[From: http://www.alandmary.org/yancey/whitman.htm ]

RESEARCH CONCERNING
ONE

HARRIETT BRAME WHITMAN

DAUGHTER OF
SAMUEL CHILDES BRAME AND BETSEY YANCEY

Written and Submitted by Mr. Albert H. Spinks
aspinks3@triad.rr.com

3129 Sutton Place
Burlington NC 27215
July 9, 1994


Dear Spinks/Yanceys/Brames;

As many of you are aware, I have been attempting to tie down the parents of Betsey Yancey, wife of Samuel Chiles (Childs) Brame. In that quest, I have searched the records of southern Virginia, northern North Carolina, Alabama, and other places. Recently, I have become interested in the Whitman connection to the family, wondering if that branch might shed some light on Betsey's parents. As background, we know that Betsey C. Yancey and Samuel Chiles Brame married in 1807, both being from Mechlenburg Co., Va. Betsey named her first child, a girl born in 1808, Harriett Partella Brame (per the Charles Edward Brame Bible). We know that Harriett married one George Whitman from Rhode Island, who had moved to Montgomery, Ala., and become prominent in business. The only other thing I knew about Harriett P. Brame was that she passed away near Covington, Louisiana, in 1852.

So on a recent trip to South Mississippi, Mary (my wife) and I made a side trip over to Covington, LA. Our objective was two-fold. First was to see what we could find out about the Whitmans in order to make contacts with that side of the family. And second, to see if we could shed any light on where the name 'Harriett Partella' came from. (More on that later.)

Mary and I were in Covington on July 5, 1994. We first went to the local Parish library. Covington is Parish Seat of St. Tammany Parish. There we immediately found Whitmans in the federal census records. One George Whitman was in New Orleans in the 1840 Census. No proof that he was our George but he probably was. Then in 1850 we found the whole family in St. Tammany Parish. George Whitman was head of the family, 49 years old, born in Rhode Island, and having real estate valued as $20,000, well off for that day. Harriet was listed next, 30 years old, born in Virginia. (Note that she fibbed about her age. She was 42 years old in 1850. So, women have always been the same.) Then there were two people we later proved were their children, William, aged 18 born in Ala., and Mary aged 16 born in Ala. In the library we looked for Whitmans in the St. Tammany Parish cemetery records but no luck even though I am certain they were buried there. And that was about it at the library as far as things that were indexed alphabetically. With the time I had set aside for the project, I didn't read anything that was not alphabetized.

Mary and I next vectored to the courthouse. There we first looked at deed records. There were about 6 or 8 deeds in all associated with the family. The first was in 1850, and interestingly was for the purchase of property in Harriet's name. The spin I put on that was that she had funds of her own. Did she inherit it from her father Samuel C. Brame? I was under the impression that he lost all in his bankruptcy proceedings in Petersburg. But maybe he survived with some funds. The family did seem to do unusual things after their father passed away, like find funds to send Charles Edward Brame to school for several years in New Jersey. And Samuel C. Jr. went to a boys school in Ala. Anyway Harriet bought property in St. Tammany Parish, on Bogue Falia River. And I gleaned the following from the several deeds. The two children of George and Harriet Brame Whitman were:

1.
George William Whitman, born ca 1832 in Alabama. He married Isabella E. Culvas (sp?). I found a note in the archives (in the basement of the courthouse) to the effect that G. W. Whitman was dead by 8 OCT 1873 and had 2 minor children in the Republic of Mexico. Later I ran across a note that indicated that the death date may have been in reference to the elder George Whitman. Anyway, it appears that someone had done some research on the family and left the notes in the archive files.

2.
Mary Elizabeth Whitman was born ca 1834 in Alabama. She appears to have remained longer on the St. Tammany Parish home place than the other family members. She married one Walter Mantong (or Manton) of Rhode Island.

 

I guess the bottom line of all this is that with George William Whitman's children being in Mexico and Mary Eliz. Whitman's family probably going back to RI, the chances of finding any of them is slim. However, I plan to join the Louisiana Gen. Soc. and place an inquiry with them.

Now I would like to call your attention to the spelling of Harriet's name in the St. Tammany records--"Harriet Patillo (or Patello) Brame Whitman." Note that Charles Edward Brame spelled the middle name Partella in his Bible records. I have always wondered why Betsey named her daughter Harriet Patello (Patillo) (Partella), and the Louisiana records add fuel to that interest. I have seen no Harriets in either the Yancey or Brame families. And I have seen no Yancey or Brame connection with Patillos. However, there was a family of Pattillos in Granville Co., N. C. in the late 1700's and early 1800's. The family was headed by one Henry Pattillo, a Presbyterian minister, teacher, and businessman. He was married to a Miss Anderson, (first name unknown), had among others son, Anderson Pattillo. I have read all I can about the family in Oxford, NC. There were intermarriages with my Webb family but nothing with the Yanceys and nothing that would tie my Betsey, wife of S. C. Brame, to the Pattillos. Yet, I am convinced that Harriet Patillo Brame was named for that family. The question is, "Why?" Everything I have written so far I believe to be facts. Next I want to speculate a bit. What I write below between the *****'s is pure speculation on my part. As of now, please don't consider any of it to be fact.

Suppose that Sterling Yancey was married once before his marriage to Betsey Williams in 1785. Suppose that this first wife's name was Harriet Pattillo, daughter of Rev. Henry Pattillo, that she had daughter Betsey C. Yancey about 1783 or 1784 and passed away shortly thereafter. Then Betsey C. Yancey could have been raised in the Pattillo and Yancey families until her marriage to Samuel C. Brame in 1807. She then named her first child, a girl, after her mother. Dates would fit together under this scenario. Sterling, born in 1762, could easily have had a short first marriage before his marriage to Betsey Williams. And Betsey C. Yancey would have been in her early 20's when she married in 1807.

But if the above were so, then why was Betsey C. Yancey Brame not included in Sterling Yancey's estate settlement in Raleigh in 1815? (He died without a will) As a daughter by a first marriage would she not have qualified for a part of the estate? Today she certainly would, but I don't know what the law was back in 1815.

One last comment. We badly need the Samuel Chiles Brame Bible. Per the Charles Edward Brame Bible, it existed at Montgomery in the mid 1800's. Could it have gone to Louisiana with the Whitman's? That is another reason I would like to communicate with a descendant of Harriet Patillo Brame Whitman.

With best regards,



Albert H. Spinks
aspinks3@triad.rr.com