Brassell mail

These are just odds and ends of research.

AARON and SAMPSON BRASWELL were evidently sons of WILLIAM BRASWELL who first
moved to Smith County, TN soon after the turn of the 19th century, from thence
to that part of Warren County that became DeKalb in 1837.

Dear Cousin Nona,
I ASSUMED that since SAMPSON and AARON were close neighbors on the 1850
DeKalb that they were brothers. I should have known better! <g> My rationale
for AARON's descent from the original WILLIAM BRASWELL will follow shortly;
keep in mind the whole pedigree is subject to proof, but I think I can make a
pretty good case from the available evidence. Carey

Dear Carey and Nona,
I too am intrigued but a little surprised at the Sampson being son of
William, as put forth by Carey, theory. Would you also put William
BRASWELL who married 1) to Chloe SELLARS (dau. of Jordan) and 2) to Mary
VIRES as son of this William. These Dekalb Co. BRASWELLS sure seem to fit
very neatly with the Nash/Edgecombe group.
There was also an Archibald G. BRASWELL who died in 1835 in Smith Co., TN
(I just have to believe that the "G" is for Griffin). Buyers in the estate
were [wife, I presume] Nilly/Nelly and [son, I presume] Griffin BRASWELL.
I haven't figured out who they are or where they tie in. But it sure is
coincidental, since Sampson of Nash Co.'s guardian was named ArchibaldGriffin.
We await your next missive with bated breath!Lucy Barron

Dear Cousin Pam,
>>   For all the cogent Braswell data that you have so generously shared with
>>your>>far-flung cousins, I am pleased to share with you what I have on your
>>AARON:(Please endulge me on the documentation for now as I am hurrying to>get
>>ready to entertain some foreign visitors--)>>
>>AARON and SAMPSON BRASWELL were evidently sons of WILLIAM BRASWELL who>first
>>moved to Smith County, TN soon after the turn of the 19th century, from>thence
>>to that part of Warren County that became DeKalb in 1837.>>
>>Your WILLIAM appears on the 1790 Census in Robeson County, North Carolina.>He
>>was doubtless the son of ARTHUR BRASWELL who made his will in Robeson>January
>>19, 1819, naming sons HENRY, DAVID, and AARON. WILLIAM was by now long>gone
>>to Tennessee and was not mentioned. The Revolutionary War pension>application
>>of DAVID states that he was born in Nash County January 2, 1756.>>
>>ARTHUR BRASWELL was named as a son in the will of WILLIAM BRASWELL of Nash
>>County, signed March 4, 1785. ARTHUR and WILLIAM (yours) both later
>>patented land on Ashpole Swamp in that part of Bladen County that later>became
>>Robeson. WILLIAM BRASWELL, Sr. (1785 will) is thought to have been the son>of
>>the first WILLIAM BRASWELL, who died in Chowan Precinct, NC, in 1720. Thus
>>your AARON's pedigree would read:>>>>>>   Rev. ROBERT BRACEWELL (1611-1668)
>>   RICHARD BRACEWELL (c.1652-1725)>>   WILLIAM BRASWELL (c.1676-1720)
>>   WILLIAM BRASWELL (c.1705-1785)>>   ARTHUR BRASWELL (c.1730-1819)
>>   WILLIAM BRASWELL (c.1760-c.1845)>>   AARON BRASWELL>>
>>   Thank you again for your generosity and enthusiasm for this research.
>>Proper documentation of the above will follow shortly.>>>>>>Carey

I’ve been watching the discussion of Braswell in DeKalb Co TN with great
interest recently. For years I have thought that I descended from a
William Braswell and Chloe Viars from DeKalb or Smith Co TN. My
grandmother had supplied this info to another relative 40 over yearsago.
My problem was that I could not go back any further with this line.
Recently I saw where Lucy posted a message mentioning a William Braswell
who was married to 1) CHLOE Sellars and 2) Mary VIRES.
Could this be my grandmother’s Chloe Viars?
This union of William Braswell and Chloe was said to have produced the
following offspring ( not sure of order):Harriet Louisa
Priscilla - mentioned in other DeKalb Co postsElizabethDemerisVirginiaWilliam J
Sampson - mentioned in other DeKalb Co postsJohn E
Amy Lou Braswell Blackburn b. 6-Mar-1856 d. 21-Nov-1921 bur.
Paris CemeteryAmy Lou married William H ( Billie ) Blackburn in Sep of 1874.
Can anyone tell me if this family is the results of William Braswell’s
two wives, or is this another group.Lee

Yes, it was me who asked the stupid question about William. Upon looking
into my database again, I realized that William was the son of Sampson
(whom all the debate is about). Below is an incomplete descendents chart
for Sampson. This isn't my BRASWELL line so I haven't worked a lot on it.
I don't have the VIRES/VIARS woman in my database as yet. I don't think
she bore any kids by William BRASWELL. Because Clarissa "Chloe" SELLARS
died, and William remarried a VIARS woman, descendants or maybe just one
only remembered the second woman's maiden name, I guess. Chloe was
daughter of Jordan and Erin SELLARS. Jordan left a will in Warren Co., TN.
Sampson1 Braswell, b. circa 1782 NC, d. after 1850 TN
+Priscilla1 Williams, b. circa 1781 NC, m. before 1819, d. after 1850 TN
+-- William2 Braswell, b. circa 1809 TN, d. after 1870 TN
|   +Clarissa Chloe2 Sellers, b. circa 1815 TN, m. circa 1832 TN, d. circa
1862 TN|   +-- Nancy C.3 Braswell, b. circa 1834 TN
|   +-- Harriet Amanda3 Braswell, b. 1835 TN
|   +-- Martha3 Braswell, b. circa 1838 TN
|   +-- Mary3 Braswell, b. circa 1838 TN
|   +-- Louisa B.3 Braswell, b. circa 1840 TN
|   +-- William J.3 Braswell, b. circa 1842 TN
|   +-- Peter Sampson3 Braswell, b. 1844 TN
|   +-- Priscilla J.3 Braswell, b. 1847 TN, d. 1923 TN
|   |   +Augustas Washington3 Patterson, b. circa 1844 TN, m. before 1870
TN, d. 1914 TN|   |   +-- William James4 Patterson, b. 1865 TN, d. 1944 TN
|   |       +Ada Florence4 Braswell, b. 1872 TN, m. 1891 TN, d. 1936 TN
|   |       +-- William Robert5 Patterson, b. 1893 TN, d. 1965 TN
|   |       |   +Martha Louise5 Owen, b. 1894 TN, m. 1911 TN, d. 1982
Smithville, TN
|   |       |   +-- Cora Owen6 Patterson, b. 1914 Pea Ridge, TN, d. 1983
Smithville, TN
|   |       |   |   +Shelie Valter6 Underhill, b. 1908 TN, m. 1930 TN
|   |       |   |   +-- Ellis Morgan7 Underhill, b. 1932 TN, d. 1936 TN
|   |       |   |   +-- John Robert7 Underhill, b. 1936 TN
|   |       |   |   +-- Jack Donald7 Underhill, b. 1939 TN
|   |       |   |   +-- Joyce Ann7 Underhill, b. 1945 TN
|   |       |   |   +-- Patsy Jean7 Underhill, b. 1955 TN
|   |       |   |       +James Barry7 Caldwell, b. before 1955, m. 1972 TN
|   |       |   |       +-- Jeffery Miles8 Caldwell, b. 1972 TN
|   |       |   |       +Danny Loys7 Walls, b. 1944 Jefferson, TN, m. 1978
Keltonburg, TN
|   |       |   +-- Robert Dalton6 Patterson, b. 1926 TN, d. 1972 TN
|   |       +-- Charlie Ester5 Patterson, b. 1895 TN, d. 1968 TN
|   |       +-- Lavader5 Patterson, b. circa 1905 TN, d. 1966 TN
|   |       +-- Chloe Eunice5 Patterson, b. 1907 TN
|   +-- Elizabeth3 Braswell, b. 1850 TN, d. 1925 TN
|   +-- Andrew Jackson3 Braswell, b. 1851 TN, d. 1828 TX
|   +-- Demaris3 Braswell, b. circa 1854 TN
|   +-- Amy Lou3 Braswell, b. circa 1856 TN, d. circa 1921 TN
|   +-- Virginia B.3 Braswell, b. circa 1858 TN
|   +-- John Emory3 Braswell, b. 1860 TN, d. 1940 Melissa, TX
|       +Maravah Ellen3 Braswell, b. 1866 TN, m. 1885 TN, d. 1931 TX
+-- Leroy2 Braswell, b. circa 1811 TN
+-- Samuel2 Braswell, b. circa 1812 TN, d. circa 1894 Murfreesboro, TN
+-- Nathan2 Braswell, b. circa 1816 TN
+-- Lemuel2 Braswell, b. circa 1816 TN, d. after 1855 MO
+-- Lucretia2 Braswell, b. circa 1817 TN
That's all I have. I know there are lots of others out there researching
William and Chloe. You may want to look at the archives on the BRASWELL
home page to see what other messages concern this family.Lucy Barron
Lexington, MA

Dear Cousin Pam,
This is how I arrived at the tentative pedigree for your AARON which I
outlined on January 8th:
1. Working backward from the 1850 Dekalb Census, I noted that AARON was b.c.
1787 in North Carolina, and therefore would likely appear on the first federal
census there (1790). Looking at the naming pattern of his children, I
concluded that WILLIAM and HENRY were probably family names since they were
the oldest sons listed. Moreover, MICAJAH told me there had to be a Nash
County connection somewhere.
2. Since AARON's children were all Tennessee-born going back to the 1820's,
I then looked for AARON on the 1840-1830 returns and found him (again with
SAMPSON) on the 1830 Warren schedules. Since DeKalb was carved (in part) from
Warren, and the ages matched, I concluded it was the same family.
3. The presence of an older WILLIAM BRASWELL (b.1760's) near AARON on the
1830 Warren and the fact that AARON named his eldest known son WILLIAM led me
to speculate that WILLIAM was AARON's father.
4. Referring again to my Tennessee index, I located AARON again on the 1820
Census of Smith County. I reasoned that it was him inasmuchas he was the right
age (26-45) with a young wife in her 20's and four little kids under 10.
Noting that AARON had received 4 state land grants totalling 37.5 acres in
1824 and another 50 acres in 1829, I also saw that he disappeared from Smith
County just in time to turn up the following year in Warren.
5. I then turned to my (massive) North Carolina file, looking for a match to
AARON, HENRY, and of course, the ubiquitous WILLIAM. The answer came back
"Robeson County": on January 18, 1819, ARTHUR BRASWELL of Robeson County made
his will, naming sons HENRY, DAVID, and AARON; and daughters SUSANNA and
PATIENCE (no surnames), MARY BRASWELL and PEGGY BRASWELL, daughter-in-law
BETSY BRASWELL, grandson ALEXANDER BRASWELL. The bulk of the estate went to
MARY and PEGGY, who were obviously elderly spinsters who looked after their
Pa. (C.R. 083.80l.l, State Archives, Raleigh). Since the will was not probated
until May 1838, I had my first clue that these were some really long-lived
BRASWELLs....
6. Reading further in my Robeson file, I found the Revolutionary War pension
application of the abovenamed HENRY BRASWELL (S 17851), filed Oct 10, 1832,
in Marion District, South Carolina (just across the state line from Robeson),
stating that HENRY was born in Nash County, North Carolina, Jan 2, 1756, his
age recorded in a book kept by his father, "...which book is now at the house
of DAVID BRASWELL in Robeson County....", and that he (HENRY) was living in
Nash County when he entered RW service, and that he lived in Robeson before
moving to Marion District,S.C. I concluded that WILLIAM (your AARON's Dad?)
was not mentioned in the will since he had taken his patrimony and split for
Tennessee before the will was signed.
7. Working ever backwards in time, we find WILLIAM, ARTHUR, and DAVID on the
1790 census of Robeson, Fayette District (p.50). WILLIAM shows only what
appears to be himself, wife, and a daughter--no son under 16--but I take
comfort in the knowledge that even President Washington himself complained
long and loud {Pisces make the best complainers! <g>} about how sloppily this
first American headcount was done!
8. Robeson records also revealed that between 1787 and 1797, ARTHUR BRASWELL
patented five tracts in Bladen and three tracts in Robeson, all on Ashpole
Swamp --which obviously straddled the county line. WILLIAM BRASWELL patented
one tract in Robeson, also on Ashpole.
9. I next turned to my Nash County file and found ARTHUR BRASWELL named as a
son in the will of WILLIAM BRASWELL of Nash County (C.R. 069.801.2, Archives),
dated March 4, 1785 and probated May, 1786. Besides son ARTHUR, old WILLIAM
named wife MARGETT, sons JACOB and SAMUEL, daughters PATIENCE WEST, DORCAS
HOOKS, and PATTY BRIDGERS.
10. A further examination of Nash revealed that ARTHUR BRASWELL was listed on
the 1782 Nash tax list with 1523 acres of land and 5 Negroes. The records of
Edgecombe County (the Braswell cradle, from which Nash was carved in 1777)
shows that ARTHUR had patented two tracts there in 1761,both on Pig Basket
Creek, one for 250 acres (LGO Bk 11, p. l36), the other for 627 acres (Ibid.,
p.138)Following this paper trail, we found that on November 25, 1785, ARTHUR
BRASWELL "of Bladen County" sold THOMAS MORRISS of Nash three tracts of land
in Nash, including the foregoing two grants on Pig Basket (Nash DB3, p.414)
{Watson's abstracts erroneously copied the date as "1758"}.
11. Conclusion: since HENRY, ARTHUR's son, was born in 1756, we can figure
that ARTHUR was at least one hundred years old when he died {A feat equalled
by my father who died this summer at 101}. That would place ARTHUR's birth in
the 1730's, and thus his father WILLIAM's around the turn of the century,
making it a distinct possibility that he (WILLIAM) was the son of the original
WILLIAM BRACEWELL (c.1676-1720).
12. Should you decide to pursue this line of research, a thorough study of
the extant records of Robeson County would be a logical starting point. Carey

Researcher: NONA WILLIAMS (nona@MC12000.com)
Ancestor:     SAMUEL BRASWELL (b.c. 1738 Edgecombe Cy,NC; d.c.1795,
                    Nash Cy, NC)
Specialty:    BRASWELL/WILLIAMS connections; Smith & DeKalb cys, TN