GREAT RESEARCH CONCERNING BRIGMAN, COLE, HARRINGTON ETC. (Please read, so interesting!)
Shared by Terri England
Posted by Myrtle Bridges November 06, 2020
Hi Myrtle:
DNA Proves Dr. John Washington Strong Brigman of Richmond County, NC is Not a Genetic Brigman. Several recent Y-DNA tests have conclusively
revealed that Dr. John Washington Strong Brigman (JWSB) did not carry the known male Y-DNA of the Brigman family that initially hailed from
Sussex, England. For years and years JWSB has been recognized as one of the most respected individuals from not only within the Brigman clan,
but also by the general population in the vicinity of Richmond and Robeson, NC, as well as Marlboro, SC. The oral family history coming from
several of JWSB's lines have always included the fact that JWSB's title of doctor was given as a show of respect for the Native American healing
methods he used and believed to have been learned from his mother, Tabitha, and perhaps Native Americans in the area who helped round-out his
study as an herbalist. One descendant of this line once told me "Brigman descendants fondly referred to him as "Uncle Wash." He supposedly
earned the title of Dr. (even though he was not a lettered man) due to his service as a surgeon's medic during the Civil War and possibly also
because he was a Native healer and horse doctor prior to and after that." Interestingly enough, several lines coming from JWSB (and particularly
those of the Brigmonds in Georgia) suspected for a long time that JWSB was not actually a Brigman and even the surname Cole had been tossed
about in family stories, yet no one knew their true meaning. Given all of that, since the Georgia Brigmonds knew JWSB was not actually a
Brigman, then JWSB certainly knew it himself.
This lack of genetic connection is a sad loss to the Brigmans that belong to this line, however JWSB was culturally a Brigman, recognized
as family by Brigmans across the generations, and will always remain a central personality in the study of the Brigmans. Luckily, DNA testing
has also revealed to which family JWSB actually belonged -- namely that of Stephen Cole family of Chester, Delaware County, PA.
To recap what is known about JWSB, he was born 14 May 1813 and died 9 Mar 1896. He is buried at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in
Rockingham, Richmond County, NC, along with many immediate family members. He married Charlotte Hinson (ca 1820-12 Jan 1894), daughter of
Eli and Catherine Hinson. JWSB was the son of Tabitha Brigman (widow of Isaac "the Shoemaker" Brigman, Jr.). Some census records show JWSB
as mulatto, while others show he was white. Recall that at that time race was determined by the census taker. Census records also show JWSB
had varied occupations, sometimes listed as a farmer, other times as a turpentine hand in the production of naval stores, and also as a laborer.
Little is known about Tabitha Brigman except that family stories tell she had some degree of Native blood and was knowledgeable in Native
healing practices. She became a widow in Richmond County, NC in about 1809 and had previously had 6 sons with Isaac Jr. "the Shoemaker"
(son of Isaac Sr. of Hitchcock Creek) and upon his death these sons became identified as "orphans." These sons, namely James (b ca 1796),
Jacob (b ca 1799), Joshua (b ca 1802), Thomas (b ca 1805), Daniel (b ca 1807), George (b ca 1808), were JWSB's half-brothers and he lived
with and among them all of his life.
Despite the fact that definitive DNA results show JWSB was a member of the Stephen Cole Y-DNA line, we do not know the particular Cole who
was his father. To make matters more confusing, there were 2 separate Cole families living in Richmond County, NC at the same time and teasing
them apart is difficult at best. Even in the late 1700s the descendants of Stephen Cole were identified in various records as the "SH Coles,"
or the "Sand Hill Coles," and the other Cole family in the area as the "Mareland Coles" or "Maryland Coles." The Sandhills [correct/current
spelling] is a part of Richmond County found in its eastern and southeastern areas. This Cole naming convention was not always consistent in
the records and it only contributes to the genealogical confusion between each Cole family. For the purpose of this document, and simplicity's
sake, I show the "Sand Hill Coles" as SHC and the "Maryland Coles" as MC.
In studying the Coles of Pennsylvania it certainly begs the question as to why any of this family would have moved so far away from Pennsylvania
to Richmond County, NC. This move may have been part of the Great Wagon Road that originated in Pennsylvania starting in the 1740s. This
road followed a circuitous route south until it reached Salisbury, NC, crossed the Yadkin River just north of Richmond County, and then headed
west toward Charlotte, NC. As we see from later records of the Cole family, there was also a close connection with the wealthy planter, Henry
William Harrington of Beausejour Plantation (French for "Pleasant Abode") in the Wolf Pit area of Richmond County, NC. Harrington was known
to travel extensively in the North where he sought a greater and a more formal education. Starting in the early 1800s, Harrington chose several
SHC descendants to live at and manage plantations he owned in Tennessee and Mississippi. Some of the early SHC lived on or near Harrington's
plantation, with at least one old map showing "Cole's Mill" and "Mrs. Cole's" within the plantation itself.
The main problem in separating the two Cole families is that many had the same first names that were used over and over (John, James, Peter,
etc.) and both Cole families lived in or around Harrington's plantation. What we do know is that the SHC were of a higher social standing
than the MC. The MC were of the same social status as the Brigmans (laborers, etc.), while the SHC were known to be court clerks, plantation
managers, tavern keepers, and even a coroner. Some SHC owned slaves, however we never see MC enumerated with slaves. It appears that the SHC
moved to the Richmond area (then Anson County) in the late 1760s, while the MC likely came around 1780. Given that, we can see via census,
deeds, and Civil Action Papers that the Brigmans lived with the MC around Wolf Pit, but the SHC also worked for Harrington, lived on or near
his plantation, and so the Brigmans would have been surrounded by both groups.
Now add the fact to this whole story that in his late 30s (ca 1830) Henry William Harrington took Cynthia Cole as his mistress and she lived
with him until his death in 1868. She is noted in the records as mulatto, believed to be a MC, and she and Harrington never had any children.
Researchers of the Cole family in Delaware County, PA reveal that the progenitor of the SHC in Richmond was Stephen Cole of Delaware County.
He was born ca 1700 and died 4 Jan 1744. He is buried in St. Paul's Burying Ground in Delaware County. He was married ca 1727 to Martha
Hunter (1708-1761). Court records identify Stephen Cole as a yeoman, however that has always been a vague descriptor and meant different
things in different places and at different times. His will mentioned many plots of land throughout Chester County and when his estate was
concluded in 1750 his executors paid out about &#pound;400 in cash to various creditors. Although I have not verified any information gleaned from
any Cole researcher, some researchers believe this Stephen Cole was actually a "junior" and the son of Stephen Cole (m Elizabeth Temple) b
1659 in Middlesex, England. Others say he was actually born in Ireland or even Wales. More conclusive research and documentation is obviously
needed here.
Stephen Cole apparently knew he was dying when he wrote his will in 1744. He talks about various grains still in the field and to which
son he will distribute various town lots and acreage. His will of 1744 shows him as a wheat farmer with at least one farm property known
as Ship Creek. He listed his children (all minors at that time) as Stephen, John, James, William, Mark, and Elizabeth. The will states
his desire that "my sons [be] put out to good trades." His son John (the only son to later move to Richmond, NC) studied to be a boot maker,
Stephen a hatter, and Mark a miller. The will is signed with Stephen Cole's mark (a forward slash and a capital C), likely indicating he was
illiterate. The 1745 inventory of estate shows a great deal of various farming equipment and several plots of land valued at &#pound;602. A tidy
sum in 1745.
The Cole of most interest to those with a connection to Richmond, NC SHC family is John Cole, born 1738 in PA and died ca 1802 Richmond, NC.
He married Jane Bounds (1738-1810), daughter of James Bounds and Ann Dicks. This John Cole's 1802 will identifies Jane as his wife, and
children James Cole, Jesse Cole (m May Long), John Cole (m Elizabeth Covington), Betsey Jane Cole, Martha Cole Wall (m John Wall), Stephen
Cole (m Nancy Terry), Nancy Cole Sneed (m John Sneed), William Cole (m Martha Bounds), Mark Cole, Peter H[unter] Cole (m Nancy Love), Reuben
Cole, and Samuel Cole (m Polly Gibson), as well as twin granddaughters, Martha and Nancy Cole. At least 20 slaves are mentioned in the will
with some identified with Cole as their surname. Also specified in the will was John Cole's desire that no slaves be sold outside the family.
One particular Civil Action Paper in Richmond shows "John Cole, Cordwainer," A cordwainer was a shoemaker. There is also a newspaper record
showing: The Star (Raleigh): 9 Sep 1814, Deserted from Captain Donoho's Company of Artillery, John Cole, born in N Carolina, 33 yrs, 5 feet 7
inches, dark complexion, grey eyes, black hair, and by profession a shoemaker. Deserted from Fort Moultrie 4th July 1814." Since Tabitha Brigman's
deceased husband, Isaac, was a shoemaker it is an easy jump to surmise that Tabitha Brigman had close connection to this Cole shoemaker, but
this particular John Cole may or may not be SHC.
Of even greater interest is that Tabitha Brigman appears on the 1810 Richmond census in the Wolf Pit area with only a distance of 2 residences
away from a James Cole who appears to have been married with children. This James Cole lived in the Wolf Pit area for 40+ years (first gaining
land grants in the early 1790s). He owned many slaves so it is entirely possible that he belonged to the SHC and was obviously in extremely
close proximity when JWSB was born in 1813. Furthermore, the same census shows Tabitha Brigman and James Cole surrounded by many members of
the Bounds family – relatives of some degree of the first John Cole in Richmond who married Jane Bounds. Similarly, in 1850 Tabitha Brigman's
son, *Jacob Brigman, was enumerated in the Wolf Pit area with the family of John and Martha Cole, along with their 2 children Alexander and Nancy.
There is no record of JWSB's actual birth, and similarly, there is no record of Tabitha Brigman having married a Cole. While some members of
the SHC were known to have posted bastardy bonds in Richmond, NC, Tabitha Brigman is never mentioned in any bastardy case in either Richmond,
NC or Marlboro, SC. Parenthetically, however, prior to about 1875 in both Richmond, NC or Marlboro, SC there is not a single Brigman marriage
record. There was one bastardy case in the early 1790s in Richmond showing a John Cole as the father to an illegitimate child, however no
Brigman is ever mentioned in these rolls.
So, where do we go from here? Which Cole was JWSB's father? How does one document a secret? While I understand it is possible through
extended DNA analysis to identify parentage from a specific brother, this is only true for modern analysis where samples of all brothers
and the descendant in question can be compared. This, of course, is not possible from a distance of 200+ years. If I were to formulate
a plan for further research, I think the best bet would be to cast a very wide net over any and all unindexed court and sheriff's records
in both Richmond County, NC and Marlboro County, SC from about 1810 to 1820 or so. The only question now is: Who will be the one to take
up this research? Is it you? Terri Brigman England, April 2018. A special thanks to Elaine Alford-Jones and John Roberts for their
mountainous contribution toward piecing together this fascinating puzzle.
Hope this is something you can add. If not, my feelings won't be hurt.
Hang in there....some of us still appreciate what you do.
Cheers,
Terri
*January 27, 1852, Fayetteville Observer
A homicide was committed in the southern part of Richmond County on Sunday morning last, upon the body of Daniel McInnis. No person saw the act
perpetrated, so far as we have been able to learn; but one Jacob Brigman, at whose residence the offence took place, was immediately taken by the
neighbors and carried to a justice of the peace, by whom he was committed to jail. The deceased was shot in the back with a mixed load of about
forty shot; and circumstances left no doubt upon the minds of those who investigated the matter of Brigman's having done the deed.
(foot note) March 30, 1852. At this term of Richmond County Court, Judge Ellis presiding, Jacob Brigman was tried for murder of Daniel McInnis
(b. 1825, NC) January last was convicted of manslaughter. The prosecution was conducted by Solicitor Strange, and the defence by Thos. S. Ashe,
Jas. Banks, and Wm. M. Peacock, Esqs. Brigman was sentenced to be branded and to be imprisioned for 10 months. (research by M. Bridges)
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This page created by Myrtle N. Bridges November 6, 2020