BRIGHT GENEALOGY
Compiled by Glenn Gohr


My interest in the BRIGHT family came about through studying the Ledbetter family of Tennessee and North Carolina. I might not have found out about my BRIGHT connection except for the book: Ledbetters from Virginia, by Roy C. Ledbetter, et al. Dallas, TX.: Wilkinson Printing Company, 1964. xvi, 369 p. which mentions Martha "Patsy" Bright being married to Alsey Ledbetter. I have been to Martha's grave at the Ledbetter Cemetery in Hardin County, Tennessee. I was also glad to discover that Simon Bright was a Revolutionary War soldier from North Carolina. I have not proven his service for SAR yet as I am having trouble finding primary source proofs that Lucy Ledbetter was a daughter of Alsey and Martha (Bright) Ledbetter, although she is buried in the same cemetery (the Ledbetter Cemetery) in Hardin County, Tennessee, and I am absolutely convinced that she is their daughter. Lucy died before both of her parents, and I have had trouble obtaining deeds or other records which might show a connection to her parents.

Here is my BRIGHT lineage:

  1. Simon BRIGHT, b. Virginia, d. 28 Nov. 1835 Chatham Co., NC; md. 1st in Virginia--unknown (mother of daughter Patsy); md. 2nd, Nancy BROWN
  2. Martha "Patsy" BRIGHT, b. ca. 1784 VA, d. 15 Sept. 1875 Hardin Co., TN; md. ca. 1805 Chatham Co., NC to Alsey LEDBETTER, b. ca. 1779 Chatham Co., NC, d. 4 July 1874 Hardin Co., TN (both buried in LEDBETTER Cemetery, Hardin Co., TN)
  3. Lucy Elizabeth LEDBETTER, b. 14 Dec. 1814 Chatham Co., NC, d. 11 April 1856 McNairy Co., TN (buried LEDBETTER Cemetery, Hardin Co., TN); md. 22 Nov. 1831 Maury Co., TN to Gideon Lindsey HARRIS, b. 12 Dec. 1813 Wilson Co., TN, d. 11 March 1896 McNairy Co., TN (buried at Mars Hill Cemetery, McNairy Co., TN)
  4. William Ashley HARRIS, b. 19 May 1849 Hardin Co., TN, d. 12 Mar. 1916 McNairy Co., TN; md. 18 Oct. 1868 McNairy Co., TN to Sarah Agatha LITTLEFIELD, b. 28 Oct. 1849 Jonesboro, MS, d. 7 Feb. 1940 Leapwood, McNairy Co., TN (both buried at Mars Hill Cemetery, McNairy Co., TN)
  5. James David HARRIS, b. 9 Jan. 1871 McNairy Co., TN, d. 22 Sept. 1938 Marlow, OK; md. 28 Oct. 1894 McNairy Co., TN to Docia Bell PYRON, b. 5 Oct. 1872 McNairy Co., TN, d. 1 Sept. 1944 Lyford, TX
  6. William Earl HARRIS, b. 8 Aug. 1895 McNairy Co., TN, d. 5 Jan. 1967 Cortez, CO; md. 12 Dec. 1915 Parker Co., TX to Orpha Antonia Hazel GARVIN, b. 11 Nov. 1895 Jack Co., TX, d. 21 Dec. 1979 Cortez, CO *These are my grandparents.




ROOTSWEB BRIGHT MESSAGE BOARDS

There are several Message Boards on Rootsweb which are set up for the BRIGHT surname. These boards are for posting information in the following categories: BIBLE, BIOGRAPHY, BIRTH, CEMETERY, CENSUS, DEATH, DEED, IMMIGRATION, LOOKUP, MARRIAGE, MILITARY, OBITUARY, PENSION, QUERIES, and WILLS. The search perameters and drop down screen on the main page allow you to do a key word search or to view all postings according to one of the above categories. Click on the icon below to access the Bright Message Boards.

Query Post a query (or information from any one of the above categories) on any BRIGHT name or related family. Please give dates, and locations they lived. Try to give as much information as possible.


An online genealogy forum for posting queries has also been set up specifically for the BRIGHT family. It can be found at the following address:

    http://genforum.familytreemaker.com/bright

***Note***During the Fall of 1998, GenForum combined with Family Tree Maker, which means that all queries and information posted to that site becomes the property of Family Tree Maker. This is still a good site to look up information and get contact names for the BRIGHT lines you are searching, but be advised that if you now post a new query or a response to something on that site, chances are that sometime in the future Family Tree Maker will include that information on a CD-ROM which they will sell for profit to anyone who is interested. I do not like the idea of someone else using my hard researched information and ideas and selling them for a profit without my knowledge. This same practice is evident on all of the Family Tree Maker pages which are found on the internet, if you will read the disclaimer notices on those pages. I recommend the Family Tree Maker pages as good look up pages, but I don't recommend posting information there. Similar things can be said for Ancestry.com and MyFamily.com which are connected to each other and seek to make a profit from genealogical materials on the internet.




Copyright (c) 1998-2003.

Last updated June 1, 2003.


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