Talton Brown

In the posting George Washington Rudd of Barnwell you can see that Talton Brown was key in identifying the location of the George Washington Rud land in Barnwell. When I was on the hunt for George W. in Barnwell, I stumbled upon this very interesting publication about Talton Brown.

BROWN, TARLTON (sic) (Browne, Tarleton) (1757-1845)
Tarleton Brown, son of William Brown (1730-1780) and Sarah Jennings, was born 5 April 1757 in Albemarle County, Virginia. In 1769, his family moved to South Carolina, settling near Brier Creek in what was then Orangeburg and later Barnwell District. As an adult, he first resided near Sand Hill and Cedar branches of Lower Three Runs. He operated gristmills on his property which he named Fork Mills. Through grants (1786-1804), he obtained 1,980 acres. Brown moved circa 1820 to nearby Boiling Springs, an area in Barnwell District known for its cooling, pure waters. Writing his will 9 June 1842, he mentioned land of undisclosed acreage on the west side of Lower Three Runs, 350 acres on "Wolf-pit" branch in Barnwell District, and a residential tract (1,110 acres) on the east side of Lower Three Runs. An inventory of his estate revealed he owned twenty slaves in Barnwell.

Brown was active during the American Revolution. Early in 1776, he enlisted as a private in the South Carolina militia. Commissioned a lieutenant in 1778 and promoted to captain 1 April 1780, he was present at the siege of Savannah (September-October 1779), Battle of Moncks Corner (April 1780), and siege of Augusta (May-June 1781). His commanders included WILLIAM HARDEN (1743-1785), FRANCIS MARION (1732?-1795), and ANDREW PICKENS (1739-1817). The war also brought personal tragedy to Brown; his father and other family members were killed by Tories, and he himself contracted smallpox. After peace was established, he wrote an account of the Revolution which was later published as Memoirs of Tarleton Brown, a Captain in the Revolutionary Army. Public service for Brown began in earnest after the war. He was appointed coroner (8 May 1788) and sheriff (4 November 1788) for Winton County; he continued in the latter post until 1791. Winton elected him to the House for the Tenth (1792—1794), Eleventh (1794—1795), and Twelfth (1796—1797) General Assemblies; he served on the House committee on privileges and elections (1792—1795). Elected to the state Senate. he represented Winton in the Thirteenth General Assembly (1798—1799) and served on the committees on high roads, bridges, and ferries (1798—1799) and privileges and elections (1798— 1799). Upon his election as sheriff for Barnwell on 21 December 1799, he resigned from the Senate; he served as sheriff until 1804. Other offices he held included road commissioner (1786); road overseer (1787); lieutenant colonel of the Twenty-third Regiment, Fifth Brigade, of the state militia (ca. 1794—1808); commissioner, to erect a courthouse and jail in Barnwell District (1798); and trustee, for establishing public schools in Orangeburg (1798).

Sometime in 1788, Brown wed Almedia Matthews (1770—1800). They were the parents of three children—William Duke, Lewis Matthews, and Almedia A. (m. Preston Harley). On 16 May 1804, he married his second wife, Judith O’Bannon, widow of Wilson Cook, Jr. Four children were born to them: Austin Barnett, James Kennedy, Frances Caroline (m. William H. Peyton), and Sarah Wilson (m. Dopson). Judith Brown predeceased her husband in 1837. Tarlton Brown died 4 September 1845 and was buried as he requested in the cemetery of the Baptist church at Boiling Springs, Barnwell District.

Talton Brown tells of his service during the Revolutionary War in his first-person account. It is both breathtaking and horrendous. But it provides us with some insight into the life and times in Barnwell District.

Go here and you can read "Memoirs of Tarleton Brown ~ A Captain in the Revolutionary Army" Written by himself