One Small Survivor

In February 1869, the steamboat Mittie Stephens caught fire on Caddo Lake near the Louisiana/ Texas line while en route from New Orleans to Jefferson, Texas; killing 60-plus passengers and crew. Someday I may write about the incident but for now, Google the name and there are numerous websites that detail that tragedy. Notable locally, among the dead was prominent resident James Christian, a War-Of-1812 veteran, who had just boarded in Mooringsport.

Sad further in the aftermath is the case of this little boy, described as six or seven years old. Some accounts state the whole family perished, however Johnny D. Lewis was the lone survivor among a group that included his father James H. Lewis, his mother and two sisters. Reported to be in the care of Col. J. B. Thompson, neighbor J. W. York of Mooringsport has written a letter to the Memphis newspaper, seeking next-of-kin; as Johnny mentioned an Aunt Jane living in the area. I could find no additional information about Johnny's fate, however he's not listed with Col. Thompson or any neighboring residents in the 1870 census, so hopefully he was returned to family in Tennessee. 

Source: Memphis Daily Appeal 21-Mar-1869, Page 3

A couple of side notes: When viewing the 1870 census records, among the neighbors was J. P. (Joshua Payne) Elder, an ancestor of mine, who owned land at the time near Longwood. But most notable, listed a few names below James W. York is eight year-old Robert Ledbetter. As an adult, "Uncle Bob" Ledbetter, born a slave and uncle of famous songster Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, achieved a level of immortality exceeding all the others in that his singing and spoken words were recorded and are preserved in the Library of Congress..