Today’s family is another of the many poorly documented Southern lines of my husband. John Hamby was born about 1770 and his wife, Bradbrook, was born about the same time. Their marriage likely took place in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, but no record of it has been found.
The only thing known for certain about their deaths is that John and Bradbrook were each still living on 15 February 1822, when a deed of gift to son Amos was filed in Christian County, Kentucky. Amos was to provide care and maintenance for John and Bradbrook for the remainder of their lives in return for all of John’s property. it is interesting to note that the deed was written on 31 December 1821 and Amos married the very next day, 1 January 1822.
It also mentions that daughters Mariah and Melinda, living with their parents, were to retain their own property.
This is the only document which I have come across in years of research that proves any of the children of John Hamby. Amos Hamby is my husband’s direct line.
However, I know that many have worked on the Hamby line, which has Tory/Loyalist roots during the American Revolution and John and Bradbrook are said to be the parents of the following children:
1. James, born about 1793, probably in Spartanburg Co., South Carolina. He died after 1870, probably in Hopkins County, Kentucky. James married Nancy Brasher on 12 August 1813 in Christian County, Kentucky. Nancy was born about 1786 in South Carolina and died after 1870. Findagrave gives exact dates of birth and death for each, but gravestone photos are not posted.
2. Philip, born abut 1798, probably in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. He died after 1880, probably in Christian County, Kentucky. Philip married Jane Croft on 9 December 1824 in Christian County, Kentucky. She was born on 23 April 1803, Greenville County, South Carolina and died on 3 February 1878, Christian County, Kentucky.
3. Amos, born about 1802, probably in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. He died 3 May 1876 in Cedar County, Missouri. Amos married Vianna (Levina) Palmer on 1 January 1822 in Christian County, Kentucky.
4. William, born about 1803, probably in Spartanburg County, South Carolina and died between 1850-1860, probably in Cedar County, Missouri. He married (1) Sarah Crabtree on 9 October 1824 and (2) Louisa P. Nix on 24 August 1838, both in Christian County, Kentucky.
5. Mariah, born about 1804, probably in Spartanburg County, South Carolina and died before 6 September 1871, probably in Lawrence County, Arkansas. Mariah married David Smith on 2 June 1824 in Caldwell County, Kentucky.
6. Malinda, born about 1810, probably in Christian County, Kentucky and died after 1860, possibly in Barton County, Missouri, where the family was last living. Malinda married Hugh Pierce on 8 November 1832 in Lawrence County, Arkansas.
7. Silas, born 6 July 1812, probably in Christian County, Kentucky and died 20 July 1881 in Cedar County, Missouri. Silas married Nancy Brasher about 1830, probably in Christian County, Kentucky.
Now, I have my questions about whether John and Bradbrook had all these children, mainly because of their ages. Mariah and Malinda were both mentioned as living at home and they were to have their own property. They were both well under legal age and unmarried and were mentioned. Why then would Silas, who would have only been 9 years old and William, who was perhaps 18 years old not be mentioned if they were John’s sons?
If Philip and Silas were sons of John and Bradbrook, they were the only two children to live long enough to be enumerated in the 1880 census, which asked parents’ places of birth. Philip said his parents were born in South Carolina. Silas’s father’s place of birth was left empty, but places of birth for himself and his mother said Kentucky.
There were a lot of Hambys out there, most of whom were likely related, but few left wills, land deeds or any other records to prove their relationships to each other.
I have seen Bradbrook’s maiden name given as Green or Greene, but there are no Green/Greene families in the 1790 census of Spartanburg County, South Carolina. I have also read that Bradbrook was 100% Cherokee, but I have seen nothing documenting that heritage. Also, Bradbrook is more than a bit of an unusual name, either as a given or surname. There is only one Bradbrook family listed in the 1790 U.S. census and they are in Falmouth, Massachusetts. If she was Cherokee, could her name be a corruption perhaps of something like “Broad Brook, ” being named after a natural phenomenon?
I have also read that John Hamby died in 1847 in Randolph County, Arkansas, but I personally believe that he and Bradbrook both died between 15 February 1822, when he filed the deed of gift and the 1830 census when Amos and his young family lived in Livingston County, Kentucky. If John and his wife were both strong and healthy, why would they be giving their complete estates to son Amos? They were supposedly both in their young 50’s. I think that both parents died probably in Christian County, Kentucky before 1830 and Amos had moved on after their deaths.
On my next trip to Salt Lake, I will be looking for grantor Amos Hamby in the land deed index to see when he sold the property that his father gave him.
Please contact me if you have any documentation on this family!
John and Bradbook died in Arkansas and are listed on findagrave.com!!!
It’s just a memorial, no proof, and based on the pedigree line that they’ve included back to the year 1050, I can’t say that I put much stock in it. I do appreciate that you took the time to leave a comment. Thank you.
Hi, so glad I found this site. We have just started looking at the Hamby side of the family. All these years we have been doing research on Wrights just to find out my husband’s grandmother was actually a Hamby. Her father was raised by his aunt and uncle since he was young and took their name. He was George W Hamby-Wright. I have gotten as far back as John and Bradbrook so any info is welcome
John Hamby may have been related to Meshack Hamby, also of Spartanburg, South Carolina. John and Meshack Hamby both appear in the Jackson County, Tennessee, land records circa 1812, in close relationship to my ancestors Tyree and Delilah Gentry, said to have been of Cherokee heritage. Meshack (various spellings) also had land dealings with David Oldham Barton of Pendleton District, South Carolina. There had to have been some kind of meaningful connection between the Hamby, Gentry, and Barton families….
Hi Patrick, The difficulty with the Hambys is that there are so many of them and the given names have been used throughout the generations. As Meshack Hamby was in Spartanburg at the same time, I would be quite surprised if they weren’t related. I haven’t come across Gentrys or Bartons tied to my husband’s line, but that looks like a great clue to follow up.
Hi, I’m not related to John Hamby or at least not that I know of..I came across a deed record for your John Hamby which I will share with this group..I found this record as I was searching for info regarding my 3rd GF Jacob Cooper of Spartanburg, SC..Apparently Jacob lived near John Hamby
19 Oct 1810 Thomas House ( Spartanburg) to Jacob Cooper ( Laurens District) for $300 sold 130 acres on north side Enoree River: part of two grants: (1) to Thomas Childres (2) to Robert Cooper..borders John Hamby’s Spring Br…
13 July 1798 John Hamby ( Spartanburg) to Joseph Woodruff (same) for 47 pds sterling sold 82 acres in two tracts..(1) 20 acres on Lick Cr, part of grant Aug 19, 1774 Lt Gov Wm Bull to Wm Hamby: and (2) 62 acres, border of Amos Pilgram and Kirge’s old line, part of grant Mar 4, 1793 Gov Wm Moukltrie to Jno Hamby..Witness Amos Pilgram and Thomas Woodruff..Signed John Hamby’s mark..Wit, oath Sept 14, 1798 Amos Pilgram to Wm Smith..Recorded April 7 1800, dower renounced Braddy ( Bradbrook) Hamby to Wm Smith Sept 13, 1798…
There was a Green family living in Spartanburg…Maybe this will help open something up for you in regard to Braddy
4 Jan 1785 Adam Potter ( 96 District) to David Smith ( same) for 20 pds sterling sold 100 acres on N side of Paccolate R: borders of Jacob Green….
Green names I see listed include: Abraham Green, Benjamin Green, Betty Green, Billy Green, Caleb Green, Edmond Green, Edward Green, Elijah Green, Elisha Green, Felix Green, George Green, Jacob Green, James Green, Jonathon Green, Margaret Green, Peter Green, Polly Green, Reuben Green, Robert Green, Samuel Green, Thomas Green, William Green, Willis Green,and Zachariah Green..
Since this book covers the years 1785-1827 you might want to start looking at these Greens on Ancestry or Rootsweb to see if you Bradbrook might belong to one of them..Just a thought..
These records come from this book:
Spartanburg County/District SC
Deed Abstracts Books A-T 1785-1827
I hope this will be of some help to you..If I come across anymore records for your John Hamby I’ll post them…
Thanks for sharing your information, Roberta. I have also seen those land transaction records from Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The Meshack Hamby who appears on the 1800 census in Spartanburg County and in Allen County, Kentucky, on the 1820 census is the same man. He must have been a good friend or relative of my ancestors Tyree Gentry and Delilah Vann. The two families lived next to one another in Jackson County, Tennessee, circa 1810. A John Hamby was also there at that time, possibly Meshack’s brother, uncle, or father. The Hambys and Gentrys also had a close connection of some kind to the David Oldham Barton and Margaret Looney family of Pendleton District, South Carolina.
The extended Hamby family lived in Spartanburg County at the same time (1790-1800) as the extended Gentry family, including Tyree’s father Nathaniel. The Hambys then lived in Pendleton District after 1800, but not Meshack as far as I know. He seems to have left Spartanburg in about 1807, when he and the Gentrys moved to the Indian Creek/Cumberland River area of north-central Tanasi, recently stolen from the Cherokee Nation (through forced treaty). Every place that I have mentioned in this message belonged to the Cherokee Nation prior to the creation of the USA, including most of what is now Kentucky. Tyree and Delilah both seem to have had at least some Cherokee heritage. Tyree’s brother David Gentry was a documented Tanasi and Arkansas Cherokee, and their sister Milly Gentry may have been a mixedblood woman whose Cherokee name was Sew Wa Chey. If so, Milly’s first husband was Jeptha West of Greenville County, South Carolina, and her second husband was Arseen, of the Hiwassee River area near Murphy, North Carolina, prior to the Cherokee Nation’s forced Removal to the Indian Territory in 1838-1839. Both Sew Wa Chey and Arseen are found living near to one another on the USA’s War Department Roll of 1835, preparatory to forced Removal. Both of these Cherokees escaped Removal, with a little help from their white, slave-owning friends, the Schulers.
Patrick Pynes, Ph.D.
Hello, I am a descendent of Tyree and Delilah, any more information on them? I would love to know this thread of my ancestry. My mothers mother comes from Gentry’s.
Meg
Looking for more information as well. I am descended from Mariah Hamby Smith. She married David Reuben Smith in Caldwell County, KY in 1824. By 1830, they were living in Lawrence County, AR, where I am from.
I just started my search but apparently my family comes from William, John & Bradbrook’s son. I am definitely interested in any other information you have come across as this was from awhile ago.
Hi… I found this site by accident actually but I’m interested. I don’t really knowuch of my father’s side of my family except an aunt and grandmother. He passed when I was young. Do these hambys have ties in Michigan, Kentucky, or Iowa,. I know that my father had lived in these areas prior to my birth. Appearently his father lived somewhere in Missouri or Montana before passing. His name was Ronnie Delman Hamby Jr ( his father being the Sr) anyway I just thought I’d take a stab in the dark seeing as how’s this popped up on my screen. My name Is William Hamby. I believe the name Stickney is also somewhere in my lineage as well if that helps. I don’t even know where you guys got all this info from but if nothing else. Hello fellow Hambys
This isn’t too helpful, but my great-great-grandmother was Mary Elizabeth (Carter) Hamby, born 1842 in Tennessee, married to Ezekiel Crabtree Hamby, born in 1834 in Kentucky. Similarly, the family story is that she was 1/2 Cherokee, but didn’t keep any documentation of it (perhaps because it was viewed as shameful?). I so far can’t find any documentation of her ancestry. I recently took a DNA test that shows no Native American in my lineage. So I’m wondering if this was just a myth that is apparently common among white American families?
I am researching James Hamby son of John Hamby what can you tell me about James Hamby who was his wife? where did they die? did he have a son names John Robert Hamby born abt 1820?
thanks for your help