Migration of William GRESSETT and Rachel RADCLIFFE

1. William GRESSETT, born abt 1765 in Orangeburgh, South Carolina; died 1850 in Orangeburg District, South Carolina, son of John GRESSETT (COL) and Susanna Elisabetha FUNCHESS. He married (1) Catherine GAVIN, born abt 1773 in Orangeburg District, South Carolina; died abt 1813 in Orangeburgh, South Carolina; buried in Cattle Creek, Orangeburgh, South Carolina, daughter of Charles GAVIN and Bathiah BYRD; (2) in 1813 in South Carolina Rachel RADCLIFFE, born 1795; died 1837.

Notes for William GRESSETT: Witness to will of Thomas Gavin, of Colleton District 14 March 1811. Five land grants are recorded in the name of William Gressett or Grissett for land in Orangeburg District, all in the same area, first 7 April 1788 and the last 2 August 1819. No record shows the name of the first wife of William Gressett, but there are clues. An account by Major David Gavin of a visit to relatives in Mississippi refers to his cousin Charles Gressett of Lauderdale County (25 June 1843), and this relationship is confirmed by a reference in his diary:"My paternal grandfather Charles Gavin, paternal Aunt Gressett and other relatives are buried on Cattles Creek in Orange Parish. Cattle Creek was the location of the first land grant to William Gressett. A conclusion may be drawn that the wife of William Gressett was the sister of Major Gavin's father and thus the daughter of Charles and Bathiah (Byrd) Gavin, early settlers in the same area. Charles Gressett apparently bore the middle initial G., from Gavin, as did his nephew, a son of William, and that a daughter of Catherine (Gressett) Tatum, a sister of William Jr. and thus a daughter of William Sr., bore the name Catherine Gavin Tatum is evidence of this connection. The Gavin family is enumerated near that of Lydia and William Gressett in 1800 and 1810 as is that of Christopher Tatum in 1820. While Christopher Tatum, Bathyra for Fathiah Gavin, and William Gressett are enumerated on the same page of the 1830 census for Greene County, Miss.

Children of William GRESSETT and Catherine GAVIN were as follows:

a. Catherine GRESSETT, born 1797 in Orangeburg District, South Carolina; died aft 1880 in Jasper County, Mississippi. She married abt 1818 Christopher TATUM, born 5 Feb 1795 in Orangeburgh, South Carolina; died 14 Dec 1870 in Jasper County, Mississippi, son of Christopher TATUM. Christopher with his brother Joshua went to Autauga - Montgomery Cos., AL about 1817. They then migrated onward to Mississippi about 1830 and settled in neighboring Cos. of Jasper and Newton, MS. Both mentioned in David Gavin diary.

b. Bethiah Elizabeth GRESSETT, born 17 Jan 1799 in Orangeburgh, South Carolina; died 7 Aug 1887 in Jasper County, Mississippi. She married John D.RATCLIFF, born 25 Sep 1796 in South Carolina; died 12 Oct 1863 in Jasper County, Mississippi. BL1997 does not list as child?

c. William GRESSETT, born 1801 in Orangeburg District, South Carolina; died abt 1875 in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. He married (1) Cynthia [---]; (2) on 3 Apr 1865 in South Carolina Martha BUSH. He was in Greene County, Miss. by 1827, and with a woman of his own age and a male child under 5, census 1830. A resident of Jone Co., Miss by 9 June 1836, when he purchased 50 acres and on census 13 April 1837, with his wife and 4 males under 18, in 1841 had 8 whites in household. In 1840 a woman of this own age, a woman 80-90 [Bathiah Gavin?] He has been identified as Catherine's brother

d. Susan Elizabeth GRESSETT, born abt 1809 in Orangeburg District, South Carolina; died 1877. She married Vincent REEVES.

e. Charles Gavin GRESSETT, born 1810 in Orangeburgh, South Carolina; died in Grimes County, Texas. He married (1) [---] RYAN; (2) Elizabeth Mary ROBERTSON, born 12 Feb 1823 in Mississippi; died 26 Dec 1912 in Texas. He was in Perry County, Mississippi by 2 Nov 1835, tax lists of Jasper Co., 1837-39. In Lauderdale County, MS in 1840(age 20-30) with 3 females, by 1850 in Newton Co., MS.

Children of William GRESSETT and Rachel RADCLIFFE were as follows:

f. John Daniel GRESSETT, born 11 Jan 1818 in South Carolina; died 16 Jan 1901. He married Nancy Elizabeth MABRY in 1839. Civil War pension records enlisted in a Louisiana regiment. He moved to Texas following the war and eventually settled and died in Comanche County, Texas. He applied for his Civil War Pension through the State of Texas at the end of the last century when he was 81 years old.

g. Samuel Ratcliff GRESSETT, born abt 1826; died 27 May 1850 in Orangeburg District, South Carolina.

h. Laurence Funchess GRESSETT, born abt 1828; died 10 Feb 1892 in Branchville, Orangeburg Co., South Carolina. She married Umia [---].

i. Tatum GRESSETT, born 13 Mar 1831 in Reevesville, South Carolina; died 22 Jul 1864 in Atlanta, Fulton Co., Georgia. He married Caroline REEVES.

j. Marion Shieutt GRESSETT, born abt 1833; died 19 May 1908. He married (1) Isabel Margaret OTT; (2) Maggie HALFORD .

Information provided by Gene Jeffries 6 May 2000, updates by John David Gressett 28 Aug 2011, Shannon Brinkman 25 Apr 2012.

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DISCLAIMER: The family information included in Orangeburgh Family Migrations was complied from a variety of sources, many of which are not documented. These pages have not been checked for accuracy and should not be treated as authoritative documentation on these families. They are provided as a hopefully helpful source of leads to further research into these families.

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