Key Facts

Snapshot:	served in Georgia state militia during the War of 1812
Parents:	352xSampson Powell His mother is uncertain.
Born:	circa 1790 location unknown
Last known record:	17 January 1843 Emanuel County, Georgia
Buried:	uncertain; see notes below

An explanation of his ahnentafel number, 176x: DNA evidence proves beyond a reasonable doubt that 176xSampson Powell is an ancestor of 22Charlie Black, although the specific line of descent from 176xSampson to 22Charlie is uncertain. I chose ahnentafel number 176 for 176xSampson because I believe it is most likely to reflect the true relationship between him and 22Charlie. However, I've added an "x" at the end of the number to represent that it is an educated guess.

176xSampson Powell's father is 352xSampson Powell, as strongly implied by the 1820 census, which lists "Sampson Powell Jun·" and "Sampson Powell Sen·" in sequential order.1

This sequential listing of 176xSampson Jun· and 352xSampson Sen· implies a father-son relationship. Full page.1

The earliest record I've found of 176xSampson is the record of his marriage to 177xLetitia Barfield, whom he married in Montgomery County, Georgia on 26 July 1810. Strangely, the tombstone of their son Elias* shows that he was born on the same date, so perhaps it was a shotgun wedding.

1810: 176xSampson marries 177xTishia Barfield in Montgomery County, Georgia. Full page.2

A portion of the tombstone of their son Elias, which shows that their marriage date = his birthdate. Full image.3

A Montgomery County tax digest for the years 1811 and 1812 shows that 176xSampson lived in militia district 554 (map), just as his father had in 1805 and 1806.5,6 176xSampson owned 200 acres of pine land there.4 (Alternatively, could this tax record pertain to his father Sampson? In an 1809 deed signed by both 176xSampson and his father, 176xSampson is recorded as "Sampson Powell Junr," while his father is simply "Sampson Powell." 7)

In the midst of the War of 1812, 176xSamson Powell was named on a muster roll for the 6th Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division Georgia Militia.8 As such, he's recognized by the as an approved ancestor (#25120) by the National Society United States Daughters of 1812. I've been unable to find any noteworthy information about his unit's activities during the war.

The aforementioned 1820 census shows 176xSampson (and his father) in Emanuel County, which was created from Montgomery County in 1812. 176xSampson's entry is copied below. The numbers represent: 3 boys age 0-9, 1 young man age 16-25, 1 girl age 0-9, 1 young woman age 16-25, 2 people engaged in agriculture.1

1820: 176xSampson's young family in Emanuel County, Georgia. Full page.1

The 1830 census shows that his family was still in Emanuel County's 55th militia district. His entry also shows that he was born sometime in the 1780's.8

1830: 176xSampson's family still in militia district 55, Emanuel County. Full page.8

On 7 November 1836 176xSampson was granted 300 acres in Emanuel County adjoining his own land and 360Robert Black to the west.10

The 1840 census shows a few new children, still in the same place. This entry shows that 176xSampson was born sometime in the 1790's,11 contradicting the 1830 census.9 It's therefore likely that he was born circa 1790 (between the two ranges given); he witnessed a deed in 1709, so he presumably was at least 18 at that time.7

1840: 176xSampson's family still in militia district 55, Emanuel County. Full page.11

He sold 500 acres to Silas Powell on 9 December 1842.12 On 17 January 1843 he was granted another 209 acres;13 this is the last record I've found of him alive.

There is a memorial marker dedicated to 176xSampson and his wife in Oaky Grove Church cemetery in Johnson County, cemetery coordinates N32.7735 W82.5609.14 The stone is obviously non-contemporary (but was apparently already there by 196615), and I doubt whether it actually marks their burial places. (Some of their children and other kin are buried in the cemetery, though.) The marker states that 176xSampson died on 12 October 1843, but I've found no contemporary evidence to prove so.

The memorial to 176xSampson and 177xLetitia.14

Footnote:

*	For evidence that Elias is a son of 176xSampson Powell and 177xLetitia Barfield, go here.

Sources Cited:

1:1820 U.S. Federal Census. Emanuel County, Georgia. Page 84, Sampson Powell Jun· and Sampson Powell Sen· households. NARA microfilm publication M33, roll 6. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/populationsc18200006unit/page/n54/mode/1up.

2: Montgomery County, Georgia. Marriages book A (1811-1850), n.p., entry for the marriage of Sampson Powell and Tishia Barfield on 26 July 1810. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GBZ3-D4M>, accessed 3 February 2026.

3: Tombstone of Elias Powell (born 26 July 1810, died 8 April 1887), Oaky Grove Cemetery, Johnson County, Georgia. FindAGrave, <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54144911/elias-powell>. The image shown above is from this image, added to FindAGrave by Jennifer Pittman Viscusi on 28 December 2021.

4: Montgomery County, Georgia. Tax digest book for the years 1811-1812, n.p., section for militia district 55, entry for Sampson Powel Junr. Ancestry.com (Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892 / Montgomery / 1811-1812 / image 41 of 60), accessed 3 February 2026.

5: Montgomery County, Georgia. Tax digest book for the years 1805-1806, n.p., section for 1805 for militia district 55, entry for Sampson Powell. Ancestry.com (Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892 / Montgomery / 1805-1806 / image 30 of 90), accessed 3 February 2026.

6: Montgomery County, Georgia. Tax digest book for the years 1805-1806, n.p., section for 1806 for militia district 55, entry for Sampson Powell. Ancestry.com (Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892 / Montgomery / 1805-1806 / image 70 of 90), accessed 3 February 2026.

7: Montgomery County, Georgia. Deeds book H (1809-1817), page 125. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3QP-1Q5Z>, accessed 4 February 2026.

8: Mrs. J. B. Hays, ed., Georgia Military Affairs: Volume 4 (1814-1819), page 425, entry for Samson Powell. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK3-6SHN-3>, accessed 4 February 2026.

9: 1830 U.S. Federal Census. Emanuel County, Georgia. Page 167 (stamped and handwritten on left page) or 332-333 (based on numbers handwritten on right page), Samson Powel household. NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 17. Internet Archive, <https://archive.org/details/populationsc18300017unit/page/n339/mode/1up>.

10: Georgia headright and bounty documents, 1783 1909. Powel, Alexander - Preyett, Harden. Sampson Powell folder, a grant dated 7 November 1836 for 300 acres. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-91WK-WDP>, accessed 3 February 2026.

11: 1840 U.S. Federal Census. Emanuel County, Georgia. Page 192, line 17, Sampson Powell household. NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 41. Internet Archive, <https://archive.org/details/populationsc18400041unit/page/n12/mode/1up>.

12: Emanuel County, Georgia. Deeds book B (1830-1846, 1853), page 326. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3QP-T9HL-C>, accessed 4 February 2026.

13: Georgia register of grants book UUUU, page 724. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9TSY-ZH7>, accessed 4 February 2026.

14: A memorial marker for Samson Powell (born 1788, died 12 October 1843) and his wife Laetitia Powell (born 1795, died 18 May 1882), Oaky Grove Church cemetery, Johnson County, Georgia; cemetery coordinates N32.7735 W82.5609. FindAGrave, <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58140204/sampson-powell>The image shown above was uploaded by FindAGrave user Just Me on 12 May 2011.

15: Georgia Society, D.A.R., Cemetery Records of Bulloch, Candler, Emanuel, Evans, Johnson and Tattnall Counties, Georgia (1968), page 133. An introductory note states that the cemeteries were surveyed in 1963-1966.