Part one of a three part letter written by Virginia "Ginny" (Durant) Nettles
Submitted by
Carolyn Buckley, Feb 29, 2008
Written by Melton E. Durant
| I'm sending you (3) Old letters written by
William Bellamy and Jane Conner Graham's granddaughter. The
letters was shared with me by a cousin Melton Durant. They
are filled with information containing Horry County South
Carolina to Texas during Civil War and afterwards. Aunt Ginny's diary is priceless. We find after Jane's death in 1862 her plantation was destroyed by Sherman's bummers (as we call them) not even sparing the slave quarters, (17) Graham children, times and circumstances during that period. Hope you enjoy reading them. DURANT and GRAHAM FAMILY HISTORY written by Virginia Caroline (Durant) Nettles (the hand-written original typed by her Grand-daughter, Varina Durant (LeGalley) Hatcher, reproduced and filed by M.E. Durant) -------------------------------------- I shall write in this little book all I know about my ancestors. I know so little, I am sure this little book will hold it all. --Virginia My father, Bethel Durant, was born October, 12th, 1824. He was named for his father who died when his son, my father, was only three years old, My Grandmother married a Methodist preacher, James Howren. She raised two sons that were Howren's, William Denis and Aaron Sharp. My father had two half brothers and a half sister by his father's first marriage. Uncle Henry Durant was a Methodist preacher of some note. Uncle John was a lawyer and politician for years. He was a member of the Legislature at one time. He quit the practice of law when he began to get old and went to preaching. He was a fine lawyer and a fine Methodist preacher. Aunt Mary Ann, my father's half sister married a Durant, her second cousin, George Durant. They lived in Georgetown, South Carolina, and raised a large family. My Grandfather lived in South Carolina. All of his children were born there. Their ancestors came from France with the Huguenots. They formerly spelled their name DuRant. My father had one own sister. She married her step-brother, Robert Howren, a Methodist preacher. They lived in Georgia and Florida; where ever the Conference sent hin. They raised a large family, but I never saw any of my father's people, except his half brothers, Uncle John Durant and Uncle Aaron Howren. They have been at my father's house, together, when I was a child, and it was very strange to me. They were no kin, and both my Father's brothers. My Father's mother was a Hankins. She was Grandfather's second wife. She was Miss Hannah Hankins. She had a brother, Denis Hankins that married my mother's aunt. My father loved his uncle Denis and his sons, William and Bethel, the Doctor, so well. He declared first cousins were as much kin as half sisters and brothers. They lived in Florida. My Father visited them last in 1881 and his sister, Martha Howren met him there. My mother was Sarah Ann Rebecca Graham. She was born in Horry (Oree) District, South Carolina, February 27th, 1829. My Father and Mother were married May 20, 1846. My Grandfather Graham was drowned in Winyah Bay before mother was married. He left my grandmother a widow with seventeen children. The oldest two were married. The youngest was a baby. She had fifteen with her. They all lived to be grown and married but one, she died when she was 17. Grandmother's name was Jane Conner. Her father was a Captain in the Revolutionary War under Francis Marion. Grandfather owned a great many slaves. The slave quarters looked like a town. His mother was a Bellamy. Grandfather's name was William Bellamy Graham. My mother did not like the Bellamys. My people were all farmers. Nearly all the Durants were highly educated, professional men, but owned plantations and Negroes. They were South Carolinians, but my Father came to Leon County, Texas in 1856. Uncle John was here then. I do not know when he came. Texas was very thinly settled at that time and it was said the majority of its citizens had come because of some trouble they had got into. My father was asked several times what he had done that he had to come to Texas to his lawyer brother. Uncle John was a very successful lawyer at that time. But my Father had not done anything illegal. He was not running from the law. He came to Texas on account of the abundance of wild game. He was very fond of hunting and always kept a pack of hounds and, nearly always, several men to hunt with him. My mother was dissatisfied with the wild ways of the people and wanted to go back to South Carolina, but my father, the children and slaves were delighted. Everybody rode horseback. Even my mother would go six or seven miles to church with a baby in her lap and a little one behind her, and we older children would frequently attend a revival at Red Land, 10 miles away, and Concord, 14 miles. My father and mother frequentaly went to Centerville, eleven miles, to buy what was needed. They always went horseback, and a wagon went along to bring back the supplies. My mother had ten brothers in the Confederate army. I remember a letter my mother got from her mother. She said she could hear the bombardment at Charleston. She had ten sons in the Southern army and she wished she had ten more. Grandmother died soon after writing that letter. She was found dead in her bed. It was thought to be her heart. Soon after, her fine plantation was all destroyed. Her slaves set free. But, Sherman's army did not spare even the slave houses. They were burned. One of my mother's brothers, Uncle Cornelous (Neal) was killed. Uncle Franklin was shot through his arm, and the bone was taken out from his elbow nearly to his shoulder. They wrote to my mother it was wonderful how he could use that arm. It hung by his side. He had to raise it with his other hand, but he had a family, his slaves were free and he had to make a living for his family. Two of my mother's brothers died like their grandmother, Uncle William and Uncle Asberry. Uncle Asberry's wife heard him making an unusual noise, but before she could get a light, he was dead. None were killed in the war but Uncle Neal. My mother's oldest sister, Betty Jean (Elizabeth Jane) married a Phillips first. He died and left her a widow with two small boys. The children both died with scarlet fever. She then married Tom Sessions and they had ten children in 1856 when my father moved to Texas. Uncle John Graham married and moved to Florida before I could remember. I remember all my mother's brothers and sisters except Uncle John. My Mother's people were all farmers except Uncle Daniel. He went to Alexandria, Louisana before we came to Texas. He was a carpenter. He married there and raised a family. He visited us in 1859 here in Texas. My brother Daniel was born that year and was named after him. When he left, he gave my mother a horse, bridle and saddle, that he had bought for his own use while he was with us. Then he gave her 500 dollars in gold. My Mother's family:- 1) Betsy Jane (Graham) Sessions, She lived and died in Horry Co. SC; 2) John Graham, He lived in Florida; 3) Edward (Ned) Graham, He came to Texas before we did, married his brother's widow; 4) Daniel Graham, He made his home in Louisiana; 5) William Graham, He lived and died in Horry Co, SC, married Margaret Beatty, was sheriff for many years; 6) Cornelous Graham, He married in Darlington, SC, I only knew his wife's name was Sarah; 7) George Graham, He came to Texas before we did, married Miss Sarah Cox. He was a great hunter. He found a white deer. He tried to run it down and rope it. He was very expert with the rope, but his horse fell and fell on him, hurt his back. He lived several months, but never recovered. He left a widow with four children. Edward (Ned) Graham married his widow and had two children of his own. George Graham lived in Bell County. Ned Graham settled in Milam County. The next was my mother Sarah Graham; 8) Sarah Graham, She married Bethel Durant. They came to Texas in 1856. Then . . . 99) Hosea Graham, He married his cousin Martha Graham. They came to Texas in 1859. Lived in Leon County untill 1869, then went to Limestone County, lived there two years, came back to Leon and lived here until he died on October 7th, 1907. He was born April 6th, 1830. He was 77 years and 6 months old. His wife died in 1911. They raised eight children. The next was . . . 10) Eliza Graham, She married John Floyd. Then . . . 11) Margaret Graham, She married her cousin Sam McQueen. They came to Texas to Milam County. I never saw them after I was six years old. Next was . . . 12) Louisa Graham, She died when she was seventeen years old. She was engaged to young Doctor McQueen, Sam McQueen's brother. Next was . . . 13) Asberry Graham, He married *Joana Pitman. They had several children. Next . . . (*according to several sources, Aunt 'Ginny's' memory failed her here. All others say Kenneth Asberry Graham married Avey Jane Grainger and that Franklin Bellamy Graham (next) married Joannah Pitman. --m.e.d.) 14) Franklin Graham, I do not know who he married. Then . . . 15) Lorenzo Dow Graham, The youngest boy. He visited in Texas in 1870, but did not come to see us. Next was . . . 16) Mary (Polly) Graham, She married Levi Moody. They came to Texas in 1869. They raised a good sized family. Next . . . 17) Katherine Graham, The youngest. She marrried a Mr. Inzer. That is all of my mother's brothers and sisters. They were all industrious, energetic, law abiding citizens. I never heard of any of them being arrested or accused of anything illegal. (Aunt 'Ginny's' writing, about life and conditions in Leon County, Texas before, during and after the Civil War, continues in file DurNtls2.txt. As it contains little of genealogical significance, it will be sent only upon request. It is a gold mine of genuine, eye-witness, first person H I S T O R Y ! --Melton E. Durant) ------------------------------------------------------------------ From many sources, I have notes (and several files from some) on those Grahams who came to Milam County, Uncle Hosea Adelton (who married his 1st cousin Martha Graham) Graham and came to Leon Co Tx. Also Aunt 'Polly' who married Levi Moody in Horry Co SC then came to Leon Co Tx. And Uncle John Conner Graham who settled in Marian Co Florida in 1848. None of the notes have been compiled and transcribed to computer files - hope to get that done soon. (the problem is that I am working every fork of every tree in both mine and my wife's ancestry - all at the same time! A BIG mistake!) I do have several files supplied by other Graham researchers, some go back to Scotland. But, there appears to be descreptancies which I hope to get settled before putting them on plain-text files. Always glad to hear from another cousin. more later from a Great Great Grandson of William Bellamy & Jane (Conner) Graham, Melton E. Durant Route 4 Box 580 Jacksonville, TX 75766-9436 mmdurant@sat.net |