Brunswick County, Virginia 1720 - 1975, Revised to 2000, by Gay Neale

Identified on its cover by the author as "The History of a Southside Virginia County," this book by Gay Neale is a compilation of Brunswick County's historical information gleaned from old books, newspapers, personal papers, and other records belonging to its residents. The book was an unexpected gift from one of my Branch cousins and was a very welcome addition to my genealogy library. Although my cousin is a Virginia native with whom I share a common ancestor who lived in pre-Revolutionary Brunswick County, her family remained in Virginia and the surrounding area, while my third great-grandfather left Virginia to claim land in Mississippi after the War of 1812.  


Within the 500 pages that make up her excellent genealogy book, Neale traces the early development of the area that later became Brunswick County from before the building of Fort Christanna to the year 2000.  Neale weaves the county's history around the wars that were fought on its soil, including the American Revolution and the Civil War, and includes many details about life in Brunswick County during those difficult periods. In a lighter moment, Neale discusses the origin of "Brunswick Stew," named for the county. The book's 150-plus pages of appendices serve as a treasure chest  of names of those who lived in early Southside Virginia, including many who later left the area to colonize other land to the south and the west. Neale, who has a Master's Degree in Library Science from Catholic University, has expertly woven the intricate history of Brunswick County into a valuable reference book of use to family researchers everywhere. 
  

Mabry Family Beginnings

Most Mabry family researchers have determined they are descended from Francis Maybury and Elizabeth Gilliam of Surry, England and acknowledge various early spellings of the surname, which include Mayberry, Maybury, Maberay, Mabery, and the most common spelling, Mabry. Although early settlers of this family arrived in Virginia and first lived in Henrico, Surry, Brunswick and Lunenburg counties, some Mabry family members began a southward migration that took them into Fairfield County, South Carolina, Wilkes County, Georgia, Pickens District of Alabama, and later into several counties in Mississippi. Some of those who first settled in Mississippi later moved westward, including several areas in Texas.

According to the U. S. Census of 1850, 69 men, women, and children with the surname Mabry fesided that year in the State of Mississippi. These sixty-nine individuals lived in households that included a dozen couples named Easton and Ursula (Chickasaw County), James T. and Affa (Attala County), John and Sarah (Itawamba County), Jesse and Nancy (Madison County), Michael and Mary (Pontotoc County), Alexander and Clarinda (Attala County), Joel and Jane (Oktibbeha County), Frank B. and Mary E. (Desoto County), Benjamin T. E. and Lucy (Madison County), J. S. and Martha (Marshall County), William O. and Elizabeth M. (Desoto County), and Valentine and Ann L. (Attala County). Forty-five children lived in these twelve households.

Four adults with surnames other than Mabry were residents in two households. These names included J. C. Culbertson, Walter Bernard, Mary W. Logan, and Margaret V. Logan. Since the 1850 census does not specify relationships, it is impossible to determine how these four individuals were related to other members of the same household.

Of the twelve couples, four lived in Attala and Madison Counties.

Next: Mabry families in Attala and Madison Counties

Mabry Family in Mississippi

Like so many other families that migrated to Mississippi, the territory and the state, the Mabry family came from Virginia. Although I am not directly related to the Mabry family, I have heard the name mentioned by my Attala County relatives most of my life. Also, I have often seen the name in many family history resources I have searched on my quest for information about my own ancestors.

One of these resources was a book entitled, "Brunswick County, Virginia 1720 - 1975, Revised to 2000," written by Gay Neale, a gift from a distant Branch relative whose parents grew up in Southside Virginia. Ironically, Joel Mabry, Hinchia Mabry, and my great-great-great-grandfather, Edward Tillman Branch, were all residents of Southside Virginia. Even more ironic is the fact that Mabry and Branch descendants have been residents of Attala County, Mississippi for well over a century.

Beginning next week, I plan to publish a series of posts about the Mabry family of Attala County, Mississippi. Also, on Mississippi Memories's sister blog, Cemeteries of Dancing Rabbit Creek, I will be posting a series of photos of Mabry family grave stones in cemeteries in the Attala County area.

I hope you will join me here next week to read about this Attala County family.