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')



Colonial Daughter of Liberty

John and Mary Pittman had seven daughters with first born daughter Lucy born in 1750 and seventh daughter Grace in 1773.  With seven daughters and five sons, the Colonial Pittman Family was very interdependent on each other, and like most colonial families, were God-fearing and tight-knit with family life centered around religion and hard work.

Unquestioned obedience was expected of children and their life of working for the good of the family began at a very early age.  Girls were trained by their mothers to help with cooking, gardening and learning how to make soap, candles, clothing and blankets. 

Their education revolved around learning The Bible, and the necessary skills to provide and care for the family.  Boys in particular were taught reading, writing and numbers for the purpose of record keeping for farming and family  interests.

Among the many skills girls learned was spinning, weaving and knitting which were essential to the production of clothing and blankets.  Women and girls hatched, combed and spun flax for thread, and for woolen yarn they separated, cleaned, oiled, carded, combed and rolled the fleeces in preparation for spinning.  Bleached in the sun and dyed with a mixture of herbs and berries, yarn was knit into coarse stockings, caps and woolen fabrics for coats, hats and blankets.

Colonial Pittman Daughter~My 4x Great Aunt 

Lucy Pittman...Born June 4, 1750 in Amelia County, Virginia, second child of John and Mary, brother Buckner was two.  Lucy did not get to be the baby for long as another brother, John Ichabod was born in 1752, and by the time she was four a sister, Mary Ann was born.  As the oldest daughter Lucy was big sister and care taker of her eight younger siblings.

Lucy was a young woman in the pre-Revolution days, and no doubt was influenced by her father and brothers' political views as Sons of Liberty.   Colonial women supported their husbands views and disdain of England by boycotting British goods and forming sewing and knitting groups like the Daughters of Liberty.  It was possibly her involvement in support of the Revolution and her impending marriage that led to her early demise...which is undocumented and therefore purely speculation.

However, it is known that in April 1774, a military uprising in Williamsburg, Virginia called the Gunpowder Alarm became a concern for the Pittman men as members of the Sons of Liberty.  This incident along with the British Crowns Proclamation of 1763, the Currency Act and the Sugar Act set in motion the plans for the First Continental Congress.  The Sugar Act most directly inflamed the sensibilities of colonial women with the heavy taxes on imported household staples as well as textiles and indigo.

At the time, Lucy was engaged to a man whose family was close friends and immigrant travelers on the same ship from England with her grandparents John and Elizabeth Pittman.   Her fiance' was an outspoken and passionate patriot in support of the First Continental Congress which was set to meet in September of 1774.  The couple planned to marry in August and then travel to Pennsylvania arriving in time for her new husband to speak on behalf of the Virginia Sons of Liberty before the Continental Congress.

Although, the couple had known each other all of their lives and were compatible, the marriage uniting the two families would solidify their merging estates and religious beliefs for generations to come.  On the day of the wedding, Lucy sat beside her groom as he drove the team of horses down the rutted road to the frontier church. 

They arrived to a large crowd of happy family and friends who were preparing for the day of celebration when a contingent of British Militia emerged from the surrounding wooded area firing their muskets at the wedding party with intent to kill the Patriot Groom.  He was wounded.  His bride to be fell into his arms and with her last breath declared her love for him.

Lucy died on August 11, 1774...she was 24. 

 
A historically based creative writing...bride and groom story based on family history research.

Photos:  Spinner...Decoupage Wood Plaque  Colonial Woman...Painted Metal Etching

From the collection of CollectInTexas Gal


A Mother Is...Someone Who Defends...

...like my 5xGreatGrandmother...Wife and Mother of American Revolutionary Patriots.

A Mother is a friend for all time, to cherish and protect, as her achievements will linger for generations.
A five times Great Grandmother is a wonderous discovery in anyone's ancestorial research, especially when you are rewarded with names, dates and a story of her achievements that has been passed down for generations.

Just knowing her name as the Mother of my Direct Descendent was in itself a satisfying genealogy bit of information.  It is afterall, quite a challenge tracing the women in one's family tree, due to the traditional practice of women assuming their husbands surname.

In Virginia, when my 5xGreat Grandmother married on May 1, 1747, marriage was performed by ministers of the Church of England.  It would be another forty years before 'dissenting ministers', like Daniel Marshall, could perform marriage ceremonies.  Ministers were required by law to file marriage certificates with governing offices, however,  the laws were rarely enforced, resulting in many incomplete or nonexistent certificates.

Although women were treated as second-class citizens during the 1700's, their roles as women and mothers during the American Revolution gave rise to The Articles of Confederation and the important part they played in support of Republican Motherhood.  She encouraged her sons and husband to be soldiers, she boycotted particular goods and supported the causes of the Revolution by speaking out at home and in public.

My 5xGreat Grandmother Mary Polly Rowe Pittman was an

American Revolutionary Wife, Mother and Patriot.

Husband John I. Pittman

December 1776...4th Artillery Regiment of South Carolina

Commanded by Colonel Barnard Beeckman. 

He served as a Matross (Gunner) in Capt. Harmon Davis' Company.

Link to Capt. Harmon Davis Regiment and Battles HERE

Photo: Revolutionary Canons…Revolutionary War Antiques

~In 1778 John Pittman was reported in the South Carolina Militia as a Ships Master. *Georgia Revolutionary War Soldiers Graves by Arnold and Burnham, 1993 pg 576. Other Documentation: The Roster of South Carolina Patriots In The American Revolution by BG Moss, 1983 pg 775.

~ John Pittman is also listed with the Rebels who kept watch on the Savannah River Crossings. On the Muster Roll of Capt. Ephraim Mitchell’s Company of the South Carolina Continental Regiment of Artillery Encampment at the Two Sisters Ferry commanded by Colonel Owen Roberts…March 21, 1779.

~Sons of John Pittman and Mary Polly Rowe Pittman
 Served in the Revolutionary War:

*John Ichabod Pittman

Buckner Pittman

James Greene Pittman

Phillip Pittman

Timothy Pittman

The Torries Raid on John Pittman Homestead

While John and his sons were away fighting in the American Revolution the Torries raided their home on Kiokee Creek, Georgia.    The house was ransacked and Mary Polly was thrown off the porch while trying to defend her home. She suffered a broken hip which left her crippled for the rest of her life.

Her achievements will linger for generations....

*John Ichabod Pittman...Direct Descendent...4xGreat Grandfather

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'!

  

Colonial Americans John and Mary Rowe Pittman

John Pittman and Mary Polly Rowe were married on May 1, 1747 in Buckingham, Virginia where John was born and raised.   Mary Polly Rowe, born in 1730, was the daughter of William and Mary Brough Rowe of Isle of Wrights, Virginia.

For John and Mary, the family was at the center of Puritan godly homes, and they began their married life with Puritan proscribed proper gender roles.

Men were expected to love their wives and provide for her and their children.  Women were expected to be obedient to their husbands, work beside them in the fields, do all of the household work which included everything from cooking to making soap, washing and nurturing their children.

The early years of their marriage were spent in Virginia where their children were born.  Records indicate they migrated through South Carolina and prior to 1770 settled in St. Paul's Parish, Georgia near Kiokee Creek.  Their Plantation home was located in then Richmond County which was later divided and named Columbia County.

Pittman/Carroll/Marley Family Tree on Ancestry.com

 ~ Public ~ Membership required to view.

John Pittman Profile...HERE

Mary Polly Rowe Pittman Profile...HERE