Elvira Prather Harvey

Notes:

In 1860, she was living with her father, and shown as age 18. At the time of the 1870 census, she was living with her sister and brother-in-law, Rowena and James Ware.

Notes:

FIRST GENERATION KNOWN BLASSINGAME W.HARVEY OF SAN AUGUSTINE CO., TEXAS By Joyce P. Hervey

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hervey/HFAV5.htm

[Editor: The following Harvey family is perhaps related to the family of James Hervey/Harvey of New York ca. early 1800's, (see Vol. 2 No. 2, p. 54 and Vol. 1 No. 2, p. 9). Prior articles of the Bulletin have indicated that Virgil Temple Hervey, descendant of said James Hervey of NY, visited relatives in Texas and was pressed into service in the Confederate Army on one of his trips (ca. 1861-1865). Interestingly, the name Virgil Temple Harvey was given to a child born ca. 1873 to Stephen Prather Harvey of the following family. It seems likely that Virgil T. of New York and Stephen P. of Texas visited and knew, or thought, they were related to each other and that Stephen P. named his young son after his New York "cousin".]

Texas of the 1820's was a region undergoing drastic change. It was a land occupied by Indians, a handful of Spaniards, and growing numbers of American "squatters," with a few Spanish forts and Catholic missions. Texas became part of Mexico when Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821. Being so large and far removed from Mexico's seat of government, and with little manpower, Texas could not be protected from illegal intrusion by American settlers in their push towards the West. Mexico, realizing its problem of protecting Texas from illegal immigration, agreed to allow some colonization of Texas by the Americans, and in 1821 authorized Moses Austin to establish a colony of 300 families in Texas. Much to the Mexican's dismay, this opened a floodgate, which they could not again close to American immigration into Texas. Between 1821 and 1836, 25,000 to 30,000 Americans moved into Texas.

One of these early Texas immigrants was Blassingame W. Harvey, who came to Texas by 1824 and made application for a Mexican land grant.

Who was Blassingame W. Harvey of San Augustine County and where did he come from?

The name "Blassingame" entered the Harvey family as a given name in Charlotte (formerly Lunenburg) County, Virginia when Thomas Harvey (b. ca. 1705, d. 1782) married Elizabeth Blassingame (b. ca. 1709) and they named one of their sons Blassingame Harvey (b. ca. 1736).

From Virginia, the name was carried South by descendants and relatives of this couple. Several persons named Blassingame Harvey lived in Georgia: in Burke Co. in 1790-95, 1820, 1824 ; Jefferson Co.; and Washington Co., ca. 1790.

Blassingame W. Harvey of Texas was born in South Carolina ca. 1792- 1794 and died in San Augustine Co., TX on 20 July 1867. (Your editors have not researched South Carolina records to try to locate him there.) He is said to have arrived in Catahoula Parish, LA in 1802, with his brother John J. Harvey and perhaps other relatives. A Thomas and a Charles B. Harvey are listed on many records of that parish.

When Blassingame W. Harvey left Louisiana, he probably headed toward San Augustine, TX because it was on the only convenient road to the interior of Texas from the landward side. When he reached the Ayish Bayou near San Augustine, where he settled, he found cleared fields, evidence of prior habitation by persons who had moved on. He found some old-timers who had "squatted" their land and established farms. Cotton farms worked by Negro slaves sprang up as the population of the area increased. The rolling hills and valleys covered with hardwood trees, the clear cold streams of water, the fertile soil, abundant wild life and game birds all no doubt helped convince him to put down some roots.

A colonization law passed by Mexico ca. 1823-1824 allowed a married man to be granted by the Mexican government a "league and a labor" of land in Texas, the league (4428 acres) for pastureland and the labor (177 acres) for cultivation. The law required that the colonist be a citizen of Mexico, obey the laws of Mexico, belong to the Roman Catholic Church, and live on the land he was granted. However, there was no provision made for conveyance of titles to the land until about 1834. Meanwhile, the settlers had no claim to their land except their occupancy of it or "squatters rights." Nevertheless, Blassingame W. Harvey received title to his "league" of land on 20 Feb. 1835 and his "labor" of land in Jan. 1838


May not be the same Blassingame Harvey:

Historical Collections of Ga. Vol.3

Page 11-William Wooldrige to wife Sarah, 100 acres where we did live and five slaves Jack, Jenny,Rachel, Lucy and Isby, all stock, furniture for life. To son Richard slaves Cate, Ceasar,and Pheby in his possession.To son William, slaves Frank, Sam and Nelly. To son Thomas slaves Chas, Abel,and Nancy. To son Gibson slaves James, Cain, and Sucky. To son Edward slaves Winny, Sarah and a wagon. To daughter Sally Hidspeth, slaves Ceasar, Joan, and Nancy for her life and then at her death to her children. To daughter Patty Davis slaves Isaac and Peg for her life and then to her children. Mentions debts owed by Phillip Ryon and BLASSINGAME HARVEY. Exors: sons Thomas and Gibson and wife Sarah. Signed Dec.6, 1797 recorded July 25, 1798 Elbert Co.Ga.

(Collections of Dubie Hudspeth: http://www.geocities.com/blsa44/Ralphhudspethjr.html)

Blassingame married Elizabeth Mary Ann Prather on 3 Sep 1826. Elizabeth (daughter of Stephen Prather and Tamora Elizabeth Ploudon) was born on 16 Aug 1810 in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana; died on 22 Jul 1855 in San Augustine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

M ercer County, Kentucky was at that time Kentucky Parish, Lincoln County, Virginia.

In SABINE COUNTY GENEALOGICAL RECORDS, p 42, there are several paragraphs about the Prather lineage in England and Colonial America. Stephen Prather was listed as a Colonel, and said to have served in the War of 1812, under Gen. Andrew Jackson, and in the Fredonian Rebellion of 1826 at Nacogdoches, Texas.

Harry Noble wrote that "Stephen Prather had heard about the Fredonians, their proclamation, the fifteen day compliance edict, and the camp of soldiers near John Sprowl's place east of the Ayish Bayou. Because of his influence with the Indians, he was able to raise a small force under his command, all painted and dressed for war. Along the way he gathered nine white men, counting himself. The others were his two sons, Stephen and Freeman PRATHER, Ross BRIDGERS, James BRIDGERS, Sr., James BRIDGERS, Jr., Joe McGINNIS, Peter GALLOWAY, and Alexander HORTON. He marched his motley crew that night to within a hundred yards of the Fredonian's fort (two double log houses), dismounted, tied the horses, and waited for daylight. At dawn, after admonishing his men not to fire until fired upon, Prather marched his men in battle formation to the fort. At fifty yards he gave the command to charge, which they did. At the same time, the sixty Indians raised a resounding war whoop, according to the memoirs of Alexander HORTON, "a most dreadful yell."

Caught completely by surprise, and so throughly unnerved by the painted, screaming Indians, the Fredonians threw down their arms and begged for quarters. Without firing a shot, Stephen Prather and his little band had captured the entire encampment of Fredonians---about a hundred men. He set up an ambush for the Fredonian reinforcements that were on the way from Nacogdoches near William GARRET's place. He captured another hundred prisoners this way. They started a march for Nacogdoches to confront Hayden EDWARDS and the few troops loyal to him, but got word that Colonel EDWARDS had learned of the defeat and fled to the United States at Haley's Ferry, near present day Logansport. Stephen PRATHER, along with his band of eight white men and sixty painted Indians, had put an end to the Fredonian Rebellion without firing a shot. (San Augustine Tribune, Thursday, February 12, 2004, p 10 "CHICHESTER CHAPLIN: BIRTH OF A TOWN")

Stephen married Tamora Elizabeth Ploudon on 19 Jan 1808 in Concordia Parish, Louisiana. Tamora was born on 4 Mar 1795 in Louisiana; died in Jun 1832 in Louisiana. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]