James Brooks (abt. 1769 - abt. 1820)

Born about 1769 in Chatham, North Carolina

Ancestors

Husband of Phalbia (Cobb) Davis — married 1790 in Briar Creek,Wilkes County, Georgia USA

Descendants

Died about 1820 at about age 51 in Warren, Georgia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Ramona Eddins [send private message], LaDell Montgomery [send private message], Anonymous Brooks [send private message], and Bob Johnson [send private message]

Biography

Date of birth is 1769-1770. His parents were John Brooks and Jane May. James Brooks, approximate year of birth, based on his first appearance in Wilkes County tax lists.

Revolutionary War

James Brooks enlisted in January, 1777, as a private, as documented in the Muster Rolls of the Independent Corps of Guards, for the month of May, 1779. The unit was commanded by Major Caleb Gibbs. ^[1]

Five sons of John Brooks of Virginia served in the revolution. They were Allen (Ballam), Joab Brooks, John H. Brooks, James Brooks and Micajah Brooks and they were all Revolutionary War Soldiers. After the war, they all received land grants in Georgia for their service as documented in "Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers in Georgia" page 41. ^{[2] [3]}

Marriage & Family

James Brooks married Phalbia Falby Cobb about 1790 at Briar Creek, Wilkes County, Georgia. The name Falby is spelled in a variety of ways. Falby is the daughter of Joseph Cobb and Rachel Cobb, maiden name unknown. (Source: Bible Record of Joseph Cobb Brooks and Heritage Research Reports V and VI in the possession of Cynthia Forde).

An important source for the confirmation of the relationship between Jane May (his mother) and the Cobb Family is a deed signed 10 February, 1808. Jane May Brooks, mother of James, created a deed of sale to Jesse Story that is witnessed by James Brooks, son, and Joseph Cobb, father of Falby Cobb Brooks, for 200 acres for $320 on waters of Brier Creek. Source "Spirit of the South," page 221.

Known children of James and Phalbia:

• Joseph C.
• Seaborn
• Balaam
• Jacob R.

Death

The 1820 U.S. Federal Census, 7 August, 1820, of Washington, Georgia, shows James Brooks as head of household of 8 free white persons and 23 slaves. Therefore, death was after 1820.

Death was before 1828 based upon the marriage date of his widow, Phalbia Falby Cobb to Arthur Davis on 4 October, 1828. Source Georgia Marriages, 1699-1944.

Research Notes

CAUTION: Rev James Brooks and Elizabeth Traylor are easily confused with James Brooks and Falby Cobb. They are related, but very different couples. The deed of 1808 was critical in making this distinction. Additionally, Rev James Brooks served in the Revolutionary War as a chaplain and lieutenant.

There is no source for a marriage to Unity Carroll. James' only wife was Falby Cobb.

Need to locate source: Bible Record of Joseph Cobb Brooks and Heritage Research Reports V and VI in the possession of Cynthia Forde.

There were two James Brooks in early Wilkes County, one in the area that became Oglethorpe County, he being the same who married Elizabeth Traylor in Caswell County, North Carolina in 1782, and who was associated with Middleton Brooks. Middleton came from Caroline and Halifax Counties, Virginia. Caswell County is on the northern border of North Carolina, adjacent to Halifax County, Virginia. The other James lived near Jane, John, Joab and Micajah, the ancestral Brooks, who came from Chatham County, in central North Carolina. This second James Brooks lived in the part of Wilkes County that became Warren County, and was most certainly the same who married Falby Cobb.

Jane Brooks, believed to be the same as Jane May, widow of John Brooks, Jr. was granted land in Wilkes County in her name in 1795. She sold this land in 1808, with James Brooks and Joseph Cobb as witnesses.

The Marks of the ancestor, James Brooks, were compared with one another showing a bold "B as James' mark. There are obvious similarities between the marks in the deeds ascribed to James of Briar Creek.

Joseph Cobb and other Cobbs came from Chatham County, the same county from which the family of John Brooks, Jr. and Jane May came.

The known children of John and Jane are believed to have been born in the 1750's and 1760's. James was probably born about 1769, according to his appearance on the 1791 tax list. This birth year would be within the realm of possibility to fit in that family.

Research has established that James Brooks, who married Falby Cobb was most likely the son of John Brooks and Jane May, according to strong circumstantial evidence. [Research Report - August 16, 2004 p. 1].

Re: Brooks and Kindred Families, by Ida Brooks Kellam. While some mistakes are known to be contained in this source, such as Rev. James Brooks as the son of John Brooks and Jane May, there are also many helpful clues. Some intriguing hints of connections to James Brooks, the ancestor, can be gleaned from Ms. Kellam's book. In listing the children of John Brooks and Jane May, she would add the names of Isaac and Balaam, except for lack of proof. This is ironic, since there in not much more than circumstantial evidence for the other purported sons of John.

The names of Isaac and Balaam were noted in previous research, when in 1822, Joseph Brooks of Walton County sold to Isaac and Jacob Brooks, with Joel and Balaam Brooks witnessing. (See document 12 of Heritage Research I -Jacob Rutledge Brooks.). If Isaac and Balaam were sons of John and were closely associated with Jacob, son of James, then that adds strength to James also being a son of John. It is possible that these men were not the same as the Isaac and Balaam found in earlier records, but their unique names tie them to the ancestral family.

The fact that Micajah paid James' taxes in 1801 strongly suggests that Micajah was his older brother. Taxes paid on 100 acres on Rocky Comfort Creek, originally granted to Bankston Jordan (Daniel N. Crumpton, Warren County, Georgia Land Records, Volume One (Warrenton, GA: p. p. 2002).

The significance of these records is that Jane Brooks lived very near to the other Brooks, who are known to have come from Chatham County, North Carolina, such as Joab and Micajah (who paid her tax in 1794). She lived near her brother, John May. She is named in the will of John May, Sr. of Columbia County, Georgia. Jane also lived near members of the Cobb family, who are known to have come from Chatham County and married in Columbia County, Georgia... (DNA testing confirms the relationship of John May, Sr., John May.)

Sources

1. ↑ U.S., Revolutionary Rolls, 1775-1783, Independent Corps of Guards
2. ↑ Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers in Georgia Vol. I, Page 41.
3. ↑ Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers in Georgia, Vol III, Page 292

• Ancestry.com. Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers in Georgia Vol. I [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
• http://www.treesfrompeopleseeds.com/2019/03/ancestor-challenge-2019-week-14-walls.html
• Unsourced family tree handed down to Wayne Brooks.

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile Brooks-2119 created through the import of ARRINGTON Family Tree,Cole,Gre.ged on Jan 24, 2012 by Debbie Schneider.