Jane Catherine (Stepp) Brittain (1795 - 1858)

Born 1795 in North Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Wife of William H Brittain — married 1815 in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States

Descendants

Died 1858 at about age 63 in Wolfe City, Hunt, Texas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Matthew Stepp [send private message]

Biography

Jane was born in 1795. She died in 1858 at the age of 62 - 63.

Spouse: William Brittain 1783 - 1865. Findagrave #235843035

They had four sons and two twin daughters between 1816 and 1822.

Research Notes

1) Jane stated that she was the niece of John Marshall, the US Chief Justice. Although this might be a tall tale the children were repeatedly named after John Marshall. I have always assumed that Jane's mother might have been one of John Marshall's sister who had married and was using her deceased husbands name. Still this is not evidence enough for unraveling the mystery.

2) Biography from Alton Blevins:

Jane Stepp Brittain's headstone gives her dates as 1795 - 1858. Mary Novella Gibson-Brittain, Marie Brittain Craig, and Marjorie Craig Churchill said in their history and genealogy of the William Brittain family that she was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina.

All this being said, Jane should appear as a child in the the 1800 and 1810 census records of some Stepp family in Buncombe. In 1800 James Step, Rebecka Step, and William Step were heads of families in Buncombe, and all three had at least one girl of Jane's age in their household.

Rebecka Step was Rebecca Kuykendall Stepp, widow of John Stepp. Papers in James Stepp's estate record make it clear that William and John were his sons and that neither he nor John had an heir named Jane.

Thus, William was the only one of the three who could have been Jane's father. In 1810 James Stepp Jr, James Stepp Sr, Joseph Stepp, Phebe Stepp, and William Stepp were heads of families in Buncombe, and only William Stepp had a girl of Jane's age in his household. There's no reasonable doubt that William Stepp was Jane's father.

Caveat - I hasten to add that there is no known paper trail linking Jane and William Stepp. The "evidence" given above is logical, but can not be substantiated. It's conceivable that Jane was William's niece instead of his daughter, and if that was so then William's parents, James Stepp and Mary Mills, would still have been her grandparents and her ancestry would still be as presented herein starting with James and Mary.

It's possible that Jane was William's first cousin instead of his daughter and if that was so then her paternal ancestry would still be as presented herein starting with William's grandparents, James Stapp and Lucy Gholston. It is also possible that Jane was William's first cousin once removed or his second cousin and if that was so then her paternal ancestry would still be as presented herein starting with William's great grandparents, John Stapp and Ann Salmon.

The following biographical notes for Jane were adapted from "The History and Genealogy of Some Pioneer Northern Alabama Families." The editorial notes are mine:

"Jane was considered a very beautiful girl. Her hair was very blond, her eyes dark with dark lashes and brows..."

"Jane was a close relative of John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States... Grandfather remembers tales she used to tell about her illustrious uncle... Through the Marshalls, Jane was related to many early Virginia families. John Marshall was one of the founders of the Supreme Court and was its Chief Justice. His sound and wise decisions have been models of legal justice for many years and are quoted to this day. The Liberty Bell was cracked tolling at his death. Jane was very proud of her illustrious uncle.

We've been unable to trace this line but hope to verify it one of these days. The Marshall name has been perpetuated in every generation of Jane's descendants since her day."

Ed. Note - There's no reason to doubt that Jane was a close relative of John Marshall. We know with reasonable certitude that he wasn't an uncle on her father's side. Unfortunately, all we know about Jane's mother is that her name was Anna and that she was born in Virginia about 1777. John Marshall was born in Virginia in 1755 and certainly was the proper age to have been Anna's uncle.

"Jane...elected to stay in Alabama with her children...She and her twin daughters settled...in Village Springs where the family first made headquarters. There the twins were married. Three of her sons had already settled in Texas. Later Jane, her twin girls, their husbands and children went west. They joined that early caravan into Texas in 1852... They settled in... Hunt County... Jane's eldest son, William Pinkney, was Probate judge of Cherokee County and lived near Rusk, the county seat. Jane... and her daughters and their families are buried in the "beautiful old Mt. Carmel Cemetery" in Hunt County..."

Ed. Notes: We don't know where Jane was in 1830. She and her son John lived in Blount County, Alabama in 1840, and next to her son-in-law Benjamin Wilson and daughter Caroline Wilson in Jefferson County, Alabama in 1850. Two of her sons, Milton and William, are known to have been in Texas in 1847 and 1848 respectively. Her son Joseph stayed in Alabama. The fate of her son John isn't known, but he is also said to have gone to Texas. She is buried near Benjamin and Caroline Wilson in Mount Carmel Cemetery. Her headstone is inscribed Jane Stepp Brittain, Wife Of Wm. Brittain, Jr., 1795-1858.

Sources

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7182747/jane-catherine-brittain: accessed 15 February 2023), memorial page for Jane Catherine Stepp Brittain (1795–1858), Find a Grave Memorial ID 7182747, citing Mount Carmel Cemetery, Wolfe City, Hunt County, Texas, USA; Maintained by Kathy S. (contributor 46944127). Lists and has links to her spouse, 4 children. There is a picture of her headstone.

• Jane: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/G3VY-5HG Lists her parents, 13 siblings, spouse, 6 children, 11 sources/notes.

• Ahnentafel Chart in possession of Alton Blevins.

• Bad Links:

https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/10409930?h=2ab226 https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/10409889?h=178b1b https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/10409883?h=3936c1 https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/10409900?h=e28287 https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/10409903?h=8e024e https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/10409905?h=a1223d https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/10409906?h=add360 https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/10409909?h=9bdb57 https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/10409914?h=b47433 https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/10409916?h=736369 https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/10409917?h=04fc39