The Richard Harrison Brasher Family
Information furnished by Marylee W. KnightRichard Harrison Brasher was born Dec. 27, 1811 possibly in S.C. He married Mahulda Catherine (?) possibly in S.C. She was born Jan. 7, 1822. They came to Texas in 1858 and settled in the Mahon Community of Panola County. Mahulda died in June 1884, the exact date is not recorded on her tombstone. Richard died Dec. 1, 1890. Both are buried in Harris Chapel Cemetery, approximately four miles north of Beckville, on FM 959. Although the community was called Mahon at the time the Brasher family settled there, it was later changed to Harris Chapel.
The following section details the nine known children and other descendants of Richard Harrison and Mahulda Catherine (?) Brasher.
Richard S. Brasher was born Aug. 13, 1838 and died Aug. 11, 1907. On Aug. 30, 1866 in Panola County, TX he married Rachel Dickson. Rachel was born Sept. 26, 1836 and died Aug. 21, 1919. Both Richard S. and Rachel are buried in Harris Chapel Cemetery.
Sarah "Sallie" Brasher was born Jan. 12, 1841 in Shelby County, AL and died Sept. 14, 1922 in Panola County, TX. On Dec. 20, 1866 in Panola County, she married James P. Forsythe (son of James and Dorcus (Latham) Forsyth). James was born Jan. 8, 1840 and died Dec. 18, 1928. Both he and Sallie are buried in Old Carthage Cemetery, Carthage TX. James served as Sheriff of Panola County two different terms, 1881-1896 and 1902-1906. Their daughter Catherine "Kate" Forsyth was born 1872 and died 1903. She married J.H. Hooker who was born Aug. 15, 1864 and died Nov. 28, 1898. Kate and J.H. are both buried in Old Carthage Cemetery. Children of J.H. and Kate (Brasher) Hooker are Annie Mae Hooker (who was the second wife of Horace Akins), Jim Hooker, Add Hooker, Marie Hooker and Corine Hooker. J.H. and Sallie son, Tom Forsyth never married. Their son Richard Addison Forsyth married Augusta "Gussie" Cock from Marshall and their children were Reed Forsyth and Norma Forsyth.
Henry Brasher was born about 1844 in AL and no further information is known about him.
Thomas H. Brasher was born about 1846 in AL; however, his date and place of death are unknown. His wife, known only as "M.I." on her tombstone was born Nov. 4, 1848, died July 22, 1885 and buried in Harris Chapel Cemetery. There are two graves on the north side of her grave that are marked only by simple white iron crosses erected in the past few years by the cemetery association. It is possible that one of these graves is that of Thomas, but that is not supported by any documentation. The marriage records of Panola County contain a marriage certificate for T.H. Brasher and M.I. Allen, dated Feb. 1, 1872 and it is believed to be this couple. Panola County records indicate that T.H. Brasher and Miss L.M. Perry obtained a marriage license on Dec. 5, 1860, but as the license was never returned to the County Clerk so it is possible that they may not have married after they obtained the license.
Samuel John Brasher was born Apr 22, 1842 in AL. (His family will be detailed in another section.)
Leroy Brasher was born about 1851 in AL. No further information is known about him.
Casper "Cass" Brasher was born Feb. 9, 1855 and died Dec. 11, 1882. He is buried in Harris Chapel Cemetery. It is not known if he ever married, but no marriage record was found for him in Panola County.
Catherine Brasher was born about 1857 in AL. No further information is known about her.
Margaret Jane "Maggie" Brasher was born Apr 4, 1860 in Panola County, died Dec. 27, 1911 and is buried in Harris Chapel Cemetery. She was the first wife of Henry Thomas Chamness, the son of James Matheson and Mary Ann (Richardson) Chamness. They were married Feb. 13, 1881. Henry was born Feb. 2, 1858 in Rusk County TX, died Aug. 22, 1917 and also buried in Harris Chapel Cemetery. After Maggie's death, Henry married Catherine Elizabeth "Lizzie" (Liles) Copeland, who was the daughter of Amos and Amanda (Singletary) Liles. Lizzie's first husband was J. Mathis Copeland and the two children born of that marriage were Angus Copeland and Mildred Copeland who married Watley Strong. Lizzie was born Oct. 18, 1876, died Sept 7, 1961 and is buried beside her first husband in Walton Cemetery, west of Carthage. Children of Henry Thomas and Maggie (Brasher) Chamness are Cassie Chamness (born and died 1882, buried in Harris Chapel Cemetery), Mollie Lee Chamness who married Ben Chadwick (Children: Cleo Chadwick, Margie Chadwick, Peggy Chadwick), Orel Chamness, Effie Virginia Chamness, Myrle Eleanor Chamness who married Eley Riner Yarborough in 1908 (Children: James Lamar Yarborough who married Iva Del Davis, Jewell Worth Yarborough who married Mary Emma Wilson, Margaret Laura Yarborough who married Buck Davidson, Eleanor Virginia Yarborough who married Paul Carter and Eley Riner Yarborough, Jr. who died in an auto accident at age 18). Mahulda Catherine Chamness was the frist wife of Horace Akins (Children: Berna Lee Akins who married Guy English and James Truman Akins). Maggie Sallie Chamness married the Rev. Cleveland A. Mangham (Children: Charles Henry Mangham, Neal Mangham, Jean Mangham and Cleveland A. Mangham, Jr.). Tommy Chamness was born Aug. 10, 1900 and died at the age of 2 months. Henry and Maggie also raised two of Henry's nephews: Carl Alton Coats (1874-1958), the son of J.A. and Nancy E. (Chamness) Coats and Cecil Chester Chamness (1881-1939), the son of George B. and Laura (Board) Chamness. Henry and Lizzie had one child Mildren Laverne Chamness who was born in 1913.