Brunson Research Notes

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: South Carolina
Surname/tag: Brunson, Thames, Frierson, Cooper

Contents 1 Current Hypothesis Based on Loose Facts, Family Tales, and DNA Analysis 2 Undocumented Brunson Town History 3 Family Genealogy Publications 4 Vital Records

Current Hypothesis Based on Loose Facts, Family Tales, and DNA Analysis

Peter Brunson, son of William and Sarah Frierson Brunson, was the father of Mary Elizabeth Brunson Thames, James Forester Brunson, and Peter Brunson. James Forester Brunson and his wife, were lost in a storm, and their children, William Edgar and John?, were raised by their aunt, Mary Elizabeth. Peter Brunson, brother to James and Mary Elizabeth, was the father of James Cantey Brunson, who changed the spelling of this last name to Bronson, and moved to Florida.

The descendants of Mariah Jane Hillis, daughter of William Alexander Brunson, of Screven, Georgia fits into this grouping on the basis of DNA. William Alexander's position in the family is not determined at this time.

Undocumented Brunson Town History

The town of Brunson, South Carolina, was named for William Edgar Brunson, grandson of William. The town's webpage contains unverified history of the family that may be used as a starting point for researching the family.^[1]

According to the town's webpage, William (1718) was the fourth son of Isaac and Margaret Brunson. He was born in 1823, and married a Miss Sarah Elizabeth Frierson. Listed on the page include sources for land transactions including the following:

• From the Council Journal for 1754 (page 12) "William Brunson granted three hundred acres of vacant land on the Santee River, January 05, 1754."

William died early and left his widow and young son, Peter. Young Peter's son and wife met a tragic end in a brutal storm; their children, one of which was William Edgar Brunson, were raised by their aunt, Mary Elizabeth Brunson Thames. Note: This story is told in many different ways with different parents, etc. William Edgar Brunson and the Family Lore Surrounding Him

Family Genealogy Publications

The following comes a family genealogy publication, except where noted. Little evidence was given but it is has value as a starting point for gathering sources.^[2]

[Editor's Note: Hampton County was not formed until 1878 from Beaufort County, so references to Hampton prior to 1878 should be interpreted as Beaufort District and/or Beaufort County. These instances are not corrected within the body of the text below, since they are being quoted.]

William Brunson, born about 1718 (or 1723^[3], was an early settler of the area, living between Sumter and Darlington. He was the fourth of the five sons of Isaac and Margaret Brunson.

He and his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Frierson,^[4] lived between Sumter and Darlington on a large expanse of property. Their son, Peter, was born on December 28, 1754 (see History of Orangeburg). Peter's father died in 1756 when Peter was just a small child. He may have moved to Hampton County.* Known children, all of Hampton County, included Mary Elizabeth who married James Thomas, Rebecca who married Nathaneal Ellis, and Sarah who married a Forester.

Peter Brunson had at least one son and his name is not certain. This son left Hampton County with his wife and traveled southward in a covered wagon in search of a more desirable place to homestead. They left their two sons, William Edgar and John, with their Aunt Mary Elizabeth Brunson Thomas. Several days after leaving on their trip in search of a homestead, a terrible storm struck the Carolina Coast and it is believed they were lost in the storm since nothing was ever heard of them. The two sons were reared by their aunt in Hampton County where they both lived the remaining years of their lives.

Variations of this family story abound. One version identifies the missing couple as Sarah Bronson and James Forester. This seems unlikely as the children's surnames would have been Forester, unless their names were changed. This same posted thread (of which I have a copy but no web address) says that Sarah Brunson had a brother named Samuel, and identifies the aunt as Mary Elizabeth Brunson Thames.

The missing son has also been identified as James Foster Brunson, son of Peter. Here is the text of a message:^[5]

"Mary Elizabeth Brunson Thames was the daughter of Peter Brunson. The son of Peter Brunson (Father of Wm. Edgar and John ) was James Forester Brunson. James Forester Brunson married Mary Elizabeth Brunson Thames' daughter Sarah Thames. So Mary Elizabeth was not only the boys aunt but their grandmother as well. The storm which the booklet refers to may be the reason the search for Sarah and James Forester is so difficult."

Another agrees that the lost son of Peter was James Forester Brunson and agrees with the identity of the wife: Sarah Thames.^[6]

A researcher in 2017 posted that, after a thorough search, he concluded that we do not know who William Edgar's parents were. He postulates that it could be an unknown son of Peter, whose "first"? marriage was in 1791, when Peter was well past the age for a first marriage. They also researched weather events in Charleston and found the following:^[7]

A hurricane moved north-northwest from the Bahamas on September 25 1822 to hit Charleston, South Carolina on September 27. It claimed the lives of hundreds of slaves who found themselves trapped in the low-lying Santee Delta, miles from higher ground and with no shelter. It caused 300 (or more deaths).

While it wouldn't had to have been a devastating storm to claim the lives of the Brunson couple, it is perhaps relevant to note that the storm of 1822 was the worst storm since 1804; the next time an equivalent storm came was in 1854.^[8]

Vital Records

Vital records are limited.

William Bronson married first, Elizabeth Cooper.

Marriage Record^[9]:

Brunson, William of parish of St. James Santee, &Eliza.Cooper, spinster, 26 April 1744; licesnse to Rev. Daniel Dwight; Samuel Bowman of St. Johns Pairsh, bondsman.

The reported children of William and Elizabeth Cooper Brunson include William and Elizabeth (who died young). No source has been found to date for the children's birth.

William's second marriage was to Sarah Frierson. Their son, Peter, was born in 1754:

Peter, Son of William & Sarah Brunson; born December 28th 1754. Josiah & Margaret Evans & William Cantey.^[10]

Peter Brunson was Christened on Monday February 17, 1755 in Orangeburgh Church at Orangeburgh, South Calornia. Witness: Josiah & Margaret Evens & William Cantey ( Rev. Giessendanner)

So, Peter Brunson has been established as the son of William and Sarah Frierson Brunson. If the above family lore, as presented by the town of Brunson, is correct, one can assume that Peter had at least two chlldren, Mary Elizabeth. and her brother, lost to a storm.

We get a clue from DNA as to the potential makeup of this family. Preliminary modeling with DNA triangulated autosomal matches, groups descendants of Mary Elizabeth Brunson Thames (married to William Thames) through her sons Squire B. and Matthew, descendants of James Cantey Bronson, and descendants of William Alexander Brunson (relationship yet to be determined).

In 1820, the following were all living next to, or within a few households of each other:^[11]

• Samuel Thames, 45+
• James Brunson, 45+
• James C. Brunson, <26
• Peter Brunson <26, (includes female 45+)

The above may be closely related members of the same family. James and Mary Elizabeth Brunson (married to Samuel Thames are often reported to be the children of James Brunson and Elizabeth Canty, but it seems that they are the children of Peter. If these are the correct folks, we have two siblings and at least one nephew/son in this record, possibly two.

Samuel Thames was married to Elizabeth Brunson, James was likely James Forester Brunson, and Peter, the brother or cousin of James Cantey Brunson. This is based on scanty birth records and family lore, but backed by autosomal DNA matches. James Cantey Brunson is most often reported as the son of Peter Edgard Brunson, but Peter's will lists a James Y. Brunson not a James Cantey. (Records exist for James Y.) Marie Mimbs, a Brunson researcher, stated online that James Cantey Brunson was the son of Peter, not the son of Peter Edgard Brunson. Unfortunately, there was no more information. If anyone has Marie's book and can do a lookup, I would appreciate it!