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Our first ancestor known (to me at this time, 1977)
to have lived in Southwest Georgia was JOHN BROOKS.
The father of THOMAS BROOKS,
The Grandfather of JIM BROOKS
and
My Great Grandfather.
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They had a total of eleven children
ANN, WILL, LUCY,
BALAAM, FRANCIS, ROBERT,
BENJAMIN JOHN, NANCY
ARABELLE
&
GRANDPA THOMAS
I believe, but am not sure, JOHN'S parents were BALAAM and MARY
BROOKS and that they lived in the Box Angle District of Stewart County
near present day Richland, Georgia. There was quite a few BROOKS listed
in that community in the 1840 and later censuses.
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(I have since learned, from persons who have researched this
and posted on the internet, that Johns parents were Balaam and Mary (McGlammery)
Brooks. Balaam and Mary were married on August 11, 1802 in Warren
County, Ga. In 1840, they, along with John and Elizabeth, did live in
the Box Angle District of Stewart County. John's parents had either 12
or 14 children, all living in the area. Balaam Brooks parents were John
Brooks, Jr. and wife, who lived in Warren County, Ga. Balaam's children
settled in the Southwest Georgia area with some migrating to Alabama.)
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In the 1850 census (#430), John was shown as
living in the Box Angle District of Stewart County with his wife,
Elizabeth.
They had nine children at home.
M.A. WILL LUCY
BALAAM FRANCIS ROBERT
BENJAMIN JOHN NANCY
On the 6th of May, 1852, John acquired
possession of land lot #132 (202 1/2 acres) in the sixth district of
Randolph County, Georgia. This farm was located on the Carnegie/Moye
road about one mile east of US-27.
Two prongs of Fellows Branch flow
through this property and the two prongs join at the southern boundary.
About 1/3 of the farm lay north of the Carnegie/Moye road and the rest
lay south of it.
In the 1860 census, John is shown living on this farm with his
wife, Elizabeth.
Six children were still at home.
ROBERT B.F. NANCY
A.C.E. JOHN ARABELLE
&
GRANDPA THOMAS
John sold 75 acres on the South end of this Lot 132 to Mary H.
[McKinnon] Brooks for $375.00. Mary H. Brooks was John Brooks'
daughter-in-law and the widow of William H. Brooks (Married 15
Jan.1860), who died in a Yankee prison camp during the Civil War. I
don't know how or when he disposed of the other part of Lot 132..
In the 1870 census he, wife and the rest of his family remaining at
home were counted in Clay County and were neighbors of W. M. McKinnon.
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Several of the Brooks children married members of the McKinnon
family. I'm not sure who and how many, but the following is taken from
census and other records:
Ann Brooks married William R. "Big Willie" McKinnon
Lucy Brooks Married William "Little Willie" W. McKinnon on 22
Dec.1857
William H. Brooks married Mary McKinnon on 15 Jan. 1860.
Francis M .Brooks married Nancy Jane McKinnon on 4 Jan. 1866.
The McKinnon home area was in the same approximately the same general
area south of the Brooks homestead. Most of the Brooks children,
including Grandpa Tom and his brother, John, (who married two Pate
sisters) moved into the McKinnon Town area (as it was called as I was
growing up)
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Four, and possibly five, of John's sons joined the Confederate
army during the War of Northern Aggression. Four were captured at
Cumberland Gap, Tenn. in 1863 and sent to POW camps.
Click here for
Confederate
Soldiers
Two died in a Yankee POW prison at Camp Douglas in Chicago, Ill
Two others were released at the end of the war and returned home. Click
this link for more on the Yankee
POW Camp Douglas
I said, possibly five because a daughter of John (my Aunt Annie)
said that was talk in the family that a fifth son, Balaam, was also in
the Confederate army and died during the war.
However, I have not been able to find
a record of his service. Neither could I find any record of him in
Georgia after the 1860 census when he was listed, at age 23, in the home
of William McKinnon (brother-in-law) in Clay County.
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I have
since learned from research and internet postings by Lindy Lee Hard
(John Brooks' great granddaughter) that John Brooks' son Balaam was a
Confederate Soldier and did die during the war. See below:
"As far as the sons in the Civil War. I know all 5 were.
I believe the young Balaam Brooks was the B. Brooks in the Co G 55th
GA Infantry by process of elimination of other Randolph Co GA B--
Brooks.
His compiled service is very short. Read my abstract of the pension
record of J R Brooks below for the confirming sentence.
[My abstracts from Compiled
service & pension records. llh]
Co G 55th GA Infantry—Randolph Co GA company
B. Brooks-- Pvt, Enlisted 5 May 1862 Randolph Co GA—died Oct
1862
[Appears to be Balaam Brooks s/o John Brooks & Elizabeth Wynn
Brooks]"
J R Brooks—Pension records 1896+ Randolph Co GA—state that he was a
Pvt. in Co G 55th GA, prisoner at Camp Douglass Ill---Affidavit by
Marion A Baldwin, M. D. states that J. R. Brooks has a disease of both
valves of heart… & served in the army with J. R. Brooks & his four
brothers & one of these brothers fell dead from heart trouble & this
man is affected in same manner
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JOHN and family were members of and attended Mars Hill Baptist
Church. John joined Mars Hill Church on the 20th of September 1873. He
died on 6 February 1892.
John's wife, Elizabeth joined the church on 3 May 1869, She died
on 22 December 1876.
They are buried together in the Brooks row of graves in the
Eastern section of the church cemetery.
Many of their descendants are buried in both (Eastern and
Southern) sections of the Mars Hill Church cemetery.
Some of their descendants and McKinnon in-laws are buried in the
Enterprise Church cemetery some 4 or 5 miles to the Southwest.
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