Our Branham ancestors originated in England or Ireland, depending on the source you use. The Irish Branham's were first recorded in County Kilkenny, Ireland. The Irish surname Branham comes from the old Irish name O'Brachain, which was a patronymic name based on the first name of the ancestor's father. The English surname is a place name indicating a homestead or dwelling. Surnames, as a rule, did not come into common use until the 1200's.
We have found many variations for the surname, including Branam, Brannam, Branum, Brannum, Branom, Brannom, Brandham, Brantham, Branan, and Brannon. Among the early immigrants to America were Matthew Branan, age 21, a smith (blacksmith), from London to Maryland in 1774, an indentured servant; Margaret Branham from England to Virginia in 1773; John Brannon from Middlesex, England, in May 1767; Elizabeth Brannum from Middlesex, England, in May 1736, an indentured servant, transported for stealing linen; Nicholas Brannon, from Middlesex, England, October 1768, Michael Brannon from Middlesex, England, December 1774; and Thomas Brannon from London, England, September 1742, an indentured servant, transported for stealing shoes.
Our great-great grandfather, William Branham, was born about 1812, in Georgia, according to census records. We believe his siblings included a sister named Hannah Jane and possibly brothers named Lewis L., James W. (possibly Wiley) and John. We believe William's mother was named Frances, but called Fanny. None of this has yet been proven, however.
William married our great-great grandmother, Arenna R. (last name unknown), about 1830 to 1832, probably in Tennessee or Georgia. Arenna was born about 1812, in North Carolina, according to census.
William and Arenna moved from Tennessee, where their first child was born, to Blount County, Alabama, about 1834, probably soon after the birth of that child. Their other nine children were born in Blount County.
Appearing in Blount County about the same time as William, was Hannah Jane "Jennie" Branham. (It should be noted that William named one of his daughters Jane H. (Hannah?) and she was also sometimes called Jenny.) Hannah Jane "Jennie" Branham was born January 26, 1819, in Georgia. She married Blake Tidwell on October 12, 1834, in Blount County, Alabama. As Jennie was only 15 years old at the time she married, a letter of consent was given by her mother, Fanny Branham. We assume that Jennie's father was dead or he would probably have written the letter, as was customary. Blake and Jennie Tidwell had several children, including Uriah, Francis, and Jeremiah. (It should also be noted that William named three of his children those same names.) We have so far been unable to document that William and Jennie were siblings, and that William was Fanny's son.
William appears on the 1840 Blount County census in East Division. The census shows one male age 20-30; one male under 5; one female 20-30; one female 5-10; and two females under 5 years. William is the only Branham listed in Blount County on the 1840 census, although there were several Branham's in other counties in Alabama.
Some members of the Branham family attended church at the Mt. Pisgah United Baptist Church of Christ. Minutes of the church meetings were transcribed by Douglas and Melba H. Lowe and printed in a book, Minutes of The United Baptist Church of Christ at Mt. Pisgah 1838-1880, Chepultepec (Allgood), Blount Co, Alabama. Our thanks to Melba for permission to print the following excerpts from those church minutes (the spelling is as it appears in the book):
Page 5: "Names of persons of
the United Baptist Church of Christ of Mount Pisgah 1838......Sorena
Branham (dism. by letter)."
Page 16: "May 1842......Sorena
Branham joined by experience of faith."
Page 16: "July 1842......Serenah
Branham was Baptise. Done in church conference."
Page 21: "Dec.
1842......Sister Arreny Branham made application for leter
which was granted her, done in church conference."
Page 23: "Apr.
1843......brother John Branham joined by exp. of grace, was
recd and Bapt. Done in church conference."
Page 32: "Dec
1844......Sister Areney Branham joined by leter and was recd
in church conference."
Page 37: "Dec. 1845......our
beloved sister Areney Branham mad application for a leter of
dismission from us. The church grants her a leter."
Page 49: "Sept 1849......Anne
Branham came forward and joined by letter."
Page 50: "Sept.
1849......State of Alabama, Blount Co, our assoc. came and continued
with seemingly good affect and on Sunday night the door of church was
opened and none came forward. The congregation met again on Monday
the 17th and after a divine service the door of the church was
opened......and then came forward Sister Susanah Branham and
joined by an exp of grace and was recd and bapt then came forward
Sister Frances Branham and joined by exp of grace and was recd
and bapt."
Page 63: "Sept.
1853......Then the church took up a charge against Sister Susan Branham
for joining the Methodist and excluded her."
Page 79: "July 1858......In
the case of Francis Branham, she was excluded for disorderly conduct."
Page 85: "Nov.
1860......Church granted unto beloved sister Surrena Branham
and Betsy Tidwell letters of dismision in full fellowship."
Page 92: "Sept. 1865......Lucinda
And let(?) Branham joined by exp of grace and was recd and bapt
the Sunday folowing...."
Page 104: "June
1868......sister Areney Branham returned her leter that she
obtain from this church some yers ago."
Page 123: "Names of women at
Mt. Pisgah Church in 1865......Lucinda Antilet Brannum"
Page 125: "Names of women 1857......Arreny
Branham (dismissed by leter 1860)......Frances Branham
(excluded July 3rd, 1858)"
Pages 128, 129, 131: "Oct
1842......Names of all the members belonging to Mt. Pisgah church in
October 1842......John Branham (decd 1847)......Arrenah
Branham (dism by letter)......Areny Branham (dism by leter)......Susanah
Branham (excluded), Frances Branham...."
Page 134: "Sept.
1844......Names of women......Areny Branham, Francis Branham...."
(Some of the names which appear
in the church minutes are not familiar to us, but we feel they are
close family members.)
The 1850 Blount County census, Subdivision Township, shows William, age 38, a farmer; Arenna, age 38; Susan, age 17; Frances, age 15; Jenney, age 14; Niriah, age 10; James, age 8; Lucinda, age 6; and Jeremiah, age 4. William is the only Branham listed in Blount County on the 1850 census.
A Blount County tax list for 1855, shows the following individuals paid taxes that year in Blount County: Francis Branham, J. W. Branham, L. L. Branham and William Branham. We believe the L. L. Branham on the tax list, is the same Lewis L. Branham that moved to Arkansas shortly before William.
William received a land patent on 79.2 acres of land on April 2, 1857, in Blount County. The property was described as the W 1/2 of the NE qtr. of Sect. 31, T 13S, R 2E.
On March 1, 1858, William received a land patent on 79.69 more acres of land in Blount County. The property was described as the SE qtr. of the SE qtr. of Sect. 30, and the NE qtr. of the NE qtr. of Sect. 31, T 13S, R 2E.
The 1860 Blount County census, Eastern Subdivision Township, shows William, age 49; Arenna, age 47; Frances, age 24; Uriah, age 20; James, age 17; Lucinda, age 16; Jeremiah, age 14; Rolen E., age 7; Arenna M., age 2; and Samantha E., age 2. William is shown to have real property valued at $500 and personal property valued at $609. Living beside William is the family of his daughter Jane H. "Jenny" Farley, and living beside Jane is another daughter, Susanna Hill.
William left Alabama about 1860 or 1861. He moved his family to Searcy County, Arkansas. His son, James, enlisted in the Confederate militia in November 1861, in Searcy County. William paid a poll tax in Searcy County in 1862, so he could vote in the November election. Sometime prior to 1865, William moved part of his family to Illinois, probably Macon County, as one of his daughters married in Macon County in 1865.
William, Arenna and some of their children moved back to Blount County, Alabama, prior to the 1870 census. The 1870 Blount County census, Eastern Subdivision Township, shows William, age 57; A. R., age 57; Rolen, age 18; and M.V. E., age 12. William is shown to have personal property valued at $77, but no real property.
William and Arenna moved to Colbert County, Alabama, probably soon after the marriage of their daughter Samantha in July 1877. The 1880 Colbert County census shows William, age 68, father born in North Carolina and mother born in South Carolina, and Arenna, age 67, father born in Virginia and mother born in North Carolina. The census is dated June 1880.
Arenna died between June 1880 and July 1884, in Colbert County. She is probably buried beside William in the Mitchell Cemetery near Tuscumbia, in Colbert County.
Following are excerpts from a
letter we received from a Mrs. Joyce Mitchell of Muscle
Shoals, Alabama, dated September 13, 1998:
"I had William Branham's
Bible for about 20 years. I just recently gave it to a cousin that
thought he should have it. They played with it and left it outside
when they were small and rain got on it. Half of words and dates you
can not read. It is the record of William and 1st wife Arrena's
family. He preached from this Bible in his later years here in
Colbert County, Alabama. William and Arrena came to Colbert County,
she died."
William married Theodoshia "Doshie" Davis on July 17, 1884, at Tuscumbia, in Colbert County. Doshie Davis was born April 30, 1856, in Alabama, the daughter of Dennis Denmark Davis and Euphemy Gowers. William was about 72 when he and Doshie married. Doshie was 28 years old and had two children when they married. Five more children were born after their marriage.
William died February 19, 1898, in Colbert County, at the age of 86. Doshie's youngest child was not yet one year old when William died. He is buried in Mitchell Cemetery near Tuscumbia, in Colbert County. There is a marker at his grave, but the date of birth is not correct. On one side of William's grave is a grave marked only with a rock. This is probably Arrena's grave.
Doshie appears on the 1900 Colbert County census with six of her children. Doshie died December 16, 1914, at Tuscumbia, in Colbert County. She is buried on one side of William in Mitchell Cemetery near Tuscumbia.
It is possible that the two children Doshie had when she and William married were indeed William's children. They used the Branham name. Later all seven of the children changed the spelling of the last name to "Branom". Some of their descendants later changed the spelling to "Brannon". (Even though some of Doshie's children were born before she married William, we will list all of them.) Birth dates on William and Arenna's children came from the old Bible of William's that was spoken of earlier by Joyce Mitchell.
Children of William Branham and Arenna
1. Susanna E. Branham, b. 1834, TN
2. Frances Branham, b. Mar 15, 1836, Blount Co, AL
3. Jane H. Branham, b. 1838, Blount Co, AL
4. Uriah Branham, b. Nov 14, 1839, Blount Co, AL
5. James Lacey Branham, b. 1841, Blount Co, AL (our line)
6. Lucinda Adaline Branham, b. 1844, Blount Co, AL
7. Jeremiah Branham, b. Sept 16, 1847, Blount Co, AL
8. Rolen E. Branham, b. 1853, Blount Co, AL
9. Arenna May Branham, (a twin) b. May 1858, Blount Co, AL; probably d. between 1860 and 1870, as she does not appear on the 1870 census
10. Samantha Elizabeth Branham, (a twin) b. May 1858, Blount Co, AL; m. Spencer Tyler on July 22, 1877, in Blount Co.
Children of William Branham and Doshie Davis
** Maggie "Alice" Branom, b. Mar 31, 1881, AL; d. Nov 27, 1904; bur. Mitchell Cem. near Tuscumbia, AL; m. Logan Mitchell (Note: Maggie's headstone lists her as Maggie Branom.)
** Maudenia Branom, b. July 12, 1884, Colbert Co, AL; d. July 8, 1959, m. Elmer Cole on Apr 8, 1902
11. John S. Branom, b. Jan 18, 1886, Colbert Co, AL; m. Belle Wright and Essie Greenhill
12. Marshall S. Branom, b. Feb 1890, Colbert Co, AL; d. Mar 4, 1962, m. Annie Moland
13. Harvey Terrell Branom, b. Oct 8, 1891, Colbert Co, AL; d. Mar 8, 1952; bur. Mitchell Cem. near Tuscumbia, AL; m. Pearl White
14. William Wesley Branom, b. 1896, Colbert Co, AL
15. Lucy R. Branom, b. Mar 20, 1897, Colbert Co, AL; d. Feb 14, 1976; m. Elizah Stenson Masterson
I am not a professional genealogist and although I have researched much of the information found at this site, some of it was given to me by other researchers and may not have been documented. Each bit of information found here should be carefully researched and proved or disproved by you, the researcher. Researchers may copy information found at this site for their own personal use and to share with other researchers or genealogical organizations. Any commercial use or distribution without the written consent of this author is prohibited.
If you would like to be listed as a Branham researcher, or if you find errors or have additional information to contribute, please contact katherinemcclure52@yahoo.com
Others researching the Branham line:
Dale
Daley -- descendant of James Lacey Branham
Vicki
-- descendant of Jessee Brannam b. 1818 Campbell Co, TN