#Ancestor Challenge 2019, Week 15, Shirl Brooks DNA

#Ancestor Challenge 2019, Week 15,  Shirl Brooks DNA

DNA is the Giveaway

The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Forde

Aha!  Discovering a seemingly good DNA match gives this girl a thrill.  Because of privacy, I will call this match, Shirl.  Her Family Tree autosomal DNA matches my maternal aunts. The match is to their paternal Miller and Brooks lineage.  The Miller DNA was quickly eliminated because Shirl does not match our Miller cousins.  Further sleuthing led to a combined match between Shirl, my maternal aunts, and our Brooks and Cobb cousins.  

Shirl’s paternal, 86 year old, uncle Gene submitted YDNA and mtDNA testing,  eliminating Shirl’s paternal side as a match to our James Brooks line.  Shirl’s autosomal DNA match comes from her mother.  Shirl's DNA matches were submitted to a professional geneticist, Diahan Southard, who confirmed the DNA matches to the lines of James Brooks.  

A common ancestry appears to descend from James Brooks, born 1769 in Chatham County, North Carolina, son of John Brooks, Jr. and Jaene May.  James Brooks married Falby Cobb.  But where does Shirl’s ancestor Rebecca Jane fit into the family tree?

James Brooks (1769-1822) m. Falby Cobb 

Son, Jacob Rutledge Brooks (1806-1900) m. Rebecca Sappington

Daughter, Martha Brooks (1834-1874) m. Elijah McDonald

Daughter, Rebecca J. McDonald (1858-1938) m. William A. Miller

Son, Coy C. Miller (1892-1962 m. Ruby Anna King

Cynthia’s maternal aunts/siblings (Shirl’s DNA matches)

James Brooks (1769-1822) m. Falby Cobb

Son, Jacob Rutledge Brooks (1806-1900) m. Rebecca Sappington

Son, Timothy Collins Brooks (1850-1907) m. Lousia M. Lawson

Son, James Caleb Brooks (1873-1932) m. Fannie Lydia Phoenix

Son, Joseph Frederick Brooks (1925-2002) m. Thelma Rotton  (Shirls’ Rotton matches

Sons FEB and brother RWB (Shirl’s DNA matches)

James Brooks (1769-1822) m. Falby Cobb
Son Bryant Shields Brooks (1815-1870) m. Barsheba
Daughter Rebecca Jane Brooks (1842-1917) m. George W. Bradley
Daughter Mary V. "Molly" Bradley m. John Wilson Guthrie
Daughter Sadie Marie Guthrie (1920-1962) m. Otis Lee Chesney 
Shirl

Rebecca Jane Brooks or Byrd?

Shirl is the proven descendant of a Rebecca Jane Brooks or Byrd.  She has been researching this ancestor for many years, and she is quite delighted to learn of the strong DNA match to my Brooks family.  She was uncertain if Rebecca’s maiden name was Brooks or Byrd because the death certificate for one of her sons listed his mother as Rebecca Brooks, but an accompanying form suggested the search to include the name, Rebecca Jane Byrd.  I was able to eliminate Rebecca Byrd as the potential ancestor because Rebecca Byrd moved to Texas and married a Davis. 

Shirl contributed a timeline for her ancestor, Rebecca Jane, who married George W. Bradley in Mississippi.  She is enumerated in Mississippi in censes: 1880, 1900, and 1910.  The 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Mississippi, gives her birth year as 1843, born in Georgia, while the 1900 U.S. Federal Census Mississippi, lists Nov. 1842, born in Alabama.  The 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Mississippi, gives her age as 65 and her birth year as 1845.  

1850	1880	1900	1910
Age 6	Age 37	Age 57	Age 65
Born 1844, AL	Born 1843, GA	Born 1842, AL	Born 1845, MS
		Father b. AL	Father b. MS
		Mother b. GA	Mother b. MS

With three inconsistent sources used for research, a Rebecca Brooks, age 6, the birth year 1844 was found in the1850 U.S. Federal Census, Pike County, Alabama.[1] She was the daughter of Bryant S. Brooks, born 1815 Georgia and his wife, Bersheba.

The Pike County, AL Rebecca Brooks, the birth year 1844, is not inconsistent with Rebecca Jane Bradley known birth year of 1842.   If this is the right Rebecca, it puts her in the right location for the all-important DNA match to the Brooks, Cobb, Lawsons, and Rotton.  The 1850 census was the end of that Rebecca Brooks in Alabama.  

The widowed Rebecca Jane Bradley’s final U.S. Federal census record was 1910, where she is enumerated in the household of her daughter, Hulda, and her son-in-law; Rebecca was listed as born in 1845 in Mississippi. The age discrepancy of two years in 1850 -1900, is consistent with literacy issues, the informant, and the enumerator’s own skill.   

Byrant S. Brooks and Rebecca Jane Brooks Timeline

1815 Bryant Shield Brooks was born in Georgia, according to the 1850 U.S. Census, Pike County, Alabama.  He was a blacksmith in Walton County, Georgia before migration to Pike County, Alabama, shortly after his brother, Jacob Rutledge Brooks, moved his family.

1840 U.S. Federal Census, Pike, Alabama, Bryant S. Brooks, his wife Bersheba, are enumerated with a family of 7.[2]

1841 Civil Appointment as Postmaster[3]

1850 U.S. Federal Census, Pike, Alabama, Bryant S. Brooks, born about 1816 in Georgia was enumerated with a family of 8 that includes a Rebecca Brooks born 1844.[4]

1851, 3 July - Bryant S.Brooks was elected postmaster of New Providence, Pike County, Alabama.[5]  

1854 Bryant Shield Brooks moved to Mississippi, where he married Elizabeth Gibbs and had another family, including a son named Bryant Shields Brooks, Jr., and a daughter Phalbia, the same name as the mother of Bryant S. Brooks, postmaster, and husband of Bersheba Brooks.  

1860 Bersheba Brooks is enumerated as the head of household, Pike County, Alabama

1860 Rebecca Jane Bradley, living in Mississippi, married George Washington Bradley b. in MS and named a son Shield Morgan sometimes called Shug. 

1860 U.S. Federal Census, Beat 2, Bowie, Texas, B.S. Brooks 45, born 1815, Georgia, with son Henry 4 and PhB. 1.[6]

1867 Trinity, Texas Voter Registration, Bryant S. Brooks born Georgia.[7]

1870 U.S. Federal Census Trinity, Texas,  Bryant Brooks 55, born 1815 Georgia, with Elizabeth Brooks and four children, Bryant, Augustus, Jefferson, and Phalbie.   He is a Baptist minister and teacher.[8]

Rebecca Jane Brooks Bradley

By Raquel Lindaas

for Cynthia Forde-Beatty

January 2017

This research session commenced with the goal of learning more about Rebecca Jane Brooks Bradley, born November 4, 1842, in Alabama. A death certificate provided for research shows that Mrs. Rebecca Jane Bradley, born on that date, died February 15, 1917, in Sunrise Precinct, Forrest County, Mississippi. Her parents’ names are scantly filled in, the father being ‘Mr. Brooks’ or ‘McBrooks’, born in Alabama, and ‘mother unknown’, also born in Alabama. Rebecca rests in Carter Grave Yard, apparently in Forrest County.

The FindaGrave.com website lists a Carter Family Cemetery in Forrest County, but there are no listings for anyone named Bradley or Brooks. Forrest County was created in 1906 from Perry County, which has a Carter Hill Cemetery. But no Bradleys or Brooks are listed as being interred there either.

Rebecca was traced through the censuses and other records, in order to learn more about her. In 1910, she was listed as Jane R. Bradley, age sixty-five, widowed, born in Mississippi, parents both born in Mississippi. These birthplaces differ from the Alabama birthplaces reported on her death certificate for herself and her parents. Jane was listed as the mother-in-law to the head of household, Clarence B. Travas, age thirty-four. He had a wife named Hulda, age twenty-four, and two sons, Otha and Clarence, all family members reportedly born in Mississippi. Clarence’s father Ezekiel also resided in the home.[9]

Locality		1910, Beat 3, Forrest County, Mississippi
ED, Sheet, Line		E. D. 16, Sheet 6B, Lines 77-82
Enumeration Date		22 Apr 1910
Location			Description				Birth Place
House	Family	Name	Sex	Age	Relationship	Occupation	Self	Fath	Moth
116	116	Travas, Clarence B.	M	34	Head	Farmer	MS	MS	MS
		“     Hulda	F	24	Wife		“	“	“
		“     Otha	M	3	Son		“	“	“
		“     Clarence	“	2	“		“	“	“
		“     Ezekal	“	73	Father		“	“	“
		Bradley, Jane R.	F	65	Moth-in-law		“	“	“

In 1900, Rebecca J. Bradley lived in Beat 4, Wayne County, Mississippi, with her husband, George W. Bradley. Rebecca reported her birth as having occurred in November 1842 in Alabama, father born in Alabama, mother born in Georgia. Rebecca and George had three children at home: Mollie N., HilderA., and Chester, all born in Mississippi. Two grandchildren lived with them, named Carrie and Frederick Bains.[10]Daughter ‘Hilder’ links Rebecca J. Bradley of 1900 in Wayne County, with Hulda and Jane R. Bradley of 1910 in Forrest County. The custom of using the first and middle names interchangeably can complicate research.

Locality		1900, Beat 4, Wayne County, Mississippi
ED, Sheet, Line		E. D. 114, Sheet 9B, Lines 58-64
Enumeration Date		27 Jun 1900
Location						Birth Place
House	Family	Name	Birth Date	Relationship	Occupation	Self	Fath	Moth
154	154	Bradley, George W.	Oct 1834	Head	Farmer	MS	NC	AL
		“       Rebecca J.	Nov 1842	Wife		AL	AL	GA
		“       Mollie N.	Aug 1880	Daughter		MS	MS	AL
		“       Hilder A.	1884	“		“	“	“
		“       Chester	1887	Son		“	“	“
		Bain, Carrie	1897	Gr-daughter		“	“	“
		“    Frederick	1899	Gr-son		“	“	“

The 1880 census gives yet another state of birth for Rebecca. Thirty-seven-year-old Rebecca ‘Bradly’, wife of G. W., shows Georgia as the birthplace for herself and both parents. Her children were all reportedly born in Mississippi, namely Green, age eighteen, Johnson, age fourteen, Nola, age eleven, George R., age nine, Shirls, age six, James F., age four, and Mary, age one.[11]A search for anyone named Brooks in the area determined that none lived in all of Wayne County in 1880.

Locality		1880,
ED, Sheet, Line		4th District, Wayne County, Mississippi
Enumeration Date		E. D. 130, Sheet 9A, Lines 39-47
Location			Description				Birth Place
House	Family	Name	Sex	Age	Relationship	Occupation	Self	Fath	Moth
10	10	Bradly, G. W.	M	46	Head	Physician	MS	AL	AL
		“     Rebecca	F	37	Wife	Kpg House	GA	GA	GA
		“     Green	M	18	Son	Farmer	MS	“	“
		“     Johnson	“	14	“	“	“	“	“
		“     Nola	F	11	Daughter		“	“	“
		“     George R.	M	9	Son		“	“	“
		“     Shirls	“	6	“		“	“	“
		“     Jas. F.	“	4	“		“	“	“
		“     Mary	F	1	Daughter		“	“	“

Rebecca Bradley could not be located in 1870, either as Jane or by using her husband and children in the search terms. The 1870 census is believed to be missing at least one-fourth of the residents of the former Confederate States. Tensions ran high between the southerners and any agents of the federal government, such as census enumerators. 

In 1860, there were no less than three girls name Rebecca Brooks in Mississippi and Alabama, close to the right age to be the same as the subject of the 1917 death certificate. The first is eighteen-year-old Rebecca J. Brooks, a resident of Tippah County, Mississippi. She was the daughter of William Brooks, age fifty-five, and born in Kentucky. His wife, Bithena, age forty-five, was born in Alabama. Rebecca had three younger siblings.[12]

Locality		1860, Northern Division, Tippah County, Mississippi
Enumeration Date		30 Jun 1860
	House/		Description			Value of Estate		Birth
Page	Family	Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	Real	Pers.	Place	Remarks
511	498/ 450	Wm. Brooks	55	M	Farmer	1600	300	KY
		Bithena         “	45	F				AL
		Rebecca Jane “	18	“				MS
		Cynthia A.     “	15	“				“
		Perry M.        “	10	M				“
		M. M.          “	4	F				MS
		Suky C. Bask	65	“				AL

Tippah County, Mississippi sits on the northern border of the state, adjacent Tennessee. This is quite a long distance from Wayne County, where Rebecca Jane Bradley lived and died.

The second candidate is Rebecca Brooks of Monroe County, Alabama, age fourteen, daughter of James and Sarah Brooks, both born in Georgia.[13]This Rebecca was one of ten children in the family, all born in Alabama, which matches the birthplace shown on the 1917 death certificate. 

Locality		1860, Monroe County, Alabama
Enumeration Date		27 Jun 1860
	House/		Description			Value of Estate		Birth
Page	Family	Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	Real	Pers.	Place	Remarks
797	233/ 221	James Brooks	45	M	Farmer	1000	600	GA
		Sarah         “	34	F				“
		Sarah         “	16	“				AL
		Rebecca    “	14	“				“
		James         “	13	M				“
		Frances      “	11	F				“
		Seba          “	9	“				“
		George      “	7	M				“
		Edward     “	7	“				“
		William    “	4	“				“
		Nancy       “	3	F				“
		Beatrice    “	1	“				“

Thirdly, a Rebecca E. Brooks lived in Pike County, Alabama in 1860, daughter of the ancestral Jacob R. Brooks and his wife, Rebecca J. Fifteen-year-old Rebecca and her siblings were all reportedly born in Alabama.[14]

Locality		1860, Eastern Division, Pike County, Alabama
Enumeration Date		22 Aug 1860
	House/		Description			Value of Estate		Birth
Page	Family	Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	Real	Pers.	Place	Remarks
339	1134/1147	Jacob R. Brooks	53	M	Farmer	1600	4110	GA
		Rebecca J.      “	48	F				“
		Isabella J.       “	18	“				AL
		Rebecca E.     “	15	“				“
		Marion E.       “	13	“				“
		Arabella J.      “	11	“				“
		Timothy         “	9	M				“
		Jane H.           “	5	F				“

Since Rebecca Jane Bradley had three different birth states reported for her in the later censuses, it is difficult to match any of these up to her with any certainty. 

In 1850, Rebecca J. Brooks of Tippah County, Mississippi, daughter of William and Bethena Brooks, showed an age of nine years, and the birthplace of Mississippi, consistent with the 1860 census, shown above as Document 4.[15]

Locality			1850, Third Division, Tippah County, Mississippi
Enumeration Date			17 Sep 1850
				Description			Real	Birth
Page	House	Family	Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	Estate	Place	Remarks
511	279	279	William Brooks	26	M	Farmer	200	KY
			Bethena       “	33	F			AL
			John T.        “	17	M			TN
			Susan C.      “	15	F			MS
			Elisha A.     “	13	M			“
			Nancy A.      “	11	F			“
			Rebecca J.    “	9	“			“
			Cynthia        “	7	“			“
			Samuel K.    “	5	M			“
			Susan Bass	55	F			SC

Rebecca E. Brooks, daughter of Jacob and Rebecca of Pike County, Alabama, is believed to have married William Du Bose. Indeed, FamilySearch.org contains a reference to a marriage between Rebecca ‘C.’ Brooks and William H. Dubose, married April 20, 1862, in Pike County. This seems to eliminate her as the same person as Rebecca Jane Bradley. The middle initial discrepancy is also glaring.

Another Rebecca Brooks lived in Pike County, Alabama in 1850, but is not found in 1860. Her age appears to be six years old, birthplace Alabama, with parents named B. S. and Bersheba Brooks.[16]

Locality			1850, Pike County, Alabama
Enumeration Date			25 Sep 1850
				Description			Real	Birth
Page	House	Family	Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	Estate	Place	Remarks
147	160	160	B. S. Brooks	34	M	Merchant		GA
			Bersheba    “	31	F			SC
			Liddy         “	10	“			AL
			Jacob         “	8	M			“
			Rebecca    “	6	F			“
			Henry       “	4	M			“
			Ruth         “	3	F			“
			Mary        “	2/12	“			“

Bersheba Brooks was a single head of household in 1860, living in Montgomery County, Alabama with four children, who match up with some of the above, but not including Rebecca. 

Rebecca Brooks of Monroe County, Alabama is listed as a seven-year-old twin to her sister Sarah in 1850. Her age of fourteen in the 1850 census may have actually been sixteen, with part of the numbers missing some ink. Her father, James ‘Brook’, age thirty-two or thirty-seven, was born in Georgia, and mother Ann is also listed as born in Georgia. On the same page is sixty-year-old William Brooks, born in South Carolina.[17]He may be the father of James, and grandfather of Rebecca. 

Locality			1850, Monroe, Alabama
Enumeration Date			16 Nov 1850
				Description			Real	Birth
Page	House	Family	Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	Estate	Place	Remarks
41	605	605	James Brook	32?	M	Farmer		GA
			Ann         “	29?	F			“
			Sarah       “	7	“			AL
			Rebecca  “	“	“			“
			James       “	3	M			“
			Francis     “	1	F			“
			John          “	16	M			“

A map of Alabama counties shows Monroe County in the southwestern quadrant of the state, just three counties directly east of Wayne County, Mississippi where Rebecca Jane Brooks Bradley settled.[18]This close proximity between these two points looks promising for a match.

Just two doors away from the above family, there lived William Brooks, age sixty and born in South Carolina. He had a wife named Sarah, age fifty-five, born in Georgia. These may have been the parents of James Brooks of Monroe County, Alabama.

Rebecca Brooks, daughter of Jacob R. and Rebecca Brooks of Pike County, Alabama, married William Du Bose. This couple lived in Crenshaw County, Alabama in 1870. She was twenty-four years old and reportedly born in Alabama. Wm. Dubose, age 26, born AL, wife Rebecca, age 24, born AL, 3 children.[19]Their marriage record is found in Pike County, having occurred on April 18, 1862.[20]This further confirms that she was not the same as Rebecca Jane Brooks Bradley.

Further investigation of Rebecca J. Brooks of Tippah County, Mississippi reveals that R. J. Brooks married M. A. Dees there on February 15, 1865.[21]The 1870 census of Tippah County shows Mark A. Dees, age thirty, with a wife named Rebecca, age twenty-one, and two children, age two and younger.[22]This casts serious doubt that Rebecca Brooks of Tippah County, Mississippi is the same who married George W. Bradley and settled in Wayne County, Mississippi.

Rebecca Brooks of Monroe County, Alabama remains as the only one of the three candidates that have not been eliminated. To learn more about this Rebecca’s parents, they were searched and located in the 1880 census. They still resided in Monroe County, in the town of Midway. Sixty-eight-year-old James M. Brooks reported his birthplace as Georgia and South Carolina for both his parents. Wife Ann O., age fifty-five, was reportedly a native of Georgia, as were both her parents. These birthplaces match with those reported in the 1850 and 1860 censuses. The name of James’s wife was Ann in 1850, Sarah in 1860, and Ann in 1880. She must have been Sarah Ann, except for the middle initial ‘O’ in 1880. Two children still lived at home in 1880, Sarah and Robert.[23]  Knowing that James’s parents were born in South Carolina can be valuable in future research on his lineage. It is curious that they were still in Alabama, and had not moved west into Mississippi yet.

Locality		1880, Beat 12, Midway, Monroe County, Alabama
ED, Sheet, Line		E. D. 156, Sheet 1A, Lines 47-50
Enumeration Date		7 Jun 1880
Location			Description				Birth Place
House	Family	Name	Sex	Age	Relationship	Occupation	Self	Fath	Moth
8	8	Brooks, James M.	M	68	Head	Farmer	GA	SC	SC
		“      Ann O.	F	55	Wife		“	GA	GA
		“       Sarah	F	36	Daughter		AL	“	“
		“       Robert H.	M	17	Son		“	“	“

Searches in FamilySearch.org turned up a death record abstract for Nancy Driver, who died December 18, 1934, in Monroeville, Monroe County, Alabama. Her parents were listed as James Brooks and Ann Knight, both born in Georgia.[24]Nancy was a younger sister to Rebecca. She was three years old in 1860, according to Document 5.

Searches in Google.com for Rebecca Brooks turned up queries in an Ancestry.com message board. A John Napoleon Hawkins, Jr. was born about 1866 in Monroe County, Alabama to John Napoleon Hawkins, Sr. and Mary Rebecca Brooks. This family moved to Santa Rosa County, Florida where they are found on the 1880 census, except that John N. Hawkins’ wife was named Rhoda J., age twenty-eight, born in Florida. The person who posted the query speculates that Mary Rebecca Brooks died sometime between 1867 and 1872, judging from the ages of the children in the home.[25]

Such a family could not be found in the 1870 census, either in Alabama or Florida. Marriage records of Monroe County, Alabama contain a marriage for John N. Hawkins to Mary R. Brooks, their marriage having taken place on February 8, 1865. No parents or family members are named in the very brief record.[26]It is hard to be sure that this Mary R. Brooks was the same as Rebecca, shown in James Brooks’s home in 1850 and 1860. She did not show a middle initial in either census.

In 1880, John N. Hawkins lived in Santa Rosa County, Florida, with his wife, Rhoda J. Their household consisted of these persons:[27]

Locality		1880, Santa Rosa County, Florida
ED, Sheet, Line		E. D. 137, Sheet 30B, Lines 12-20
Enumeration Date		21 & 22 Jun 1880
Location			Description				Birth Place
House	Family	Name	Sex	Age	Relationship	Occupation	Self	Fath	Moth
283	283	Hawkins, John N.	M	30	Head	Laborer	AL	AL	AL
		“        Rhoda J.	F	28	Wife	Keeps Hse	FL	NC	NC
		“        John N.	M	14	Son		AL	AL	FL
		“        Mary R.	F	13	Daughter		“	“	“
		“        Harriet L.	“	8	“		FL	“	“
		“        William M.	M	5	Son		“	“	“
		“        Callie	F	4	Daughter		“	“	“
		“        Benjamin F.	M	3	Son		“	“	“
		“        Ada	F	6/ 12	Daughter		“	“	“

  

There is a five-year gap in the ages between Mary R. and Harriet L., but all the children are listed with a birthplace of Florida for their mother. 

Compiled family information online, such as a Public Member Tree in Ancestry.com, lists John Napoleon Hawkins, Jr.s’ mother as Rhoda J. West. John, Jr. died in Alabama in 1931, according to these online postings. His death certificate has been requested from the State of Alabama, to see what his mother’s name was. Hopefully, the informant for his death certificate knew the mother’s name.

If Rebecca Brooks, daughter of James and Ann Brooks of Monroe County, Alabama, is eliminated as Rebecca Jane Brooks Bradley, then all of those girls by that name identified in the 1860 census have been discounted. That still leaves six-year-old Rebecca Brooks of Pike County, Alabama, daughter of B. S. Berthena Brooks. The other Pike County Brooks family from the 1860 census (Document 6), headed by Jacob R. and Rebecca Brooks, is listed there in 1850.[28]

Locality			1850, Pike County, Alabama
Enumeration Date			19 Sep 1850
				Description			Real	Birth
Page	House	Family	Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	Estate	Place	Remarks
140	65	65	J. R. Brooks	43	M	Farmer	250	GA
			Rebecca    “	38	F			“
			Caleb        “	21	M	Student		“
			James       “	20	“	Farmer		“
			Martha     “	16	F			“
			Mariam    “	15	“			“
			Isabella    “	9	“			AL
			Rebecca   “	6	“			“
			Delia        “	4	“			“
			Arabella   “	2	“			“
			T. Collins “	6/12	M			“

The family must have moved from Georgia to Alabama about 1835 to 1840. The youngest child, T. Collins, corresponds with Timothy in the 1860 census. The two Brooks families were listed just a few pages apart in the 1850 census.

Both Brooks families of Pike County, Alabama moved from Georgia to Alabama about the same time, according to the ages of their children. However, the Bryant S. Brooks family is found in Pike County, Alabama in the 1840 census[29], while Jacob R. Brooks was enumerated in Walton County, Georgia.

Locality			1840, Pike County, Alabama
Pg. Ln.	Head of Family		0 to 5	5 to 10	10 to 15	15 to 20	20 to 30	30 to 40	40 to 50	50 to 60	60 to 70	70 to 80	80 +	Slaves
307	Bryant S. Brooks	M F	1 2		1	1	1 1

Jacob and Bryant are brothers, sons of James Brooks and Falby Cobb of Warren County, Georgia. A DNA match has been found between the descendants of Jacob R. Brooks and those of Rebecca Jane Brooks Bradley. Thus it appears very likely that Rebecca, daughter of Bryant Shields Brooks, was indeed the same Rebecca Brooks who married George W. Bradley. They had a son named Shields, listed as ‘Shirls’ in the census.   

Phalby Brooks deed  naming Bryant as son

---

[1]Citation Information

Detail

Year: 1850; Census Place: Pike, Alabama; Roll: M432_13; Page: 147B; Image: 296

Source Information

Title

1850 United States Federal Census

Author

Ancestry.com

Publisher

Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.

Publisher Date

2009

Publisher Location

Provo, UT, USA

Edit Repository

Repository Information

Name

Ancestry.com

[2]Source Citation

Year: 1840; Census Place: Pike, Alabama; Page: 367; Family History Library Film: 0002334

Source Information

Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

Original data: Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Description

This database details those persons enumerated in the 1840 United States Federal Census, the Sixth Census of the United States. In addition, the names of those listed on the population schedule are linked to the actual images of the 1840 Federal Census. Enumerators of the 1840 census were asked to include the following categories in the census: name of the head of household, number of free white males and females, number of other free persons, names of slave owners and number of slaves, number of foreigners, and town or district and county of residence

[3]

Bryant S Brooks
Appointment Place:	Pike, Alabama, USA
Commission Date:	24 Mar 1841
Film:	M881342
Film Title:	Civil Appointments

[4]U.S. Federal Census Pike, Alabama;

[5]Source Information

Ancestry.com. The U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.

Original data: Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971. NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls. Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group Number 28. Washington, D.C.: National Archives.

Description

This is a database of post office appointments stretching from 1832 until 1971. The records are mostly a register of people appointed to run post offices, but opening and closing of post offices, as well as Presidential appointments and Senate confirmations, are included. The records primarily include name, appointment date, vacancy cause, vacancy date, post office location, state, county, and volume. 

[6]Source Citation

Year: 1860; Census Place: Beat 2, Bowie, Texas; Roll: M653_1289; Page: 7; Family History Library Film: 805289

Source Information

Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

Original data: 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

Description

This database is an index to individuals enumerated in the 1860 United States Federal Census, the Eighth Census of the United States. Census takers recorded many details including each person's name, age as of the census day, sex, color; birthplace, occupation of males over age fifteen, and more. No relationships were shown between members of a household. Additionally, the names of those listed on the population schedule are linked to actual images of the 1860 Federal Census

[7]Source Information

Ancestry.com. Texas, Voter Registration Lists, 1867-1869 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Original data:

1867 Voter Registration Lists. Microfilm, 12 rolls. Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Austin, Texas.

Description

Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction Acts required Southern states to register all eligible voters, both black and white, which makes these Texas registration lists particularly valuable for African American research.

[8]Detail

Year: 1870; Census Place: Trinity, Texas; Roll: M593_1606; Page: 350A; Image: 703; Family History Library Film: 553105

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Source Information

Title

1870 United States Federal Census

Author

Ancestry.com

Publisher

Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.

Publisher Date

2009

Publisher Location

Provo, UT, USA

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Repository Information

Name

Ancestry.com

[9]Document 1: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1910, Beat 3, Forrest County, Mississippi, E. D. 16, Sheet 6B, Lines 77-82, Dwelling #116. 

[10]Document 2: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1900, Beat 4, Wayne County, Mississippi, E. D. 114, Sheet 9B, Lines 58-64, Dwelling #154.

[11]Document 3: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1880, 4^thDistrict, Wayne County, Mississippi, E. D. 130, Sheet 9A, Lines 39-47, Dwelling #10.

[12]Document 4: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1860, Northern Division, Tippah County, Mississippi, p. 511, Dwelling #498.

[13]Document 5: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1860, Monroe County, Alabama, p. 797, Lines 2-12, Dwelling #233.

[14]Document 6: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1860, Eastern Division, Pike County, Alabama, p. 339, Dwelling #1134.

[15]Document 7: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1850, Tippah County, Mississippi, p. 511, Lines 25-34, Dwelling #279.

[16]Document 8: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1850, Pike County, Alabama, p. 147, Lines 23-30, Dwelling #160.

[17]Document 9: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1850, Monroe County, Alabama, p. 41, Lines 11-17, Dwelling #605.

[18]Document 10: Ancestry's Red Book (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1992). Personal copy

[19]Document 11: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1870, Township 9, Range 17, Crenshaw County, Alabama, p. 14, Lines 3-7, Dwelling #94. 

[20]Document 12: Marriage Records, Pike County, Alabama, Book D, 1859-2863, p. 399 (County Clerk; filmed by Genealogical Society of Utah, 1979). FHL Film #1033194 (accessed through FamilySearch.org) 

[21]Document 13: Marriage Records, Tippah County, Mississippi, Book 2, 1865-1870, p. 127 (County Clerk; filmed by Genealogical Society of Utah, 1972). FHL Film #0895816 (accessed through FamilySearch.org)

[22]Document 14: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1870, Range 5, Township 4, Tippah County, Mississippi, p. 252, Lines 12-15, Dwelling #28.

[23]Document 15: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1880, Beat 12, Midway, Monroe County, Alabama, E. D. 156, Sheet 1A, Lines 47-50, Dwelling #8.

[24]Document 16: FamilySearch.org, Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974, Nancy Driver, 18 Dec 1934, Monroeville, Monroe County, Alabama, Certificate #28040.

[25]Document 17: Ancestry.com Message Boards, John Napoleon Hawkins, Jr., 29 Jun 1999 & 16 Aug 2005.

[26]Document 18: Marriage Records, Monroe County, Alabama, Volume A, 1833-1860, p. 244. FHL Film #1289610 

[27]Document 19: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1880, Santa Rosa County, Florida, E. D. 137, Sheet 30B, Lines 12-20, Dwelling #283.

[28]Document 20: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1850, Pike County, Alabama, p. 140, Lines 10-20, Dwelling #65.

[29]Document 21: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1840, Pike County, Alabama, p. 307.