Major Thomas Alexander Brannen, born in 1720, is thought by many to be the earliest recorded Bulloch County Brannen ancestor. He married Susanna Terrell (or Ferrell), and settled near the Ogeechee River in the Blitch community.
Thomas and Susanna had five children: Hugh, John, Alexander, Thomas, and William. There is some disagreement over whether or not this is the William Brannen almost everyone agrees is the first known Bulloch County progenitor.
Regardless of how a specific Brannen descendant feels about the major being William’s father, William is probably placed at the top of their family tree. William Brannen was born in either 1745 or 1752. He took as his wife Elizabeth (her last name may have been Gross).
Their children were Elizabeth, born in 1787; Solomon, born in 1791; Thomas Alexander, born in 1792 (named after his grandfather?); Sarah, born in 1794; William B., born in 1795; Mary, born in 1797; John, born in 1798; Hugh C., born in 1800; Lucretia, born in 1802; Cyrene, born in 1804; Edmund, born in 1806; and Rhoda, born in 1808.
Daughter Elizabeth married William Moore; Mary married John Allen; Cyrene married C. West Powell; Lucretia married Henry Smith; and Sarah married John Newsome. Son Solomon married Nancy Ann Stanford; Thomas married Nancy Hendrix; and William married Nancy Ann Hodges. John married first Elizabeth Donaldson and then Emily McFail Moore. Edmund married first Jane “Jincy” Jones, and then Fannie E. Powers.
There is a headright grant giving William Brannon 100 acres in Burke County in 1790. William and Elizabeth Brannen's names appear as members of the Nevils Creek Baptist Church as early as 1814. Most people believe he and his wife are buried at Lower Lotts Creek Church Cemetery, which they joined later, but no grave markers have been found.
The first William had several brothers. One, Henry, was born before 1755. He married Frances (last name unknown) sometime around 1776. The earliest document found referring to Henry Brannen was a 1787 headright grant of 600 acres of land in Burke County.
Another of Williams’ brothers, John, was born around 1765. He married a woman (about whom very little is known) in 1785. The earliest record of John Brannen is a neighbor’s deed he signed in 1792 for land in the Briar Creek area of Screven County.
John’s wife bore him the following children: Nancy, 1792; Hetty, 1794; James; 1798; Rachel, 1805; and Bryant, 1815. On the 7th of September 1829, James Brannen was made Bryant Brannen’s guardian, leading to the belief that John Brannen must have died before September 7th, 1829.
The Bulloch County Brannen line was continued by several of William’s children. William’s son Thomas Brannen married Nancy Donaldson about 1816 in Bulloch Co. On Nov. 25, 1816 Robert Donaldson, his wife’s father, transferred 250 acres of land to Thomas Brannen. Thomas moved first to Lowndes County, where he married Sarah Ann (last name unknown) around 1842, and then to Madison County in Florida in 1843.
Eventually, Nancy bore Thomas eight children: Mary Jane, 1817; Martha, 1818; Robert H., 1819; Owen, 1821; William Donaldson, 1822; Margaret E, 1824; Sarah Ann E., 1827, James, 1828, Francis J., 1832; and John R., 1834. After Nancy died in 1843, he married his second wife Sarah Ann. She bore him sons Hampton English, who was also called “Houston” (1843 or 1844), Nathan P. (1846), and Samuel B. (1850), and daughters Nicey P. (1850) and Levinna Ann (1852).
William’s son John (also called Jackie) and his wife Elizabeth had many children, including sons Uriah Mitchell, 1825, who married Annie Elizabeth Sims; William Alexander, 1827, who married Jane Ann Haseltine Beasley; James Monroe, 1828, who married Amanda F. Wilson; Wade Hampton, 1830, who married Eliza Jane Wilson; and Robert George Franklin, 1833, who married Margaret Amanda Lastinger
They had a number of daughters as well, including the twins (born in 1832) Martha Caroline, who married William Judson Tullis and Sarah Elizabeth who married Dr Jefferson Godfrey Williams; Emelia Mary Ann, 1835, who married Cicero Tootle; and Atossa, 1835, who married Aaron Jackson Cone.
Hugh P. Brannen, the next of the early Brennans, is somewhat of a question mark. He was born about 1785 in Burke County. Hugh is suspected to be the son of either Henry or John Brannen. He married Ann Cowart (also possibly a woman named Wooten) on Sept. 7 1815 in Bulloch County. He died sometime after 1850 in Wayne County. He is listed in Bulloch County records in 1814, and would therefore have had to be at least 21 years of age.
Hugh regularly used the P. as his middle initial, and therefore is easily identified. On Jan. 8, 1807, John Brannen transferred to Hugh 190 acres near the fork of the Savannah River and Brier Creek. The 1818 records of Scull Creek Baptist Church (later renamed Hebron Church) list Hugh P. Brannen as a male member of the church.
The 1830 Bulloch County Census describes Hugh’s household as follows: Hugh, as head of household; one son between the ages of 5 and 10, Edmund, his mother, Mary, aged around 70; and two daughters between the ages of 5 and 10, Rebecca and Jackson. As no wife is listed it is suspected that Ann Cowart probably already died. From these ancestors the Bulloch Brannens flourished.
You can E-mail comments to Roger at roger dodger53@hotmail.com
Thomas and Susanna had five children: Hugh, John, Alexander, Thomas, and William. There is some disagreement over whether or not this is the William Brannen almost everyone agrees is the first known Bulloch County progenitor.
Regardless of how a specific Brannen descendant feels about the major being William’s father, William is probably placed at the top of their family tree. William Brannen was born in either 1745 or 1752. He took as his wife Elizabeth (her last name may have been Gross).
Their children were Elizabeth, born in 1787; Solomon, born in 1791; Thomas Alexander, born in 1792 (named after his grandfather?); Sarah, born in 1794; William B., born in 1795; Mary, born in 1797; John, born in 1798; Hugh C., born in 1800; Lucretia, born in 1802; Cyrene, born in 1804; Edmund, born in 1806; and Rhoda, born in 1808.
Daughter Elizabeth married William Moore; Mary married John Allen; Cyrene married C. West Powell; Lucretia married Henry Smith; and Sarah married John Newsome. Son Solomon married Nancy Ann Stanford; Thomas married Nancy Hendrix; and William married Nancy Ann Hodges. John married first Elizabeth Donaldson and then Emily McFail Moore. Edmund married first Jane “Jincy” Jones, and then Fannie E. Powers.
There is a headright grant giving William Brannon 100 acres in Burke County in 1790. William and Elizabeth Brannen's names appear as members of the Nevils Creek Baptist Church as early as 1814. Most people believe he and his wife are buried at Lower Lotts Creek Church Cemetery, which they joined later, but no grave markers have been found.
The first William had several brothers. One, Henry, was born before 1755. He married Frances (last name unknown) sometime around 1776. The earliest document found referring to Henry Brannen was a 1787 headright grant of 600 acres of land in Burke County.
Another of Williams’ brothers, John, was born around 1765. He married a woman (about whom very little is known) in 1785. The earliest record of John Brannen is a neighbor’s deed he signed in 1792 for land in the Briar Creek area of Screven County.
John’s wife bore him the following children: Nancy, 1792; Hetty, 1794; James; 1798; Rachel, 1805; and Bryant, 1815. On the 7th of September 1829, James Brannen was made Bryant Brannen’s guardian, leading to the belief that John Brannen must have died before September 7th, 1829.
The Bulloch County Brannen line was continued by several of William’s children. William’s son Thomas Brannen married Nancy Donaldson about 1816 in Bulloch Co. On Nov. 25, 1816 Robert Donaldson, his wife’s father, transferred 250 acres of land to Thomas Brannen. Thomas moved first to Lowndes County, where he married Sarah Ann (last name unknown) around 1842, and then to Madison County in Florida in 1843.
Eventually, Nancy bore Thomas eight children: Mary Jane, 1817; Martha, 1818; Robert H., 1819; Owen, 1821; William Donaldson, 1822; Margaret E, 1824; Sarah Ann E., 1827, James, 1828, Francis J., 1832; and John R., 1834. After Nancy died in 1843, he married his second wife Sarah Ann. She bore him sons Hampton English, who was also called “Houston” (1843 or 1844), Nathan P. (1846), and Samuel B. (1850), and daughters Nicey P. (1850) and Levinna Ann (1852).
William’s son John (also called Jackie) and his wife Elizabeth had many children, including sons Uriah Mitchell, 1825, who married Annie Elizabeth Sims; William Alexander, 1827, who married Jane Ann Haseltine Beasley; James Monroe, 1828, who married Amanda F. Wilson; Wade Hampton, 1830, who married Eliza Jane Wilson; and Robert George Franklin, 1833, who married Margaret Amanda Lastinger
They had a number of daughters as well, including the twins (born in 1832) Martha Caroline, who married William Judson Tullis and Sarah Elizabeth who married Dr Jefferson Godfrey Williams; Emelia Mary Ann, 1835, who married Cicero Tootle; and Atossa, 1835, who married Aaron Jackson Cone.
Hugh P. Brannen, the next of the early Brennans, is somewhat of a question mark. He was born about 1785 in Burke County. Hugh is suspected to be the son of either Henry or John Brannen. He married Ann Cowart (also possibly a woman named Wooten) on Sept. 7 1815 in Bulloch County. He died sometime after 1850 in Wayne County. He is listed in Bulloch County records in 1814, and would therefore have had to be at least 21 years of age.
Hugh regularly used the P. as his middle initial, and therefore is easily identified. On Jan. 8, 1807, John Brannen transferred to Hugh 190 acres near the fork of the Savannah River and Brier Creek. The 1818 records of Scull Creek Baptist Church (later renamed Hebron Church) list Hugh P. Brannen as a male member of the church.
The 1830 Bulloch County Census describes Hugh’s household as follows: Hugh, as head of household; one son between the ages of 5 and 10, Edmund, his mother, Mary, aged around 70; and two daughters between the ages of 5 and 10, Rebecca and Jackson. As no wife is listed it is suspected that Ann Cowart probably already died. From these ancestors the Bulloch Brannens flourished.
You can E-mail comments to Roger at roger dodger53@hotmail.com