans: ferry owner, Partner in large mercantile Company
______David Saffarans: stock holder in Aberdeen, purchaser of lots in Old Aberdeen
______Vinson and Saffarans: firm purchasing land
______Stokely Vinson and Saffarans: firm purchasing land
______Branham Saffarrans & Co: firm purchasing land, saw mill owners
______Boyer & Saffarans: conducted store, shop or factory
______Vincent & Saffarans: conducted store, shop or factory
______D. Saffarans & Co: conducted store, shop or factory

From the historical sketches and census records we can determine that the following family members were in Mississippi in this time period:

______Daniel Saffarrans son of John & Catharine
______Daniel (Jr.) Saffarrans son of Daniel Saffarrans
______George Saffarrans son of John & Catharine
______John Saffarrans son of George Saffarrans
______David Saffarrans, probably son of John and Catharine (1840 Monroe Co Census)
______Mary Saffarrans (Farr), daughter of George Saffarrans

"In March 1842 there was a wave of bankruptcy. The local papers were filled almost to the exclusion of news, editorials and advertisements with petitions of persons who wanted to take bankruptcy. It appears the legislature passed a bankruptcy act that was highly favorable to the debtor and a great number of debtors in the county wanted to take advantage of it. In 1844 the Tombigbee River overflowed and caused considerable damage to warehouses and businesses." In any event all the Saffarrans except Daniel (Jr.) were gone from Mississippi by 1850. George went to Fayette, Missouri with his daughter Mary Farr; David went to Nashville and the rest went to Memphis Tennessee. Daniel (Jr.) stayed in Mississippi and in the 1870 census was a prosperous planter in Yazoo County but was in Lexington, KY in 1880 census.

We find George Saffarrans next in 1840 in Richmond Township, Howard Co., Missouri engaged in Manufacturing and trade, himself identified as engaged in a learned profession. He had a household of 21 people including 11 slaves. Five of the 21 persons were engaged in manufacturing and trade. His wife Mary died in 1848 and the Howard Co., MO 1850 census lists his daughter Mary Farr as keeping his house. Mary must have also lived with or near him while the family was living in Mississippi as she had two children born there. George's occupation was given as "Tinner & Coppersmith" in the same 1850 census and owned one 50 year old male slave and two children.

After George died in 1862 his daughter must have continued tooperate his tin shop as there is an obituary in the Fayette Banner, 26 Feb 1870: SAFFARANS, Peter a former slave, (died) in Fayette a short time ago; a tinner, ran a shop for his mistress during the war. For 60 years a faithful servant of the same family.

(Death Records from Missouri Newspapers, Jan 1866, - Dec 1870, compiled by Lois Stanley et all, 1984, Arlington Public Library, GEN REF, MO.5, S) IGI, MO as of March 1992:

"Peter Safrans married Millie Safrans; 21 Sep 1865, Howard Co., MO" This is probably Peter the slave of Gep Saffarrans being married to another slave of George Saffarrans, Millie. This was immediately following the Civil War.

George and his wife Mary are buried side by side in the Fayette City Cemetery, Fayette, Howard County, Missouri. When the author visited the cemetery in 1990 the gravestones (about five feet by two and one half feet, mounted flat on the ground) were well preserved with the engraved information very clear. Most of the headstones in the old section of the cemetery were no longer in place as they had been broken or overturned. They were stored in a shed on cemetery property awaiting sorting and identification. It was a delight to find that George's and Mary's headstones were in almost perfect condition and that George's gave his place of birth as Old Little York, Penn. as well as birth and death dates.