Bray Family History

Bray Generation 1

Thomas Bray
b. 1501, Ashburnham, Sussex, England
d. Feb. 22, 1560, Ashburnham, Sussex, England

+ Alice Smythe
b. 1505, Ashburnham, Sussex, England

Symon Bray
Annys Bray
Jone Bray

Up One Gen.

Bray Generation 2

Symon Bray
b. 1537, Ashburnham, Sussex, England
buried Sep. 2, 1609, Ashburnham, Sussex, England

+ Katherine Ourbit, Aug. 2, 1562, Ashbrnham, Sussex, Englans
buried Apr. 14, 1578, Ashburnham, Sussex, England

Richard Bray, b. 1563 d. 1622
Thomas Bray
Eleanor Bra, b. 1569 d. 1610y
Thomas Bray, b. 1573 d. 1622
John Bray, b. 1574

Up One Gen.

Bray Generation 3

Thomas Bray
b. May 1573, christening June 29, 1573, Ashburnham, Sussex, England
burial May 1, 1622, Ashburnham, Sussex, England

+ Elizabeth Pont, Sep. 17, 1609, Ashburnham, Sussex, England, daughter of John Pont b. 1548 d. 1628 and Eilys d. 1590
b. June 1, 1587, Asburnham, Sussex, England

Elizabeth Bray, b. 1610 d. 1615
Richard Abraham Bray
John Bray, b. 1614
Richard Bray, b. 1617

Lewes Arch book A18 pg 55

Thomas Bray left a will as a husbandman of Ashburnham written 29 Apr and probated 9 May 1622. His wife was Elizabeth and to be the executor of the will. His son is Richard who is younger than 21 years of age. Overseers of the will are his brother John Bray and brother in law John Quittenden (was subsequent husband of his wife Elizabeth's sister).

Up One Gen.

Bray Generation 4

Richard Abraham Bray
b. 1614, St Catherine, Hochworth, Devon, England
d. 1648, Devonshire, England

+ Mary Nicholes, Feb. 8, 1634, Lampert, Hayton, England, daughter of Richar Nicholes b. 1592 and M. Nicholes b. 1594

Thomas Bray, b. 1640 d. 1729
Henry Bray

Up One Gen.

Bray Generation 5

Henry Bray I
b. Dec. 16, 1648, London, England
d. Aug. 31, 1723, Pasquotank County, North Carolina

+ 1) Ann Hodgkins, Feb. 12, 1680 ^{(2, 4)}
b. abt. 1659, Christchurch, Middlesex County, Virginia

+ 2 (first name unknown) Rogers ⁽³⁾

Henry Bray II

Up One Gen.

Bray Generation 6

Henry Bray II
b. July 20, 1683, London, England
d. 1745, Pasquotank County, North Carolina

+ Elizabeth Martha Jones, abt. 1704, Virginia or Maryland, daughter of Thomas Jones and Rose Jones
b. 1685, London, England

Henry Bray III
Jane Bray, b. 1719
Edward Bray, b. 1720
William C. Bray, b. 1721

This Henry Bray immigrated to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1699.

Lewes Arch book A18 pg 55

Thomas Bray left a will as a husbandman of Ashburnham written 29 Apr and probated 9 May 1622. His wife was Elizabeth and to be the executor of the will. His son is Richard who is younger than 21 years of age. Overseers of the will are his brother John Bray and brother in law John Quittenden (was subsequent husband of his wife Elizabeth's sister).

Up One Gen.

Bray Generation 7

Henry "Gentleman" Bray III
b. betw. 1705 and 1715, Maryland
d. betw. 1790 and Feb. 11, 1794, Chatham County, North Carolina, buried Bray Cemetery near Siler City, Chatham County, North Carolina

+ Mary Wilson, 1729, Monocacy Hundred, Prince George's County, Maryland
b. abt. 1719, Baltimore, Maryland
d. 1790, Chatham County, North Carolina

Sarah Bray
Anna Maria (Mary) Bray
Susanna Bray
Catherine Bray
Elizabeth Bray
Henry Bray IV

Henry Bray lived in Monocacy County, Maryland, from at least 1732-1750.

"In 1733 Prince Georges County assessed a head tax on all white males 16 years of age and older and slaves, male and female, 16 years of age and older. The list in Monocacy Hundred included Henry Bray. (Before the Revolution, counties in Maryland were divided into "hundreds", rather than numbered election districts."
— Karen Bray Keeley, June 2, 2015

From Brooks and Kindred Families by Ida Brooks Kellam, 1950

"'Gentleman' Henry Bray came to Chatham County, North Carolina, about 1754 and built his first residence in Matthews Township about 150 yards slightly northwest of the house where Richard Bray and Matilda Schmidt Paschal live. S. W. Paschal has said, 'I can first remember the lot was enclosed and had a fine lawn of short English lawn grass near the house site, and around for some distances were walnut trees, apple trees, some of them said to have been brought from England*, as were all the old perennial garden vegetables, which were transferred to Mother's vegetable garden when Gentleman Henry moved, such things as horseradish, comfrey, rhubarb and garlic.' About 1783 he left his first home and moved to a new place a mile or two south of Brush Creek Church."

The initials "HB" with the H and B sharing the same downstroke, and having three horizontal lines above — perhaps indicating that he was the third Henry Bray in a row

"In 1748 Frederick County, Maryland, was formed from part of Prince George's County, and in 1750 Henry Bray sold his land and farm animals there. Henry's distinctive mark on the Frederick County, Maryland, deed is the same as that used on Henry's 1762 North Carolina deed and his 1790 Chatham County, North Carolina, will. This definitely proves that he was the same individual, and incidentally, doesn't necessarily mean that he was illiterate... using a distinctive personal mark or symbol (in lieu of a genuine seal in wax) was common practice for legal documents in early times."
— Karen Bray Keeley, June 2, 2015

Up One Gen.

Bray Generation 8

Sarah Bray
b. Mar. 31, 1732, Momocacy Hundred, Prince George's County, Maryland
d. 1790

+ Michael Ramsour, abt. 1745-1750

Edward Ramsower, b. 1757
Henry Ramsower, b. 1764 d. 1824, + Mary Elizabeth Smith, June 18, 1785, Frederick County, Maryland
Michael Ramsour, b. 1765 d. 1830

Anna Maria (Mary) Bray
b. Apr. 15, 1733
d. after 1790, Siler City, Chatham County, North Carolina

+ (first name unknown) Johnson
b. 1729

Susanna Bray
b. Mar. 10, 1735, Monocacy Hundred, Prince George's County, Maryland
d. bef. 1790

+ (first name unknown) Johnson
b. 1729

Catherine Bray
b. Apr. 16, 1737, Frederick County, Maryland
d. aft. May 1802, Kirksey, Greenwood, South Carolina

+ Andrew Jones, 1763, Siler City, Chatham County, North Carolina
b. 1729ep. 4, 1743, Douglassville, Berks County, Pennsylvania
d. May 1802, Kirksey, Greenwood, South Carolina

Reuben Jones, b. 1763 d. 1797, + Rebecca Branson, 1790, b. 1763 d. 1824
Peter Jones, b. 1765 d. 1842, + Mary Branson, abt. 1788, b. 1765 d. 1842
Sarah Jones, b. 1767 d. 1822, + John Branson, abt. 1764, b. 1764 d. 1844
Henry Jones, b. 1771 d. 1800

Elizabeth Bray
b. Nov. 3, 1739, Prince George's County, Maryland
d. 1812, Siler City, Chatham County, North Carolina

+ William Poe, Jr., abt. 1758
b. 1732, Essex, Culpepper County, Virginia
d. abt. 1812, Ashe County, North Carolina

Henry William Poe, b. 1758 d. 1834, + Susannah Bray b. 1763 d. Nov, 11, 1819
Hannah Poe, b. 1765
Raleigh Poe, b. 1767 d. 1858, + Nancy Carter, abt. 1800 Surry County, North Carolina, b. 1769
Edmond Poe, b. 1775 d. 1810, + Sarah Parker Nov. 30, 1794, b/ 1771 d. 1847
Mathia Poe, b. 1774
John W. Poe, b. 1776
Elizabeth Poe, b. 1780 d. 1850, + James Masters, July 12, 1792, North Carolina, b. 1766 d. 1838

Henry Bray IV — DAR Ancestor #A013888
b. abt. 1741, Orange County, North Carolina
d. Jan. 7, 1812, Chatham County, North Carolina

+ Sarah Yokely, abt. 1760, North Carolina, daughter of John David Yokely, b. 1717 Maryland, d. 1765 Rowan County, North Carolina
b. abt. 1744, Maryland
d. Jan. 14, 1812, Brush Creek, Chatham County, North Carolina

John Bray
Mathias (Josiah) Bray
James Bray
William Bray
Henry Bray V
Mary Bray
Sarah Bray
Jesse Bray
Solomon Bray
Eli Bray
Edward Bray

Henry Bray IV's granddaughter, Mahala Bray Brown, in a letter dated 20 Aug 1891, said that her grandfather served in the seven-year war (French & Indian War), which ended in 1763.

Descendants of Henry Bray (husband of Sarah Yokely) are elliglbe for D.A.R. membership based on Henry Bray's service record in the D.A.R. database:

Juror, tax collector, signed oath of allegiance to make land entry

Chatham County, 1779; paid for services rendered [selling corn and supplies]

Several other patriotic service records exist for men named Henry Bray in Chatham County, North Carolina. However, it is not known if these records are for the Henry Bray that married of Sarah Yokely.

"The name Henry Bray also appears on the list of Chatham County militia in 1772. He was a private in Jeduthan Harper's Company, and is considered a "Patriot" in the D.A.R. files (however, it is uncertain just which Henry Bray this was, since there were several in Chatham Co. by that time)."
— Karen Bray Keeley, May 1, 2014 ⁽⁵⁾

According to the North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, Nov. 1996, Henry Bray received land in Chatham County, North Carolina, in appreciation for his service in the American Revolutionary War. Henry Bray was granted three different parcels -- one for 591 acres, one for 85 acres, and one for 150 acres. (This may or may not be the Henry Bray that married Yokely.)

Henry Bray bought and sold a lot of land in North Carolina.

In 1771, Chatham County was created from part of Orange County, and the Bray land fell into the new county. Then in 1779 Randolph County was created out of the western part of Chatham. After 1779 Henry Bray's land holdings were in both Randolph County and Chatham County, and he left various parcels to each of his children in his will. His will was dated January 4, 1812 in Chatham County, and lists all of his children from oldest to youngest: John, Mathias, James, William, Henry, Mary, Sarah, Jesse, Eli, Solomon, Edward.

Bray plantation and cemetery

"I made several visits to our Bray ancestral cemetery in Siler City, NC. It sits near the confluence of Brush Creek and the Rocky River. Since Henry Bray, d. 1812 is buried there and his grave site is marked with a headstone, I am assuming that this cemetery is probably the epi-center for the Bray "plantation". Prior to this Henry's death in 1812 this plantation consisted of 8,000 to 10,000 acres depending on the various deed books and documents you look at. Also, if you add up the acreage that he willed away to his children it adds up to somewhere around 8,000 acres.My feeling is that the land where Henry Bray d. 1812 is buried was probably continously occupied by Brays from 1760 to at least 1900. There are many Brays and related families buried in the cemetery as well as slaves. The slave cemetery is located about 50 feet from the main cemetery. When I was there several years ago, we counted at least 12 slave graves. This leads me to believe that the cemetery was part of the Bray 'plantation'."
— James W. Bray, Bray Family Genealogy Forum ⁽⁶⁾

Up One Gen.

Bray Generation 9

John Bray
b. 1765, Orange County, North Carolina
d. Nov. 5, 1821, Randolph County, North Carolina, buried Bray Cemetery, Bear Creek, Chatham County, North Carolina

+ Hannah (surname unknown), North Carolina
d. North Carolina

William A. Bray, b. 1788, Chatham County, North Carolina,d. 1843, Lowndes County, MS; + 1) Mary Boswell, Jan. 10, 1833, Lowndes Co., MS; + 2) Fanny Reeder, Mar. 26, 1839, Randolph County, N.C. ⁽¹⁴⁾
Catherine "Katy" Bray, b. 1791, Chatham County, North Carolina, + John Wilson ⁽¹⁴⁾

+ Mary Craven, 1794, North Carolina
b. 1772, Chatham County, North Carolina

Mathias Bray, b. 1795, Chatham County, North Carolina⁽⁷⁾, d. aft. 1839 ⁽¹⁴⁾
Harmon Bray, b. 1795, Chatham County, North Carolina⁽⁷⁾, d. betw. 1850-1860; + Jane ⁽¹⁴⁾
John Harmon Bray
Elizabeth Bray, b. 1803, Chatham County, North Carolina⁽¹⁵⁾, d. betw. 1850-1855, Randolph County, North Carolina ⁽¹⁴⁾; + Eli Brower, July 29, 1817, Randolph Co., N.C., b. abt. 1792, N.C, died abt. 1863, Randolph Co., N.C. ⁽¹⁴⁾
Hannah Bray, b. 1805 ⁽⁷⁾, Chatham County, North Carolina, + Evan D. Hughes, b. 1805, Chatham County, North Carolina; their son: Evan M. Hughes, b. 1843, Tennessee, d. after 1885, buried Hughes Cemetery, St. Francis County, Arkansas ⁽⁸⁾ Conflicts with other marriage records ⁽¹⁴⁾
Sarah "Sallie" Bray, b. abt. 1805, d. aft. 1880; + Mason T. Brower, 27 Nov. 1822, Randolph County, N.C. ⁽¹⁴⁾

Bray Generation 9 continued

Up One Gen.

Bray Generation 10

John Harmon Bray
b. abt. 1801, Chatham County, North Carolina
d. Aug. 12, 1862, DeRoche, Hot Spring County, Arkansas

+ Esther Henrietta "Hettie" Brower, Oct. 18, 1822, Randolph County, North Carolina
b. abt. 1807, Randolph County, North Carolina

Aletha Ann Bray
Hannah Sophie Bray
William Daniel Bray
Jane Allison Bray
Caswell G. Bray
Tabitha Caroline Bray
Amanda Paralie Bray
John Harmon Bray, Jr.
Carroll Theodore Bray
Allen Jacob Bray
Sarah J. Bray

1860 census, Prairie Township, Hot Spring County, Arkansas

John Bray, m. age 58, b. NC
Hettie Bray, f. age 55, b. NC
John H. Bray, m. age 17, b. TN
T. C. Bray, f. age 15, b. TN
Jacob A. Bray, m. age 13, b. TN
Sarah E. Bray, f. age. 8, b. TN

1850 Census, Henderson County, Tennessee

John Bray, m. age 50, b. NC
Hetta Bray, f. age 43, b. NC
Daniel Bray, m. age 20, b. TN
Jane A. Bray, f. age 18, b. TN
Caswill Bray, m. age 15, b. TN
Betha C. Bray, f. age 13, b. TN
Amanda Bray, f. age 10, b. TN
John H. Bray, m. age 8, b. TN
Theodore C. Bray, m. age 6, b. TN
Allen J. Bray, m. age 3, b. TN

Up One Gen.

Bray Generation 11

Aletha Ann Bray
b. Nov. 16, 1823, Chatham County, North Carolina
d. betw. 1850-1860

+ Basil Manley Phillips, bef. 1850, Henderson County, Tennessee

Hannah Sophie Bray
b. Feb. 19, 1826, Chatham County, North Carolina
d. Sep. 13, 1864, Brush Creek, Clark County, Arkansas

+ James Franklin Nelson, abt. 1842, Henderson County, Tennessee
b. abt. 1825

Alethis Jane Nelson, b. 3 Aug, 1844, Tennessee; +Jeff Steede, July 10, 1868, Clark County, Arkansas
John Harrison Nelson, b. 3 Feb. 1848, Tennessee
William Manily Nelson, b. Nov. 13, 1850, Tennessee; + Nancy E. Stroud, Apr. 20, 1877
James Franklin Nelson, b. Nov. 6, 1853, Tennessee, d. May 31, 1926, buried Bethlehem Cemetery, Clark County, Arkansas; + Callie C. Davis, Dec. 30, 1877, b. Aug. 4, 1859
Nancy Caroline Nelson, b. Apr. 26, 1857, Arkansas; + A. W. Davis, Apr. 11, 1878
Henry Carrol Nelson, b. Oct. 19, 1860, Clark County, Arkansas, d. Apr. 5, 1942, Bell Co TX; + Laura Rosannah May, b. 17 Oct 1868, Bell County, Texas

William Daniel Bray
b. abt. 1829, Henderson County, Tennessee
d. June 13, 1892, DeRoche, Hot Spring County, Arkansas

+ Cynthia Ann Hughes, Oct. 22, 1857, Clark County, Arkansas

John Henry Bray, b. 1858, Hot Spring County, Arkansas, d. 1871
William Thomas Bray, b. Nov. 16, 1859, Clark County, Arkansas, d. July 15, 1942, Hot Spring County, Arkansas, buried DeRoche Cemetery, Hot Spring County, Arkansas; + Tilitha Angeline Shirley, Nov. 8, 1885, Clark County, Arkansas
Marion G. Bray, b. Nov. 2, 1861, Clark County, Arkansas, d. Nov. 27, 1884, Hot Spring County, Arkansas, buried DeRoche Cemetery, HotSpring County, Arkansas; + Rosetta Jane Hardage, Dec. 22, 1881, Clark County, Arkansas
Sarah Caroline Bray, b. 1865, Hot Spring County, Arkansas; + Samuel Dallas Houston, Oct. 8, 1882, Clark County, Arkansas; their children: Arlecia Amanda Houston (+John Phillip Cantrell), Clark Houston, Roy Houston, and Lula Houston (+Bridges)
Amanda J. Bray, b. July 3, 1867, Hot Spring County, Arkansas, d. Jan. 28, 1928, Hot Spring County, Arkansas, buried Old Bismarck Cemetery, Hot Spring County, Arkansas; + 1) John M. Hardage, Jan. 22, 1885, Clark County, Arkansas, + 2) James William Thomas, Aug. 30, 1891, Clark County, Arkansas
Mathilda Bray, b. 1869, Hot Spring County, Arkansas, +John M. Hardage, Jan. 22, 1885, Clark County, Arkansas; their child: Emma Lee Hardage (+ Fenter), b. Feb. 15, 1886
[Note: It has been said that Mathilda was very young when she was married and that she died, perhaps with measles, betw. Feb 1886 and Dec. 1890. John Monroe Hardage remarried to Nora Saunders, Dec. 7, 1890, Bismarck, Hot Spring County, Arkansas, and they had about 11 children. Nora died in childbirth Apr. 14, 1912, and John Hardage died of heart failure Dec. 20, 1918, Dennison, Texas. ⁽⁹⁾
Hetty Bray, b. 1871, Hot Spring County, Arkansas, buried Hot Spring County, Arkansas
Daniel Stokes Bray, b. Nov. 1875, Clark County, Arkansas, +Viola Harper, Clark County, Arkansas
Mary B. Bray, b. Apr. 8, 1878, Clark County, Arkansas, d. Sep. 16, 1965, Hot Spring County, Arkansas, buried Neighbors Cemetery, Hot Spring County, Arkansas; +William Lawson Whitworth

William Daniel Bray was a Confederate soldier during the Civil War.

Jane Allison Bray
b. abt. 1833, Henderson County, Tennessee
d. abt. 1889 (Grippe epidemic), DeRoche, Hot Spring County, Arkansas

+ Basil Manley Phillips (previously married to her deceased sister, Aletha Ann Bray), bef. 1860

Caswell G. Bray
b. abt. 1835, Henderson County, Tennessee
d. betw. 1862-1865, as a Confederate soldier, near Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas

+ Caroline Mathilda Hughes, Dec. 17, 1857, Clark County, Arkansas
b. abt. 1842, Tennessee

William Stokes Bray, b. Aug. 14, 1858, Clark County, Arkansas, d. Mar. 21, 1938, Pontotoc, Oklahoma; + Delcina Isabell Willis, Dec. 24, 1876
Mary Caswell Bray, b. 1863, Clark County, Arkansas, +Welch Williams, Oct. 23, 1879

Tabitha Caroline Bray
b. Apr. 9, 1837, Henderson County, Tennessee
d. Jan. 10, 1926, Donaldson, Hot Spring County, Arkansas

+ 1) Edward Clingman Hughes, Oct. 30, 1856, Hot Spring County, Arkansas

See children Hughes Line

+ 2) Robert W. Orr

See children Orr Line

Amanda Paralie Bray
b. Mar. 1840, Henderson County, Tennessee
d. abt. 19916, DeRoche, Hot Spring County, Arkansas

+ Uriah Cain Hardage, Dec. 2, 1858, Hot Spring County, Arkansas
b. abt. 1849, son of William Thomas Hardage b. Apr. 8, 1811, Lincoln Co TN, and his wife Martha Cain, b. abt. 1813 in Kentucky, who were married Dec. 24, 1831, Bolivar, Hardeman Co TN.
d. of Black Measles during the Civil War

John Harmon Bray, Jr.
b. Mar. 1843, Henderson County, Tennessee
d. Nov. 27, 1863, Point Lookout Prisoner of War Camp, Maryland

Infantry and Battalion

"Bray, John Henry, Co. D—Private. Enlisted in Co. E, 19th Arkansas Infantry, at Rockport, Arkansas, March 8, 1862; transferred to Co. D, 12th Arkansas Battalion, June 30, 1862; present, February 28, 1863; captured at Champion Hill, Mississippi, May 10, 1863; died of smallpox at Point Lookout, Maryland, November 27, 1863; born in Tennessee, c1843; listed in Hot Spring county 1860 census."
— Edward Geddes Civil War History Homepage

The 12th Battalion of Arkansas, as listed above, was also known as Rapley's Sharpshooters. Records compiled by the Daughters of the Confederacy and located at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., indicate that John Bray enlisted in Co. D, 12th Arkansas Sharpshooters on Feb. 28, 1862. No information appears there as to enlistment in the 19th Arkansas Infantry. ⁽¹⁰⁾

Unpaid war service, capture, and transfer to Point Lookout

"He was not paid after January 1863. He and whatever was left of his unit was captured at the battle of Champion Hill, during the Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, on May 25, 1863. He was sent to a prisoner of war camp, Fort Delaware, Sept 20, 1863. He was transferred to a (then) new prisoner of war camp, Point Lookout, MD, after complaining he had smallpox. He entered Point lookout and the hospital Nov 22, 1863, and died Nov 27, 1863. His body was thrown into a mass grave with about 4000 other Confederate prisoners who died at Point Lookout."

Point Lookout POW Camp

Point Lookout POW Camp was located on a peninsula where the Potomoac River met the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The camp, which was established after the Battle of Gettysburg, was used to incarcerate Confederate prisoners between July 1863 - June 1865. Point Lookout overflowed with inmates, surpassing its intended capacity of 10,000 to a population numbering between 12,500 and 20,000. In all, over 50,000 men, both military and civilian, were held prisoner there.

Point Lookout records do not show John Bray as having been there, even though his name is on a tombstone at the Point Lookout historic park.

Carroll Theodore Bray
b. Oct. 4, 1844, Henderson County, Tennessee
d. 1903, Sylvan, Lamar County, Texas

+ 1) Rebecca Jane Cunningham, Mar. 1, 1866, Clark County, Arkansas

+ 2) Mary Frances Hall, Oct. 8, 1882, Clark County, Arkansas

Allen Jacob Bray
b. July 2, 1847, Henderson County, Tennessee
d. July 7, 1920, Bismarck, Hot Spring County, Arkansas

+ Sarah Ann Gilchrist, Mar. 4, 1866, Hot Spring Co AR

Joseph H. Bray, b. abt. 1867, Arkansas
William C. Bray, b. abt. 1868, Arkansas
Julia A. Bray, b. 1870, Arkansas

The 1870 census of Clark County, Arkansas, shows that Allen Jacob Bray's household included his mother, Hettie Bray, age 63.

Sarah J. Bray
b. July 14, 1851, Henderson County, Tennessee
d. Feb. 20, 1932, Hot Spring County, Arkansas

+ 1) James Moore, Mar. 4, 1866, Hot Spring County, Arkansas

+ 2) Ephraim P. Allen, Aug. 15, 1870, Point Cedar, Hot Spring County, Arkansas

Up One Gen.

Hughes Generation 9 cont.

Mathias Bray
b. abt. 1766, Orange (later organized as part of Chatham) County, North Carolina
d. Oct. 24, 1825, Randolph County, North Carolina

+ Isabel Edwards, abt. 1787, North Carolina
b. Feb. 11, 1766, Randolph County, North Carolina
d. 1845, Randolph County, North Carolina

Sarah Bray, b. 1785, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. 1850 Chatham County, North Carolina; + Josiah Gilliland, 1818, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. 1797 Randolph County, North Carolina

"I actually found the probate file pertaining to Mathias Bray and his wife Isabel where Josiah "Gilliner" and wife Sarah are petitioning the other heirs in regard to selling a slave. It says Gilliner in the file but I'm pretty sure that whoever recorded it was incorrect and it should have been Gilliland as there are no other documents (census records, deeds, wills, etc.) that have to do with a Josiah Gilliner." ⁽¹³⁾
Isabel Bray, b. 1789, Randolph County, North Carolina, d. bef. 1825
Catherine Bray, b. abt. 1793, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. bef. 1850 Henderson County, Tennessee; _ Martin V. Fesmire, 1812, Randolph County, North Carolina, b, 1797, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. bef. 1880 Henderson County, Tennessee
Mathias Bray, Jr. b. abt. 1793, Randolph County, North Carolina, d. bef. 1850 Henderson County, Tennessee; + Rebecca Jones, 1811 Randolph County, North Carolina, b. 1792 Randolph County, North Carolins, d. July 1892, Henderson County, Tennessee
Harmon Bray, b. 1794, Randolph County, North Carolina, d. Aug. 3, 1850; + Nancy Jane Carr, 1813, Chatham County, Tennessee, b. 1796
John Bray, b. abt. 1795, Randolph County, North Carolina, d. Feb. 21, 1874, Chatham County, North Carolina; + Susanna Hadley, Mar. 21, 1817, Chatham County, North Carolina, b. Apr. 22, 1799, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. Jan. 12, 1876, Monroe County, Indiana
Anna Bray, b. Mar. 15, 1796, Bear Creek, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. June 8, 1857, Bear Creek, Chatham County, North Carolina; _James Welch, abt. 1834, b. 1800 Bear Creek, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. Jan. 22, 1864, Chatham, North Carolina
Thomas Bray, b. 1797, Randolph County, North Carolina, d. 1868 Henderson County, Tennessee; + Liddie (surname unknown), b. 1790, North Carolina
Henry Bray, b. June 29, 1801, Randolph County, North Carolina, d. Oct. 23, 1873; + Polly Craven, Jan. 6, 1822, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. July 24, 1796, North Carolina, d. July 27, 1875, North Carolina
Hannah Bray, b. 1805, Randolph County, d. Browers Mill, Randolph County, North Carolina; + Mason T. Brower, Nov. 27, 1822, b. 1800 Randolph County, North Carolina, d. 1856 Randolph County, North Carolina
Anna Bray, b. 1814, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. Tennessee

James Bray
b. 1764, Orange (later organized as part of Chatham) County, North Carolina
d. Apr. 19, 1857, Chatham County, North Carolina

+ Ann Welch, abt. 1783, Chatham County, North Carolina
b. 1767, Chatham County, North Carolina
d. Feb. 1842, Chatham County, North Carolina

Ailsey Bray, b. 1785, Chatham County, North Carolina
Matthew Bray, b. North Carolina, d. 1848, Henderson County, Tennessee; + Nancy McDaniel, Mar. 21, 1889, Henderson County, Tennessee
Henry Bray, b. abt. 1788, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. aft. 1870, Lamar County, Texas; + Isobel Edwards
Isaac Bray, b. June 9, 1792, Chatham North Carolin, d. Sep. 7, 1872, Jerseyville, Illinois; + Rosannah White, abt. 1822, North Carolina, b. Apr. 21, 1804, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. March 8, 1875, Grafton, Illinois
Mary Bray, b. abt. 1792, Chatham, North Carolina; + Edom Edwards, Feb. 2, 1810, Chatham County, North Carolina, b. abt. 1790
Nancy Bray, b. 1796, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. 1871, Chatham County, North Carolina, + Richard Pascall, Aug. 24, 1817, Chatham County, North Carolina, b. abt. 1783 Chatham County, North Carolina, d. 1820
James Bray, b. abt. 1796, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. 1886, Labette, Kansas; + Sallie Edwards, 1817, Chatham County, North Carolina, b. abt. 1800, Chatham County, North Carolina
Elijah Bray, b. Jan. 28, 1802, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. Aug. 20, 1888, DeKalb County, Missouri; +Elizabeth Culbertson, b. Jan. 1805, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. Aug. 25, 1876, Hendricks County, Indiana
Elisha G. Bray, b. 1804, North Carolina, d. Nov. 20, 1877; + 1) Fanny McDaniel, Oct. 6, 1827, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. 1806, Randolph County, North Carolina; + 2) Rachael McDaniel, Dec. 19, 1836, Tennessee

William E. Bray
b. 1766, Orange (later organized as part of Chatham) County, North Carolina
d. Feb. 1846, Siler City, Chatham County, North Carolina

+ Margaret Wilson Brooks, 1789, Siler City, Chatham County, North Carolina
b. 1760, Caswell Township, New Hanover County, North Carolina
d. abt. 1845, Chatham County, North Carolina

Calvin Duncan Bray

Bray Generation 9 continued

Up One Gen.

Hughes Generation 10

Calvin Duncan Bray
b. Aug. 30, 1814
d. Feb. 23, 1881, buried Mt. Hope Cemetery, Waverly, Missouri

+ 1) Mahala L. Womble, July 23, 1835
b. May 16, 1819
d. Aug. 30, 1837

Emilet M. Bray, b. July 9, 1837

+ 2) Harriet Primrose Avent, Mar. 3, 1842
b. Dec. 5, 1821
d. Aug. 18, 1888, buried Mt. Hope Cemetery, Waverly, Missouri

Newton Bray, b. Jan. 21, 1843, d. Feb. 22, 1843
Margaret Bray, b. Nov. 2, 1843, d. Nov. 3, 1843
Fletcher Harris Bray, b. July. 9, 1845, d. Jul. 16, 1916, buried Mt. Hope Cemetery, Waverly, Missouri; + Mary Elizabeth Love, June 9, 1878
James Lafayette Bray, b. June 26, 1848, d. Feb. 14, 1925, buried Mt. Hope Cemetery, Waverly, Missouri
Monroe G. Bray, b. Oct. 11, 1850, d. Feb. 2, 1939, buried Mt. Hope Cemetery, Waverly, Missouri; + Jennie C. Wrightsman, Dec. 13, 1874.
Serene A. Bray, b. Jan. 1, 1854, d. Aug. 13, 1855
Joseph Ripley Bray, b. Apr. 29, 1856, d. Jan. 18, 1880
William Baxter Bray, b. Dec. 20, 1858, d. Dec. 13 , 1939, buried Mt. Hope Cemetery, Waverly, Missouri; + Grace Darling Bedsworth, Oct. 28, 1885, Lexington, Missouri
Sarah Eveline Duncan Bray, b. Apr. 2, 1861, d. July 16, 1926, buried Mt. Hope Cemetery, Waverly, Missouri; + James William Harrison
Charles Cadmus Bray, b. June 1, 1866, d. July 26, 1941, buried Mt. Hope Cemetery, Waverly, Missouri

Notes collected by Glenn Longest Bray, Jan. 27, 2001

Calvin Duncan Bray was a freight hauler through Cumberland Gap (Virginia to Tennessee) with a wagon and three-mule team. He moved to Missouri in 1844 with his wife and his cousins. They lived in Ozark and Sparta, Christian County. There is a Bray family farm in the Sparta area, which is still owned by his cousin's descendants.

Calvin Duncan Bray was a singing master and a Democrat. He and his wife were members of the Baptist church. He served in the Civil War (Confederate) as a Captain, with his son Fletcher who was a drummer boy, under several commanders, among them General Price. He and his wife moved to Lafayette County in 1865. He was a large fleshy man, light complexion, with blue eyes.

Captain Calvin Duncan Bray and his son Fletcher Harris Bray missed the battle at Wilson's Creek, Aug. 10, 1861. After that, General Sterling Price and his victorious Missouri State Guard retired to northern Missouri where they overwhelmed the Union defenders of Lexington at the Battle of the Hemp Bales in late September.

At that time, Missouri had neither seceded nor had been admitted to the Confederacy. Following Lexington, General Price sent Colonel Thomas J. Snead, his acting adjutant general, to Richmond to discuss a formal alliance with Confederate officials there. The treaty was concluded and Missouri was admitted to the Confederacy in November. [Note: During the war, Missouri was claimed by both the Union and the Confederacy, had two competing state governments, and sent representatives to both the United States Congress and the Confederate Congress.]

Meanwhile, General Price left Lexington and moved to Osceola, on the Sac River, where he began to build winter quarters. Before that effort was completed, the army was on the move again, this time toward Springfield. Recruiting for the regular Confederate Army began at Osceola.

In mid-December, the main body of Price's army arrived in Springfield, and that part of it that, later, became the First Missouri Confederate Brigade, commanded by Colonel Little, went out about a mile to Fullbright Spring near which they began to build winter quarters. Recruiters set up shop in Ozark, County Seat of the recently organized Christian County, and it was there that the Bray's joined the Confederacy.

Cadmus Bray, Lynn Bray and Fletcher Harris Bray joined the 4th Missouri infantry, Company F, on December 14, 1861. Fletcher had just turned 16 in July and was designated as a drummer boy. F Company was commanded by Captain Greene.

Up One Gen.

Hughes Generation 9 cont.

Henry Bray V
b. Apr. 7, 1768, Orange (later organized as part of Chatham) County, North Carolina
d. Dec. 7, 1854, Chatham County, North Carolina

+ 1) Sarah McClaslin, bef. 1792, Chatham County, North Carolina

John M. Bray, b. bef. 1790, Chatham County, North Carolina; + Elizabeth Hutson, bef. 1814, Chatham County, North Carolina, b. abt. 1792, Randolph County, North Carolina
Sarah Bray, b. 1794, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. June 27, 1827, Chatham County, North Carolina: +Stephen Scott, abt. 1814, Chatham County, North Carolina, b. Dec. 14, 1794, North Carolina, d. Jan. 20, 1851, Chatham County, North Carolina
Ann Bray, b. abt. 1795, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. 1872; + Jeremiah Brewer, May 11, 1817, b. 1759, d. 1860
Henry McCaslin Bray, b. Oct. 14, 1800, d. Dec. 11, 1884, Siler City, Chatham County, North Carolina; + Huldah Hutson, May 8, 1821, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. 1801, d. 1843
Mary Bray, b. Apr. 9, 1804, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. Sep. 14, 1858, Randolph County, North Carolina; + Robert Manley Stinson, June 2, 1825, Chatham County, North Carolina, b. 1802, d. 1877
Enos Bray, b. 1807, Chatham County, North Carolina
Margery Bray, b. 1808, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. May 6, 1856, Chatham County, North Carolina; + Samuel Dunlap, b. 1801, d. 1866
Joab Bray, b. Apr. 17, 1810, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. Apr. 24, 1815, Chatham County, North Carolina

+ 2) Elizabeth Lane, aft. 1840, Chatham County, North Carolina

Mary Bray
b. 1770, Wake County, North Carolina
d. 1854, Wake County, North Carolina

+ William Segraves, abt. 1785, Wake County, North Carolina
b. 1760, Wake County, North Carolina
d. 1840, Wake County, North Carolina

William Seagraves, b. 1785, d. 1835
Stephen Seagras, b. 1794, d. 1894
Isham Segraves, b. 1795, d. 1895
Gilbert Segraves, b. 1797, d. 1887; + Sarah Wilson
John Seagroves, b. 1798
Abel Segraves, b. 1804

Sarah Bray
b. 1773, Chatham County, North Carolina
d. Oct. 21, 1848, Chatham County, North Carolina

+ Michael Welch
b. 1769, Chatham County, North Carolina
d. Jan. 29, 1837, Chatham County, North Carolina

Henry Welch, b. 1795, d. 1853
James Welch, b. 1800, d. 1864
Isaac Welch, b. 1800
Solomon Welch, b. 1802, d. 1875
Matthew Welch, b. 1805
William M. Welch, b. 1805, d. 1854
Michael Welch, b. 1809
Mary Polly Welch, b. 1810, d. 1834
Eli Welch, b. 1812, d. 1896
Benjamin M. Welch, b. 1812
Sarah Ellen Welch, b. 1813, d. 1859
Riley Welch, b. 1815

Jesse Bray
b. 1775, Chatham County, North Carolina
d. Apr. 10, 1845, Randolph County, North Carolina

+ Nancy Jones, abt. 1797, North Carolina
b. abt. 1780, North Carolina
d. 1860, North Carolina

Martha Bray, b. abt. 1798, Chatham County, North Carolina; + Daniel Brown, Dec. 23, 1818, Chatham County, North Carolina, b. 1795
Elizabeth Bray, b. 1800, d. 1843
Susannah Bray, b. July 20, 1803, d. July 13, 1885; + Solomon Siler, Aug. 3, 1826, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. July 18, 1804, d. July 14, 1888
Mary Bray, b. May 9, 1804, d. Oct. 14, 1879; + Thomas Swain Dowd, abt. 1827, b. 1802, d. 1883
Alston Bray, b. abt. 1807, Randolph County, North Carolina, d. Jan. 5, 1851; + Nancy Jones, b. 1780, d. 1860
Charity "Cherry" Bray, b. Mar. 3, 1810, Randolph County, North Carolina, d. Jan. 8, 1896, Yellow Rabbit, Benton County, Mississippi; +Isaiah Caviness, Feb. 6, 1830, b. 1810, d. 1850
Rebecca Bray, b. 1812, North Carolina, d. 1851, North Carolina; + George Spencer, Oct. 19, 1832, b. 1811, d. 1903
Emily Bray, b. abt. 18 17, Randolph County, North Carolina; + Jacob Page, 1836, b. 1813
Nancy A. Bray, b. Dec. 24, 1818, Randolph County, North Carolina, d. Jan. 21, 1891; + Adam Brower, Oct. 5, 1836, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. 1799, d. 1895
Edward Jesse Bray, b. Nov. 20, 1820, Liberty, Randolph County, North Carolina, d. May 6, 1864; + Saphronia Reece, Nov. 5, 1844, b. 1828, d. 1912
Chesley P. Bray, b. abt. 1822, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. Oct. 1849; + Rebecca Branson, Mar. 22, 1843, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. 1826
Willis Bray, b. abt. 1823, Chatham County, North Carolina; + Sarah, abt. 1844, b. 1823 Enfield, Middlesex, England
Lemuel Bray, b. Jan. 8, 1823, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. May 1893, Missouri; + Mary J. "Polly" Branson, June 25, 1839, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. 1824, d. 1892
Josiah T. Bray, b. abt. 1825, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. May 26, 1880; + Susanna McCollum, Aug. 8, 1843, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. 1825, d. 1906

Solomon Bray
b. Aug. 27, 1774, Orange (later organized as part of Chatham) County, North Carolina
d. Oct. 19, 1848, Chatham County, North Carolina

+ 1) Hannah Craven, abt. 180s, Chatham County, North Carolina
b. 1779, Randolph County, North Carolina
d. 1812, Randolph County, North Carolina

Mary Bray, b. abt. 1804, Randolph County, North Carolina

+ 2) (first name unknown) Taylor, aft. 1840, Chatham County, North Carolina

Eli Bray
b. Feb. 28, 1778, Chatham County, North Carolina
d. Oct. 19, 1855, Chatham County, North Carolina

+ Mary Hadley Cox, Sep. 4, 1802, Chatham County, North Carolina
b. Dec. 7, 1783, Chatham County, North Carolina
d. May 8, 1850, Chatham County, North Carolina

Solomon Bray, b. Aug. 21, 1802, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. Oct. 19, 1848, Chatham County, North Carolina; + Sarah Brooks, abt. 1823, b. 1802, d. 1848
Lydia Hadley Bray, b. abt. 1804, Chatham County, North Carolina, b. 1866, Missouri; + Benjamin Marley, Sep. 19, 1823, b. 1802, d. 1860
Matthew Bray, b. Apr. 6, 1806, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. 1848, Henderson County, Tennessee; + Nancy McDaniel, Mar. 21, 1829, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. 1812, North Carolina, d. 1884, Lamar County, Texas
Samuel Bray, b. Apr. 6, 1806, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. Jan. 31, 1870, Henderson County, Tennessee; + Mary Hutson, Feb. 25, 1826, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. 1807, d. 1858
Eliza Jane Bray, b. Feb. 29, 1808, d. Feb. 17, 1894, Springfield, Missouri; + John Daniel Brown, abt. 1827, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. 1804, d. 1864
Elijah Bray, b. May 18, 1809, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. Aug. 25, 1881, Henderson County, Tennessee; + Elizabeth Patterson, abt. 1832, North Carolina, b. 1809, d. 1878
Jeremiah S. Bray, b. Nov. 27, 1812, North Carolina, d. July 3, 1894; + Elizabeth Lane, abt. 1845, b. 1808, d. 1864
William Bray, b. abt. 1815, Chatham County, North Carolina; + Fanny Reader, Mar. 27, 1839, Randolph County, North Carolina, b. 1819
Sarah A. Bray, b. July 11, 1819, Chatham County, North Carolina, d. Nov. 22, 1897; + John A. Brewer, Sep. 16, 1844, b. 1819, d. 1864
Lydia Bray

Edward Bray
b. 1791, Orange County, North Carolina
d. 1837, Chatham County, North Carolina

Top of Page

Sources

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/LH17-69M
Parish register of Christ Church, Middlesex County, Virginia, from 1653-1812, pg. 20
The Rogers name appears in The Sumner Family by Moore and in information written by Cheryl Clark for Bray Nostalgia.
Henry Bray, "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940"
LDS https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L6R3-HSX
Bray Family Genealogy Forum, http://genforum.genealogy.com/bray/messages/2259.html
Family records of Pat Hughes Jones, patj@indianvalley.com, transmittal 2001
Family records of Patti Cantrell, marpac@myfamily.com, transmittal 2001
Family records of Jan Fenter, Oregon, May 4, 2001
Family records of David G. Michels, michels@sprynet.com
Family records of Helen Hughes, Little Rock, Arkansas
Family records of Glenn Longest Bray
- Letter from Della Bray Herston to Cathy Lobaugh, Jan. 20, 1986.
- Early Virginia Immigrants
- Cavaliers and Pioneers Abstract of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1666, Nugent
- Parish register of Christ Church, Middlesex County, Virginia, from 1653-1812, pg. 20
- The Rogers name appears in The Sumner Family by Moore and in information written by Cheryl Clark for Bray Nostalgia.
- Eileen Hayes Skibo
- Letter written by Mahala Bray Brown, Aug. 20, 1891.
- North Carolina Genealogical Society Jorunal, Nov. 1996
- Nance Bray (Mrs.Winfield C. Bray) and her Bray Family Bible
- Mrs. Edwin M. Bray
- Missouri cemetery records from Harry Bray and Winfield C. Bray
Email of April 18, 2019, from LuAnn Eisinger, FTDNA Gilliland Project Administrator
Findagrave, www.findagrave.com/memorial/33278491/john-bray. Accessed Dec. 26, 2020.