Brazelton Families of Jefferson Co, Tennessee

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Portrait of William Brazelton III from
Jefferson County, Tennessee Families and History 1792-1996; (to buy the book contact the Jefferson County Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 267, Jefferson City, Tn 37760)

From the book: "The land upon which most of the town of New Market was built was owned by General William Brazelton, Abraham Woodward [jr], and Abraham Frazier, �" (see old Jefferson map on theTennessee Map page

Brazelton Families of Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee

It is our intent here only to trace those parts of the Brazelton family that had connections with other families on this Web Site. Bill Putman who has researched so many of our Quaker families has traced much of the Brazelton history and genealogy on his Brazelton Web Page (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader). Generally we will follow here the William Brazelton families through William Brazelton IV. We have used only our own research here so additional information can be found on Bill Putman's page.

William Brazelton (I) and Sarah Shepherd Family

William Brazelton (I) was received by request on 3/25/1758 at Fairfax Monthly Meeting in Virginia. William Brazelton married Sarah Shepherd, daughter of Solomon and Jane Wilson Shepherd, sometime after 10/28/1758 at Warrington Monthly Meeting in Pennsylvania. On that date William was given a certificate from Fairfax Monthly Meeting in Virginia to Warrington Monthly Meeting to marry.

William, Sarah, and children were received on certificate at New Garden Monthly Meeting in Rowan County, North Carolina, on 7/25/1767. Their certificate was dated 4/27/1765 at Fairfax Monthly Meeting in Virginia. Their children are listed at New Garden Monthly Meeting: Sarah (5/15/1762); John (7/8/1764); William (8/2/1766); Isaac (8/11/1768); Jacob (5/23/1770); Samuel (5/9/1772); Jean [Jane] (2/16/1774). The same list is given at Deep River Monthly Meeting with an additional child Hannah, born 1/15/1777.

There is an interesting bit of history about William Brazelton during the Revolutionary War.
The State Records of North Carolina, Vol 14, page 790, has a declaration by William Gipson: "Sometime in the summer of 1779, at one William Brazelton's in Guilford County, he and his party were in the house, when suddenly two armed men stood at the door. They, seeing the party within, immediately wheeled, and Colonel Moore knocked down one of the men, who proved to be the notorious Hugh McPherson, a Tory. His party soon took the other one, who proved to be one Campbell and brother to the Campbell taken prisoner and made his escape during the first campaign above related. His party took both of these Tories to Guilford Courthouse, about fifteen miles from the place of capturing them. There, a court-martial was held, composed of the officers of the party, and McPherson was condemned and shot in the presence of this applicant."

Sarah Brazelton Sanders

Daughter Sarah Brazelton is of interest to us as she is the ancestor of a family in Mercer County, Illinois, who were neighbors of descendants of our ancestor Abraham Woodward. Sarah Brazelton was born 5/15/1762 in Virginia and died 3/13/1821 in Guilford County, North Carolina and is buried at Deep River Monthly Meeting. She married David Sanders, son of Hezekiah and Martha Sanders, 5/23/1783 at Deep River MM. Their daughter Sarah Sanders was born 1/7/1794; married Abel Shields before 4/14/1814 in Guilford County, North Carolina; and died 11/24/1878 in Mercer County, Illinois. (Sarah Sanders' history will be continued on the Mercer County History Page in the future. Watch for it to be linked on the surnames page under Shields).

Hannah Brazelton Millikan

Daughter Hannah Brazelton is of interest to us as she married William Millikan in 1796. He was son of Samuel and Ann Baldwin Millikan. Their history is continued on the Millikan page.

Jacob and Rachel Armstrong Brazelton

Son Jacob Brazelton married Rachel Armstrong. They had a daughter Jane Brazelton, born about 1790 who married Nathan Shelley, 4/1/1817 in Jefferson County, Tennessee, as his second wife (first wife Leah Neal). Nathan was a relative of Abigail Shelley who married Samuel Woodward, a grandson of Abraham Woodward. For more on the Shelley's see M. D. Monk's Shelley Web Page.

William Brazelton (II)

William Brazelton II married (1) Elizabeth Luca Pigeon before 5/5/1788 when he was dismissed from Deep River Monthly Meeting for his marriage out of unity (as was Elizabeth). William and Elizabeth apparently made their peace with the Quakers as on 2/4/1792 William and children Isaac and Samuel received a certificate from Springfield MM to Westfield MM (then receiving certificates for those moving to the Lost Creek, Tennessee, area). There is no female certificate so we do not know if Elizabeth was deceased or not. Daughter Lydia was received by request at Lost Creek in 1807 and was married there in 1809.

William II married (2) on 1/18/1803 in Jefferson County, Tennessee, Elizabeth Dean, daughter of Francis and Elizabeth Dean. Elizabeth was sister of William Dean who married Alice Woodward, daughter of Abraham and Hannah Thornbrough Woodward. William and Elizabeth�s marriage was a marriage out of unity but Elizabeth joined the Quakers when she was received by request at Lost Creek Monthly Meeting on 3/23/1805. This marriage seems to have been missed by researchers and it was assumed that Elizabeth Pigeon was his wife into the 1820�s which is not the case. We have yet to identify if there were any children with Elizabeth Dean.

William married (3) Abigail Morgan Beals, on 2/4/1835 in Jefferson County, daughter of Thomas and Ruth Weisner Morgan and widow of John Beals (greatgrandson of John and Margaret Hunt Beals). The family transferred to Vermillion Monthly Meeting in Vermillion County, Il later in 1835. William died 9/11/1846 in Vermillion County, Il.

Lydia Brazelton Smith

Daughter Lydia Brazelton was born on 3/5/1790 in Guilford County, North Carolina, and was received by request on 11/28/1807 at Lost Creek Monthly Meeting in Jefferson County, Tennessee. On 11/1/1809 she married Isaac Smith, son of Abraham and Martha Payne Smith, at Lost Creek. They remained a good Quaker family, with Isaac eventually being appointed Overseer of Vermillion MM in Illinois. Lydia died on 10/14/1852 and is buried at Vermillion MM. Isaac and Lydia had children: Abraham (7/28/1810), Betsey (1/15/1812), William B (7/15/1813), Hollingsworth (3/23/1815), Martha (4/24/1818), Serene Smith (8/13/1820), Edith (9/2/1823), Rachel (1/29/1826), Matilda (3/12/1828), Josiah (9/6/1830), Sarah Jane (1/10/1833).

There are some interesting bits of history and some interesting family connections among the children of Lydia Brazelton and Isaac Smith. Daughter Edith Smith married Thomas Lewis and by 1850 was living among the Shawnee Indians (without Thomas?). Vermillion MM gave her permission for her Indian work so she apparently continued a good Quaker.

William B. Smith married (1)Edith Larrance, daughter of John and Ruth Mills Larrance, on 1/8/1835 at Vermillion MM in Illinois. They had children: Perry, Emily, Juletta, Ruth, Jane, Lydia, and Martha. He married (2) Susanna Hadley, daughter of Joshua and Rebecca Hinshaw Hadley, on 1/8/1852 at Richland MM in Iowa. Susannah was widow of Prior Calvin Woodward, son of Samuel and Abigail Shelley Woodward. In 1854 he was a witness for Lydia Mills Morgan's will in Keokuk County, Iowa. Lydia was a daughter of John and Sarah Millikan Mills. There is more on this family at MD Monk's Web site. This is a great demonstration on how the Quaker families of North Carolina migrated West together.

William B. Smith died 6/18/1861 and is buried at Mill Creek MM in Hendricks County, Indiana, where William and Susanna had migrated, apparently when William became ill. William and Susanna had children Matilda, born 10/7/1852 and Mary born 10/25/1856 in Iowa and they returned to Indiana where Susanna and the Smith children, as well as Susanna's Woodward children could be helped by Hadley relatives. Daughter Matilda Smith married Alonzo Leroy Wheeler, son of Alfred and Lydia Macy Wheeler about 1880 in Indiana. Alonzo Leroy Wheeler was the author of a manuscript telling much about the Wheeler family (see John and Keziah Manlove Wheeler Page)

Martha P. Smith, daughter of Lydia Brazelton and Isaac Smith married Milliken Mills, son of John and Charity Mendenhall Mills and grandson of John and Sarah Millikan Mills.

Serena Smith, daughter of Lydia Brazelton and Isaac Smith married Leroy Larrance, son of John and Ruth Mills Larrance (and brother of Edith above) before 4/3/1841 in Vermillion County, Ill. They are found in 1860 in Belmont, Warren County, Iowa: #1612 Leroy Lawrence, 39, farmer, 1800, Tn; Serena, 39, Tn; Lydia, 18, Il; Isaac, 16, Il; Sarah, 13, Il; Loretta, 9, Ill, Ruth, 2, Iowa. At some point in time they returned to Illinois. Daughter Ruth Larrance married a James Frazier in Vermilion Co, Il about 1877. At present we do not know if he was related to our Fraziers. Leroy is found in 1880 in Elwood, Vermilion Co, Il: Leroy Larrance, 60, shoemaker, born Tn, parents born Tn; Serena, 59, born Tn, parents born Tn.

William Brazelton (III) aka General William Brazelton

William Brazelton III was born 4/4/1792 in Guilford County, North Carolina and died 5/17/1877 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. His portrait is shown at the top of the page. He married (1) Mary Porter Reese on 3/1/1816 in Jefferson County, Tennessee and they had children: James Reese Brazelton; Emily Brazelton, and Julia Brazelton. Mary died 12/1826 in Jefferson County, Tennessee and William married (2)Martha Gillespie, daughter of Thomas Gillespie in 1828 in Jefferson County. They had children: Nancy, William IV, John Fain, and Martha Brazelton.

William Brazelton was not a birthright Quaker and apparently did not follow the Quaker religion. His title of General comes from his participation in the East Tennessee Militia. In 1822 he established a market in Tuckertown, Tennessee, and the name of the town was changed to New Market after his business (see Old Tennessee Map on Tennessee Map Page for location.) By 1825 he owned most of the land east of Friends Station (also on the map). In 1832 he built a mansion in New Market which stood until 1949. He owned slaves and there is a photo of the old Brazelton slave quarters in the Jefferson County Families book. In 1855 a railroad was begun in the Strawberry Plains area of Jefferson County and William Brazelton was president of the railroad company.

William Brazelton (IV) and Catherine Lyle Family

William Brazelton was born 1/25/1815 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. He married Catherine Lyle 10/22/1840 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. M. D. Monk copied their Bible records in Tennessee and they are posted on his Web Site. Their children and birthdates are listed there.

William Brazelton was Lieutenant Colonel of the 3rd (Brazelton's) Tennessee Cavalry Battalion, a Confederate Cavalry Unit of the Civil War (See TnGenWeb Project Tennesseans in the Civil War).

Daughter Mary Maranda Brazelton married Isaac Frank Haworth 7/1897 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Isaac was grandson of Jane Brazelton, daughter of William Brazelton (1) and her husband William Haworth.