8514 Rockmoor, San Antonio, Texas 78230
© 1997 Charles W. Johnson, M.D.
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MEMOIRS OF CATHERINE BROWN, A Christian Indian of the Cherokee Nation, by Rufus Anderson, A.M. Originally published 1825. This is a small book of 132 pages about a devout Cherokee young woman of unusual scholarly capabilities, who lived in the vicinity of Thomas Harrison who got a reservation of 640 acres. He lived on the Tennessee River in Alabama and about whom much of my last Harrison Notes was devoted. I was hoping that this book would have something to say about Thomas Harrison but it does not. This is largely a collection of letters she wrote to the various missionaries and teachers with whom she was so closely attached. She grew up with no knowledge of the English language even though her parents were not full blooded Cherokees. She also had no idea of Christianity. That soon changed and she went to Brainerd School operated by Presbyterian Missionaries about 100 miles east of her home. Her interest was scholarship at first, at which she was an excellent student, but she also became a devout Christian and teacher back home at Crow Path. She was born about 1800 but died 1823 at age 23 of tuberculosis.
The writing she did and published in this book was religious in nature which is somewhat dissapointing to genealogy since she has very little to say about her neighbors or the trials and tribulations of the Cherokee who were in the process of being displaced by whites, many of whom were thieves and scoundrels and not restrained by their fellow whites. The Cherokee village of Crow Path was somewhat scattered and probably more of a collection of small farms in a beautiful setting which is now Guntersville State Park and a TVA lake created by Guntersville Dam, called Guntersville Lake. This is in Marshall County, Alabama not far from Huntsville.
p 30. Letter of Catherine from Brainerd 1818. All the Cherokee brothers and sisters are well. Three of the scholars, viz. Lydia Lowry, and Alice and Peggy Wilson we hope have obtained an interest in the Savior. Mr. Wilson came here, and wished to take his daughters on a visit to Mr. Brown's. (He later sent word he was withdrawing his daughters from school).
p 38. Letter from Chiefs of Creek Path. We the headmen of Creek Path town, Cherokee Nation, have this day assembled ourselves together for the purpose of devising some plan for the education of our children. We daily witness the good effects arising from education, and therefore are extremely anxious to have a school in our neighborhood. (They got two: one for males taught by Mr. Butrick and one for females taught by Catherine).
p 52. Catherine mentions one of her sisters, Mrs. Gilbreath. (Very interesting in that Rev. Thomas Harrison of Buncombe to St. Clair Co. IL was married to a Gil-breath of Mecklenburg and Buncombe !1! - related?)
p 62. Catherine's diary. July 1, 1821. (Attended church services and communion during the day). P.M. Went to Mr. G's where Mr. Potter preaches once in two weeks. Most of the people present were whites, from the other side of the river. It was pleasant to hear a sermon preached without an interpreter... p 63. Sept 4, 1821. I am now with my sister, with whom I expect to spend a few days. I hope the Lord will make our communion sweet. Visited at Mr. ___ 's but had no opportunity of conversing with Mrs.____on religious subjects as we intended to have done. Mr.____said he had seen so many different ways among professed Christians, that it was hard to tell who was right. I felt too ignorant to instruct such a well educated man; though I
knew that there is but one way under heaven, whereby men can be saved, and that is by coming to Him, who came to seek and to save that which was lost.
... Sept 9, 1821. Returned yesterday from sister G's ....comment: I am guessing that the blanks above are G's and G stands for Gunter - Edward Gunter, who operated the ferry and for whom Gunter's landing and Gunter's Lake and Guntersville is named. Thanas Harrison lived 2 miles from Edward Gunter who was a chief who went to Oklahoma and was prominent there. I could be wrong. I am guessing that when she refers to Sister G. she means sister in the Biblical sense but of course she did have an actual sister Mrs G - Gilbreath. Another possibility is that the blanks where there is no initial could be H - Harrison, who was "such a well educated man".
p 82. She refers to brother W. meaning her brother Walter and brother A. who apparently was not her real brother but a Cherokee named John Arch who was an assistant pastor and her brother David who also went into the ministry and went east to be educated at Cornwall, Conneticutt. Walter was a trader but gave it up for farming.
p 85. A letter from Catherine to her brother David away at school and she at Brainerd in 1823, for a visit...I left home last week, in company with Mr. Boudinot (Editor and publisher of the Cherokee Newspaper made famous by Sequoyah and his alphabet and written language for the Cherokee), and sister Susan (I think one of her favorite Cherokee pupils - but she did have a real sister Susan).
p 95. As she was very ill and dying. They were taking her to Dr. Campbell probably in Huntsville, down the Tennessee River. She was unable to endure a carriage for this long ride so they carried her from home, six miles on a litter to the Tennessee River where she was transported by boat 40 miles down river and they disembarked at Trianna and then by litter again about 5 miles to Dr. Campbell's. These were mostly Cherokees who did not speak English very well and they were concerned that with all the arrangements for this trip to have someone along who could speak English well. This may not have been to Huntsville, though Dr. Campbell, with whom she stayed until death did live there but not necessarily at this time. Catherine wrote a letter from her sick-bed dated June 13, 1823 from Limestone.
p 124. BROWN GENEALOGY. Her father was John Brown, son of a man named Brown who had long been dead. Maybe he was white or part Indian. The mother of John Brown was a full blooded Cherokee as was the mother of Mrs. Brown, but her father was white. They lived as Cherokees with no knowledge of the English language or customs. Catherine's brother Dick was a Colonel in the Creek War and commanded many warriors under General Jackson and he was severely wounded at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.
Her father was married three times with three sets of children. The third wife was Betsy or also called Wattee who moved to Arkansas Territory as did her parents after her death. One of these children was Polly who was Mrs. Gilbreath. Polly was pious.
The second wife and third wife were both at the same time but the second, Sarah had previously been married to a Webber. They had a daughter Mrs. Looney.
ROBERT ARMSTRONG'S SURVEY BOOK OF CHEROKEE LANDS BY James L. Douthat. These are surveys done of lands created from the treaty of 27 February 1817. This is not from original survey notes but previously written up and in the Chattanooga Public Library. These are not in chronological order and to offer further confusion many are dated the same day but many miles apart and impossible for him to do on the day stated. Sometimes the plats drawn do
not match the description with the plats. Often it is impossible to locate these plats accurately due to lack of reference points.
These grants were given by John C. Calhoun, Secy of War - an attempt to "Americanize" the Cherokee and each recipient had to become a US citizen. This eliminated Cherokee Nation lands in the east, except for one tract, #26 indicated on a map which was a triangular tract bounded by the Tennessee River, the Georgia border and the corner of GA, TN and NC. But this was later given up in 1835 with the removal of the Cherokees to Arkansas Territory.
These surveys are for 640 acres each and include areas of TN, AL and GA and maybe bits of NC.
Thomas Harrison is listed as entitled to 640 acres but no plat or survey is shown. Does this mean that he was then dead and his heirs of a different name have it listed under their name? Or does this imply that the 640 acre plat for Thomas Harrison was not where he lived on the TN River in AL, but in Marion County, TN where either the same Thomas Harrison or a different Thomas Harrison got the reservation? Or, was the Cherokee name for Thanas used - whatever that might be?
I can identify some neighbors of Thomas in Alabama and also some in Marion County, TN. These are often in groups of neighbors adjacent to each other. Many of these border on the Tennessee River or tributaries thereof.
p 35. James Brown. p 38 William Brown, p 43 John Brown. These should be of the family of Catherine Brown with whose book I began this paper. They were evidently important, operating several ferries on the Tennesse River and on the North side of the river.
p 46 Edward Gunter. (2 miles from Thomas Harrison). He is on a short list of the most prominent people who got their 640 acre reservations in fee simple
p 39 George Lowry on Battle Creek. p 40 Elizabeth. Pack at an intersection of the Georgia Road and the Valley Road. (she was a Lowry). p 41 Elizabeth Lowry on Battle Creek, Georgia Road and her boat landing of the Tennessee River. p 45 James Lowry on Battle Creek. These are all in Marion County, TN and I believe all adjacent to one or the other. These Lowrys and Elizabeth Pack were all on that short list to get their reservations in fee simple.
GEORGIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY, Vol 5, 1968. This is a special extra Indian Issue prepared by James Puckett, an historian with a book to be forthcoming. Though an historian he also has a hobby of genealogy. He is also author of other articles on Indians of GA and of the eastern Cherokee.
He comments that the Cherokee Nation was the western frontier before they were removed and that national barrier included much of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Western NC and SC. That frontier was like other frontiers with many pioneers pushing west all the time and with little consideration for the fact that the land was already occupied by another nation. He starts with sane genealogy of prominent Cherokees:
p 417. John Ross, Principal Chief for over 40 years was 1/8th Cherokee and the son of Daniel Ross, a Scotsman... John Martin was the nephew of General Joseph Martin, the first US Indian Agent of the area and was descendant of Nancy Ward, "beloved woman" of the Cherokee (sort of like a goddess). He was first Chief Justice and Treasurer of the Cherokee Nation. Joseph Vann "Rich Joe", was son of James Vann and wife Peggy, who was daughter of Walter Scott. Full bloods included: Elias Boudinot, Editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, orator, teacher and minister. His brotehr was Stand Watie, a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army, and the last to surrender to the Yankees. Major Ridge, an orator and leader. His son John Ridge and Elias
Boudinot married prominent white women in Cornwall Connecticut (where Catherine Brown's brother David went to study for the ministry)
Principal Chief John Ross married Quatie (Elizabeth BROWN Henley). They had a daughter Jane who married Return Jonathan Meigs, Head of the Indian Agency. Chief John had a brother Andrew m Susan LOWREY, a sister Margaret m Elijah Hicks (famous educated chief) and a sister Maria who m JONATHAN MULKEY... Recall that Thomas Harrison who owned the land in Sullivan Co. TN on Horse Creek, sold it with the help of Jonathan Mulkey to whom he had given Power of Attorney. (Most Jonathan Mulkeys I have run into were Baptist preachers and I understand that this was one such. Perhaps this one was white but with this marriage, very likely they had a son Jonathan who was considered a Cherokee, though probably had very little Cherokee blood, like 1/16th or So.
p 419. A strange document in the National Archives is unsigned but in the handwriting of Return Jonathan Meigs. It is headed "Charles Fox Taylor's Pedigree" and dated Nov 14, 1811. Meigs tells about him being a British Army Captain with extensive Armorial entitlements and married a Cherokee woman and became a very prominent Cherokee leader even though he had no Indian blood.
A Reservation simply meant that a plot of land was reserved for certain influential tribal members, usually 640 acres and if desired included US Citizenship.
p 420. This is a letter from Saml A. Wales to Gov. George Gilmer of GA responding to the Governor's request for information about John Martin and the two Wat Adairs written in 1831. Mr. Wales knew these people for many years. He says: John Martin, Treasurer of the Nation was the son of a white man, John Martin. His mother was a half breed and thus John Martin was '-i Cherokee and a fine gentleman. (He lived at luxurious Carter's Quarter at New Echota, the Cherokee Capital and was very wealthy. It was here that Rev. Jeremiah Harrison moved and preached. Rev. Jeremiah's daughter Lydia married Rev. Joab Humphries, apparently of this area. I also learn later on in this issue that some Humphries are Cherokee)... Wat Adair, the Chief Justice of the Cherokee Nation is the son of a white man by the name of Edward Adair and his mother was a half breed. His father lived Pendleton Dist. SC. As soon as Wat could be removed from his mother, he was reared in his father's home as a white, was educated in the finest schools in SC and inherited his father's whole and considerable estate, though he squandered it in a few years. Wat was the Sheriff of Pendleton District and so very popular that he could have received any office the District was able to give. But he took a reserve in Hall County, GA under the last Cherokee Treaty and lived there until 1824 when it was sold to the US Government. Since then he has lived among the Cherokees and married a neice of John Martin. (This was Red Wat Adair - with red hair as I understand)... Black Wat Adair is the son of a white man named John Adair who was a brother of Edward Adair. His mother was a half breed and he too grew up in Pendleton Distict SC. He married into a very respecable family; Thompson and moved to this county (The County that Clarksville,, GA is in). He too had a reserve in this county and it too was sold in 1824. The Thompsons are whites living in the Cherokee Nation and they are the brothers of black Wat's wife. Thompsons also married Martins and the neices of Martins. A son of Black Wats also married a daughter of Martin... none of these people have any Indian appearance.
p 421. Another letter to Gov. Gilmer from Benjamin Cleveland from Clarksville, GA 1831. It gives similar information about Martins and the Wats Adairs. (Incidentally, these Adairs descend from the famous very early
Indian trader and writer James Adair who settled in Laurens County, SC and I know a number of experts on Adairs who are similarly descended) ... The father of John Martin was a native of Virginia and the brother of General Joseph Martin. The writer has known John Martin since they were both age 10 and they went to school together. He was raised mainly by a brother in law who was a very decent white man. His father died before he was grown. Both of the Wats Adairs and John Martin were US Citizens through the treaty of 1818. The Adairs were Irish.
p 421. A list of tenants under Doublehead's Claim at Muscle Shoals 1809. by Return J. Meigs. There are 20 Lessees under Doublehead and under one of these Lessees; Clark D. Hall, he has 18 sub - lessees. (Doublehead apparently had a good thing going with bribes and such and numerous Cherokee Chiefs considered him a traitor to the cause). No names that excite me on this list but one is Doctor Daniel Potter whom Catherine Brown mentions as a preacher she heard at Mr. G's. Ther are also a number of Butlers and Catherine mentions a Doctor Butler. These are all white names. Meigs makes the comment: A number of people have expended their all in building and making improvements on the land.
p 422. A list of White Men employed amongst the Cherokees... not very exciting.. some skilled people such as blacksmiths and mill operators, ferries and school teachers listed with their employer who are among the elite of the Cherokee - nothing exciting . ... a brief article about Louis Philippe, Duke of Orleans and later King of France, came to America in 1797 and wanted to see Indians. He was taken to Tellico Blockhouse for the visit and there met with Cherokees including John Watts, War Chief and Little Turkey, Peace Chief and hundreds of Cherokee who put on a ball game with hundreds playing this rather violent game. The Duke made a wager of six gallons of brandy. He became so carried away with the game (or brandy?) that he fell off of his horse, just sitting there watching and he was injured. He bled himself as was his custom and felt better. The Cherokee were interested in this bleeding treatment and begged him to bleed one of the chiefs who was feeling very ill. The chief immediately improved and to reward the future King he was given the honor of sleeping between the Chief's grandmother and his great aunt, the oldest and most venerated squaws of the town.
p 423. Permits to hire white persons and their employees.. no date but apparently a document of the Cherokee Nation. These are issued to the wealthy Cherokee who wish to hire such and the names of the people they were authorized to hire. Nothing remarkable here. No Harrisons or others of note.
p 424. White Men with Indian Families. This gives names, location and comments as to their economic status. on this list are:
Ton Ben Adair of Hightower, "well to do". and married to Peggy, widow of James Vann, sold house at 00thealooga to Moravian Mission Board, where Jahn Gambold began the mission, still standing a few miles south of Calhoun, Rev. Gambold is buried there. (This is not Spring Place where Rev. Nathan Harrison was and Rev. and Mrs. Gambold ran the Moravian Mission and School. The Georgians chased the Moravians out and Spring Place and the Mission became the seat of government of the county, and the courthouse. But later the Moravians were let back in and this site was evidently their new mission school. This would be closer to where Rev. Jeremiah Harrison preached and daughter Lydia married Rev. Joab Humphries and moved back to Chatsworth, three miles from Springplace to build Harrison Methodist Chapel, named in honor of Rev. Humphries' wife Lydia's father.
Also on this list is #23. ___ Humphries living at Hightower of modest circumstances. Also at Hightower was Rev. James Trott, Methodist.
p 425. List of persons who have taken the prescribed oath and are permitted to continue thereby their residence in that part of GEORGIA occupied by Cherokees. No date. This is a list of several pages including:
p 430. List of prisoners taken by the Cherokees - no date. Only 6 persons but including GEORGE BROWN, age 15 from the Tennessee River. These are all children with George Brown the eldest.
p 433. Cherokee census of 1835, east of the Mississippi. This is also known as the HENDERSON ROLL, which I have gone into before and recently but this is not the complete information but just the names prepared for intended removal to Indian Territory. Worth reviewing.
9 Adairs, 5 Browns, Elias Boudinot, 3 Davis including John, Isaac and
Maxwell Chambers.. this is the same name as the very prominent man of Salisbury, Rowan Co. NC, 1 Gains, ALEX GILBREATH.. the only Gilbreath on the census, so likely the husband of Polly, the sister of Catherine Brown whose first name is not given in her book, James, John, John, Sally, Rose and Jack Hawkins . .???
I have run into my wife's Buncombe Hawkins in Georgia about this time. They went to Murray County GA between 1830 when they were in Buncombe and 1840 when they were in Murray. This included two John Hawkins probably father and son and with them a very elderly woman who is back in Buncombe in 1850, blind and born in VA and named Elizabeth Hawkins. Many children and many slaves in GA but no trace after 1840 for the John Hawkins. James and William Hawkins also dissappeared between 1830-1840 and I figured to Georgia, but James returned to Buncombe by 1860... Does this mean that the Buncombe Hawkins had Cherokee blood??? We know one, probably related, who did marry a Cherokee . ...My wife's gg grandparents were Thomas Harrison m Arm Lord and Thomas Hawkins who m Dorothy Worley. They lived next door to each other and produced Jesse Harrison and Caroline Hawkins who were my wife's great grandparents. Did both have Cherokee blood?
Jonathan Mulkey, already discussed.
Mannings. There were Manning/Hawkins marriages. Mannings Cherokee blood too?
Timberlakes, including Richard Timberlake, which is the same name as a very early and famous explorer, Lt. Richard Timberlake of VA. It appears he left a little white blood among the Cherokees.
p 436. Captain John Brown's Company, Col. Gideon Morgan Jr.'s Regiment of Cherokees. (This the brother or uncle of Catherine Brown who apparently later became Colonel or called that). A list of 110 soldiers mostly with Indian names, but some white sounding such as Richard Timberlake, Thomas Manning. I recognize many of these names who got reservations along the TN River system.
p 438. The FEDERAL ROAD. This went from Athens, GA to the Cherokee Agency of Col. Meigs. There was much delay and much controversy over this by the Cherokees since it favored some individuals and not others and in general was opposed by most Cherokees. Yet it finally got built. After being built, the agreement was that the US Govt would maintain it, but they did not and the Cherokee involved petitioned the US to let them maintain it on their own, to keep it operable.
p 439. The Wofford Settlement. The first US treaty with the Cherokee
was Hopewell in 1785 at Kiowee in SC. This established the Hopewell Treaty line but Colonel William Wofford of the recent Revolution with family and friends came to Franklin County, GA (There were two Thomas Harrisons there but both were there before Wofford). In 1790 he established a settlement there named for him on land he bought. It turned out that his settlement was across the border into Cherokee land. 'this was discovered 13 years later by Benjamin Hawkins, the Indian Agent, and he notified the Cherokee and the settlers that this broached the Hopewell Treaty which he had negotiated. The Cherokees were upset and demanded the settlers be moved out with the exception of Thomas Hopper, an old man, with an elderly wife who was a Cherokee. They also agreed that one from each family was permitted to remain until Christmas to gather their crops they had already planted, and that white women may stay with their red husbands because men love women and women love men. But the matter was negotiated and the Wofford Strip, 4 miles wide by 34 miles long was purchased by the US with money and yearly payments to the Cherokee called an annuity. They paid $5,000 in cash but somehow the treaty got lost and none of the annuity payments were made. Both sides forgot about this for about 20 years! Col Wofford made a list of the settlers in 1804. The list included: Robert, William and James Brown. Carroll, Manning, Castleberry (connections with Harrisons in Mecklenburg, NC)
__p 445. (more about the Reservees under the treaties of 1818-1819 in which Thomas Harrison was granted 640 acres on the TN River). This lists persons now in office in the Cherokee Nation:
The list names 107 with Life Reservations, such as Thanas Harrison for 640 acres and names 39 others with "fee simple" reservations (preferred and to the most important people such as the above list of officers. However, in ROBERT ARMSTRONG'S SURVEY BOOK, there were 110 surveys for these reservations, meaning that 36 authorized were not done by Robert Armstrong, apparently and Thomas Harrison not on Armstrong's list, as 35 others were not on Armstrong's list. Why? Did sane of the recipients change their minds? Die? Yet we know that Thomas Harrison or at least his heirs did get the reservation. Perhaps could have been cancelled if Thomas or heirs abandoned it or took up land in Indian Territory. p 449. Letter from Sam Houston to Governor McMinn of Tennessee 1823 (Sam Houston was Gov. of TN but I do not recall just when and he was involved with the Cherokee Agency both in the East and the West before he was Governor of Texas). He was writing Gov. McMinn to encourage him to become the replacement for Return J. Meigs when he died or resigned because of old age - which had not yet happened but soon would. McMinn did replace him). He says: You are kind enough to mention my relative JOHN MILLER, with many other of my friends... and commend me to him. (John Miller is listed on numerous
documents as interpreter in treaties and delegations. He held office (above) as national interpreter, but he also got a 640 acre reservation "for life" as did Thomas Harrison, so probably married to a Cherokee or part Cherokee, but Houston calls him a relative)
p 453. Will of James Vann. This is not relevant but interesting. He was the very wealthy Chief of Spring Place, GA and supporter of the Moravian Mission there. His will of 1808 was very simple and short, His beloved wife Peggy, daughter of the late Walter Scott, decd was to get all the furniture. Everything else went to his son Joseph... The Cherokee National Council met about this will and said that it was illegal and that his wife should have a larger share than just the furniture and that his other children: Mary, Robert, Lilly McNair, Sally, and Jimmy should have a fair share and something should be done for Jesse Vann to take care of the farm and ferry at Chatahouchie. This was signed by 16 Cherokee Council Members. This was done. I think he had more than one wife and perhaps the other children were by the previous wife.
p 455. James Vann was a very able interpreter. He did not do loose translations, but insisted that the speaker give one sentence at a time that he would accurately translate one sentence at a time. This also permitted the recording of Indian speeches. Some are repeated here and are very impressive with motion, logic, history and future expectations.
p 456. Rev. J.B. McFerrin of Tennessee covered a circuit from Knoxville to the Chattahoochie River. Once every four months in 1836 he stood on a stump at the corner of 5th Avenue and First Street (Rome GA) and preached to a mixed crowd of whites, blacks and Indians. On one occasion John Ross (Principal Chief) was converted and became a Methodist, much to the despair of the Cherokees.
Comment: If I am not mistaken this Rev. McFerrin is the author of a classic book on East TN Methodist History. He was very familiar with Harrisons of Greene County, TN and considered this the most important center of E. TN Methodism. I also think I recall that he frequently quoted William Garrett who along with his son wrote a history on the same subject. I have never found the Garrett book though it is often quoted by other writers. A William Garrett was married to a Harrison, a daughter of Joseph and Margaret Hill Harrison of Buncombe. In McFerrin's book he does not cover Georgia or NC, so no opportunity to write about the Reverend Harrisons there.
p 462. Muster list of Murray County Rangers 1838 under command of Col William Bishop. There are 60 listed including Harrison Davis, Thomas LOWRY, ROBERT BROWN, John S. MARTIN, John and William S. Oates. Some of those are also names of Indians but these were notorious, undisciplined, unshaven, dirty, and foul talking young men who were out to "get" Cherokees. Col. Bishop was the local dictator and took over the former Spring Place Moravian School as his headquarters. I mention Oates because an Oates was County Clerk in that structure and he was mentioned in the will of Rev. Nathan Thomas Harrison as owing some money to him. Rev. Harrison had a number of people who owed him money.
FROM BOB MORETZ of Lenoir, NC. (see Harrison Notes November 1996, p 25). I mentioned last time about the Bradshaws who were married to Watauga Harrisons and commented that they could be related to the Bradshaw who was Isaiah Harrison Sr's mother - Katherine Bradshaw who was married to Rev. Thomas Harrison. Bob Moretz has sent me his Bradshaw ancestry and it appears that my guess was true! His Bradshaws of Watauga area have been traced back to England and are almost surely closely related to Isaiah Harrison Sr's
mother, though he had not made the connection from the information in LGT.
LGT beginning on p 94 but also scattered in other places in the book, has considerable information about Rev. Thomas Harrison and his wife Katherine Bradshaw even though the author only suspected Rev. Harrison as the father of Isaiah Sr (he was right as later shown in the book HOUSE OF CRAVENS). LGT also goes into Major General Thomas Harrison, known as "The Regicide" because he was a member of the Cromwell court who had King Charles I beheaded. On that same court as Chief Justice was JOHN BRADSHAW. Chief Justice of Chester (where both General Harrison and Rev. Harrison held forth). John Bradshaw presided over the court. General HARRISON was also married to KATHERINE BRADSHAW - apparently a different one of the same name. Both Katherine Bradshaws were of Staffordshire.
Bob Moretz traces his Bradshaws of Watauga area back to Judge JOHN BRADSHAW. I will not go into all the details but if we can make the connection of our Harrisons to the LGT, then we also have Bradshaw ancestry.
Mr. Moretz has a more immediate ancestor, Jones Irvin Bradshaw b c Dec 18, 1837 in Caldwell County NC near the Hagaman farm above PATERSON (also a name married into LGT Harrisons) on the Yadkin River. He m Susan Caroline Curtis 2-14-1864. She too b in Caldwell Co,, dau of Joshua and Mary Simons Curtis. He was the son of Wilson Bradshaw and his wife LINDA HARRISON. Linda was the daughter of REV. JOSEPH HARRISON of Boone, NC. Jones Bradshaw was a Confederate soldier, wounded four times and once lay on the battlefield 3 days before he was picked up. His wounds were infected and he remained crippled the rest of is life. He died 1919 and is buried in the Bradshaw cemetery behind Sampson Baptist Church in Watauga county. (Interestingly, his father in law, Rev. Harrison was pro-Union and a "Red String Baptist" who broke his churches away from the Southern Baptists because of slavery. Yet, the veteran crippled Confederate soldier married his daughter in 1864 when feelings must have been at fever pitch).
There is considerable information about the Bradshaws in HERITAGE OF BURKE COUNTY and though no specific article in the HERITAGE OF WATAUGA COUNTY, there are numerous references. There is also a Bradshaw book, MY BRADSHAWS AND THEIR ALLIED CONNECTIONS by Carrie Bradshaw Bolin, part of which he sent showing the early English family and their immigration to America.
The name Bradshaw means broad, vast woods. They owned large wooded estates in Derbyshire, Buckinghamshire and Chesire, England. The relationships are not all worked out but Henry Bradshaw bought Marple Hall and lands in Marple and Wybbersleigh. (Reminds me of my favorite fictional British character, Miss Marple, the brilliant little old lady detective). Henry married KATHERINE Winnington 2-4-1593. Henry died 1654 and buried at Stockport. Katherine died 1603. They were the parents of 7 children: William bapt 1596, Henry Jr, JOHN bapt 1602.. He was the famous lawyer, eminent Puritan, Chief Justice and in 1649 tried, condemned and beheaded King Charles I. He had no issue. He was buried in Westminster Abbey 1659 but when the Monarchy was restored the next year his body was removed and thrown in a pit with other notables; Francis, Dorothy m George Newton, Anne m John Fellows, Robert - He was a General under Cornwallis and it was his descendants who came to New England.
After the Cromwell Revolution the the Restoration Bradshaws left England, understandably, and many went to Ireland.
In America branches came to Virginia and to the vicinity of KING'S MOUNTAIN in Lincoln County, NC (This would be just before the Revolution and close to the Harrisons of York SC). They fought on the side of the Americans but many of their neighbors were Tories, including Goforths.
Their church was old Goshen Presbyterian Church which was in Lincoln County NC but in that part which is now Gaston County. Bradshaws also had land on Rocky River in Mecklenburg (so did Harrisons and Hoods), and Sugar Creek (near Harrisons). From there they moved to Burke County, NC (where perhaps they were near the location of Swan Ponds where Isaiah Harrison it got a grant).
William Bradshaw II, b 1726, died 1811 in Burke County m Susanna Robinson and they had 10 children: Obadiah; Rev. William III (Baptist); Josiah; Judith m Justice Beach; Seth III b 1755 to KY; ISAIAH b between 1755-1774 died 1820 in Burke County; Charles; Ursula m Miles Abernathy; Anna m Field Bradshaw; Elijah.
(And here comes a mystery that I already knew about to some extent). Josiah Bradshaw above married Nancy Hogan and had five children. The last child was Temperance and she married Aaron Brittain HAWKINS. Aaron's father was Austin Hawkins who came to Burke County in 1760. He was a general in the American Army of the Revolutionary War. Temperance died Aug 2, 1874. Their children included SON BRITTAIN Hawkins, Minerva m Marcus BRITTAIN, and Amanda m John Duckworth... I knew these names but no explanation. These Brittains were the same family who moved to Bunccmbe and were involved with Harrisons there (I have the Brittain Book) and apparently these Hawkins were earlier in Stokes County NC and also went to Buncombe and Haywood Counties but are NOT (in my opinion) related to my wife's Hawkins whom Harrison. (Another researcher disagrees with me about there being no relationship. Interestingly, Temperance (Bradshaw) and Aaron Hawkins named another child Napoleon. So too did my wife's Hawkins use that name. I have run into a number of Napoleon Hawkins including one who was a Creek Indian. I am curious as to the origin of the name HARRISON BRITTAIN HAWKINS.. also some Hawkins/ Brittain marriages.
Another thing: I said that Wilson Bradshaw married Linda Harrison, daughter of Rev. Joseph Harrison. True, but her name was really Malinda. But she died after having four children and Wilson Bradshaw remarried another Harrison. This was Drucilla Harrison, daughter of Benjamin Harrison and Fanny Price. (Rev. Joseph was married to Nancy Price, sister of Fanny).
Bob Moretz is the Historian for the Moretz Family. In earlier information from him he had given the information that the Watauga Harrisons came from a John Harrison of the James River Harrisons because it was told to him by Winnifred Hampton. She claimed that it was found by someone else in the book about Beverley Mansion, sold at the Beverley Mansion gift shop. I bought the book and that is not in there. He prefers my theory that the Watauga Harrisons are Long Grey Trail Harrisons. He has the LGT book and is familiar with it. He also commented on an item in my August 1996 Harrison Notes in which I reported that a Bentley Harrison had a son John who went to the California Gold Rush, but nothing more was known of this John. Bob Moretz recently received an E Mail from a John Harrison in California who thinks he is descended from this Gold Rush John Harrison and he is following up on this.
FROM BETTY JO HULSE. She has an article in the latest issue, November 1996, of A LOT OF BUNKUM, entitled, "A Search For The Truth". This is about Harrisons of Buncombe and especially the family of Joseph and Margaret Hill Harrison, and how there are a number of mistaken reports and claims being perpetuated about them. Though we are not the victims of all this misinformation, there are some details which bear repeating. I am enclosing a copy of the article.
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| Harrison Notes Table of Contents | Part 2 |
