Elisha Uzzell

One of the Uzzell family descendants advised me that Elisha Uzzell was a hatter and had a business called Uzzell & Kirkpatrick Hatters in Columbia, Tennessee, in the early 1800's. He was a slave owner; trustee of the Methodist Church in Columbia, and witnessed many legal transactions. He owned several pieces of real estate in the area and was mentioned many times in old record books at the Maury County Library. He probably attended the First Methodist Church with James Knox Polk, the 11th President of the United States of America. They both attended the same church in the early 1800's. He was also an early trustee at Shane's Methodist Meeting House near Campbell's Station, Tennessee, an early pioneer church.

This Uzzell descendant mentioned that Elisha's daughter, Mary Ann Uzzell, born July 13, 1823, married William Minor Branch on January 21, 1841. William was born May 6, 1812, and was the twin of James Goode Branch, who married Mary Ann's sister, Sarah. William Minor Branch lived to be 90 years old and passed away on July 16, 1902. Mary Ann passed away May 30, 1897. Mary Ann and William had several sons and daughters, as follows:

Frances C., John T., Martha E., Willie T., Nancy Ann, Laura, Sarah E., and Sophia J. All of these children were minors in 1859 according to court records when Mary Ann and William Minor Branch brought suit against Elisha Uzzell, Mary's father, because Elisha wanted to take an 11 year old slave named Viney, with him to Arkansas. He had previously given the slave to his daughter, Mary Ann, and son-in-law , William, three years earlier in 1856. Several of Mary Ann Uzzell Branch's brothers and sisters also moved to Arkansas. Mary Ann Uzzell Branch and William Minor Branch are remained in Tennessee and were buried in the Friendship Baptist Church Cemetery in Culleoka, Maury County, Tennessee.

Mary Ann's sister, Sarah, married James Goode Branch on June 17, 1840, the twin of William Minor Branch. Sarah and James had several children and remained in Tennessee for the rest of their lives. An old obituary for their daughter, Mrs. Nancy Coker, who died at the age of 83 in 1930, mentions that Sarah and James were her parents, and that Nancy married John M. Coker in 1886. At the time of her marriage, she was about 39 or 40 years old, and her husband was 25 years older than she. His first two wives had passed away after giving birth to several children.

The same Uzzell descendant also mentioned that during the Civil War in Maury County, Tennessee, William Minor Branch was on a list of citizens who remained loyal to the U.S. government during the war, which would have meant he was in favor of the Union and not the Confederacy.

This may be why his nephew, James Joseph Eubank (the son of William's sister, Susannah Q. Branch Eubank, and my great grandfather), ended up fighting for the Union Army during the Civil War and not the Confederacy, since William may have influenced him as he was growing up. James Joseph was sent back to live in Tennessee with his Branch family after the death of his mother, Susannah, in Palmyra, Missouri, in 1833 during a cholera epidemic. He may have lived with William Minor Branch and his wife, Mary Ann Uzzell, after his grandparents, Martha Minor Branch, died in 1839 and her husband, James Branch, died in 1844.

When James Joseph Eubank was about 22 years old he left Tennessee and moved to Illinois in about 1848 to live near his father, Stephen Green Eubank's family. Stephen had moved to Illinois after the death of his first wife, Susannah Q. Branch Eubank in Palmyra, Missouri, in 1833. There Stephen married again in 1834 and had 2 daughters with his second wife before she died from consumption (tuberculosis) in 1841. Four years later in 1845 Stephen married a third time to a woman who was 24 years younger than him and they had 13 more children, the last being born in 1870 two years before Stephen died at the age of 68 in 1872.

James Joseph Eubank joined the Union Army in 1862 and was wounded at the Battle of Vicksburg in 1863. He survived his wounds and ultimately moved to California in 1883 after also living in Kansas and Missouri from the late 1860's.

However, one son of James Goode Branch and Sarah Uzzell Branch, Reuben, served on the side of the Confederacy during the Civil War. So did several other Branch cousins, including Minor P.R. Branch, the son of John G. Branch, who was the elder brother of James Goode Branch, William Minor Branch and Susannah Q. Branch Eubank. Minor was taken prisoner during the way and served a sentence in a Union Army prison in Illinois, where he died in 1862. It is certain that the Civil War divided the Branch and Uzzell family members as it did many other southern families of the time.

More information about Elisha Uzzell was included an abstract of a transcribed deed from Matt Harris on www.familyhistory.com dated October 26, 1999, which indicated Elisha Branch of Maury County, Tennessee, who was the son of Thomas Jr. and wife Mary Parr Uzzell of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. This was from an Isle of Wight County, Virginia, Deed Book, 36 page 368-169, dated 1 May 1845, showing that land was transferred from Elisha Uzzell and wife Ann to Thomas U. Pinhorne.

This indenture was made this first day of May 1845 between Elisha Uzzell and his wife Ann Uzzell of the one part and Thomas U. Pinhorne of the other part, Witnesseth: that Elisha Uzzell and wife Ann in consideration of the sum of $150.00 to him in hand paid before the sealing and delivery of indenture, the receipt here by acknowledged, have granted, bargained and sold unto the said Thomas U. Pinhorne his heirs and assigns forever, one certain tract of land in the county of Isle of Wight, Virginia, which belonged to Thomas Uzzell, Jr. at the time of his death and is bounded by lands of Mary Hall, Jesse Parker, Jos. B. Whitehead and Uzzell's Meeting house, containing about 185 acres which lands belonged to Thomas, Sr., then Thomas, Jr. and then to said Elisha Uzzell. In witness whereof the parties have hereunto set their hand and seal the date above written.

Elisha Uzzell

Ann Uzzell

State of Tennessee

We, Alfred Flemming and Hiram Anthony J.P.'s of Maury County, Tennessee, Elisha Uzzell and Ann his wife appeared before us and acknowledged the above act and deed and desired us to certify same. Given under our hand and seal 5 June 1845

Alfred Flemming, JP

Hiram Anthony, JP

Ann Uzzell was examined apart from her husband and acknowledged same to be her desire.

Admitted for record in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, July 7 1845.

Teste N.P. Young, Clerk

These items below were posted on Uzzell genforum site on August 5, 2000, by Nita Clardy Freer.

First lot owners in Columbia, Tennessee, 1808, Elisha Uzzell, Perry Cohea (Century Review of Maury County)

Ordered that an orphan male child about 14-15 years old named Benjamin Clardy be bound unto Elisha Uzzell until he attain the age of 21 years, February 1814, Minute Bk. 2 a & 3. (LDS# 0,549,208)

Orphan boy named Porter Walbridge 15 years on 9th March 1814 bound to Elisha Uzzell until he attain age of 21 to learn the arts and Ministries of a hatter, Saturday, 26 November 1814, Minute Book 2a & 3 page 228.

Elisha Uzzell married Ann Cohea, daughter of Perry Cohea 7 January 1817, compiled by Edythe Rucker Whitley, Marriages of Maury County, Tennessee, 1808-1852, pub. 1982 page 6.

Elisha and wife Ann in court in Tennessee to register deed inherited by Elisha from his father Thomas in Isle of Wight, Virginia, 1845 Virginia Deed Book 36 pages 368-69.

Branch vs. Uzzell 1859 (abstracted) William and Mary A. Uzzell Branch, Elisha by deed of gift 1856 gave Mary, his daughter, a slave, Viney age 11, Uzzell to remove out of state to Akansas. Filed 23 July 1859, Maury County, Tennessee, Chancery Court Records 1810-1860 Vol. I, Jill Garrett.

There are other books and records cited but have chosen just to include a few here.

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A Uzzell descendant indicated that Elisha Uzzell may have been the son of Major and Rebecca Dunn Uzzell. Major was his given name, not a military rank, but he was not sure the dates corresponded, as a result, I've not changed the parents of Elisha Uzzell shown here as Thomas and Mary.

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An Elisha Uzzle is listed as having served in the War of 1812 in Captain Evan's Company, Spies, Mounted Gunmen in Tennessee as a Private.