TALIAFERRO TIMES Volume I, May 28, 1998 Issue 44 SALUTATIONS
A wonderful group of subscribers are responsible for the success of TT. Summer’s here now, and the out of doors beckons persistently. Take a few minutes, if you will, to dig through your files and see if you have information that hasn’t yet appeared.
Did you notice that you missed TT last week? I didn’t until a subscriber asked what happened. I guess it’s going to be a perennial problem, and you’ll just have to stay on me. I don’t seem to keep up with what week is every other - but every other week works well for the volume of information received -- an unresolvable conflict. Another case of “them” and “us” sort of? I’ll try to keep up better. My apologies to all!
Good news! This is a topic that certainly beats talking about the Editor’s shrinking brain mass - Carl Kirton recently contacted me. His life’s been somewhat topsy turvy lately and he’s beginning to resume former activities. Carl informs me that he will soon have the web site updated again. Thanks so much, Carl. We’ve all be concerned about you and are happy to know that life is, again, letting us have a part of you!
NEW MEMBERS
RUTH (RUTHJAN@prodigy.net)
***I just today found out about your TIMES papers. I have looked at a couple of them for they were forwarded to me. I do not know a lot about my computer and how to run it yet so will have to find out how to read the others. What I did try to bring up said not found. That was for the first 18.
I do have a Tolliver relative, but after about 20 years, still have not found a thing about her. Maybe you or someone else may be able to help me.
I do not know times and very little places but am looking for Julie Ann or Julia Ann or Julianne Tolliver who married a man by the name of James Sheridan Stanley. They had a daughter names Malinda, married to a Barracks. They lived in or around Floyd, Rowan or Carter Co., Kentucky to my knowledge. Malinda was born 1873 died 1953 Boyd Co. Ky and death certificate has her born in Carter Co., Kentucky with Father's name being Sheridan Stanley and mother's name given as Julia. The people in the family never say it the same way twice so I am at a loss.
Can some one please help?
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CYNTHIA DEAN (cgdean@bellsouth.net)
***I am a descendant of Elizabeth Taliaferro (dau. of Francis Taliaferro b. c1654) and Thomas Stribling as follows: Francis Stribling (c1719-1795) m. Dorothy Seale. Both died in Wilkes Co. GA. Anthony Stribling (c1779-1850) m. (1) ??? (This is my line. Don't have name.) (2) Matilda Evans (m. in Lincoln Co. GA 1831) Anthony and Matilda died in Harris Co. GA.
I need the names of the first wife and her children. That's where my link breaks down. I believe three of them were Anthony, Francis M. and Simpson. And I believe Anthony is my link. Have some info to support that. Believe this Anthony's son was my great-great grandfather was Thomas Mitchell Stribling (b. c1820) who married Julia Cartledge in Harris Co. GA in 1852. A few years later they moved to Jackson Co. FL.
I have a lot more info. Every Taliaferro list I see just stops with Elizabeth and Thomas Stribling. Do you know of anyone working this line?
RESPONSES
JOHN W. (harlen@erols.com) responds to MIKE AND DIANE MIDKIFF (mikemidkiff@email.msn.com) whose inquiry appeared in TT No. 42 on 24 Apr 98.
***I am a descendant of Jesse and Frances, too. They had Hiram, Hiram had Jesse,
Jesse had Malinda, Malinda m. William Wood, Malinda and William had Frederick Douglas
Wood, Frederick had Robert Lloyd Wood in Wyoming Co. WVA, my father. The mystery of
Jesse's parents has been unsolved a long time. I, for one, would be very interested in the
information you have on Frances Stamper.
COLONIAL TALLIAFERROS
At last, here are the records written the Taliaferros of Surry Co NC. He came to Surry from Orange County VA prior to the Revolutionary War, and lived there until a little before 1800 when he moved to Georgia. His story has been well documented in "Historic Georgia Families." compiled by L. W. Rigsby, published in 1969 by Genealogical Publishing Company of Baltimore. Based on the below records, Dr. John Taliaferro had two sons, Richard and Charles. Richard died at the Battle of Guilford Court House in March 1781. Charles remained in Surry Co when his father moved to Georgia.
Speculation is that the Toliver/Tolliver spelling of the name originates with some of his children who moved to neighboring Ashe or Wilkes Co NC. We are not as yet able to confirm this.
1778 25 June
NC Grant to John Taliaferro. 640 acs. Little Fishers River.
1781 13 Nov
Administration of estate of Richard Talliferro, deceased, granted Dorcas Taliaferro, wife
and relict of said deceased. John Talliferro and Wm. T. Lewis, securities. Sum
500 lbs. Ordered that Dorcas Talliferro, wife and relict of Richard Taliaferro, who
fell in his country’s cause, be exempt from paying tax, she having a helpless family
to support.
1781 15 Nov
Ordered to attend next term of Court as Jurors: Richard Tallieferro.
1782 15 Nov Jury named in case of State vs. John Taliaferro: Joseph Philips, William Hughlett, John Sutton, Etheldred Sutton, James Reaves, Francis Holt, Wm. Conner, John Harper, Abijah Elmore, Nathenial Watson, Stephen Crowder, and Orman Morgan.
1782 17 Aug
Report of Committee of Claims: John Taliaferro for 6 days, 2 lbs., 8 shillings.
1782 17 Jun
Appointed Justice for Capt. Shepperd’s District.
1782 24 Oct
NC Grant to John Taliaferro. 127 acs on waters of Fishers River. Adj. his own
land.
1783 13 Oct
N C Grant to Richard Taliaferro. 100 acs. Littler Fisher’s River.
Adj. John Taliaferro.
1783 24 Mar
Deed of James Brown and wife Jane, of Guilford County to William and Jacob McCraw.
400 lbs. 403 acs, both sides Stewarts Creek, being part of large tract purchased of
Andrew Farguson in the Hollows. Adj. Major Bailey and David Brown. Witnesses
John McNairy, Robert Harris, John Taliaferro, Robert Lanier.
1784 3 Nov
NC Grant to Joh Taliaferro. 300 acs. Big Fishes River.
1785 12 Jul
Deed of Samuel Riggs to Zadoc Riggs. 100 pds. 91 acs. Mitchell’s River.
Adj. the old mill race and Samuel Riggs. Part of 400 acs. Elizabeth, wife of
Samuel Riggs consents. Witnesses John Taliaferro, Charles Taliaferro.
1785 14 May
John Taliaferro appointed Justice for Capt. Willis’ District.
1785 14 May
Appointed Justice for Capt. Willis’ District: John Taliaferro.
1785 17 Feb
John Taliaferro ordered to be paid as witness for traveling 240 miles in case of John
Jarvis vx. William Underwood.
1785 9 Aug
Ordered that Jesse Bumps and John Taliaferro, Esqrs., be appointed to Committee of Claims.
1785 9 Aug
John Thos. Longino, Charles Taliaferro and John Goode appointed Deputy Sheriffs.
1786 10 May
Deed of Elijah Thompson, Wilkes county, George, to Isham Thompson. 80 lbs.150
acs. Fisher’s River; State Gr. to Elijah Thompson 3 Nov 1784. Witnesses
William Thornton, Charles Taliaferro, George Hide
1786 10 May
Deed of Elijah Thompson, Wilkes County, Georgia, to Charles Waddle. 60 pds. 150
acs. Fishers River; part of 300 acs. Gr. sd. Thompson 3 May 1784. Witnesses William
Thornton, Charles Taliaferro, Isham Thompson.
1786 12 May
John Taliaferro appointed Justice for County.
1786 16 Feb
Deed from John Taliaferro to Micajah Oglesby; oath said (by) Taliaferro.
1786 17 Feb
Deed of John Taliaferro to Micajah Oglesby, Albemarle Co VA. No amount given.
300 acs. Fishers River. No witnesses
1786 18 Feb
Report of committee to examine lists of Inhabitants of County as follows: for Willis’
District: John Taliaferro.
1786 19 Aug
Payment to Charles Taliaferro, Deputy Sheriff, for carrying Samuel Patrick to Salisbury
Gaol in August 1785.
1787 9 Nov
NC Grant to John Taliaferro. 640 acs. Beaver Dam Creek.
1787 9 Nov
NC Grant to Richard Taliaferro. 300 acs. Adj. John Taliaferro on W.
1787 9 Nov
NC Grant to John Taliaferro. 200 acs. Fork of Beaver Dam Creek. Adj.
Richard Taliaferro.
1788 Nov
Appointed Collector for 1788: Joseph Porter for Edwards District, John Taliaferro
and Gideon Edwards, securities.
1789 11 May
Administration of estate of Thomas Norman, decd., granted to Thomas Norman, son of
deceased. John Taliaferro and James Gunston, securities.
1789: 12 Aug Jury in case of Joseph Coles, Executors, vs. Justice Reynolds:
Micajah Oglesby, Aires Hudspeth, Anthony Dearing, John Morgan, John Hughes, John Lynch,
Joseph Lacefield, Elijah Gallisby, Job Martin, Alexander Kerr, James Matthews, Edward
Smith, John Taliaferro.
RESEARCH
SUZANNE BROWN (SBrownBTY@aol.com)
I thought some of these plantation names might be useful to someone -- also some of
the colateral names. I am still hoping that the Virginia Historical Society will
complete their online catalog so I might have access to the information in "The
Gilmers", an original family record.
Notes by Edwin Rice Brown (1903-1994)
1 About a visit to Mississippi about 1922 or 1923
Julia Van Hook, my favorite cousin, was the daughter of Marietta Taliaferro Van Hook, my father's favorite "Cousin Polly", the charming and slightly scandalous relative who helped me sort out the complicated relationships. Julia referred to my grandmother as her "beloved Aunt Mary" [Mary Adele Cabaniss, nee Noble]. She mentioned "Holly Hall", one of the Brown plantations, and her "Uncle Henry Taliaferro" whose home was "Sandy Point". She said that Elizabeth Taliaferro visited her husband's relative, a Dr. Walker in Lynchburg, Va., and was introduced to a Mrs. Rucker, nee Taliaferro, in Richmond, Va. who showed her family records that she planned to will to the Virginia Historical Society. Elizabeth found that Peachy Ridgeway Taliaferro married Sarah Frances Adams and their only son, Richard Henry, moved to Mississippi (with his wife), providing a link with the Virginia Taliaferro and Gilmer families from whose genealogy records, "The Gilmers", much of this information has been secured and traced.
2 About Taliaferro link
In the genealogy of the Gilmers there were numerous marriages with the Taliaferro families of Virginia, Georgia and Mississippi. Mary Peachy Taliaferro (daughter of Richard Henry [above] Taliaferro) married at 16 to Hezekiah George David Brown (my grandparents).
3 About a source he had used
In the long and detailed record of the Gilmer's family history we can skip to Dr.
George Gilmer, the first of the family to visit America. He was born near Edinburgh
in 1700 and graduated in medicine from the University of Edinburgh. When he went to
London to practice with the well established Dr. Ridgeway, he fell in love with Dr.
Ridgeway's daughter, Mary Peachy, an only child. The name Peachy was thought to have
been the maiden name of Mrs. Ridgeway, a French woman. When the Royal Land Co.
employed Dr. Gilmer to go to Virginia and report on the Company's extensive properties, a
year's absence from England would be required in addition to the two long and
hazardous crossings of the Atlantic Ocean under sail. He was privately married to
Mary Peachy Ridgeway, and he arrived alone in Williamsburg in 1731. When he returned
to London a year later, he received the sad news of his bride's death. On his
remarriage Dr. Gilmer named his first child Peachy Ridgeway Gilmer, and to the present day
the combination of names has come down through generations of the family connections in
Virginia, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, linking the Gilmer genealogy with that of the
Meriwether, Taliaferro and Brown families.
When Mary Peachy Taliaferro married Hezekiah George David Brown, our
grandfather, we became linked with the Gilmers and Colonial America through a carefully
researched and printed genealogy.
4 Taliaferro
The emigrant Robert Taliaferro arrived in America about 1638 from England.
The correspondence between George Wythe, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Thomas Jefferson, then in Paris and London in 1786-87, asked his good friend for information about a Taliaferro crest for his father-in-law, Richard Taliaferro, a well known architect of Williamsburg. Jefferson secured two different crests by writing Florence, Italy.
6 About the Brown family Mary Peachy Taliaferro married into [the following was scratched out in favor of the next passage]
I believe his other son was described to me as the brilliant but eccentric Jackson lawyer who came home one afternoon from his office and told his wife to collect the children as they were leaving on the evening train for Seattle. No explanation.
The third son, Hezekiah G.D.Brown received appointment to a U.S. Naval school at Annapolis, Md., alternating years in college with years at sea. In 1845 the college was officially designated as the United States Naval Academy. Bored with naval life on the Caribbean as aide to the commander, he wrote his brother Albert, the Senator, asking to be released form the navy. The request was refused but a furlough was granted for Christmas and on 12/23/1847 he married Mary Peachy Taliaferro, a social event that had obviously been planned well in advance with numerous attendants, two of which were the sisters of Jefferson Davis. Afterwards he returned to Annapolis and was allowed to resign on Dec. 29, 1847. He was 23 and she was 16.
We have a letter from his mother-in-law, Mrs Taliaferro, urging them to live with her, and his reply is a masterpiece of diplomacy in sidestepping the request. They settled at "Lucky Hit", a nearby plantation where two sons were born, Joseph Taliaferro, and Edwin Rice on 7/29/1824, each named for an uncle.
The Third and youngest brother, Hezekiah George David Brown, thirteen and eleven years younger than his brothers, received appointment to a naval school at Annapolis, Md., probably influenced by his brother, Albert, the Congressman. In those days, years at school alternated with years at sea, until 1845 when the school was designated as the United States Naval Academy.
While on sea duty patrolling the Caribbean Sea as aide to the commanding officer on largely diplomatic calls, the young cadet was bored and thought up many excuses for writing his brother, now Senator Brown, to get him out of the navy. In these letters I find no mention of the real reason which was probably known anyhow through family reports, and the requests were denied in favor of a college education. However, while on Christmas furlough home, he married Mary Peachy Taliaferro in a wedding that must have been planned well in advance with many attendants that included two sisters of Jefferson Davis. He was 24 and she was 16 when the wedding took place on December 23, 1847, a major social event in plantation life of that day. After Christmas when he was allowed the resign honorably to the delight of Mrs. Taliaferro who urged the young couple to live with her at "Spring Hill" near Hazelhurst. His declining this invitation is a masterpiece of diplomacy and they settled at "Lucky Hit", a nearby plantation where in due course two sons were born, Joseph Taliaferro Brown, and, two years later, Edwin Rice Brown II, my father, on 7/29/1874, named as could be expected for his oldest and richest uncle but called Ned in the family. From him I learned first hand of Plantation life before and after "the War", and what went with the wind.
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20 May 1998