Information Exchange for PITMAN & PITTMAN Genealogy
Established in 1987


owner, operater, editor, research assistant, typesetter, printer, secretary & mail clerk
Beverly Capps Williamson
55 Oakwood Road, Jacksonville Beach FL 32250-2958
phone: (904) 372-4682
[email protected]




Pittman Family Researcher,
I am interested in your connection to the PITTMAN Families of America!
I am a long-time genealogy addict (25 years), whose interest in the PITTMAN family stems from my husband's grandmother's ancestor, Capt. Thomas PITMAN of Surry Co VA, through Joseph PITMAN who died in 1763 in Edgecombe Co N.C.
So, I am hooked now, simply trying to locate as many PITTMANS as I can. My clearinghouse, which has been operating since 1987, has helped me to realize this goal and enabled me to help other PITMAN / PITTMAN researchers at the same time. I have received queries and lineages from more than 1,975 people from all over the world, and I have been able to amass an astonishing amount family information.
It costs "Depositors" very little -- just what you spend for postage, family group sheets, and perhaps a Xerox copy or two of Bible records or other documents you might decide to send. (In the Information Age, eMail is best � it costs everyone less and I don't need to retype everything.) The more I can know about your family the better I will be able to connect yours with someone else's. Of course, if you have only a small amount of information, well, that's a place to start! I also need to see PITTMAN notes that you have collected which are not on your line -- someone else out there is looking for them!
What you will get from me, if I have it now or if I receive it in the future, is information from other people working on your line: their names and addresses and a summary of their work. I will also refer others to you and your work. [ This can work only if you send me new address and phone number when you move ].
Remember, if I can't help you now, new information comes to me every week, so the chance that I can identify your ancestors actually improves as time goes by!
Keep in mind that, as a clearinghouse, my function is to pass on bodies of research which might be of interest to you. Almost all of this work is submitted to me by others, just as you will submit your Family Group Sheets. I cannot guarantee their accuracy. Therefore, you should carefully verify any information you receive in this way... If you discover errors in it, I would appreciate your letting me know, so the mistakes can be corrected and we will all have better information to share.
The future of genealogy is depending on us to share what we know with others. So many important facts are not written in any public record, and might never come to light unless we share...
No, I am not publishing a newsletter or a book. But I suspect that inside the skin of every confirmed genealogist is a frustrated writer. So, keep encouraging me!
I'm Glad To Meet You!
So far, I have been able to provide this service at minimal cost.
My current fee, charged only if I send you printed information by Snail Mail, is $1 per page.
(Of course, contributions are always cheerfully accepted.)


To access information in the Pittman Data Bank,
just ask me some questions!



eMail



PITTMAN PARTS LIST
The computer files presently contain large family groups for the following 40 family groups, plus a (very) large query file of unconnected families. To submit information to Pittman Data Dank, simply prepare family group sheets and supporting documentation as desired and send it to me (email is best), and your family will be examined for any "match" with existing information.

Part One Capt Thomas PITMAN of Surry Co VA
Part Two Thomas PITMAN Jr. d 1730 Isle of Wight Co VA
Part Three Thomas PITTMAN III d 1755 Edgecombe Co NC
Part 4 Ambrose PITTMAN d 1784 Halifax Co NC
Part 5a Joseph PITTMAN d 1763 Edgecombe Co NC
Part 5b James Elisha PITTMAN & Mary BATTEN of Johnston Co NC
Part 5c Garry PITTMAN & Martha FIVEASH of Johnston Co NC
Part 6a Nathan PITTMAN of Robeson Co NC
Part 6b John PITTMAN & Susanna WARD of Robeson Co NC
Part 7 Nicholas PITTMAN & Catherine SNAPP of Frederick Co VA
Part 8 Matthew PITTMAN & Kiziah WILLIAMSON RODDEN of Mecklinburg Co NC
Part 9 Newit Warren PITTMAN & Elizabeth JOHNSON of Hot Springs, AR
Part 10 Joseph PITTMAN "Quaker" from Rich Square, N.C.
Part 11 Micajah PITMAN & Lydia MORGAN of Rowan Co NC & Pulaski Co KY
Part 12a John PITTMAN & Mary ROWE of Richmond Co GA
Part 12b John PITTMAN Jr & Lucy MARSHALL of Gwinnett Co GA
Part 12c James G. PITTMAN & Martha TAYLOR of Madison Co GA
Part 13 John PITMAN of the Northern Neck of Virginia
Part 14 William PITTMAN "The Long Hunter" of Pittman's Station, KY
Part 15 John PITTMAN & Delilah RICKS of Randolph Co GA
Part 16 John PITMAN & Elizabeth McCRAW of Buckingham Co VA
Part 17a Richard PITTMAN Jr & Charity TRUAX of NJ and Bedford Co PA
Part 17b William PITTMAN & Hannah KIMBLE of NJ and Bedford Co PA
Part 17c Obediah PITTMAN & Bethania TRUAX of Monroe Co OH
Part 18 Jonathan PITMAN & Rebecca CLEVENGER of NJ and Hamilton Co OH
Part 19 William PITMAN of Oyster River, New Hampshire
Part 20 William PITMAN of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Part 21 George PITMAN & Flower WILKINS of England & John's Creek, IA
Part 22 Michael PITTMAN & Rebecca KINSER of Fayette / Raleigh Co WVA
Part 23 Lindsey W.H. PITTMAN & Sallie PRESCOTT of Ware Co GA
Part 24 John PITTMAN of Christian Co KY
Part 25 Lewis PITTMAN & Nancy JOHNSON of Macoupin Co IL
Part 26 Isom P. PITMAN & Eady DURDEN of Georgia
Part 27 William & Ann PITTMAN of King George Co VA
Part 28 Samuel A. and Ebenezer M. PITTMAN of Monroe Co TN
Part 29 Matthew PITTMAN died before 1850 Halifax Co NC
Part 30 Thomas PITTMAN & Sally KING of Taliaferro Co GA
Part 31 Ebenezer PITTMAN of Salem Co NJ
Part 32 Pethuel PITTMAN & Sarah DEAN of Washington Co GA
Part 33 Henry PITMAN of Nassau (West Indies) and Rhode Island
Part 34 John PITTMAN & Elizabeth HAMPTON of Toombs Co GA
Part 35 Micajah L. PITTMAN & Frances WILLIAMS of Taliaferro Co GA
Part 36 Aaron PITTMAN & Betsy BURLESON of Mitchell Co NC
Part 37 PITMAN of Marblehead (MA) and Yarmouth (NS)
Part 38 Uriah PITMAN & Ann MATSON of Burlington Co NJ
Part 39 John PITTMAN & Nancy BROOKS of Cumberland Co KY
Part 40 Joseph PITTMAN & Cynthia WILSON of Harlan Co KY



First order of business. . .
Let's set the record straight about
AMBROSE PITMAN of Halifax NC

"Having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects which I once thought right but found otherwise." ... Benjamin Franklin

Ambrose Pittman (Thomas Jr., Capt. Thomas)
b Surry Co VA
d ca Feb 1787 Halifax Co NC
wife unknown
children: Lucy, Selah, Elisha, Elijah, Arthur, Phebe, Ann, Millie, Zilpha, John
* Revolutionary War Veteran

Ambrose PITMAN died between 25 Mch 1786 and Feb 1787. His will is recorded in Halifax County, North Carolina [Will Book III p 122], as follows:

In the Name of God Amen. The 25th Day of March in the Year of our Lord God Amen, One thousand seven & Hundred & Eighty Six. I Ambrose PITMAN of Halifax County in the State of No Carolina being through the abundance of the Goodness and Mercy of God though weak in body yet of sound & Perfect mind and memory, do make and ordain this for and as my last Will & Testament in the manner & following form.
I give & recommend my Soul to the Hands of Almighty God that gave it & nothing doubting but that at the general Resurrection I shall receive the Same, and as touching such worldly Estate as it hath pleased Almighty to bless me, I give and dispose of the same in the manner and form following.
Imprim, I give & Bequeath to Daughter Lucy HAYNES Twenty Shillings to Her & Her Heirs & Assigns.
Item, I give to my Daughter Selah PITMAN her Heirs & Assigns Twenty Shillings also Two Cows & Calves.
Item, I give to my Son Elisha PITMAN Twenty Shillings to him his Heirs and Assigns.
Item, I give to my Son Elijah PITMAN Twenty Shillings to him his Heirs & Assigns.
Item, I give to my Son Arthur PITMAN Twenty Shillings to him his Heirs & Assigns.
Item, I give to my Daughter Phebe RALLS Twenty Shillings to Her her Heirs and Assigns.
Item, I give to my Daughter Ann SPIER fifty Three pounds Six Shillings and Eight Pence to Her & her Heirs and Assigns.
Item, I give to my Daughter Miller PITMAN my Negro Girl Grace one Feather Bed and furniture two Cows & Calves one Chest called hers one pewtor dish one Pewtor Bason mark'd with (M) to her her heirs & Assigns.
Item, I give & Bequeath to my Daughter Zilpha PITMAN my negro Girl named I---- one feather Bed & furniture Two Cows & Calves one Pewter Dish one D.Bason two plates and 3 Spoons marked (Z) to her her heirs and Assigns.
Item, I give and Bequeath to my Grandson Willie PITMAN One feather Bed & furniture & if he stays on the Plantation as one of the family to the age of 21 Years I give him one Horse Bridle & Saddle & a Suit of common Clothes to him his Heirs & Assigns.
Item, I give & Bequeath to my Son John PITMAN the Land & plantation whereon I now live being Three Hundred & Twenty Acres. Also to him and his Heirs I also give my sd Son John PITMAN my Cyder Hogshead & Bbls. my Still my Cooper & Carpenter Tools One Feather Bed & Furniture One Iron Pot Rack & Pestle Two Pewter Basons one Dish Two plates & Three Spoons My Two Negroes Chelse and Agg my Cart & Wheels to him & his Heirs.
Item, I give & Bequeath to my Two Daughters Millie PITMAN and Zilpha PITMAN my Loom & all the Geer thereunto belonging also all my Spinning Wheels & Cards also my Flax Hackle to them & their Heirs.
I also give all that part of my Estate that is not before given away to be equally Divided between all my Sons & Daughters that are Living at my Death to them & their Heirs and I do hereby constitute & appoint my three Sons Elisha PITMAN, Elijah PITMAN & John PITMAN the Whole & sole Executors of this my last Will & Testament, and I do hereby revoke & Disannull all & ev'ry other former Will made by me heretofore, & do hereby ordain this my Last Will & Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand & Affix'd my Seal the day & date
Signed, Sealed, Published
pronounc'd & declar'd by the sd
Ambrose PITMAN for & as his
Last Will & Testament in Ambrose tp PITMAN (his mark)
Presence of
Robt.John PITMAN
Elizabeth PITMAN
Saml. PITMAN
Halifax County Ss. February Court 1787. Then this Will was Exhibited in open Court, and duly prov'd by the oathe of John PITMAN & Samuel PITMAN two of the Subscribing witnesses thereto & on Motion ordered to be Recorded, where upon Elisha PITMAN & John PITMAN qualifyed as Executors thereto.
Test: Wm WOTTON CC


��������The "mark" of Ambrose PITMAN, the signature of a man unable to sign his name, usually from illiteracy but sometimes from illness, is the same as that made by Thomas PITMAN, his father, who died in 1730.
��������Family members researching their PITMAN lines sometimes find themselves pruning branches rather than adding them, after evaluating the material published in 1907 in a book by Mrs. H.D. Pittman called Americans of Gentle Birth and Their Ancestors (Vol.1 and 2) , in which the author mistakenly identified Ambrose PITMAN of Halifax County, N.C., as a son of Thomas PITMAN and Hannah FIELDING of Lancaster Co., VA. That Ambrose PITMAN was born a whole generation later than Ambrose of Halifax, as can be proved from his Revolutionary War Pension Application File (#S.30655). His file states that he was born 9 Nov 1750 in Lancaster Co., VA, and that he removed to Woodford Co., KY, in 1790. His pension application file mentions a son, Ambrose. He was married on 22 May 1796 to Susanna WARREN in Woodford Co., KY. He was included on a list of Revolutionary War pensioners who lived in Laurel Co., KY, in 1840 -- Ambrose PITMAN, "aged 92." He died in Laurel Co., KY on 17 Feb 1842. A record in Deed Book Q, Mercer County, KY, on 14 Oct 1845, lists the heirs of Ambrose PITMAN: Fielding PITMAN, Lawson PITMAN, Eliza PITMAN, William PITMAN, Ambrose PITMAN, heirs at law of William THOMAS, Robert THOMAS, Thomas LILLIARD, William SIMPSON dec'd, and Joseph F. BAINE the only heir and child of George BAINE dec'd. 498 acres of land was distributed from the estate.
��������In her book Mrs. Pittman states that Ambrose PITMAN who died in 1842 was a son of Richard PITMAN who was born in 1753 , who married a Miss Warren and settled in Woodford Co., KY, in 1790. In fact, they were brothers, both sons of Thomas PITMAN and Hannah FIELDING of Lancaster County, of the Northern Neck of Virginia. Mrs. Pittman traces her husband's lineage from another brother of Ambrose and Richard PITMAN -- Williamson H. PITMAN, who married Judith WATKINS on 7 Mch 1787 in Chesterfield Co., VA. This family is clearly unrelated to the family of Ambrose PITMAN of Halifax County, NC, who was already an adult with children of his own before 1750.
��������A second source, A History of the Higges or Higgs Family , published in 1933 by William Miller Higgs, complicates matters further by trying to show a relationship between Thomas PITMAN of Lancaster Co. VA and Thomas PITMAN of the Surry/Isle of Wight Co. VA family, when in fact, there was no documentation to back up his conclusions.
��������These two sources also report that Ambrose PITMAN of Halifax was married to Mary or Annie STREETER or STREATOR, but no proof of this has ever been cited, and therefore this relationship should not be assumed unless the proof comes to light. Another source, An Abstract of North Carolina Wills 1760-1800 , published in 1925 by Fred A. Olds, indicates that Ambrose PITMAN named his wife Lila in his last will and testament. Examination of the original page in Halifax County Will Book III reveals that, in fact, no wife is even mentioned in this will, much less named.
��������Many searchers who are descendants of Ambrose PITMAN of Halifax County, NC, continue to include Thomas PITMAN and Hannah FIELDING, and Annie STREATOR, on their charts, and it has been hard to convince some of them that their sources were in error! An excellent summary contrasting these two groups of PITMANs can be found on pages 59 and 60 of a book called Tennessee Cragons and Their Kin , written by Col. (Ret.) Henry D. Cragon of Birmingham, Alabama. A copy of this book is in the collection in the library at Halifax, North Carolina.




updated 01 Oct 2004; I'm Blarney Manx and I approved this message