Jean Paul Brevard (abt. 1665 - abt. 1747)

Born about 1665 in France

Husband of Unknown (Wallace) Brevard — married before 1698 in Somerset County, Maryland

Husband of Katherine Mary (McKnitt) Brevard — married 1711 in Somerset, Maryland

Descendants

Died about 1747 at about age 82 in Elkton, Cecil, Province of Maryland

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Biography

Jean Brevard was a Huguenot emigrant (1540-1790).

Jean "John" Paul Brevard, Sr, was born 1665 in France. ^[1]

Possible Parents: Captain Alexander Brevard and Hannah Thompson

Jean Brevard is the first one of the Brevard name of whom anything is known. He was a Huguenot who fled from France on the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685.^[2] He and his two brothers, who were orphaned settled among the Scotch-Irish in the northern part of Ireland.

When he arrived at Somerset MD is unknown but the 1698 will of William Wallace, a cousin of Matthew Wallace Sr., states that Brevard married an un named daughter of Matthew Wallace and Elizabeth Alexander in Somerset Co MD. Sarah Brevard b abt 1707 is the only documented child for John Brevard and unnamed Wallace,. Sarah Brevard who married John Nisbet from an adjacent Pennsylvania County to Cecil County Maryland was born 1705-1710 before John Brevard married Katherine McKnitt about 1711.

John Brevard married Katherine McKnitt on 16 April, 1711, and had issue. ^[1]

Source: Ancestry.com - Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families from the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine. Volume II: Hinman-Sotcher https://ancestry.prf.hn/click/camref:1011l4xx5/type:cpc/destination:https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/117358315/person/152067044718/media/15f49012-97da-4e41-bbc0-78aed9f837c2?_phsrc=gCT5979&_phstart=successSource The only known child of this marriage is Sarah Brevard who married John Nisbet of Lancaster PA. John and Sarah also went to Rowan Co NC about 1750 with the other Brevards.

After his first wife died, John married one of the daughters of the McKnitt family, Katherine McKnitt, in Somerset Co Maryland. The marriage record of 1711shows Jean Brevard, born in France, married Katherine Mcknite (sic), born 1689. ^[3] They later settled on Elk River, in Cecil Co Maryland. They had the following children:

1. Adam Brevard (1712-1783), married Mary McKnitt in 1733
2. John Brevard, Sr. (Born-1715 Died-9/15/1790) ^[1], married Jane "Jean" McWhorter
3. Benjamin Brevard (Born-6/10/1717 Died-3/27/1793) ^[1] , married Rebecca Alexander in 1740
4. Elizabeth Isabella (Brevard) Jetton (1722-1813) ^[1], married John Lewis Jetton in 1747
5. Robert Brevard (1718-1800)^[1] , married Sarah Craig in 1744
6. Zebulon Brevard (1724-1798) ^[1], married Ann Templeton in 1754
7. Thomas Brevard (1726-1790), married Hannah Creiger

In 1726 Jean was an Elder from "Upper Elk" in attendance at a meeting of the New Castle Presbytery, Cecil County, Maryland ^[4]

The three elder brothers, with their sister and her husband, moved to North Carolina between 1740 and 1750. The three brothers were all Whigs during the American Revolution. Zebulon served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and John served on the Rowan County Committee of Safety and the Provincial Congress.^[5]

Burial: His farm, near Whaleyville, Worcester County, Maryland^[6]

ADDITIONAL RESEARCH

Brevard Street

The Brevard name originates from John Brevard, who was the first Brevard in the North Carolina colony. John Brevard married Katherine McKnitt, and to that Union came John Brevard

II. John Brevard II married Jane McWhorter, and their first child Ephraim Brevard was born in 1750 and studied medicine at Princeton and began practicing in Charlotte, NC. Ephraim was secretary of the famous Mecklenburg Convention that resolved to reject the British Parliament authority over the colonies on May 31, 1775. Ephraim served in the Revolutionary War, and the Brevard family owned slaves and indentured whites.

In addition to Brevard Street, there is North Brevard, South Brevard, Brevard Court, and Brevard Apartments just west of the I-277.

https://www.charlottenc.gov/files/sharedassets/city/v/1/city-government/leadership/documents/legacy-commission/street-name-historical-documentation.pdf

THE BREVARD FAMILY OF FAIRVIEW https://fairviewtowncrier.com/2015/09/the-brevard-family-of-fairview/

Background

In 1661, Louis XIV, Catholic monarch of France, began a series of measures designed to undermine and neutralize the Edict of Nantes and promote the Catholic cause in France. The Edict of Nantes, issued in 1598 by Henry IV, had granted certain freedom of worship and civil rights to French Huguenots (Protestants). By 1681, the infamous "dragonnades" started in France. Troops were quartered on Huguenot households with the freedom and encouragement to commit any outrage short of murder. Although the Edict of Nantes was not revoked until 1685, the major Huguenot exodus began in 1681. Among those fleeing France was Jean Brevard, probably as a teenage boy.^[7]

The name BREVARD derived from some other name. Possible sources are suggested by the place names Breillard, Bouvant, Bouvard. In America, the name would commonly be spelled BREVARD or BRAVARD by descendants in Maryland and North Carolina. In the 1790 census, some Brevards were living in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Maryland but most were living in North Carolina. Brevard County, Florida and Brevard, North Carolina are named for the family. Brevard, the county seat of Transylvania County, North Carolina, was named to honor Ephraim Brevard, a colonel and surgeon in the Revolutionary Army and grandson of Jean Brevard.^[8]

It is believed the young Brevard married around 1685, shortly after his arrival in America. His first wife was a girl from the Wallace family. She died, probably in Cecil County, Maryland before 1711 without leaving any surviving children. Jean then married Katherine McKnitt, around 1711. She was the oldest daughter of John McKnitt, Sr. and Jane Alexander McKnitt. The Brevard family were active in Presbyterian affairs in Cecil County. Jean was an elder in the Broad Creek Presbyterian Church in 1723, and attended a meeting of the General Synod at Philadelphia on September 21, 1726.

The earliest land held by Jean Brevard was not recorded, but was acquired before 1724. He owned a plantation known as "Charles Camp" and part of a tract called "Sligo". The first reference to John Brevard in the Cecil County records so far discovered is dated 16 March 1715/16 when he witnessed the inventory of the estate of John McKnitt, Sr., who was his father-in-law. All subsequent ones deal with real estate matters. He left no recorded Will, nor was there any administration on he estate noted in the Cecil County records. His son, John Brevard, Jr., "blacksmith", in 1739 and 1741 purchased from William Foster and the latter's heirs two properties on "Long Creek being a small creek running to Bohemia Back creek", adjacent to the lands of Henry Ward's heirs and of Andrew Alexander, as well as the tract called Charles Camp.

John Brevard was active in Presbyterian affairs, not only in his local church but also in the meetings of the New Castle Presbytery and the General Synod. It has already been noted that he was an elder of the Broad Creek Presbyterian Church in 1723. David Alexander and he were present as elders when the Presbytery met 9 August 1726 at Upper Elk Church. On 31 October 1727 James Alexander, Robert Linton, and he attended Presbytery at Octorara. Andrew Wallace, Andrew Steel, and he were present at Presbytery 26 March 1728 when it met at the Head of Elk. John Steel and he served similarly at Christiana Creek 10 June 1729. John Brevard had likewise attended a meeting of the General Synod at Philadelphia 21 September 1726.

No reference to John Brevard, Sr. has been found subsequent to 10 June 1729. It is concluded that soon thereafter he died. If he was 20 years of age when he fled to Northern Ireland in 1685, then his dates could be said to be approximately about 1665 to about 1730.

Jean John Brevard died in 1747 at Elk River Basin, Cecil County, Maryland, USA. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Find A Grave Memorial 116537073 for Jean John Brevard.
2. ↑ #Huguenot
3. ↑ U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900, for Jean Brevard
4. ↑ #Ramsey
5. ↑ #Wheeler, see individual profiles more details.
6. ↑ #FG
7. ↑ #Huguenots
8. ↑ 1790 Census,

• Find A Grave: Memorial #116537073 Retrieved Jan 2, 2018., Farm near Whaleyville, Worcester County, Maryland
• Brevard Family in the Revolutionary War, 'Condensed from Wheeler's "Historical Sketches".
• >National Huguenot Society List of Approved Ancestors
• Ramsey, John W. Carolina Cradle: Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier, 1747 -1762. Chapel Hill, NC: UNC Press Books, 1964. Page 48.