I am researching the family of Luke LEA (1809-1876) of Copiah co. MS. He was married twice, first to Nancy EAST and then to Matilda WILLIAMS. Here is the census info:

1840 Copiah co. MS census
LEE, Luke, with the following household:
2 males 0-5: George and Thaddeus
2 males 5-10: William Jasper and ?
1 male 15-20: ?
1 male 30-40: Luke
1 female 0-5: Amanda
1 female 20-30: Nancy
1 female slave.

1850 Copiah co. MS census
LEE, Luke, 42, farmer, MS
-Nancy, 35, Louisiana
-William J., 18, student, MS
-Thaddeus W., 15, MS
-Amanda E., 13, MS
-George M., 11, MS
-Mary A., 10, MS
-Martha E., 9, MS
-Robert C., 6, MS
-Nancy A., 4, MS
-Mary A., 2, MS

1860 Copiah co. MS census
LEA, Luke, 51, Farmer, Miss
-Matilda, 21, Alabama
-Jasper, 27, MS
-Emeline, 17, MS
-Robert, 15, MS
-Mary, 11, MS
-Luke, 9, MS
-Samuel, 7, MS
-Eloise, 5, MS
-Ailsey, 2, MS
-Lena, 1 MS
-Viola, 4 months, MS

1880 Wessen, Copiah co. MS census
LEA, Matilda, 40, widow, MS AL AL
-Luke, 29, MS, widower, works in cotton mill, stepson
-Viola, 20, works in cotton mill, MS
-Gertrude, 18, works in cotton mill, MS
-Wilson, 14, works in cotton mill, MS
-Walter, 12, works in cotton mill, MS
-Joseph, 10, works in cotton mill, MS
-Emma, 8, MS
-Zias, 7, MS
-Allice, 5, MS
-Robert, 5, MS, grandson
-Luky, 2, MS

For the life of me, I can't find them on the 1870 census. Any ideas? And who was the 15-20 year old male and the other 5-10 year old male in the 1840 census? Looks like we have a couple of missing family members, as they don't appear on later censuses. It looks like Luke and Nancy's children were, with approximate birthdates:

1. William Jasper LEA, b. 1832
2. Thaddeus W. LEA, b. 1835
3. Amanda E. LEA, b. 1837
4. George Major LEA, b. 1839
5. Mary A. LEA, b. 1840
6. Martha Emeline LEA, b. 1841
7. Robert C. LEA, b. 1844
8. Nancy A. LEA, b. 1846
9. Mary A. LEA, b. 1848
10. Luke LEA, Jr., b. 1851
11. Samuel LEA, b. 1853

After Nancy died in 1855, Luke remarried to Matilda in 1856. Their children were:

12. Eloise LEA, b. 1856
13. Ailsey LEA, b. 1858
14. Lena LEA, b. 1859
15. Violet LEA, b. 1860
16. Gertrude LEA, b. 1862
17. Wilson LEA, b. 1866
18. Walter LEA, b. 1868
19. Joseph LEA, b. 1870
20. Emma LEA, b. 1872
21. Zias LEA, b. 1873
22. Alice LEA, b. 1875

I think the 5-year-old Robert and 2-year-old Luky from the 1880 census were grandchildren, sons of Luke, Jr.

"Luke LEA, of Copiah County, Mississippi" bought 158 acres in Lincoln co. in August 1859. (Land Patent Database, document #33604). Was he related to Hampton LEA (bought land in Lincoln co. 1859), George S. Lea (bought land in Lincoln co. 1899), or Thaddeus A. Lea (bought land in Lincoln co. 1859 and 1860)? I think the Jasper LEA who bought land in Copiah co. in 1895 was Luke's son William Jasper LEA, but who was the Charles H. Lea who bought land in Copiah co. in 1859?

Hi. Your Luke Lea was the son of Joseph Lea, born 13 May 1769 at Caswell County, NC and died in Pike County, MS on 14 Feb. 1812. He married Mrs. Amy Barton Sartain circa 1792 in Grainger County, TN (which is where Lea Springs is located). In 1798, Joseph and Amy moved to Anderson Co., TN. In 1807, they followed his brothers, James Lea, Zachariah Lea, David Lea and father Rev. Luke Lea to the Southwest Territory, or what is now southwest MS.
Joseph also had a stepson, John Sartain.

We have an ANNUAL Lea FAMILY REUNION on the 3rd Sunday of every October. This year, the 51st Annual Lea Family Reunion will be on October 15, 2006 at the Mars Hill Community Center at Mars Hill, MS (9.7 miles west of Interstate 55 at Exit 18 (McComb). Please plan to attend. Send me any snail mail addresses for your family members and I will send them a notice.

Are you having a 2009 Lea Family Reunion at Mars Hill the 3rd Sunday of October 20009?