R.E.

Fouché Estate
Frequently Asked Questions

About the Estate

1. What is the R.E. Fouché Estate?
Robert Earl Fouché and his wife Maggie owned property in Benton, MS. Robert died in 1930 and his
wife (and children) inherited the land. After Maggie’s death in 1965, the R.E. Fouche Estate was
established and currently owns the land.

2. Where is the land located?

The land is located in Benton, MS (Township 12North – Range 1West). There are two properties:
#1 – 348 acres on Hwy 16 (North of); Legal description: E1/2 & E1/2 of SW 1/4; parcel ID# 1-269-29-C01.00
#2 – 20 acres on Mollett Rd (no access); Legal description: N 1/2 of NW 1/4 of NW 1/4

3. What is its current value?

According to the 2017 Property Record Card:
Plot#1 is appraised at $93,260; market value $1,044,435
Plot #2 is appraised at $5210; market value $60,000

4. What are annual taxes?

Taxes paid in March 2018: $1743.99

5. Who currently pays taxes?

Maggie Fouche Williams had handled payment of the taxes since the deaths of the originally designated estate
administrators (Alphonso Fouche and Harold Fouche), however as of 2020 we (the heirs) will be responsible for
payment of taxes. Taxes are due in February of each year. A fund has been established and we ask for
contributions (any amount you can afford). There is a link for payment at refoucheestate.com, or you can
contact the Treasurer (Brandon Rowell) for help.

6. What is the legal status of the estate?

At this time the estate is heir property, and there are currently 70+ owners. The “Fouche Family Management
Group” was created in 2017 during a family meeting held in Nashville, where representatives of 6 families were
present. This was considered a first step to start to become a cohesive unit and begin the process of determining
the legal status of the estate and start to make decisions. By overwhelming majority, the consensus was that one
entity needs to be legally established wherein the estates of each of the 12 families will hold equal shares. A
Board was established and has been working to determine and resolve all legal issues to get us to the point where
we can move forward in deciding how to manage the land. The original “R.E.Fouche Estate” will likely be
legally dissolved and the new family entity will be created.

We are currently working with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, an organization that helps black
families resolve issues regarding heir property. Their goal is to help families not lose their land, as has been the
case for countless black landowners. We had our first mediation session in July 2020 with attorney Monica
Rainge moderating. The goal is to have every heir at the table for discussion and resolve any internal issues,
then they will provide legal guidance for our entity. Another mediation session is forthcoming, date to be
determined. We encourage you to join their organization (more info at https://www.federation.coop)

7. What needs to happen?

Need to:
Establish a legal entity for the heirs and transfer ownership of the land into this entity
Research and implement land management strategies to generate revenue
Possibly acquire adjoining land
Explore leasing opportunities

8. Who is currently managing the estate?

 Noone is currently actively managing the estate.

9. How soon decisions about the estate need to be made?

As soon as all the legal issues have been clarified and resolved, and the new family entity created, decisions need
to be made expediently about how best to generate immediate income from the property. We then need to
research land management ideas.

About the Heirs

10. Who are the current heirs?
For simplicity sake there are 13 families:
Estate of Clifton Fouche
Estate of Alphonso Fouche
Estate of Robert Lee Fouche
Estate of Mary Fouche
Estate of Harold Fouche
Estate of Bernard Fouche
Estate of Burrus Fouche
Estate of Alice Fouche
Estate of Fannie Fouche
Estate of Louise Fouche
Estate of Lucille Fouche
Estate of Wilhemina Fouche
Estate of Lawrence Fouche

Heirs are now the children of the above, or their children if they are deceased. You can extrapolate based on
number of heirs in each branch, but exact percentages of ownership cannot be known until every heir is
identified.

About the Land

11. Can the land be developed?
The land can certainly be developed. We would need to research the zoning laws in Mississippi to see what, if
any, limitations there are.

12. What are assets on the land?

In the past timber and gravel have been sources of income.

13. What are possible land development ideas?

Many ideas have been proposed, and more ideas are welcome:
Recreation/Hotel/campgrounds/hunting lodge/music arena
Timber/gravel/etc.
Breeding Akaushi cattle
Leasing for agricultural purposes
Small airfield

Heir Participation/Involvement

Participate in the monthly phone conference calls, third Saturday of each month. Send your e-mail to Cheryl at
c.delaney1@verizon.net so we can add you to the information distribution list. It is imperative that there be
representation from each of the 13 families in order to make decisions that benefit all the heirs the most. Once we are
sure our legal entity meets all the criteria we need, heirs will be contacted regarding the consolidation of individual
ownership into the one entity. We ask that everyone cooperate with this process and follow the direction of the lawyers.
There is likely also to be a provision for any heir who wishes not to be involved to sell their ownership percentage back to
the entity. The estates of each of the 13 families will benefit equally from any income derived from the property.
Leadership of the family entity will be clearly delineated. There needs to be full financial disclosure and transparency.
Ideally, there should a family meeting each year, where a report of all activities is presented, and there is opportunity for
change in leadership. If you have any questions, reach out to any Board member.