Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Thompson Branch

James Benjamin Prewitt

Male 1841 - 1880  (39 years)


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Generation: 1

  1. 1.  James Benjamin Prewitt was born 1841, Fayette, Alabama, USA (son of Abraham M Prewett and Temperance Strong); died 1880, Huntsville, Walker, Texas, USA.

    Other Events:

    • Reference Number: 45760
    • Birth: 1841, Alabama, USA
    • Birth: Abt 1841, Alabama, USA
    • Residence: 1850, Fayette, Alabama, USA
    • Residence: 1850, Shelby, Alabama, USA
    • Residence: 1860, Walker, Texas, USA
    • Residence: 1870, Walker, Texas, USA
    • Death: 1880, Huntsville, Walker, Texas, USA
    • Death: Abt 1880, Walker, Texas, USA
    • Residence: 1880, Walker, Texas, USA
    • Residence: 1880, Walker, Texas, USA
    • Death: Oct 1883, Huntsville, Walker, Texas, USA


Generation: 2

  1. 2.  Abraham M Prewett was born 16 Mar 1816, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA (son of John Welch Prewett and Nancy W Pruitt); died 1864, Texas, USA.

    Other Events:

    • Reference Number: 42378

    Abraham married Temperance Strong 11 Feb 1838. Temperance was born 12 May 1826, Fayette, Fayette, Alabama, USA; died 1882, Crockett, Houston, Texas, USA. [Group Sheet]


  2. 3.  Temperance Strong was born 12 May 1826, Fayette, Fayette, Alabama, USA; died 1882, Crockett, Houston, Texas, USA.

    Other Events:

    • Reference Number: 42379

    Children:
    1. Sallina D Prewitt was born Abt 1848, Alabama, USA.
    2. 1. James Benjamin Prewitt was born 1841, Fayette, Alabama, USA; died 1880, Huntsville, Walker, Texas, USA.
    3. John Prewitt was born Abt 1839, Alabama, USA.
    4. Thomas Prewitt was born Abt 1843, Alabama, USA.
    5. Susan Prewitt was born 1847, Fayette, Alabama, USA.
    6. Isaac Prewitt was born Abt 1853, Alabama, USA.
    7. Jacob Prewitt was born Abt 1859, Texas, USA.


Generation: 3

  1. 4.  John Welch PrewettJohn Welch Prewett was born 20 Feb 1793, Knox, Tennessee, USA (son of Abraham Pruitt and Margaret Ann White); died 14 Mar 1878, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; was buried , Northport, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.

    Other Events:

    • Find-A-Grave: 85083297
    • Name: John Welch Prewitt
    • Reference Number: 11442
    • Residence: Alabama, USA
    • _MILT: 1812; Corp. MTD, Gunmen - War of 1812
    • Residence: 1 Jun 1840, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
    • Residence: 1850, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
    • Residence: 1860, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
    • Residence: 1870, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
    • Burial: 1878; Corp. MTD. Gunen, War of 1812 - buried with him are 4 unmarked graves in Prewitt area/Prewitt (Hagler) Cemetery, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

    Notes:

    Married cousin. Spelled Pruett and Prueit. Prewitt..One source says John was landowner at Tuscaloosa, AL and the richest man in the state. He had 300 slaves "Early Pioneers of Tuscaloosa, AL.
    Census : 1830 Tuscaloosa Co., Al
    1840 Tuscaloosa Co., Al pg. 227, John W. Pruitt ,3 M 10-15, 1 male 40-50, 1 F under 5; 1 F 10-15, 1 F 30-40.

    1850 Tus. Co. Al, p. 237, #658 John W. Prewitt 59 TN Farmer 10000, Elizabeth 40 GA, Isaac 17 AL, Jacob 15 AL, Susan13, John 9, William 6, Margaret 2, Samuel T. Johnson 17

    1870 Tus. Co. Al #94 John W. Prewitt 77 TN, Elizabeth 61 GA.

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________
    From the Montgomery Advertiser 3/3/2009

    NORTHPORT -- At the end of a narrow, gravel road on the edge of Lake Tusca­loosa is the final resting place of at least 300 slaves.
    Many of the graves are un­marked, while some are identified by names scrawled on crude sand­stone markers.

    The Old Prewitt Slave Cemetery dates back more than 180 years, but since the 1970s has been nestled right against the bank of Lake Tuscaloosa.

    Directly across the lake from the slave cemetery is the Prewitt-Hagler Ceme­tery, the burial place of about 20 of Tuscaloosa Coun­ty's earliest residents, in­cluding John Welch Prewitt, a slaveowner who fought in the War of 1812.

    When the lake was im­pounded to provide an ade­quate source of drinking wa­ter for Tuscaloosa, it formed a deep boundary between the slaves and those who once owned them and blocked public access to both historic cemeteries.

    Tuscaloosa resident and Prewitt slave descendant James "Wood" Wilson has obtained permission from two private landowners to access the Prewitt Slave Cemetery.

    But now, he is trying to en­sure the public can get to the slave burial ground for years to come.

    "You've got to give the public rights to access this cemetery," Wilson said.

    Before his death at the age of 85 in March 1878, John Welch Prewitt, had amassed an estimated 6,000-acre plantation just north of what is now Northport.

    But now, because of the lake and the sale of property from one private landholder to another, the Old Prewitt Slave Cemetery is no longer freely accessible to the pub­lic. Private property must be crossed to get there.

    And the Prewitt-Hagler Cemetery is completely landlocked, with its only public access point coming not over land but by water. A privately owned forest en­closes the cemetery's other borders.

    Earlier this month, Wil­son took his plea to the Tus­caloosa County Commis­sion, and the county's Engineering Department and legal team are looking for answers.

    Mike Henderson, the county's engineering coor­dinator, said he's nearing a possible resolution that he intends to take to Jim Ad­kins, who owns the land east of the slave cemetery, and Mike Musgrove, owner of the land on the cemetery's north side.

    One question that Hender­son is trying to answer is whether the County Com­mission ever abandoned Old Byler Road, which leads from Bull Slough Road to the edge of Lake Tuscaloosa.

    Adkins' driveway paral­lels the Old Byler Road road­bed, and he has placed a gate at the edge of his property to keep out trespassers and others who used to hang out at the edge of Lake Tuscaloo­sa on the land he now owns.

    "People were coming out here every night," Adkins said of his reasons for the gate.

    But the gate is a barrier to Wilson and others trying to get to the cemetery. Now, he is using a makeshift dirt road that cuts across Mus­grove's property.

    Musgrove said he takes no issue with Wilson getting onto the cemetery, but he and his wife -- both lawyers -- are concerned about the liability that comes with granted unfettered access across their land.

    "It's kind of a unique situ­ation," Musgrove said. "I'm not denying them access. I'm allowing them to use my property because I don't want to let the cemetery go bad."

    He's also unsure whether the cemetery is considered public or private.

    Although it was used to bury the slaves of John Welch Prewitt, most of it is now on land owned by Edwi­na H. Aldridge, according to county land records.

    But the white cemetery across the lake isn't listed in any one person's name. In­stead, that parcel of land is owned by Hagler Cemetery, according to county records.

    County Attorney Robert Spence said the county gov­ernment's only duty is to make sure access to a ceme­tery isn't blocked to those entitled to be there.

    "I don't think we have an obligation to go out there, mark off the cemetery and build a road to it," Spence said.

    Spence cited a section of state law that mandates that the owners of land on which a private cemetery rests must give access to "family members, friends, or descen­dants of deceased persons buried there; any cemetery plot owner; and any person engaged in genealogical, his­torical, or cultural research ..."

    The public, including the casual history buff, is ex­cluded.

    But that's not enough for Wilson, who said he wants to make sure future generations can freely come see what some consider to be the largest slave cemetery in Alabama.

    Nor is it enough for Eloise Prewitt, the great-great-great granddaughter of John Welch Prewitt, who has been involved with restor­ing the slave cemetery since the 1990s.

    She has never made a sim­ilar request for the Prewitt-Hagler Cemetery because the difficulty of accessing it has preserved it, she said.

    "It is totally hidden from the world," she said, "and that is the reason that ceme­tery has stayed intact all these years."

    But the slave cemetery, which carries obvious his­torical significance, is not in the same condition it was a century ago.

    And with enough public attention, she and Wilson believe it can be preserved for centuries to come.

    "I've never had anybody come to me and say, I want go to John Welch Prewitt's grave ...,'" Eloise Prewitt said. "But the slave ceme­tery, it is very historic and it needs to have public access."

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    Buried:
    Prewitt-Hagler Cemetery

    John married Nancy W Pruitt 13 Jan 1816, Madison, Alabama, USA. Nancy (daughter of Jacob Pruet and Nancy Agnes Richey) was born 11 Apr 1798, Knox, Tennessee, USA; died 2 Jun 1837, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; was buried , Northport, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. [Group Sheet]


  2. 5.  Nancy W Pruitt was born 11 Apr 1798, Knox, Tennessee, USA (daughter of Jacob Pruet and Nancy Agnes Richey); died 2 Jun 1837, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; was buried , Northport, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.

    Other Events:

    • Find-A-Grave: 85083393
    • Reference Number: 11547

    Notes:

    Buried:
    Prewitt-Hagler Cemetery

    Children:
    1. Sarah Jane Prewitt was born Jun 1829, Alabama, USA; died , Arkansas, USA.
    2. Samuel T Prewitt was born Abt 1833, Alabama, USA.
    3. Isaac Lee Prewit was born 12 Nov 1831, Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; died 5 May 1890, San Jacinto, Texas, USA; was buried , Magnolia, San Jacinto, Texas, USA.
    4. Jacob L Prewitt was born 15 Mar 1834, Alabama, USA.
    5. Elizabeth Susan Prewitt was born 16 Dec 1836, Alabama, USA.
    6. 2. Abraham M Prewett was born 16 Mar 1816, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; died 1864, Texas, USA.
    7. Tabitha L Prewett was born 10 Aug 1817, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
    8. James M Prewett was born 10 Jan 1819, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; died 1852, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
    9. William M Prewett was born 20 Apr 1821, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; died 18 Aug 1825, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
    10. Martha E Prewett was born 13 Dec 1822, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; died Abt 1854, Vernal, Greene, Mississippi, USA.
    11. Salina H Prewett was born 3 Mar 1826; died Between 1843 and 1920.
    12. John Prewett was born 10 Feb 1828, Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; died 1829, Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
    13. Francis A Prewett was born 7 Feb 1830, Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; died 27 Jun 1830, Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
    14. Margaret Prewett was born 1837.


Generation: 4

  1. 8.  Abraham Pruitt was born 1763, Yadkin Valley, Caldwell, North Carolina, USA (son of William Pruitt and Mary Martin); died Jul 1793, Pruitt's Knob, Barren, Kentucky, USA.

    Other Events:

    • Reference Number: 11520
    • Birth: 1763, Rowan, North Carolina, USA
    • Birth: 1763, Yadkin Valley, Caldwell, North Carolina, USA
    • Birth: 1763, Yadkin Valley, Caldwell, North Carolina, USA
    • Death: 1793, Tennessee, USA
    • Death: 1793, Barren, Kentucky, USA
    • Death: 1793, Barren, Kentucky, USA
    • Death: Jul 1793, Barren, Kentucky, USA

    Notes:

    Died:
    killed in East Tennessee warfare

    Abraham married Margaret Ann White 5 Nov 1783, Goochland, Virginia, USA. Margaret (daughter of Thomas Lilly White, Sr and Margaret (Unknown)) was born 1766, Rowan, North Carolina, USA; died , Mississippi, USA. [Group Sheet]


  2. 9.  Margaret Ann White was born 1766, Rowan, North Carolina, USA (daughter of Thomas Lilly White, Sr and Margaret (Unknown)); died , Mississippi, USA.

    Other Events:

    • Reference Number: 14849

    Children:
    1. 4. John Welch Prewett was born 20 Feb 1793, Knox, Tennessee, USA; died 14 Mar 1878, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; was buried , Northport, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
    2. William White Pruitt was born 1786, Greene, Tennessee, USA; died 1843, Lawrence, Alabama, USA.
    3. Elizabeth Pruitt was born 1790, Greene, Tennessee, USA; died 1834, Franklin, Indiana, USA.
    4. Nancy Ann Pruett was born 1787, Greene, Tennessee, USA; died 24 Sep 1843.

  3. 10.  Jacob PruetJacob Pruet was born 1761, Rowan, North Carolina, USA (son of William Pruitt and Mary Martin); died 14 May 1845, Winston, Alabama, USA; was buried , Haleyville, Winston, Alabama, USA.

    Other Events:

    • Find-A-Grave: 55727304
    • Name: Jacob Pruitt
    • Reference Number: 11531
    • _MILT: Pvt. (Rev War), War of 1812
    • Residence: 1 Jun 1840, Walker, Alabama, USA

    Notes:

    Obituary notice of Jacob Pruitt in The Democrat, Huntsville, Alabama, May 21, 1845: "Died -- At his residence in Walker County, Ala., on the 14st inst., Captain Jacob Pruitt, formerly of this county, after an illness of three days. He was about 80 years of age, every way a pious man, having been a member of the Baptist Church for 30 or 40 years. His aged widow in feeble health, and a large family of children and numerous friends, mourn his loss." -- Brockman Manuscript, p. 109, National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution Library

    Military 1 1: Pvt. in the American Revolutionary War
    Military 1 2: 1812, Captain with the Tennessee Mounted Volunteers during the War of 1812


    Buried:
    New Prospect Baptist Church Cemetery

    Jacob married Nancy Agnes Richey 12 Mar 1786, Greene, Tennessee, USA. Nancy (daughter of Thomas William Ritchey and Elizabeth Davis) was born 1767, Virginia, USA; died 14 May 1850, Marion, Alabama, USA; was buried , Haleyville, Winston, Alabama, USA. [Group Sheet]


  4. 11.  Nancy Agnes RicheyNancy Agnes Richey was born 1767, Virginia, USA (daughter of Thomas William Ritchey and Elizabeth Davis); died 14 May 1850, Marion, Alabama, USA; was buried , Haleyville, Winston, Alabama, USA.

    Other Events:

    • Find-A-Grave: 81912327
    • Reference Number: 11841

    Notes:

    Buried:
    New Prospect Baptist Church Cemetery

    Children:
    1. 5. Nancy W Pruitt was born 11 Apr 1798, Knox, Tennessee, USA; died 2 Jun 1837, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; was buried , Northport, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
    2. Rebecca Pruitt was born May 1805, Roane, Tennessee, USA; died 1907, De Kalb, Alabama, USA.
    3. Levina Vinny Pruitt was born 1804, Knox, Tennessee, USA; died 1870, Marion, Alabama, USA.
    4. John Pruitt was born 10 Mar 1803, Knox, Tennessee, USA; died 4 Aug 1894, Laneville, Rusk, Texas, USA.
    5. James M Pruitt was born 10 Mar 1803, Knox, Tennessee, USA; died 1855, Tippah, Mississippi, USA.
    6. Mary Ann Pruitt was born 1794, Knox, Tennessee, USA; died 15 Aug 1855, Jeddo, Bastrop, Texas, USA.
    7. Elizabeth Prewitt was born 27 Apr 1791, Greene, Tennessee, USA; died 8 Jan 1867, Northport, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
    8. Margaret Pruitt was born 6 Oct 1788, Greene, Tennessee, USA; died 15 Oct 1855, Blue Mountain, Tippah, Mississippi, USA; was buried , Benton, Mississippi, USA.
    9. William Madison Pruitt was born 22 Dec 1786, Greene, Tennessee, USA; died 5 Jul 1841, Moulton, Lawrence, Alabama, USA; was buried , Lawrence, Alabama, USA.
    10. Tabitha Jane Pruitt was born 1811, Alabama, USA.