Finding Your Folks: Nancy Byram — the lost daughter in the will

I had such great plans for this Byram family. Since many of them stayed in Coweta County and I have access to all kinds of records just a few miles from my home, I was going to get the final disposition of all who stayed here and their children — wills, estates, etc. — but, alas, my plans were thwarted. I drove to the courthouse last week and discovered that it is being remodeled. The clerks in the probate office have been moved to a teeny room in another area and the vault where the records are kept is off limits. I was told this may go on until after the first of the year, so if you are planning to do probate research in Newnan, hold off for a while.

Instead, I thought I’d do a column on poor Nancy Camilla Byram — the daughter who appears in James Byram’s will through her only child, James Tidwell.

Looking at all the Byram information on the Internet, it appears that Byram researchers never heard of Nancy. But, if you had a Westmoreland, a Tidwell, or a Moody living in this area back in the early 1800s, you are very aware of Nancy’s existence. She was the mother of John Tidwell’s son and Martha Westmoreland’s stepson.

I don’t know exactly when Nancy Camilla was born into the Byram family but it was between 1810 and 1820. She and three of her sisters were all married in the early to mid-1830s and, assuming that they were at least 16 when they married, they would all be born between 1810 and 1820.

In fact, the first census James and Hannah Byram appear in shows one daughter, born between 1800 and 1810. Since James and Hannah were married in 1808, the daughter must have been born in late 1809 or 1810. I don’t know if this was Nancy or not, but I’m venturing an educated guess that the three older daughters were Nancy, Susan and Hannah Permelia.

I will say here that some Byram researchers add another daughter, Anna Lisa, birth year unknown. If she was a daughter, she died without issue as no other grandchildren other than those whose parents we can account for were mentioned in the will. I have never seen a source or reason for adding the name of Anna Lisa Byram. If anyone has a verifiable source, please speak up.

But back to Nancy. She moved to Coweta with her family and arrived here sometime in 1831. That year, on Nov. 7, her father bought 202 1/2 acres of land in the 8th District of Coweta from George Stevens. The 8th District is in northern Coweta near Campbell County.

How Nancy met John Tidwell is a mystery, but it could have been through her sister, Permelia, who married John’s first cousin, Benjamin Tidwell (Jr.), in February of 1832. Benjamin (Jr.) was the son of Benjamin Tidwell and Milly Grimes. John was the son of William Tidwell and Mary Amelia Jones. William and Benjamin were brothers.

However the romance began, Nancy and John were married 20 Dec 1832 in Coweta County and probably moved to Meriwether County where John lived, just over the Coweta County line. John’s father owned many acres of land and had a large plantation in that area.

In 1836, the couple’s marriage was blessed with a son whom they named James A. Tidwell. James was probably named after his mother’s father, James Byram.

Tragedy struck this young couple probably the very next year when Nancy apparently died, leaving John with a very young child. He remarried in 1838 to Martha Westmoreland (daughter of Reuben Westmoreland and Keziah Simmons), who took over the job of being a mother to young James. In the 1850 Meriwether County census, John and Martha Tidwell are shown with John’s son, James, age 13, obviously born before the marriage in 1838, and John and Martha’s children, Ann Mariah, William and Nancy.

Right next door is John’s brother Benjamin Tidwell (a younger one than the one who married Permelia) who experienced a similar tragedy when his wife, Nancy Boyd, died, leaving him with a young daughter, Mary Eunice Tidwell. Benjamin remarried to Martha Moody, a cousin of Martha Westmoreland Tidwell. Mary Eunice Tidwell would later grow up and marry John F. Byram, younger brother of her uncle’s deceased wife.

James Tidwell grew up and came of age on his father’s farm in Meriwether County. In 1858, when James was 22, his grandfather died and named James as an heir in his will. He was to receive $100 in money or property.

On Jan. 27, 1860, James collected his inheritance. Coweta probate records show in the estate’s annual returns, voucher no. 14 ...

“Received of James A, Byram & John F. Byram Executors of the last will and testament of James Byram late of said county deceased One Hundred Dollars the same being given to me by the said will of said deceased in full of my legal share under said will and hereby fully discharge the said Executors of all further claim or demand on my part under said will and on the estate of said deceased. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 27th Jany 1860.”

The voucher is signed, “James A.J. Tidwell,” and witnessed, by R.R. Robinson and A.J. Byram.

I think some may have thought the James Tidwell in the will was one of the sons of Hannah Permelia Byram and Benjamin Tidwell. And they did, indeed, have a son named James. However, Their James was born about 1853 and was only 7 years old when this voucher was signed. Not nearly old enough to receive an inheritance without a guardian.

Next week: some Byram deeds.

Stories about your ancestors who lived in the south metro Atlanta area are most welcome. Send them to The Citizen, P.O. Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, Ga. 30214, or e-mail jkilgore@thecitizen.com or JodieK444@aol.com.

Until next week, happy hunting!