THE BRAWNER FAMILY

This is another rather numerous family in Macon County and perhaps its members know but little of their line of descent. We do not have very full records of the family, but we are giving below what we do have.

Dozier Brawner is the first of the family of whom we have record. He and his wife, Jennie, last name unknown, came from Virginia after the War of 1812. Dozier and Jennie Brawner were the parents of : John Brawner, who went to West Tennessee; Jerry Brawner, the ancestor of many of the living Brawners here in Macon and surrounding counties; Henry Brawner, who married Miss Polly Gammon, the daughter of James Gammon; Meredith Brawner, supposed to have married a Witcher; Betsy Brawner, married John Gammon, a brother of Polly Gammon, wife of Henry Brawner; and Billie Brawner, of whom we have no record whatever.

John Brawner, son of Dozier and Jennie, was the father of: Jerry Brawner, who married Mary Dixon and became the father of: Rachel, H. H. Brawner, Tom and Jim Brawner; and Mary Brawner, who married Norman McDuffee, who, if memory serves us right, was killed by a stallion.

Jerry Brawner, son of Dozier and Jennie, and who married Sallie Shrum, was the father of Nancy Brawner, married Ed Shrum and later John Garrett; Bill Brawner, who went to Illinois; Tilda Brawner, married Steve Dixon; Betsy Brawner, never married; John Brawner, married Tilda Susan Gregory, daughter of John Gregory, the son of Ambrose Gregory, the son of Old Bry; Becky Brawner, married Hiram Willis, a Hightower and later a Shrum. Malvina Brawner, married Billie Lovelady; Martha Brawner, married “Sweet William” Shrum; Pate Brawner, married his first cousin, once removed, Miss Rachel Brawner, daughter of Jerry Brawner, Jr., son of John Brawner; Jim Brawner, married a Duncan; and Sampson Brawner, who moved to Arkansas.

Henry Brawner, son of Dozier and Jennie, was born about 1794 in Virginia and at the age of 18 years, he enlisted in the War of 1812 and fought under Jackson at New Orleans, where he is said to have been a guard for ammunition wagons. He married Polly Gammons, as above set out. They were the parents of: John Brawner, married Tilda Shrum, Sallie Leath and Malvina Cosby; Dozier Brawner, Jr., married Sallie Crowe and removed to West Tennessee; Eliza Brawner, who married Noed Gregory, son of Smith, the son of Squire Bill Gregory; Nancy Brawner, married Joe Red Gregory, son of Ambrose Gregory, son of Bry; Jim Brawner, never married, but lost his life in the Civil War in the battle of Perryville, Kentucky, Amelia Brawner, married Tom Richardson; and Lafayette Brawner, married Sallie, daughter of Carroll Shrum.

Meredith Brawner, son of old Dozier and Jennie Brawner, is supposed to have married a Witcher, but his is not positively known. He was the father of: Henry, John and Elizabeth and Mary Brawner. He died in 1850 past the Ansil McDuffee place on Peyton’s Creek, where Elder C. B. Massey later lived. The widow and children went later to West Tennessee.

Betsy Brawner, daughter of Dozier and Jennie, married John Gammon and became the mother of: Henry Gammon, married Eliza Linville; Jim Gammon, married a Walter and went to Illinois; Catherine Gammon, married John Massey, an uncle of Elder C. B. Massey, now residing at Pleasant Shade and in his 84^th year; “Bug” Gammon, married Lon Massey, father of Elder Massey above referred to; Elizabeth Gammon, married Joe Brown, a brother of Lee Brown; Martha Gammon, married Elder George Jenkins, who was killed in a train disaster many years ago.

Billie Brawner, son of Dozier and Jennie, left no records to which we have any access. In fact we do not know whether he married.

Nancy, daughter of Jerry and Sallie Shrum Brawner, married Ed Shrum and John Garrett. By Shrum she had one daughter, Malvina Shrum, who married Tom Brawner who formerly lived above Beech Bottom. Tom and Malvina have have quite a group of children who still live.

Transcribed by Pat Cummings

Tilda, daughter of Jerry and Sallie Shrum Brawner, married Steve Dixon, and was the mother of:

Bitt, France, Belle, married Bud’s brother, Rich; and one other, whose name is thought to have been Add. *

John Brawner, son of Jerry and Sallie Shrum Brawner, married Tilda Susan Gregory, as above set forth and became the father of Lee (Short), George, a cripple; Charlie, who died a few years ago in Lafayette; Pate, Oscar, France, who married Lem Gammon; Haynie, married Sim Shrum; Susie, married a McClanahan; Emma married a Ford; and Florence, married a Woods.

Becky Brawner, daughter of Jerry and Sallie Shrum Brawner, married Hiram Willis and had by him Jane Willis, married Cleary Andrews. She had one daughter by Hightower, name unknown.

Malvina Brawner, daughter of Jerry and Sallie Shrum Brawner married a Lovelady and went to Arkansas, and had two daughters, names unknown.

Martha Brawner, daughter of Jerry and Jennie Shrum Brawner, married a Shrum and went to Arkansas and we have no further record.

Pate Brawner, son of Jerry, and Rachel Brawner, was the father of: Silas, Mandy, Robert, a Baptist minister of near Lafayette; Flix, Wesley, Effie and Della Brawner.

Jim Brawner, who married a Duncan, had one daughter, name not known.

Of Sampson Brawner, son of Jerry and Jennie Shrum Brawner, not a thing is known except that he went to Arkansas.

John Brawner, son of Henry and Polly Gammon Shrum, married the three women above referred to,and was the father of: Peter Harris Brawner, married a Mrs. Poe in Kentucky; Sarah Ann Brawner, married a Shaw in Kentucky; Adeline Brawner, married Joe Cartwright, killed many years ago in Lafayette, (Joe was the son of Enoch Cartwright); Isaac Brawner, went to Kentucky; John Thomas Brawner, married a Cook; Jim Brawner, married a Miss Cook; Mary Brawner died an old maid; George Brawner, married Ferbie Roark and moved to Kentucky; Applewhite Brawner, supposed to have married a Shaw and to have moved to Kentucky; and Sam Brawner, married Tilda Payne.

Henry Brawner’s son, Dozier, Jr., married Sallie Crowe and went to West Tennessee and became the father of three sons and one daughter, names unknown.

Eliza Brawner, daughter of Henry, married Noel Gregory and had by him five children, but Smith and Bernice are the only ones whose names we have.

Nancy, daughter of Henry Brawner, married Joe Red Gregory and became the mother of: Simpson Lee (Timmie), Byron, Wyatt, Euphemia (Cis), Dal, Ibbie and Lucy Gregory. Euphemia was the grandmother of the editor’s first wife, the former Miss Mae Gammon.

Amelia, who married Tom Richardson, had no children.

Lafayette Brawner, son of Henry, married Sallie Shrum, and was the father of Neese, Jane, King, Henry, Nan and Tom Brawner.

Henry Gammon, son of Betsy Brawner Gammon, married Eliza Linville and became the father of: Billie, John to Texas; Eli, Britton, Adeline, married Smith; Juno married Bob Shoulders and went to Texas; Martha married Fate Hooper, and Bettie married Andrew Shrum.

Jim Gammon, who married a Walker, went to Illinois and was the father of three children, names not known.

Catherine Gammon, daughter of Betsy, married John Massey, and became the mother of: Lum Massey, a photographer; Mrs. W.S. Hance, Anro and Crayton, who married a Hix and was the mother of our good farmer, W.E.Hix, of near Lafayette.

‘Bug’, daughter of Betsy, married Lon Massey, and had two sons, John and Link Massey.

Elizabeth, daughter of Betsy Gammon, married Joe Brown, and was the mother of: Ruff Brown, married Susan Andrews; John Brown, married an Underhill; Sallie, married Ike Grissom and moved to Illinois; Polly, who married Pulley Willis, youngest son of John and Delphia Gregory Willis; Ren Brown and Minerva Brown, who married John Dixon.

Martha, daughter of Betsy Gammon, married George Jenkins and by him became the mother of: Richard Jenkins, Sam Jenkins and Andrew Jenkins.

The above record is far from complete with perhaps some of the children of various couples left out. This was written 25 years ago and has never been published. Any additional information about the family will be cheerfully published as we have time and space.

Transcriber Note: *The Book Cal’s Column left out some of this article and also copied a part 2 times.

The paragraph about Tilda was in the original Microfilm.