James Neville Brown, Elbert County, Georgia

The purpose of this post is to help identify James Neville Brown of Elbert County, Georgia and his son James N. Brown of Madison County, Georgia.

George posted same information under the title The White Family earlier. [I have also written about the double connection to the White Family through both William Head Pearson and later on though James Madison Pearson, Sr. It is all a bit confusing.] George also earlier provide information on Benjamin Rush Pearson. If I am just repeating him, I apologize.

Still, I thought it helpful to draw a line from our grandfather James Madison Pearson, a.k.a. Daddy Matt, back through his father Dr. Benjamin Rush Pearson. On my great grandfather's maternal side there is the Brown Family. Benjamin's mother, Elizabeth Brown leads on to James N. Brown and his father of the same name. By the time we get back to James Neville Brown, Sr. we have arrived at 1752.

Several Georgia counties are involved including Jasper (the Pearsons), Madison, and Elbert. All of these counties are steeped in history.

Benjamin Rush Pearson at VMI, Class of 1871

Benjamin Rush Pearson at VMI

The connection begins with a bit from the VMI Rosters online. [The image to the left of Ben at VMI was first used by my cousin George in his post January 2007.] The VMI story is short, so I have reproduced the genealogy in full:

Born- Aug. 1, 1849 in Daderville, Ala.
Father- James Madison Pearson.;
Mother- Elizabeth Brown.

Pat. Grandfather- William Head Pearson;
Pat. Grandmother- Mary White : both of Dadeville, Ala.

Mat. Grandfather- James N. Brown;
Mat. Grandmother- Martha McCoy : both of Madison, Ga.
[Note to myself. In looking for information on Martha McCoy, it is necessary to search the spelling; "married Martha "Patsy" Mackoy December 26, 1809". See number 11.]

Married- Sallie Coleman Ferrell of Montgomery Ala. in 1873.
Children-
1- Mrs. William R. Letcher [given name unknown];
2- Dr. Coleman Ferrel Pearson;
3- James Madison Pearson.

Entered VMI- Jan. 28, 1868; Graduated- July 4, 1871 standing 21 in a class of 46.

Careers- Merchant; Farmer; Physician; President of Medical Society of Montgomery Ala.; County Health Officer.

Died- March 12, 1906 in Richmond, KY at the home of his daughter.

From Benjamin Rush Pearson (1849 - 1906) to Elizabeth Brown (mother) to James N. Brown (dates unknown) to James Neville Brown (1752 - 1851)

I was interested in the maternal grandparents of Benjamin Rush Pearson, James N. Brown and Martha McCoy of Madison County. In searching online for traces of family history, it is sometimes necessary to approach a search from different angles before success is achieved. It is like Thomas Edison's search for the perfect filament to light the light bulb. A lot of trial and error is involved.

The search that got the result I needed included the words "James N. Brown, genealogy, Georgia".

This lead me to the Ancestry.com page on Celia Page of Buckingham County, VA. There, one discovers that Celia Page (1732 -1799) married Henry White (1724 - 1802). Seven children are named, including Lucy White (1753 - died after 1815). Lucy married James Neville Brown (1752 - 1851) of St. Ann's Parish, Albermarle County, Virginia.

James Neville Brown was one of the individuals attesting to the will of Henry White, who died in Bedford County, Virginia in 1802, [Bedford County, VA, Will Book 2, pp. 366-7].

There follows in the notes on James Neville Brown his own will, recorded in 1841, (Recorded the 15th of April 1841, Wm. B. Nelms, C. C. O. [Elbert County, Georgia, Probate Records, Book __, p. 206]).

There follows an appraisement of the estate, listing various debts owed to James Neville Brown totaling $3,579.79.

James N. Brown

The will of James Neville Brown identifies "James N. Brown, Jr., the oldest son, who was living in Madison County, Georgia".

As I said at the beginning, my cousin George has written on The White Family. The focus on the Brown Family gives someone something else to do.

James Madison Pearson, Sr.

My grandfather was named after his grandfather, James Madison Pearson (1817 - 1891).

The Pearsons, their relatives the Whites, and the Brown families all came from Georgia. One county where they took up residence was Madison County, so I wonder if that is where the connection to James Madison came from. There are other possibilities. Pearsons also came from Jasper County, Georgia and the small community of Monticello. Monticello is named after the home of Thomas Jefferson, friend to James Madison. Both Jefferson and Madison were critical in the formation of our country. One was responsible for the Declaration of Independence the other is called Father of the Constitution. So, could it be that there is a remote family connection to one or the other? One cousin thinks so and I remember as a small child, my grandfather weaving tales that connected our families with those of James Madison and Benjamin Rush.

James Madison Pearson, Sr. left Georgia for new land in Alabama. It was land that became available after the War of 1812 and the bloody battles with Creek Indians. James Madison Pearson and his wife Elizabeth Brown, settled in Tallapoosa County in the 1830's. Tallapoosa County is in northeastern Alabama, about half way between Birmingham and Auburn. Once upon a time "Cotton was King". James Madison Pearson and his son Charles Lafayette Pearson, brother to my great grandfather Benjamin Rush Pearson, built up a land holding in Tallapoosa County that grew to 42,000 acres.

James Madison Pearson farmed and practiced law. He married, had 9 children, and lived a long and happy life. He is buried along with his wife Elizabeth Brown and his son Charles Lafayette Pearson in a small family cemetery in Tallapoosa County.

James Madison Pearson, Jr.

I don't have an image of my great great grandfather, but I do have images of my grandfather and his father.

James Madison Pearson, Jr. in Army Uniform

We, the grandchildren affectionately called our grandfather Daddy Matt. With all of us he stressed education as the means to a happy life. It is an ideal he passed down to his children and grandchildren. It was something that was passed down to him by his father, Benjamin Rush Pearson (1849 - 1906), graduate of Virginia Military Institute, and a doctor in Birmingham, Alabama, and his grandfather, James Madison Pearson.

Benjamin Rush Pearson at VMI

Misc. Notes..................................

I came across this scrap of information while googling various topics.

Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., pop. 1,500. City Superintendent J. M. Pearson 

PATTERSON'S AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL DIRECTORY  1916

Alexander City is just down the road from Dadeville. It has an elementary school named Jim Pearson, but I don't know the significance of the name.

Pearson's Dragoons

Note. I have no information to directly connect Pearson's Dragoons with my family. I just wanted to get this down in case some information should turn up.

The Civil War impacted every corner of the South and Tallapoosa County was no exception. One estimate is that small rural Tallapoosa County contributed almost 3,000 soldiers to the war effort on the Confederate side, and of these almost a third perished. A Few Soldiers of Old Tallapoosa.

Campaign Flag First Alabama Cavalry Regiment

Pearson's Dragoons 

The First Alabama Cavalry Regiment was organized at Montgomery, November, 1861 under the command of Colonel James H. Clanton.

The First Alabama Cavalry Regiment fought at the battles of Shiloh and Murfreesboro. It was also part of the rear guard which protected the retreat from Tullahoma and Chattanooga, losing severely at Duck river; fought at Chickamauga, Clinton and Knoxville, and took a brilliant part in the Sequatchee raid. It was engaged in retarding Sherman's advance on Atlanta.

Read more.

Company D of the First Alabama was also known as Pearson's Dragoons. It is also called Company C and may have had other designations due to reorganizations. It was formed in Tallapoosa County. Its regimental commanders included: John G. Stokes (resigned, 25 Oct 62); Jesse W. Fitzpatrick (resigned, 26 Nov 64); Henry C. Washburn (1st Lt., paroled as Capt., Co. "D").

The company designation changed during the war due to reorganizations. Other designations include: "Co. C, 1st Alabama Cavalry; Co. D, 12th Alabama Cavalry, later 2nd Co. C". I have also seen reference to Companies C, D, and F. See following.

The 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment surrendered at Charlotte, North Carolina, May 3, 1865. Pearson's Dragoons was then under the command of Henry C. Washburn, and designated as Company D. Seventy-two officers and men of the Alabama First Cavalry signed paroles. Re: James Henry Pitts.

Lost in all of this is the explanation for the name Pearson's Dragoons. The Pearson family lived in Tallapoosa County from shortly after the War of 1812 and the Battle with the Creeks. They owned a significant amount of land in the county. That land was located off modern Highway 280 and up Slaughter’s Crossing Road. Today, the land is owned by Kimberly Clark.

The land was passed down to General Charles Lafayette Pearson, but he was born in 1854, and would have been only six or seven at the outbreak of the Civil War. His father James Madison Pearson, born Monticello, Jasper Co., Georgia in 1817 is the more likely connection, if any, to the company name. He was an attorney and farmer, who passed the farm down to his son Charles. Family cemetery of Charles Lafayette Pearson, including his father James Madison Pearson.

There were nine children born to James Madison Pearson and his wife Mary White. My connection is to older son, Benjamin Rush Pearson, my great-grandfather, who became a doctor and practiced in Birmingham. His son, my grandfather, was also named James Madison Pearson.

My grandfather often spoke about his adventures in and around Dadeville and Tallopoosa County.

O'Farrell

This post is by way of Gregg Campbell.

The O'Fearghails were one of the four chief clans of the Conmacne.The O'Farrells (modern spelling) descend from the race of Conmac, son of legendary Fergus MacRoigh and Queen Maedhbh (Maeve). They were the princes of Annaly (roughly the Irish midlands); their chief seat of power was Longphort Ui' Fearghail (O'Farrell's fortress), present-day Longford.

Read a general history of Ireland and the story of Conmac.

The connection between the O'Farrells and James Madison Pearson is set forth on pages 21 and 23 of the O'Farrell Family History.

James Madison Pearson (M)
b. 17 October 1817, d. About 1867 1909


James Madison Pearson was the son of William Head Pearson and Mary White.
James Madison Pearson was born on 17 October 1817.
He married Elizabeth Ann Rose Brown on 29 November 1841.
James Madison Pearson married Sarah Catherine Reese on 28 July 1864.
James Madison Pearson died About 1867 1909.

Children of James Madison Pearson and Elizabeth Ann Rose Brown:
James Madison Pearson , Jr. b. 4 Sep 1843, d. About 1844 1933
Elizabeth Josephine Pearson b. 1 Dec 1845, d. About 1846 1939
William Fletcher Pearson b. 4 Oct 1847, d. About 1848 1937
Benjamin Rush Pearson b. 1 Aug 1849, d. About 1850 1939
Martha Caroline Pearson b. 7 Jul 1851, d. About 1852 1945
Charles Lafayette Pearson b. 10 Apr 1854, d. About 1855 1944
Albert Augustus Pearson+ b. 5 Feb 1857, d. Aug 1938
Henry Lucius Pearson b. 30 Oct 1858, d. About 1859 1948
Edward Pearson b. 1 Nov 1860, d. 31 Jul 1862

Children of James Madison Pearson and Sarah Catherine Reese:
Simeon Belle Pearson b. 14 Jun 1865, d. About 1866 1955
Lewis Walter Pearson b. 17 Nov 1866, d. Nov 1958 

The James Madison Pearson (1817- 1909) listed in the O'Farrell geneology is our great great grandfather. His son Benjamin Rush Pearson (1849 - 1939) was father of James Madison Pearson, our grandfather.And, there in the handwritten geneology of Benjamin Rush Pearson is a family connection to Sallie Coleman Farrell of Montgomery, Alabama.

Family tree

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Rush Pearson's Hand-Written Family Tree.

Our great grandfather, Benjamin Rush Pearson, hand wrote this family tree. Notice that in addition to the White family, there are also the Head, McCoy, Brown, Coleman, Ferrell and Letcher family names.

Benjamin Rush Pearson graduated from the Medical College of Alabama at Mobile in 1881. Interestingly, Benjamin's name sake was a famous Revolutionary War patriot and doctor. In 1874, Benjamin married Sallie Coleman Ferrell of Montgomery, Alabama. Benjamin and Sallie produced 3 children:

• Mrs. William Rush Letcher (Elizabeth Ann Pearson),

• Dr. Coleman Ferrell Pearson,

• James Madison Pearson,

Benjamin Rush Pearson died March 12, 1906 at the home of his daughter in Richmond, Kentucky. Sallie died five months later in Montgomery. James Madison Pearson, our grandfather, was 22 at his father and mother's deaths. At the time, he was possibly in the Army and stationed in the Philippines where the Philippine Insurrection was winding down.

Benjamin identifies William Head Pearson and Mary White Pearson as his grandparents.

Benjamin identifies James Madison Pearson and Elizabeth Brown Pearson as his parents, once living on a family farm in Dadeville, Alabama. This James Madison Pearson was an attorney, in addition to owning a family farm. This family farm passed down to Benjamin's younger brother Charles Lafayette Pearson and was owned by Charles until his death in 1940. The farm may still be there today under the ownership of another Pearson family member. A family cemetery holds the remains of many Pearsons including Benjamin's brother Charles and their father James Madison, our great great grandfather. You can visit the cemetery's names by clicking here. See my article in August on Tallapoosa County, Alabama.

Tallapoosa County, Alabama

Tallapoosa County, Alabama is located in east central Alabama, close to the Georgia state line. Coosa County borders Tallapoosa on the west and Elmore County, home of the Coosada Braves, on the southwest. Its county seat is Dadeville. The county is rural; the population in 2000 barely exceeded 40,000 souls.

In Tallapoosa, you can find the General C.L. Pearson Family cemetery. To get there, just follow the directions:

Turn off Hwy 280 onto Slaughter’s Crossing Road.
Go .9 mi - turn left,
over RR track, take right at 1.6 ½ miles, R at 2.4
(walk to top of hill, cemetery is on the left.)

Thanks to Barbara Taylor.

Among the markers are the grave stones of James Madison Pearson and Elizabeth A. Pearson, his wife, which read:

17th Oct 1817   Died 11th Nov. 1891 Age 74 yrs. 25 days.

Wife of James M. Pearson and Daughter of James N. & Martha Brown
Born in Morgan Co., Ga. 12th of Nov. 1823  Died 9th Aug. 1861
37 yrs. 8 mos. 27 days
 

This James Madison is our great great grandfather and his wife, our great great grandmother. Their son was Benjamin Rush Pearson, who in turn, fathered James Madison Pearson.

The General Charles Lafayette Pearson (1854 - 1940) for whom the Pearson family cemetery is named was a brother of Benjamin Rush Pearson. Charles Lafayette is also buried here along with other family members.

Photo is circa 1938, the farm of General C.L. Pearson (From the Alabama Dept. of Archives).

Letters from Benjamin Rush Pearson

After receiving a package in the mail from the Virginia Military Institute this week. I have been very busy scanning the documents I have received on Benjamin R Pearson and his brother William Fletcher Pearson. You can view the documents below. If any one else has any more information on him or any photos they would like to share please let me know. I will try and post W F Pearson's info shortly.

Benjamin R Pearson

Benjamin Rush Pearson

Today, January 12th, would be Madison Pearson’s birthday. While researching the family tree a couple of nights ago, I was taken to the Virginia Military Institutes website. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a photo of the VMI graduating class of 1871 . I had known that our great grandfather Benjamin Rush Pearson had attended VMI along with his Brother William. In this photo I found William Fletcher Pearson who was readily identifiable and Benjamin R Pearson who was listed as being in the grouping but I could not be certain of which of the many photos was him. I e-mailedthe VMI archives department and they readily identified him.

From Benjamin R Pe...

Born in 1849 Benjamin Rush Pearson was a prominent doctor in Montgomery. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute in the summer of 1871. This was the year after General Robert E Lee passed away in Lexington VA. There is a
picture I am working on getting of the graduating class of 1871 in Robert E Lee's funeral procession.

Married to Sara Coleman Ferrell They had three children. Elizabeth Ann, Coleman Ferrell, and James Madison Pearson.

Benjamin Rush Pearson died March 1906 from tuberculosis and is now buried in Montgomery AL.