With the 4th of July only a couple days away, I thought I'd spend some time visiting with the family and share some of our family heritage. As the United States turns 236 years old this week, thinking about those unique ancestors who risked so much to bring about the American independence takes me back to Virginia, North / South Carolina and Maryland and the original 13 colonies. We all get so wrapped up in our lives that we forget to honor the past; or, as is often the case, families are unaware of the past. Technology opens the coffins of complacency and sweeps away the dust of indifference. I love learning about my ancestors. They are some unique individuals who lived life in another time and place but who are still present in our genetics. Think about it...........the same DNA that existed in a person 236 years ago is chronicled in my own DNA. It is almost like a message left in a bottle...........all I have to do is open the bottle. Our collective written history is no different. There are times when I feel like a treasure hunter.........collecting small clues here and there until all the clues finally materialize into one recognizable object.
My Aunt Delores Slayton (Fenton) steered me down the Trammell line recently with the information that she has documented proof of a Cherokee marriage. I began a very intensive research on the Trammells. As I collected more and more information, my curiosity took over. I can tell you I have spent over 20 hours untangling the family lines that lead to a group of brothers and sons who took up arms against England in the American Revolutionary War. In my mind's eye the movie "The Patriot" continued to play as each new fact led me to another fact. The line is complicated. Each family contains the repeated names of: Gerrard, William, John, Thomas, Sampson and Daniel. My 5th great grandfather is William T Trammell born 1752 in Virginia. He was one of 13 children. His father, Daniel Trammel, Sr (1707 - 1777) had married twice. Daniel was one of 5 sons born to John Trammel, Sr (1674 - 1755) and Mary Gerrard (1675 - 1730). The family lived in Fairfax County, Virginia; when the U.S.A. gained independence, veterans of the war were provided various land grants as payment for service. The multiple Daniels, Gerrards, Williams, etc, began to move westward.
Doing genealogical research requires a great amount of patience. Each time I find a record for Gerrard Trammel, for instance, I must determine year of birth and residency. Many of the family members lived well into their 70s or 80s, so having a man, his son, grandson and even great grandson all named Gerrard Trammel living in Maryland would not be uncommon. A Gerrard Trammel in South Carolina was probably a nephew to the one in Maryland. Because I am not familiar with the Eastern states, I had to get a map of counties for the states involved and highlight the counties to determine proximity.
Back to my 5th great grandfather:
William Trammell enlisted about 1777-78 in Spartanburg District, South Carolina, and served as a Private in Captains Duff’s Company. He was a soldier in the American Revolutionary War. He fought at the Siege of Savannah in 1779; at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780; and at the Battle of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1780. After the Revolutionary War he returned to South Carolina. William Trammell, according to his pension application was "Dangerously Wounded", he lost an arm, for which he was given an invalid’s pension. An extraction from his pension application shows he made his son Javan Trammell his agent, regarding his pension, "to apply for and draw all and any money due me, and in my business activities." This was witnessed by John Clayton and Samuel Hefner. William T Trammell married Mary Zilphia Lynch (1756 - 1836). I have seen several suggestions that Mary was at least half Cherokee. I am still searching.
The couple had 4 sons: Robert, Jehu, Jacob and Javan.
My family line descends from William's son Jacob B Trammell (1791 - 1830) who married Polly Hogshead (1800 - 1856). Polly is reported to be full-blooded Cherokee which another family line has documented with the Cherokee nation in North Carolina. I am waiting followup information. For more information on this, see: http://ethunter1.blogspot.com/search/label/Genealogy%20Trammell. This blog has some well documented information on many of the Trammel ancestors. If all the connections are real, we have some amazing family members, including those who were friends with George Washington, Margaret Mitchell and one who died defending the Alamo. How exciting!!!
I hope to shed light on other Revolutionary War heroes during this celebratory week.
Happy 4th of July.
My Aunt Delores Slayton (Fenton) steered me down the Trammell line recently with the information that she has documented proof of a Cherokee marriage. I began a very intensive research on the Trammells. As I collected more and more information, my curiosity took over. I can tell you I have spent over 20 hours untangling the family lines that lead to a group of brothers and sons who took up arms against England in the American Revolutionary War. In my mind's eye the movie "The Patriot" continued to play as each new fact led me to another fact. The line is complicated. Each family contains the repeated names of: Gerrard, William, John, Thomas, Sampson and Daniel. My 5th great grandfather is William T Trammell born 1752 in Virginia. He was one of 13 children. His father, Daniel Trammel, Sr (1707 - 1777) had married twice. Daniel was one of 5 sons born to John Trammel, Sr (1674 - 1755) and Mary Gerrard (1675 - 1730). The family lived in Fairfax County, Virginia; when the U.S.A. gained independence, veterans of the war were provided various land grants as payment for service. The multiple Daniels, Gerrards, Williams, etc, began to move westward.
Doing genealogical research requires a great amount of patience. Each time I find a record for Gerrard Trammel, for instance, I must determine year of birth and residency. Many of the family members lived well into their 70s or 80s, so having a man, his son, grandson and even great grandson all named Gerrard Trammel living in Maryland would not be uncommon. A Gerrard Trammel in South Carolina was probably a nephew to the one in Maryland. Because I am not familiar with the Eastern states, I had to get a map of counties for the states involved and highlight the counties to determine proximity.
Back to my 5th great grandfather:
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| Macon, North Carolina - 1st Methodist Cemetery |
The couple had 4 sons: Robert, Jehu, Jacob and Javan.
My family line descends from William's son Jacob B Trammell (1791 - 1830) who married Polly Hogshead (1800 - 1856). Polly is reported to be full-blooded Cherokee which another family line has documented with the Cherokee nation in North Carolina. I am waiting followup information. For more information on this, see: http://ethunter1.blogspot.com/search/label/Genealogy%20Trammell. This blog has some well documented information on many of the Trammel ancestors. If all the connections are real, we have some amazing family members, including those who were friends with George Washington, Margaret Mitchell and one who died defending the Alamo. How exciting!!!
I hope to shed light on other Revolutionary War heroes during this celebratory week.
Happy 4th of July.
I also love researching my ancestors. I started about a year ago and every time I find a new fact or story I get goosebumps! There is just something about a piece of me being there, or vice versa... hard to explain but it sounds like you get it.
ReplyDeleteI found your blog because I recently began researching the Trammels. I believe my 8x grandfather is Gerrard Trammel, brother to your Daniel Trammel. Indeed this work takes patience because they really liked naming their children after each other. I even found that my 4x grandfather's first name was Trammel, his mother's maiden name. That led me to search her family more indepth.
So, nice to meet you and I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Candace..............I am on ancestry if you use that site. I did quite a bit of research on the Trammels and still have some updating to do. Gerrard (1702 - 1785) and buried in Falls Church cemetery.........the first go 'round on my research I completely missed Gerrard as a brother to Daniel and had only Daniel's son Gerrard listed. It took me a while to finally sort out the different lines by the land grants. Look me up on ancestry: stacci15
DeleteI am an ancestor of Gerrard Trammell, through his son Phillip Trammell. My line settled in Illinois, then Arkansas. My great grandmother was Bessie Jane Trammell, daughter of Asberry Trammell. If anyone has any info on this line, please let me know. I am attempting to determine if the wife of John Trammell from Virginia was Mary Gerrard (and anything about her family). Thank you!
DeleteIk this is an old post, but I'm descended from Jacob B. and Polly's son Thomas J. Trammell (my 3rd great-grandfather) Though my last name is spelled "Trammel" with one l, thanks to my errant great-grandfather. I always wondered if Mary "Polly" Hogshead was Native. Interesting to know that she most likely was, and Cherokee to boot. (:
ReplyDeleteI just came across this while doing some research on Mary Gerrard wife of John Trammell. I am descendant of Gerrard Trammell through my great grandmother Bessie Jane Trammell, daughter of Asberry Trammell of Arkansas. If you have any info on this line, please let me know. Thanks! Jill A. Oliver (I am on 23andme and Gedmatch)
ReplyDeleteI too like Caelum am descended from Jacob B. and Polly's son Thomas, also my 3rd Great-Grandfather, then from Thomas's son Isaac Van Buren Trammell, down to my great-grandmother Ona Mae Trammell(Setser). We have always thought there was Cherokee somewhere in the line and my grandpa always has called my Grandma "Indian" and me as well. Love learning the history and family ties!
ReplyDelete