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 Weds for Love

Mary Ann had the typical Colonial upbringing with two older brothers and an older sister, Lucy. She followed in her sisters footsteps in learning the domestic lessons of colonial girls and was herself a big sister to seven younger siblings. This meant that she was well prepared for becoming a wife and mother when the time came for what she hoped would be marriage for love...unlike her sister Lucy's somewhat arranged marriage.

She knew Lucy was fond of Peleg.  He was a fine man, and would be a good provider, and their children would be the links for two closely tied families to be joined together for many generations to come.  With Lucy's marriage, Mary would be free to look for love in a union that would also be blessed by her parents.  By the age of twenty years old, Mary Ann had not found true love.  Little did she know that true love would come from tragedy and a family obligation she once thought was not hers to fulfill.

In the aftermath of her sisters tragic death, Mary Ann, her parents John and Mary, and the youngers were in a state of shock and devastation.   The mourning was twofold for the bridegroom to be, Peleg Rogers.  He had lost his future wife and mother of his children, and it was his fault she was dead.  He was seriously wounded, inconsolable, and bent on revenge.  Mary Ann's nursing and compassion for Peleg touched him deeply.  Her admiration and respect for him grew into something more as he recovered.

It would be eight years of courtship before Mary Ann Pittman and Peleg Rogers would marry. 

Revenge for the death of Lucy was first and foremost on the minds of Peleg and Lucy's brothers Buckner and John along with many of the Colonial Sons of Liberty.  Despite his mourning and injuries, the next month after Lucy's death, Peleg gave a rousing and passionate speech on behalf of the Virginia Sons of Liberty to the First Continental Congress.  His personal tragedy and the attempt on his own life by the British, added fuel to the already outraged colonials over the British Crowns Proclamations and Intolerable Tax Acts levied against the Colonies.

In the following years, Peleg and Mary Ann would be caught up in the Colonials Pre-Revolutionary War events and support for the Continental Congress during  1774-1775.  With Patrick Henry's "Give me Liberty, or give me Death", the Virginia Sons of Liberty were thrown into the beginning of the American Revolution.  John Pittman and sons, Buckner, John Ichabod, James Greene, Phillip and even young Timothy served in the Virginia, Georgia and Kentucky Regiments. 

Lucy's memory and Mary Ann's promise to wait for him sustained Peleg Rogers through the war.  In March of 1781 with the adoption of the Articles of  Confederation, and the surrender of Cornwallis, Peleg and the Patriot Colonists were hopeful the end was near.   One year later the Preliminary Articles of Peace set the stage for the Treaty of Paris which formally ended the American Revolutionary War in 1784.

 In May 1782, Mary Ann Pittman became the wife of Peleg Rogers.
They married for LOVE.

A historically based creative writing...Mary Ann and Pelegs love story based on family history research.