Category: Spratlin Branch

Livestock owners in the Colony of Virginia protected their rights to their livestock with earmarks, shapes cut into the animal’s ears. Earmarks were preferred there in the 17th century over branding. [1]

These earmarks were recorded in the county court to help in the return of stray livestock, or litigation over stolen livestock.

Our James Spratling recorded his earmark with the County Court of Lunenburg County, Colony of Virginia, on 4 Nov 1760. [2]

His earmark is described as “a Crop and Slit in the Right Ear, and a Swallow fork in the Left.”

These same earmarks are still in use today. [3]

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James removed from Lunenburg County to Henry County, Virgina, before 1777. On 25 Nov 1779, he recorded a different earmark with the Court there [4]—it is difficult to read, but appears to say: “Under Kut in each Earr.”

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James Spratling (1742–1812) is 6th great-grandfather of MKS in the Spratlin branch.

References:
[1] Virginia DeJohn Anderson, “Animals into the Wilderness: The Development of Livestock Husbandry in the Seventeenth-Century Chesapeake,” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 59, no. 2, 2002, pp377–408; digital images, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/stable/3491742).
[2] County Court, Lunenburg County, Virginia, County Court order books, 1746-1865, Order books, 1759-1762; database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS42-T9J3-6?i=235&cat=398428), image 236, verso.
[3] Arizona Department of Agriculture, Registered Brands, 2021, p5; digital images (http://searchagriculture.az.gov/docs/brandbook.pdf).
[4} Henry County, Virginia, Order and Minute Books, 1777-1904, General Indexes, 1777–1904, Order Books, v. 1-6 1777–1797; database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS42-PXSG?cat=400740), image 61, recto.

Conventional wisdom assures us James Spratling (1742–1812), husband of Winifred Munday, is the son of John Spradlin (1712–1769) and Mary English (1713–1756). And this conventional wisdom goes on to assure us John is the grandson of Andrew Spradling (1652–1733) of New Kent County, Virginia, apparently Andrew Spradling the Immigrant.

1. Andrew Spradling (1652–1733) and Ann (Unknown) Spradling (1652–unk)
2. Andrew Spradling (1689–1738) and Elizabeth (Chaddock) Spradling (1693–1717)
3. John Spradlin (1712–1769) and Mary English (1713–unk)
4. James Spratling (1742–1812) and Winifred (Munday) Spratling (1751–1835)

Years ago, this author embraced this conventional wisdom, copying and pasting the line into our family tree. But does the conventional wisdom of 100s of unsourced on-line trees equal truth? A few minutes spent comparing an abstracted source to the primary source and a few Big Y-700 DNA tests have destroyed the conventional wisdom, replacing it with a blank sheet of paper.

The most extensive research of James Spratling and Winifred Munday was conducted by Marion S. Wattenbarger [1] before 1998. Marion’s research focuses on establishing that James’ wife Winifred is Winifred Munday, daughter of James Munday of Caroline County, Virginia. Her well-sourced research is a treasure chest, providing the primary sources for the life of our James Spratling.

But perhaps the most interesting thing about Marion’s research is what is not there—not one word about James’ parents or origin. Marion was the brave genealogist among us. She stuck to what she could prove.

How did James Spratling come to be the son of John Spradlin and Mary English?

Well, an abstract of course! So much easier to read an abstract than the cursive handwriting of the primary source—is cursive writing even taught in schools any more.

Records of Hanover County.
The Small Book, 1734–1735.
…
Jany., 1773.
…
Mary English, ex^tor of Jno. Spradlin. Security Michael Gentry, Sam^l. Gentry.

Abstract of The Small Book, 1734–1735, Records of Hanover County. [2][3]

Our imagination fills in the rest. Mary is John’s wife—ok, that part is not hard to imagine as the wife is often the executor of the husband’s estate in this era. But he needs a birth date. He needs a death date. And throw in a child while we are at it. Or perhaps that came later, John being discovered in the area, with a very unique surname, the right age to be the father of our James, an ancestor in need of parents.

But something is already amiss. Do you see it? Why is a Jany. 1773 record in the 1734–1735 records of Hanover County, Virginia. Well, it isn’t.

In the primary source [4], image 23, left-hand side of the page, we find something very different.

In the record dated 5 Mar 1733 (O.S.), we find the probate for John Spradlin, deceased in 1734, not 1769, whose wife Mary Spradlin is executrix, with Samuel and Nicholas Gentry posting bond.

• 5 Mar 1733 (O.S.), not Jany., 1773.
• Mary Spradlin, not Mary English.
• Nicholas Gentry, not Michael Gentry.

The primary source is clearly referring to John Spradlin (1678–1734) who married Mary Gentry.

Where did Mary English come from? Flip back one page to image 22, right-hand side of the page. There we find the 7 Jul 1727 (O.S.) settlement of the estate of John English, Mary English ex^tor. This record and the record at the top of image 23, left-hand side of the page, are both missing from the abstract.

Mary English is her married name in the primary source. However, in the 100s of unsourced on-line trees, Mary English is her maiden name, and she is the daughter of John and Mary English.

The marriage of John Spradlin (1712–1769) and Mary English is an abstraction error, two records conflated into one. He does not exist.

Not convinced? Want to bet?

Descendants of Andrew Spradling (1652–1733) and James Spratling (1742–1812) have taken Y-DNA tests with FamilyTreeDNA. See the data on the Spradlin Project.

The descendants of Andrew Spradling are haplogroup R-FGC21301. Three descendants of James Spratling, including this author, are haplogroup R-BY67253. These two haplogroups are estimated to share a Most Recent Common Ancestor between 127 and 155 generations ago, between 1600 B.C. and 2400 B.C.

The Spradlings and Spratlings of the Colony of Virginia are not related in either the genealogical or the historical time frame.

The parents of James Spratling are unknown.

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James Spratling (1742–1812) and Winifred Munday (1750–1835) are 6th great-grandparents of MKS in the Spratlin branch.

References:
[1] Marion S. Wattenbarger, “James Spratling and His Wife, Winifred (Munday), Caroline and Henry Counties and Wilkes County, Georgia,” Tidewater Virginia Families: A Magazine of History and Genealogy, Virginia Lee Hutcheson David, editor, 12 vol. (Berwyn Heights, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc., 2016), 6:1 (May 1997 – Feb 1998):30-38.
[2] “Records of Hanover County.”, The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 21, no. 1, 1912, 49; digital images, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/stable/1922081).
[3] Gary Parks (indexer), Virginia Land Records From The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, the William and Mary College Quarterly, and Tyler’s Quarterly (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1982), 85; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/23352612?h=abdcc6).
[4] County Court, Hanover County, Virginia, Deeds, wills inventories, and settlement of estates, 1733–1735, Miscellaneous probate and land records, 1733–1792, Item 1, Deeds, wills, inventories, and settlement of estates 1733-1735; database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99P6-3SFR?cat=365146), image 22-23.

We have learned much about our Knight line, and much about the process of genealogy, from Laura Knight Jadczyk. Her website Once a Knight is Enough, Knight Genealogy reflects over two decades of research of her Knight line, back to our shared ancestry in the Knights of Colonial Virginia.

As we climb our tree back through Colonial America, things get murky. Records are sparse. Families were large, and, they, well, they ran out of given names. Jr. was attached to a young adult male to distinguish him from his uncle, so Jr. does not share his given name with his father. The given name of a deceased child was given to a sibling born later. Records were lost, or destroyed—though not as often as we pretend. And they moved a lot.

The life of a relative in that era may now only be reflected in a single reference, in a original record that has not been microfiched, and digitally scanned—it is not on-line.

Laura demonstrates the benefit—no, the necessity—of looking at every record for a surname of interest, and the records of their Allied families, to make headway in Colonial America.

After our recent focus on the Irish lines of our Watne branch—Porter, Gallagher, Walker, Hannah, Virtue—it is time to tackle our direct paternal line, Spratlin(g). As with our Knight line, we are headed back to Colonial Virginia.

Step one, don’t forget what Laura taught us.

Sourced—Spratlin(g)

If you are researching your Spratlin(g) line in Colonial Virginia, join in. We need the help!

Milton Thomas Spratlin, 87, of Toccoa, Georgia, passed away Thursday, November 5, 2020, after several years of declining health. He was born August 13, 1933, in Clarke County, Georgia, to parents Charles Spratlin and Goldie Christian Spratlin.

He graduated from Athens High School in 1950, and graduated with a BBA from the University of Georgia in 1954, receiving an Army Officer commission at that time. He served in the US Army as a Recon Platoon leader in the 61st Tank Battalion, 9th Infantry, in Germany.

After military service, he was first employed by the Georgia Railroad Bank & Trust Company in Augusta, Georgia. In August 1961, he joined the Bank of Toccoa, and served in the positions of Assistant Vice President, Cashier, Executive Vice President, President, and Director. He retired from there in December 1998.

He held leadership positions in many professional and civic organizations including the Stephens County Jaycees, Stephens County Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Bankers Association, Toccoa Housing Authority, City of Toccoa Personnel Advisory Board, Stephens County Board of Tax Accessors, Stephens County United Way Fund, Stephens County Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, Camp Fire Girls of America, and Stephens County Historical Society. He was a member of the Toccoa First United Methodist Church.

He was married for 46 years to Jacqueline (Jackie) Knight of Augusta, Georgia, and after her death in 2007, he married Darlene Millard, who passed away 5 months later.

He is survived by his sister-in-law Kathryn Cofer Spratlin, wife of brother John; brother-in-law Charles Lester, husband of sister Faye; and friend Maxine Felts.

He is survived by a son, three daughters, their spouses, and their 9 grandchildren: Ken, wife Lisa Wetherbee, and their son Matthew, of Boulder, Colorado; Sandra, sons Richard and Cameron, husband Andy Adams, and sons Drew and Hayden, of Edmond, Oklahoma; Susan, husband Ed Carman, and their son Forrest, of Toccoa; and Cynthia, her husband Dr. Cyril Halbert, and their sons Braeden and Ashton, and daughter Keira, of Las Vegas, Nevada.

He is preceded in death by his sister Evelyn Spratlin Flanagan, and her husband Clarence Flanagan; brother John Spratlin; brother Donald Spratlin; sister Faye Spratlin Smith Lester, and her husband Ferman Smith III.

An outdoor visitation and funeral service will be held at Roselane Cemetery, 1033 Rose Lane, Toccoa, on Sunday November 8, 2020. The visitation is from 2:00-3:45 pm, with the service following at 4:00 pm, the Reverend Brent White and Mr. Brent Ware officiating.

Military Honors will be provided by the United States Army.

The family will have a private burial immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, Milton would hope that you will volunteer time or donate to a community civic or youth organization. A donation to the Currahee Military Museum, 160 Alexander St., Toccoa, GA 30577, would support one of his passions.

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Milton Thomas Spratlin (1933–2020)  is grandfather of MKS in the Spratlin branch.

References:
[1] KMS Family Genealogy Digital Archive, Jacqueline Anne Knight Spratlin collection (photograph).

Our tree on the Christian (Spratlin maternal) branch is broad and deep, seven or eight generations deep on every line, except for a single, late brick wall—the father of Anna Belle Foster.

Anna Belle Foster, likely born 3 Mar 1882 in Clarke County, Georgia, is the daughter of Eliza E. Bray, and the 2nd great-grandmother of MKS.

Eliza E. Bray married Juan F. Foster on 3 Sep 1874 in Clarke County, Georgia. We have only found five records that closely bracket Anna Belle’s birth and shed light on Eliza’s family:

• 1874 marriage license and marriage record for Juan and Eliza
• 1880 US Census for Juan and Eliza
• Property Tax Digest for Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia, 1878–1882, for Juan
• 1900 US Census for Eliza
• 1910 US Census for Eliza

Eliza had three daughters: Rosa Foster, Harriet Foster, and Anna Belle Foster. Rosa and Harriet predeceased Eliza, who died on 4 Mar 1919.

In the 1880 US Census for Athens, Clarke County, Georgia, Juan is listed with Eliza, Rosa, and Eliza’s niece Cornelia E. Bray. Juan is listed as age 25, birthplace Georgia. That Anna Belle is not listed supports that she was indeed born after 1880.

Eliza and Juan apparently divorced before 1900, and Eliza then married William Jasper Bradberry after 1900 and before 1910.

Juan F. Foster—that is not a typical Southern name of that era. But his name is spelled that way clearly and consistently in the three records that list him. We have been unable to find any records for Juan prior to 1874.

With the dearth of records for Eliza’s family, the loss of the 1890 US Census (Fire!) is particularly detrimental to our research.

So here is the real problem. We have DNA kits for a grandson and several great-grandchildren of Anna Belle, making them a great-grandson and several 2nd great-grandchildren of Eliza, and presumably Juan. There may be no other records for Juan, but we should be able to find some DNA matches for these kits through Juan’s ancestors.

The probability Anne Belle’s grandson shares a DNA segment with someone that is an actual cousin through a common ancestor in Juan’s line is:

Common Ancestor	Match Relationship to Grandson	%
Great-Grandparents	5C	32
Grandparents	4C	71
Parents	3C	98
Juan and Eliza	2C	100

Unless Juan is from a multi-generational line of only children, far from the norm of around eight children per family, we’d expect to find many DNA matches through Juan’s ancestors back through at least his great-grandparents. We don’t.

Here is what we do find for Anna Belle’s grandson’s DNA matches.

We clearly see large clusters for three of the four sets of great-grandparents—Spratlin-Crow, O’Kelly-Chandler, and Christian-Moore. And we see two small clusters in the lower right—Bray and Guest.

Guest? Who is Guest? As we lower the cM threshold and look at matches through more distant common ancestors, we find many more Guest matches, many with trees containing a Guest line extending back several generations before our time period of interest. By looking for shared matches through the spouses in this Guest line, we quickly develop a hypothesis for the parents of Anna Belle’s father—Sanford Guest and Frances Salina Stone.

We have at least 7 shared matches through Sanford and Frances, all with shared DNA amounts consistent with the hypothesis. We also have at least 20 shared matches through his parents and grandparents, and 32 through her parents and grandparents.

Eliza, age 23, lived with her parents in 1870 in Militia District 6, Banks County, Georgia, served by the Phi Delta Post Office.

In 1870, Sanford, Frances, two daughters, four sons, and another male Guest, age 17, of unknown relationship, lived in Washington, Banks County, served by the Nails Creek Post Office.

Phi Delta to Nails Creek—8 miles. This is where we invoke Gibbs’ Rule #39.

Sanford and Frances had five sons, born between 1846 and 1859. The first son apparently died before 1860. The other four all lived beyond 1920. It is likely one of these four is the father of Anna Belle.

The records and available DNA kits do not tell us any more at this point.

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Anna Belle Foster (1882–1952) is 2nd great-grandmother of MKS in the Spratlin branch.

Eliza E. Bray (1846–1919) is mother of Anna Belle Foster, and 3rd great-grandmother of MKS in the Spratlin branch.

Juan F. Foster (1856–unk) is husband of Eliza E. Bray.

Sanford Guest (1818–1896) and Frances Salina Stone (1820–1897) are likely grandparents of Anna Belle Foster, and 4th great-grandparents of MKS in the Spratlin branch.

William Jasper Bradberry (1849–1930) is husband of Eliza E. Bray.

John Franklin Spratlin, husband of Lucy Frances O’Kelley, died on 9 Mar 1928 in Barnett Shoals, Oconee County, Georgia, at the age of 46. According to his death certificate, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage 10 days earlier on 28 Feb.

John was an electrical worker with the Georgia Power Company.

The relatives listed in the funeral notice are most of his siblings and children.

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John Franklin Spratlin (1882-1928) is 2nd great-grandfather of MKS in the Spratlin branch.

References:
[1] The Banner-Herald (Athens, Georgia), 9 Mar 1928, p. 4 (newspaper funeral notice).