Reuben Blanton

Researcher for birth:

Barbara W Austin

1 Shorter Circle

Rome, GA 30165-4237

Does not show in the 1880 census

1795 Lee County, VA Personal Property Tax List for William Blanton shows 2 whitesover 16 and 9 horses.[Edie Jewell.GED]

RESEARCHER for birth

Barbara W Austin

1 Shorter Circle

Rome, GA 30165-4237

Does not show in the 1880 census

1795 Lee County, VA Personal Property Tax List for William Blanton shows 2 white s over 16 and 9 horses.

Blanton Arms

(Argent, on a bend sable, three lions rampant)

The surname Blanton is traced back to the Fifteenth Century and is a contraction of the ancient Scottish border family name Ballantine, the evolution being through Blantine to Blantin, Blanten, and finally Blanton.

In an old manuscript dated 1459, reference is found to the family, and in an older manuscript, John Blanton, evidently of the same family is named. The family was in Lancashire, England in the Sixteenth Century.

A legal search of the records in England resulted in the following statement:

"In consideration of this matter a thorough and exhaustive search has been made of all the available printed and manuscript records of the County of Lancashire together with a portion of the County of Cheshire, but without any discovery of the existence of the family, other than the record of the arms about the middle of the Sixteenth Century. Robert Grover, Somerset Herald, from 1571 to 1588 includes in his ordinary of arms, two coats for Blanton of Lancashire, and the simplicity of the first coat points to great antiquity and it may be assumed that the second coat is of later date and adopted by a descendant of the family bearing such a coat.

Description of Arms:

Blanton of Lancashire, silver or white on a bend (sable) black; three gold lions rampant out of the field. The bearing of such a coat of such a period clearly denotes that the family then occupied a position of some consequence, as the hearlds of the day exercised great vigilance in preventing unauthorized bearing of arms and possessed considerable powers which they did not hesitate to employ as occasion required."

In 1574 when John Blanton was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I of England, he was noted as being from Lancashire.

In the vault of Parish Church, Upton-on-Severne, Worcestershire, England, are the old Parish Registers, which have been searched by the Reverend Howard S. Bailey, Rector. Baptismal entry in the 17th Century shows:

May 1608. John, the son of Ralf Blanton, was baptized.

Feb. 1614. Alice, the daughter of Ralf Blanton, was baptized.

William Blantine/Blanton of the Parish of Upton had passage on the Fellowship which sailed from London, England to Boston, Massachusetts. He was admitted a Freeman of Massachusetts on May 10, 1643. His will, dated February 25, 1662, refers to his wife Phebe Blanton, "whom while she live, shall enjoy all of my estate, and my share in ye Iron Workes at Taunton." Eldest son, William Blantine; daughter Pheebe Blantine; and daughter Mary (born 1645) share in Estate "after my wife decease." Reference is made to "My eldest brother Ralph Blantine, and his children; also the children of John Blantine, my second brother. These two were borne in ye states "neither had I my Land by or from any predecessor's inheritance, but from the blessing of God on my endeavor." Phebe Blanton, Relicit of William Blanton Affirmed Inventory July 30, 1662.

William, son of the above William Blantine/Blanton made his home at Rehoboth, Mass., and his wife Bethia had two sons. Obadiah and Samual, William and his descendants adopted the spelling "Blanding" and are found in the 18th Century in Royalston and Richmond, New Hampshire, as well as in New York State. Portraits in Brown University, Providence Athenaeum: An original oil painting. "William Blanding, born 1773; died 1857; Grad. 1801; distinguished for his seal in the study of natural history."

Letters from John Owen Blanton of Decherd, Tennessee in January 1903 to William M. Blanton of Griffin, Georgia states:

"My grandfather John Blanton came from North Carolina to Middle Tennessee about the year 1820. He had five sons: Carter, Thomas, Coleman, William, and Richard Blanton. The later (Richard) was my father's name. My grandfather John had a brother named William who came from North Carolina about the time John did. They left some brothers in North Carolina, one of them was named Richard and another, I think, was named Burrell Blanton."

My grandfather's family emigrated from Virginia to North Carolina soon after the war of the Revolution. There are many Blantons in Tennessee descended from my grandfather's, and his brother William's, families. Also from a family of Blantons who came from Virginia about 1810 and settled at Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

I have been taught from childhood that all the Blantons in the United States are related, having sprung from an old Virginia family of that name. †I suspect that I know more about the Blanton Family than anyone else for I have made it a matter of study and research. I am 54 years old, have been a member of the Tennessee Annual Conference for 32 years. I am now in regular pastorate, am also at present Chaplin of the lower House of the Tennessee Legislature in session now at Nashville, Tennessee.

Continuing, he wrote, "George W. Blanton, whose family came from Virginia is a member of our Conference, the Tennessee. M. L. Blanton, a second cousin of mine, has done great work as an evangelist but is not in charge of a circuit at our Conference. I have a full cousin, John C. Blanton, who is a Cumberland Presbyterian preacher in Alabama. In 1868 I wrote and published a small book entitled "Prehistoric Men in Tennessee."

The above brothers mentioned (i.e., Burrell, William, John, and Richard referred to in the letters are believed to be the sons of George Blanton I.

From a copy of a letter to Mrs. Rosalie Blanton Alfriend by G. V. Hawkins, 713 South Lafayette Street, Shelby, N.C., dated February 1944:

Dear Mrs. Alfriend:

George Blanton, a kinsman of mine here in Shelby, N.C. gave me a letter which he received from his sister, Mrs. Oates in Ashville, N.C. Your letter to her was enclosed and I have read with care what you have to say about the Blantons. I am deeply interested in the Blanton family because my grandmother on my mother's side was a daughter of Burrell Blanton who lived and was buried beyond my farm in Cleveland County, N.C. I have a friend here in Shelby, who is a grandson of Rueben Blanton, who was a brother of your grandfather Pinkney Blanton.

I went with him across the river into No. 1 Township and was looking for the original Blanton homeplace. I went over the old two story log house in which Ruben (Brunswick Co., VA. in 1782, N.C. 1790) lived when he died. It is about ten miles southwest of Shelby, beyond Main Broad River.

It is my understanding that George Blanton was the first Blanton to come from Virginia and settle in this country, and that my great grandfather Burrell was one of his sons. I do know that my great grandfather Burrell joined the Revolutionary Army in Rutherford County at the age of 19. At that time this territory of the state was Rutherford Co. and that across the river where your grandfather was reared was in Lincoln County. You said something about the boundary of this old place. This same grandson of Rueben tells me that during the Civil War, his father, John Spake, married Rueben's daughter, loaned Rueben and his wife who was a Gaston from Chester, S.C. $600, taking a note which entailed the place. They never paid this money back, and after they were both dead, Spake rode his horse to Lincolnton to find out about the claims as he had been told that there were prior claims upon the land. This man, Spake, hired a young lawyer to examine the records, found that there was a prior claim. Spake hired the lawyer to destroy the records. I stood upon the old stone in front of the old Rueben place where they cried at the sale of the property. The courts made a title to the property for the purchasers to because there was no record to be found, and the man Spake got every dollar of the money. I knew the man who purchased this property, they are both dead now.

I would give much to get this record straight. It may have been George Blanton who was the original settler as I have been told he came into that territory when it was Carolina, that was before the Carolina was divided into North and South Carolina, and to the best of my knowledge, George was a Justice under the King of England, and his domain reached from the South border of old Carolina to the Virginia line.

The reason this man Spake went to Lincolnton to search records, was that this territory around here was for ten years Tryon County, then Rutherford and Lincoln Counties, and now Cleveland County which will soon be 100 years old.

If you can find something about George Blanton, who married Elvira Lee in Virginia and moved to Carolinas during the first half of the 17th Century, we may go places. I do know that Burrell Blanton, my great grandfather, was born in VA. in 1762 and was buried over beyond my farm in No. 2 Township, in 1860, being 98 years of age. He married the second time after he was 74, had one child by his last wife who was named Wylie Blanton, after his mother's name. Pollie Wylie. He has one son and one daughter still living (1944) near here; his son is beyond 85 now but in fine health.

I will be 69 next Sunday (b. 1875) and I am very anxious to get these records right before I leave this country.

My grandmother, daughter of Burrell Blanton lived to 95. I have one brother who is nearly 86. Father and mother died at 80. My father was a Baptist preacher, grandson of Daniel Hawkins who came from Virginia about or before the Revolutionary War. The first Hawkins came over from Virginia and settled in old Bute County, N.C. After the Revolutionary War. The name was changed from Bute to Warren County, N.C. You will probably hear from Mrs. Oates as soon as George Blanton, her brother, gives such information as he may gather. I thought it might not be amiss for me to write you also. If there is anything I can do for you, command me, as I am deeply interested in getting the last about those great old families who came here years ago, and under terrible hardships built a civilization of which I am proud.

Sincerely yours,

G. W. Hawkins

713 South Lafayette Street

Shelby, N.C.

GEDCOM Source

@R253051759@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.

GEDCOM Source

Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=151431245&pi...

• Reference: WikiTree Genealogy - SmartCopy: Aug 31 2021, 15:11:46 UTC
• Reference: WikiTree Genealogy - SmartCopy: Sep 20 2022, 14:42:01 UTC