Beaver Dam Creek Land Grant Leads To Soldiers Fortune

With his casualty discharge papers and 'Land Grant' abstracts in hand, John Ichabod made his way home to Kiokee Creek.  Waiting for him there were his mother, sisters, and Lucy Eunice Marshall. 

In time, after recovering from his wounds received on the battlefield,  John traveled to Franklin County and his Bounty Land Grant of 287.5 acres on Flat Creek which later was known as Beaver Dam Creek.  He filed his Grant with Franklin County, and the original is now in the Georgia Dept. of History and Archives.

John Ichabod and Lucy Eunice were married in 1781, two years after his discharge.   There is some question as to the place they were married as some records indicate they were married in Richmond County, near Kiokee Creek where both of their parents resided in 1781.  Another source claims they were married in Windsor, Connecticut where Lucy was born, and where she and her father the Reverend Daniel Marshall had relatives.

During the first year of their marriage, at least, they resided in Richmond County where their first son, Ichabod Byrd was born.  By 1783 the couple had moved to Franklin County, presumably having established a home on the Bounty Grant land.  Their second son Marshall was born in March 1783 in Franklin County.  A year later a third son, John was born, but records show him as born in Gwinnet County.

Again, Franklin County Records indicate John sold some of the Land Grant acreage to neighbors, and as late as 1821 his name is associated with land transactions of Beaver Dam Creek, although his name does not appear on the Extant Tax Lists.  Finally in 1821 and Executor's Deed gives a new boundary for the John Pittman Property and is granted to the descendent of one of the early neighbors.

In 1788, John is recorded as a Magistrate Judge in Richmond County which confirms the change of residence as early as 1784 when son Marshall was born.   It is known that he later sold his Bounty Land Grant property in Franklin County along with other land in Washington and Wilkes Counties and moved to Gwinnet County between Pinkneyville and the Chattahooche River. A Ferry across the Chattahooche River was called Pittman's Ferry and Pittman's Crossing on the Southern Railroad was well known.

After son John, the rest of the Pittman children were born in Gwinnet County.   Altogether, eight sons and one daughter were born to the union of John and Lucy Pittman.  They spent the rest of their lives in Pinkneyville, Gwinnet County, and at the time of his death, John Ichabod was one of the richest men in the state of Georgia.  He resided with his son Daniel N. at the time of his death on December 12, 1831.  Lucy Eunice died ten years earlier on October 17, 1821.  It is believed they were both buried in The Pittman Cemetery near Pinkneyville.  However, their gravesites are in question and therefore, their Find A Grave Memorials are registered at The Mount Carmel United Methodist Church Cemetery in Norcross, Gwinnett County, Georgia.  A rather ironic twist of fate for a Baptist Preachers Daughter and  the son of a Baptist Deacon.

Fourth Great Grandfather A Continental Freedom Fighter

Headquarters, Savannah, Georgia 19th August, 1778
The first Battalion is ordered to march to the western frontiers, as soon as possible; those in Savannah must be sent to Augusta immediately, and Lt. Colonel Harris will give the necessary directions for having the remainder who are to the southward marched after them. As the laws of self preservation will justify the measures, such of that battalion who are prisoners of war are ordered to be armed, for the purpose of securing helpless and innocent women and children from the scalping knife of the bloody allies of the British King.
By order of Commander Colonel Samuel Elbert
2nd Georgia Battalion, Continental Army

From: The Collections of the Georgia Historical Society Vol. V. part 2 Order Book of Samuel Elbert, Colonel and Brigadier General in the Continental Army, Oct. 1776 to Nov. 1778

The order given by Brigadier General Elbert for the 2nd Georgia Battalion to be sent to Augusta immediately, set into motion Private John Ichabod Pittman's march into battle against the British King and his bloody allies.   As a soldier under the command of Colonel Elbert and Captain George Hancock, it is probable he saw action at The Battle of  Kettle Creek, a major encounter in the back country of Georgia, near what would become the Pittman Plantation in Wilkes County.  That February 14th of 1779, the Continentals decisively defeated and scattered a Loyalist force that was on it's way to British-controlled Augusta. 

The 2nd Georgia Battalion under Col. Elbert met the British again in the Battle of Brier Creek.  On the afternoon of March 3, 1779, the Continental Army camp was warned of the approaching British, and hurriedly deployed about 900 troops with a short supply of ammunition and varying muskets.  They finally arrived at Brier Creek and positioned their troops in the center formation with a North Carolina regiment to their right and a large gap and the river on the left.  The British engaged with long range artillery forcing the Americans to split ranks and advance into the British Calvary and foot soldiers armed with bayonets.  Outnumbered and armed with only muskets, the Patriot Militia broke and ran without firing a shot.  The North Carolina regiment fired a few shots and then abandoned the fight.  Col. Elbert's 2nd Georgia Battalion held formation in the center while the militia around them fled for the swamps, and were eventually surrounded, forcing Elbert to surrender.  Two hundred of his re-enforcement troops arrived too late, and withdrew before getting caught in the surrender.

In the aftermath, the British counted five dead and eleven wounded.  The devastation of the Americans was never fully tallied, as many militiamen retreated all the way back to North Carolina, and an unknown number drowned in the swamps.  The British claimed that 150 American bodies were found on the battlefield, and 227 captives were taken, mostly from Colonel Elbert's Continentals.

Several months after the Battle of Brier Creek, Private John Ichabod Pittman's name was among the names on the 'Casualty List' in Augusta.  The extent of his injuries is not known, but he survived and  was among the Pittman Revolutionary Soldiers to receive land grants for their service in the Sons of Liberty Militia and the Continental Army.  He was discharged in September 1779 as a result of his injuries.

John Ichabod Pittman  was 28 years old at the end of his service in the Continental Army.  He lived a long and prosperous life on the 287.5 acres from the land grant and other Georgia land he bought and sold throughout his life.   His descendants continued to farm and raise families on those properties as well as continued to serve the State of Georgia, the Confederacy, and the United States Armed Forces in World War I and II. 

The Colonial Period for Tracks of My Georgia Ancestors has been a genealogy dream come true with the discovery of  Fifth Great Grandparents John and Mary Polly Rowe Pittman.  The events of their lives in conjunction with the historical events of their time has enriched my knowledge and appreciation for Colonial America, The Revolutionary War, the History of Georgia, and my Ancestors.  

"Yesterday the greatest question was decided... and a greater question perhaps never was nor will be decided among men. A resolution was passed without one dissenting colony, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states."
John Adams, Letter to his wife, Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776

Pittman/Carroll/Marley Family Tree on Ancestry.com

 ~ Public ~ Membership required to view.

John Ichabod Pittman, Jr. Profile...HERE

The Second Generation

 

John Ichabod Pittman as son of the First Generation of Pittmans in America has been established in that periods history and referenced numerous times.  His early years are as described in the previous accounts of his brothers Buckner and James Greene.  Their migration from Virginia through South Carolina and settlement in Georgia are documented in the earlier writings of the Pittman Colonials.  Although, John Ichabod was born and raised in the Colonial Period, as our Direct Descendant, he will stand as the first of 'The Second Generation of Georgia Pittman's.

 

Lucy Eunice Marshall's early years have also been written about and closely connected with the Pittman Family as a result of religious ties between her father, Reverend Daniel Marshall and John I. Pittman Sr., father of John Ichabod.  Their association and lifelong friendship have been written about in length in this account of Tracks of My Georgia Ancestors.

 

With that said and their background firmly established in the Colonial Period,  we will begin

'The Second Generation' of Tracks of My Georgia Ancestors with

John Ichabod Pittman ~ Private Continental Army

Second Georgia Battalion

Commanded by Brigadier General Samuel Elbert

Colonial Will and Summary of 1700's Ancestors

State of Georgia, Richmond County

I, John Pittman, being in a low state of health, but in perfect sense and memory give and bequeath my estate, as followeth, both real and personal.

I give and bequeath unto my wife, Mary Pittman, my Kiokee plantation of 200 acres of land, and Tony and Jack during her life and widowhood, and then I give and bequeath the said plantation of land unto my well-beloved son Timothy, and the two Negroes to be equally divided among Grace Pittman, and if they die without heirs the land and Negroes to be divided among my five youngest children.

I give and bequeath unto my well beloved son Phillip Pittman 200 acres of land in Wilkes County.

I give and bequeath unto my well beloved daughter Patty Pittman 100 acres of said tract.

I give and bequeath unto my well beloved grandson, Jesse Pittman, 100 acres of the same tract.

I give and bequeath unto my well beloved son, Buckner Pittman, one shilling.

I give and bequeath unto my well beloved son, John Pittman, one shilling.

I give and bequeath the rest of my estate to be equally divided among my 7 youngest children, Mary Rogers, James Pittman, Patty Pittman, Zilpha Nobles, Phillip Pittman, Timothy and Grace Pittman and them that have received beds, the other to be made equal out of the estate, and the rest divided, only James Pittman is to be paid 25 pound Sterling.

I leave my well beloved son-in-law Peleg Rogers and Phillip Pittman whole and sole Executors of my estate this being my last will and testament as Witness my hand and seal this 19th day of April 1782.

Signed:  John Pittman

Attest:  William Courson, Zachariah Marshall, James Simson

Execution and Subsequent Events of John Pittman's Last Will and Testament

(in order as named in the will)

~John Pittman died three years later, to the day of signing his will at age 58.  Wife Mary Polly Rowe lived out her life on the Kiokee Plantation.  She died on May 1, 1810 at the age of 80 years.  It is believed that she and John were buried on the plantation.

~Timothy Pittman lived in Columbia County as late as 1816, most likely on the land left to him in said Will.  He married Sarah Lazenby  on Feb. 21, 1796...they had twelve children.  In the 1850 Census his residence was Randolph County, formerly Columbia County, presumably the Kiokee Plantation.  He died in 1854 at the age of  87.

~Phillip Pittman was granted 287.5 acres of land in Washington County, Georgia for his service in the Revolutionary War even though, if records are correct, he was only 10 years old.  Other than his father's will his name does not appear again until is marriage to Espie Jasper 1792 in Jackson County, Georgia.  In 1820 he lived in Wilkinson County and later at the time of his death at age 74 he resided in  Bainbridge, Decatur County, Georgia.  It is not know at this time if he ever lived on or sold the land in Wilkes county he inherited from his father's estate.

~Patty Pittman married David Langston in 1791 taking her dowry of 100 acres in Wilkes County to the marriage.  Her story:  Colonial Daughter's Dowry 100 Acres of Cherokee Land.

~Jesse Pittman was the son of Buckner Pittman from his first marriage.  His mother died in childbirth, and Jesse was raised by his grandparents when Buckner left Georgia for Kentucky.  He married Jincie Garrett in 1790 and fathered at least twelve children.  In 1820 and 1830 Census he was listed in Wilkinson County, Georgia.  At the time of his death in 1836, he was in Yalobusha, Mississippi, where several of his children resided including Samuel Moon and Buckner Pittman.  Buckner having been named after Jesse's father who eventually settled in Missississippi.  The Wilkes County land inherited from his grandfather John appears to have been passed down through Jesse's descendents who remained in Georgia.

~Buckner Pittman was bequeathed one shilling, which converts to under $10 in today's (2013) market.  Buckner having left Georgia and settled in Mississippi after his service in the Revolutionary War in Kentucky, most likely never returned.  As the oldest son and apparent heir to his fathers estate, his son Jesse was given his inheritance.  Buckner's stories:  Colonial First Born Son and Revolutionary Soldier,  Pennsylvania to Kentucky In A Flat Bottom Boat, The Patriot and The Pennsylvania Farmer's Daughter.

~John Pittman was also bequeathed only one shilling.  Due to the fact that both of his older sons John and James Greene Pittman were granted land for their service in the Revolutionary War and had become what was considered at the time wealthy land owners in their own right, they were not in need of an inheritance from their father.  John Ichabod Pittman's one shilling was, it seems, simply a way of recognizing him as a descendent.  John Ichabod married Lucy Eunice Marshall, the daughter of Rev. Daniel Marshall and one of John and Mary Polly's most beloved friends.  John Ichabod and Lucy Eunice's story as our Line of Direct Descendants to follow.

~Mary Pittman Rogers, wife of Beloved son-in-law Peleg Rogers.  Their story:  Colonial Daughter Weds for Love. 

~Zilpha Pittman Nobles was the seventh child of John and Mary Polly.  She was married to Blanton Nobles at the time of the Will's writing.  She later married Simon Peacock.  Her story:  Colonial Daughter's Biblical Name Prophecy.

~James Pittman was the third born child of John and Mary Polly.  His 25 lb. Sterling inheritance converts to about $40 in todays (2013) market.  As stated earlier James Greene Pittman was a wealthy man in his own right.  Georgia history and records make him the most Notable of John and Polly's children.  His story:  Colonials Third Son A Georgia Soldier, Statesman and Judge.

 

John and his wife Mary Polly Rowe moved from Virginia to Edgefield District, South Carolina about 1770 and later to Georgia, settling in the part of St. Paul's Parish that became Richmond and then Columbia County.  He left a will in Richmond County, where he died April 19, 1785.  He and his five sons were Revolutionary soldiers.

John Pittman was of Scotch-English descent.  He lived in Bucking ham County, Virginia then moved to Edgefield, South Carolina.  Prior to 1770 he moved to St. Paul's Parish, Georgia and settled on Kiokee Creek.  His plantation was located in that portion of land later named Richmond County and in 1790 was cut off and named Columbia County, Georgia.

John Pittman and some of his children were charter members of Kiokee Baptist Church, the first Baptist church established in Georgia.  (Kiokee Baptist Church established by Reverend Daniel Marshall, father of Lucy Eunice Marshall Pittman, wife of John Ichabod Pittman). 

John Pittman enlisted on December 18, 1778 in the 4th Artillery Regiment of South Carolina, commanded by Col. Barnard Beckman.  He served as Matros in Capt. Harmon Davis's company.  Five of his sons also saw service in the Revolutionary War.  While they were in service, the Torres invaded their home and Mary Pittman was thrown from the front steps and crippled for life when she tried to resist the invasion of her home.

John Pittman's name is last borne on the roll for the period from November 1,1779 to January 1, 1780 with remark:  "Paid to Jan 1, 17__," and signed "Col. F.C. Ainsworth, USA."  (See National Numbers DAR 36513, 87362, 178600). 

From the book: 

Pittman Descendants of the Revolutionary Soldier John Pittman 1725-1784

by Lynne Pittman Selzer

(listed on Amazon.com as 'out of print-limited availability')



Making Tracks Out of Virginia

By the time John and Mary had married and started their family, The Great Awakening had swept through the colonies.  The revival  experience found itinerant preachers traveling from colony to colony urging citizens to return to their faith in God.  Even with their diverse religious factions, the colonists had strong religious values and strict practices including Religious Taxes imposed by the governing bodies to pay Anglican ministers. 

Many colonist believed that a separation of church and state should be established and made permanent.  For the Pittman Clan, the 'Revival' swept into their lives in the form of a man who set in motion a chain of events that would effect Pittmans for generations to come.

 Reverend Daniel Marshall, a former missionary to the Mohawk Indians and converted Baptist Separatist journeyed into the backwoods of Virgina and established a small church with a growing congregation that included the John Pittman family.

John supported the church as a Deacon and his older son James was called upon as an Itinerant Preacher...a position that landed him in jail for preaching the Baptist Gospel in the Pittman home. 

When the Reverend Marshall moved on to establish another church,  John Pittman and his family followed.

Several years were spent moving and establishing new Baptist churches in North and South Carolina.  Rev. Daniel and his wife Martha Stearns had completed their family of eight while John and Mary Polly's clan numbered eleven by the time they finished their trek from Virginia to Georgia.  There is a great deal written about the Reverend Marshall, his wife Martha and her famous Baptist Separatist Father, Shubael Stearns, and all of it relevant to future generations of Pittmans' deep Southern Baptist Roots.

 

As I read and researched these 'Early Colonial Ancestors', I was struck by the hardships, injustices and paths they took in their search for a better way of life and religious freedom, or what we today, and for generations, have called 'The American Dream'.   So it is that the following 18th Century Events are written 'In Contrasting Irreverence' to the above written 'Reverence To Historical Facts'.  In my 20th/21st Century minds eye and contemporary authorship I write this in awe of the incredulous involvement and historically significant parts played by my Ancestors.  





The Great Awakening!!!  Really!!!!  My poor, poor,  5X Great Great Grandmother, bless her heart, eleven children starting with Buckner in 1726 through 1767 with Timothy.  And still had one to go once they reached Georgia which made for an even dozen blessings.  At the age of 37 years old, Mary Polly had been married 21 years, had 11 children ranging in age from 19 years to 1 month.  During 21 years of marriage she was with child all but a few months each year until 1756 when she had  a whole year off...time for praise and prayer.  For Mary Polly, I imagine the Great Awakening had a double innuendo.

John and Mary Polly's first five children were born in Virginia...three sons and two daughters.  John Ichabod, their third child born in 1752 is my Direct Descendent and the 'Key' connection to my Southern Baptist Roots and Reverends Marshall and Stearns.

 Both whose places in Baptist History as Colonial and Frontier Baptist Ministers are held in high esteem and whose genealogy is well documented for all time.

Here's how two Colonial~Frontier Baptist Preachers became Grandfathers to Generations of Pittmans.

John Ichabod Pittman...son of John and Mary Polly Rowe Pittman

in the year 1781 married

Lucy Eunice Marshall...daughter of Rev. Daniel and Martha Stearns Marshall

Granddaughter of Rev. Shubael and Rebeckah Lariby Stearns

6X Great Godly Grandfather...What were you thinking?

~A Fictional Account~

 Seriously, what were you thinking?  Giving away all your earthly possessions, which were considerable due to the fact you were born into a respectable and pious family of Windsor, Conn. 

Here's a man whose ardent temperament and zealous Christian beliefs led him to a real 'Calling of the Wild..erness'. 

It is said he caught 'The Glowing Spirit' of the approaching 'Millenial Glory', abandoned everything and everyone except his wife and three young children, and moved to the Susquehanna to live in a WigWam among the Mohawks.  Poor Martha went from the bosom of civilized society and all the comforts of life to a wilderness where your next meal was covered in fur, your neighbors were nearly naked,  your children's lessons went from books to bows and arrows, and your husband was thumping a Bible to the beat of TomToms.  Bless her heart!

Note:  the following is purely supposition on my part...based on facts...of course.
Apparently, Reverend Marshall,  now known as 'BlackBook Thumper' among the Mohawks, had some success in converting the savages into receiving the Gospel.  However, after about eighteen months, Martha was fed up with WigWam housekeeping, her heathen children, clothes shopping at the tanning poles, washing Daniels 'breachcloth' and his disregard for removing his moccasins before coming in the WigWam.  Then there was the all out WAR between the savage tribes.

 "I'm leaving, Daniel.   You can stay or go, but know this...if you stay, your heathen kids are staying with you."

Next thing we know, Daniel, Martha and their tribe are in the back woods of Virginia with a different outlook on religion.  It wasn't long before they were both immersed in the Baptist scriptures and in the creek. Through it all, Lucy Eunice, the future Mrs. John Ichabod Pittman, made a complete turnaround from buckskin to bonnets and the only lasting influence from the Mohawk days was the Name she called her children, their children, and their childrens children.  It has passed down through the generations, and has become a Family Name Tradition,  and for the most part it has fit a good many of us.

 Lucy's 6x Great Grandson and my Grandson!

He's a 'Heathen'!