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CHARLES C. HEATH. D. D. S.
1720 Marco Polo Way
Burlingame, California 94010
697-***
18 May 1980
Dear Joe:
Many thanks for your letter, for the Bracewell family info and for the letter from Ronald. It’s been just about a year since you were out here and the first exchange of letters since then.
We enjoyed your visit very much, but it was much too brief. I hope the next time you’re out this way you can stay longer. Now that you know where we are, drop in any time.
I have sent a letter to Ronald and am sending him the same census information enclosed with this letter. I doubt that this census info will clear up anything. About all it does is to show that there were an awful lot of Bracewells in N. C. and Ga. In 1790 there were only eleven counties in Ga, and now 164, mostly formed from those eleven parent counties, so any Bracewell in any county may be one of ours. It would be very interesting to try to find a common ancestor with Ronald. I hope that he can find out who Seaborn A,’s father was. Census records will be of little help, but land deeds and probate records would nail it down. Hope that there has not been a fire in Laurens County courthouse, or in surrounding county courthouses.
For the past several months I have been working on Grandma Bracewell’s line----a very
interesting one. She was orphaned young and my surviving aunts, Ophelia B Isgitt, Buna B.
Smith and Locye B Turner did not know her history. Four couples of her forebears were
colonists in Texas, two in Austin’s colony and two in Jose Vehlein’s. A very nice Mrs. N. L.
Winfield of Chappell Hill went to the Austin County courthouse, where the colonial records are, and sent copies of some priceless family records. Cleared up many questions concerning
Michael and Mary Ann Early and their dau., Nancy Simes (aka Sims.) These two couples were Grandma B’s grandparents and great grandparents. Both arrived in Austin’s colony in 1824, the Simes settling on Bedias Creek (as you know from Col. Wm F. Grey’s diary) and the Earlys remaining in Washington County. Michael Early died July, 1827. His widow, Mary Ann, married James W. Pankey in Jan, 1829. Pankey got a league of land west of Bedias. They separated in 1834 and Mrs. Winfield sent a list of their property settlement, which makes
fascinating reading.
I located a cousin near Huntsville who is researching the Cook-Wells side of Grandma’s
family and we have had a fruitful correspondence. I have done very little with the Bracewells,
figuring that Reginald and Wm. Peavey had covered it pretty well. I did write to the publisher of the newspaper in Gwinnett Co, Ga, to see if he can supply a copy of that 1879 article about the Bracewells. No response as yet.
Joe, if the “Reunion” is published this year, I would appreciate a copy of it, or any report of the reunion on June 1st.
Hope you all have a great day. Thanks again for your letter and the info.
Cordially,
(signed) Chas.
Note: 10 pages of census records attached - To be added later
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