Elam Family of Earl H. Elam
Lineage of William Elam of Charlotte Co. VA
and Edgefield Co. SC(c. 1724/1734-1809}
William Elam's origin has not been authenticated, but circumstantial evidence suggests that he was a son of John (Edward?) Elam Sr.(c. 1688-1750s)and wife, Mary, of Chesterfield Co. VA. John was a son of Martin Elam (1635-1695) who was baptized in Thurnscoe Parish, Yorkshire, England, in 1635. Martin and his brother, Gilbert Elam (1629-1696) were sons of Thomas and Mary Elam of Thurnscoe Parish. Both Martin and Gilbert migrated to Virginia, probably together. The exact date of their arrival in Virginia is unknown, but Gilbert was in the Bermuda Hundred region by 1659, married to Ann Elam, daughter of Robert Elam, the first known Elam to migrate to America from England. At a time undocumented, Martin married Frances Perrin and they lived in the community of Bermuda Hundred and perhaps on other land which he acquired in the region. In addition to their son, John, they had a son, Martin Elam Jr. (d. 1705), and three daughters: Mary, Frances, and Martha.
After Martin Elam Sr. died in 1695, John Elam lived with his mother and her second husband, Francis Patram, on property that Martin had owned in Bermuda Hundred. Around 1715 John married a lady named Mary; their children have not been documented with certainty, but again circumstantial evidence indicates that they were parents of Martin Elam (c. 1716-1738), John Elam Jr.(c. 1718-1788), Edward Elam (c. 1722/30-1810), William Elam (c. 1724/34-1809), Alexander Elam (c. 1726-1789), and Joel Elam (1736-1798).
William Elam first appears in records as a young man who, cited as a resident of Dinwiddie Co. VA, acquired land in 1752 bordering the Bluestone Creek in what is now Charlotte Co. VA; he sold this land and other tracts he had subsequently acquired in 1789 to his sons, Martin Elam and Solomon Harmon Elam, and went to Edgefield County, SC, where another son, John Elam, had previously established residence. William made his will in Edgefield Co. in 1805; it was probated in 1809. His wife was named Judith. No further information has been found about her.
William and Judith Elam had the following children: Solomon Harmon Elam(c.1758-1843); John Elam(c.1759-1824); Martin Elam (c. 1762/65-1810/18); Frances Elam (b. ca. 1767); and Elizabeth Elam(b. ca. 1769).
Solomon Harmon Elam m. Phoebe Osborne in Charlotte Co., VA. Their children were: William Elam (b. c. 1784); Reps Jones Elam (b. c. 1786); Harmon Elam (1788-1838); Edna Goode Elam (b. 1790); Lucinda Elam; Osborne Elam; and Betsy Ann Elam.
John Elam m. (1) Mary (?) and their children were Mary Elam (1777-1852) and Susannah Elam (b. 1779). John m. (2) Mary Minter Yates; they had no children.
Frances Elam m. Peter Word.
Elizabeth Elam m. John Burress.
Martin Elam m. Judith Barnes (c. 1769-1849;their son, George Barnes Elam, was born in Charlotte Co. VA in 1788. They moved to Edgefield Co., SC, in 1790 or 1791.
George Barnes Elam (1788-1847) m. Mary Bugg of Richmond Co., GA, in 1816. They had the following children: William Francis Elam (1817-1897, George Barnes Elam Jr. (II) (1819-1891), Martin B. Elam (1820-1851), Patrick Henry Elam (1822-1852), Caroline Parrish Elam (b. 1824), Cornelia Margaret Elam (1829-1894).
George Barnes Elam Jr. (II) married Tabitha Angeline (Angie) Carter in Holmes Co., MS, c. 1849-50; they acquired several tracts of land in the eastern part of the county northeast of Durant, adjoining Durant, and
near the Big Black River in Holmes and Attala counties. They sold out and moved to Drew Co. Arkansas in 1859-60 and acquired land located east of Monticello. They sold the land in Drew County in 1864 and reportedly went to Texas where they stayed until the end of the Civil War. They then went back to Holmes County. Their children were (1) baby son, died in 1851; (2) Mary Parrish Elam; (3) Patrick Henry Elam (4) George Barnes Elam III; (5) Martin Holmes Elam; (6) William Francis Elam;(7) James Bugg Elam; (8) John Henry Elam; (9) Frances Tabitha (?)Elam; and (10) Benjamin Jordan Elam. George died in 1891; his grave is believed to be in the Springhill Cemetery in Holmes Co. where his mother and other relatives are buried. Angie died in 1899. Her burial place is unknown but it may have been in or near Leonard, TX, where she purchased and sold lots in 1898.
The above individuals are discussed at length in my book: From Virginia to Texas: A History of the Elam Family with Emphasis on the Ancestors and Descendants of John H. Elam of Mississippi and Texas (Gateway Press, Inc., 2001; xii+395 pp., 96 figs., biblio., 7 x 10, cloth, $44.60, Elam Enterprises, 5408 Corto Drive, Granbury, TX 76049).
(Revised 2 February 2002; more to be added later)
Here are some of my favorite websites:
This page belongs to Earl H. Elam.