Saturday, March 26, 2011

Who Do I Think I Am? Wow! part 15


My great grandfather was William A. Trammell/Hunter. His mother was Rebecca Trammell. Rebecca's father was Jacob B. Trammell. Jacob's father, William Trammell (1752 - 1843) and his first wife was Mary Zipphia Lynch R(h)odes are my great-g-g-g-grandparents.

William fought in the Revolutionary War:

He enlisted and served three years in the Continental Army, during the Revolutionary War, under Captain Daniel Duff and Colonel Brandon.
Records from the South Carolina Archives show that he served in the South Carolina Militia in the Revolutionary War, as his brothers, as a private under Thomas Brandon before and after the Fall of Charleston. Also, he was wounded near Broad River in 1781. He enlisted in the District of Spartanburg at the beginning of the was between Great Britain and the Colonies. He served as a private in the South Carolina Militia in Captain Daniel Duff's Company, Col Thomas Brandon's Regiment, and General Sumpter's Brigade. He also served under Col. Washington in the calavry for about three years, the Battle of King's Mountain, the siege of Savannah, and the Battle of Cowpens. He served about seven years total.
References:
DAR Patriot Index, pg 686.
National Archives, William Trammel, S.C. Widow's Pension (Sarah) W 6312.

National Archives, William Trammel, S.C. Widow's Pension (Sarah) W 6312.

Later William, at the age of eighty-four plus became an invalid. Sarah Reynolds left him. He moved in with son Javan TRAMMELL back in Macon County, North Carolina.

December 17, 1843, at the age of ninety-one he died. He left all his belongings to Javan, who cared for him in his final illness.
He is buried in the First Methodist Cemetery in Franklin, North Caroina.

Before William TRAMMELL died, sons Javan and "Jacob" applied in his behalf for a pension for losing his arm in the Revolutionary War. William never received a pension, but his widow, Sara REYNOLDS, who abandoned him in time of sickness, was allowed one.

Extracts from the pension records in the case of William Trammell: Power of Attorney by the said William Trammell on October 15, 1842, Henderson Co., N.C.
"Know all men by these present-that I, William Trammell, of the County and State aforesaid, do nominante and appoint and consatitute my son, Javan Trammell, as my agent in fact and in law to transact all my business....
WITNESSES: John Clayton, Samuel Hefner and signed by his mark.

Postcript:
I, the said, William Trammell, do hereby will that my son Javan Trammell, shall have all effects after my death for the services rendered to me. Witness my hand and seal this 15th day of October 18, '42. Signed William Trammell. Proven in court Book 3, pg 414.


Affidavit of J.S. Sutherland says in part: J. Van Trammell is an honest, hard working poor man and he took care of his father in his helpless old age. I hope that you make the money payable to J.Van Trammell and not to the widow as you have a full statement of the matter."



Above is the marker for the grave of William Trammell. My genealogy hunting buddy the late Thelma Swanson wrote me (she didn't have email) and told me she found what she was thought was his grave at the First Methodist Church in Franklin, North Carolina. I told her I would get up there and look at it the first chance I got. A few weeks later my two sons and I spent the night in Franklin and the next morning we met Thelma and went to the cemetery. She pointed out the grave and we could not read a thing on it. She said by logic deduction she figured it had to be his grave. We decided to rub it. To get a sheet of paper, crayons and rub the markings and it would come out. We went to K-Mart, bought the paper a crayons, dropped by Burger King for lunch, then went back.

When we arrived back, somehow, the sun refelction from the cars in a parking lot nearby and the sun coming through breaks of foilage in the above tree, made William's grave be illuminated lke something Holy. Maybe like something in Indians Jones. You could read every word, it was him.

But the picture above didn't turn out so good.

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