Callaway Family

Early Callaway history is unclear.  Records indicate a William Callaway died in VA in 1642.We are interested in the story of the Joseph Callaway (1680-1732) and his family.  Joseph settled in Caroline County and had seven sons and two daughters.  The father, mother and a brother died of fever in a short period of time. The remaining family continued several years to live in the old homestead and then sold out and about 1740 settled in Brunswick County (the portion which ultimately became Bedford), locating on Big Otter River at the Eastern base of the Peaks of Otter. When the French and Indian War broke out in 1754 the country had become considerably populated and the people collected in forts which Washington occasionally visited. Three of the Calloway brothers held the commission of Captain, Thomas at Hickey's Fort, William at Pig River Fort and Richard at Blackwater Fort. The frontiers were constantly alarmed, marauding parties frequently pursued, and were sometimes overtaken and punished. For services in these engagements Richard and William were promoted to rank of Bedford Militia Colonels.

Colonel William Callaway

Our seventh great grand uncle.

William Callaway was the second son of Joseph and Catherine Ann (Browning) Callaway. He was born in 1714, probably in Caroline County, Virginia and became a prominent and wealthy land owner of that State, as he patented fifteen thousand acres of land in Lunenburg, Brunswick, Bedford, and Halifax Counties. William commanded militia in the French and Indian Wars that were waged between 1755, and 1761. He was commissioned a Colonel during his service, and also participated in the American Revolutionary War. He later presided at the first court held in Bedford County, but this was just the beginning of his civil service, because William remained in the Virginia House of Burgesses for thirteen sessions. In 1754, William Callaway, Gentleman, made a free gift of one hundred acres of land to the newly formed County of Bedford to be developed into a town called New London, the county seat. William first married on January 8, 1735, to Elizabeth Tilley, and after her death he married a second time, about 1752, to Elizabeth Crawford. Colonel William Callaway died in Bedford Virginia in 1777, and is buried in the Callaway-Steptoe Cemetery. His first son James buried near his father, was also a man of great wealth who fought in the French and Indian Wars and the Revolutionary War. James, a close personal friend of General George Washington also built the first iron furnace south of the James River. This furnace played a big roll in the production of military supplies used in the revolution.

Depiction of Fort Boonesborough

Settled by Colonel Richard Callaway with Daniel Boone and others.

Our seventh great grand uncle.

Richard Callaway (c. 1724 – March 8, 1780) was an early settler of Kentucky which was now a state in the United States. With Daniel Boone, in 1775 he helped mark the Wilderness Road into central Kentucky, becoming one of the founders of Boonesborough, Kentucky. There, he took part in organizing the short-lived colony of Transylvania.

Richard Callaway was commissioned to survey a road into Kentucky for the Henderson Company in Feb 1775 which he did in company with Daniel Boone and a party of thirty persons. He returned to VA and brought families to Boonesborough Sept 1775. He was a member of the first Transylvania convention which met under a tree near Boonesborough May 23, 1775 and was later elected to the VA house of Burgesses 1777-79 from Kentucky county. He was granted the ferry privilege across the Kentucky River at Boonsborough Oct 1779 and was killed by Indians while working on a ferry boat in 1780.

Richard Callaway was a man destined to play an important role in Boone's life during the next few years. Callaway had joined Henderson's enterprise at about the same time as Boone and was in charge of hauling the goods and supplies to treaty grounds. The  son of a powerful landowning family in the Shenandoah Valley of Va. Callaway was ten years Boones' senior.

Upon their arrival at the selected site on the Kentucky River, 1 Apr 1775, Boone, Callaway and the other men immediately began construction of a fort. Located on the south bank of the river, the fort was considered by Henderson to be inadequate to accommodate the settlers to follow. So, he elected a site near the river bank about 300 yards from the original fort. Though the dimensions of this second or main fort are not known precisely, it is estimated to have been about 240 feet long and 180 feet wide. The gate opened on the side away from the river. There were blockhouses on each corner and cabins all along the walls. In the courtyard were three structures built in a row and connected to each other. The house and gun shop of Squire Boone occupied two of these. The other was the house of Col. Richard Callaway.

"Upon leaving his attractive surroundings in Virginia to come to the wilderness that was to become Kentucky, he was simply continuing his habit of pioneering. By reason of his experiences in the French and Indian Wars, in constructing and defending outposts forts, in the clearance and cultivation of frontier lands, and in the settlement and founding of New London, Colonel Callaway was, perhaps, the best prepared man with the Transylvania Company for the work in hand. As Colonel Callaway is never spoken as a member of the Transylvania Company it may be assumed that he joined them as commander of the military escort and as consultant to Colonel Henderson in drawing the plans for the fort that was to be built. The fort at Boonesborough apparently was built upon the most approved style of the times, since it succeeded in withstanding the most terrific siege of the pioneer days. This was not the hasty lodge thrown up on  arrival. It was a carefully planned construction. And Colonel Callaway had the experience in such matters. The "big fort" at Boonesborough was begun on April 22, 1775, on the south side of the Kentucky River, in what is now Madison County. Collins says it was finished on June 14, and "by compliment it is called Boonebourg or Boonesborough." Other stations or block houses were built at Harrodsburg, Boiling Springs and St. Asaph's. Colonel Henderson and his party arrived at Boonesborough on Thursday, April 20, 1775. In his diary he notes: "Sunday 23d passed the day without public worship as no place is provided for that purpose. Monday proceeded with the assistance of Capt. Boone & Col. Callaway in laying off lots, finished 19 besides one reserved round fine spring." The Transylvania Company or the Henderson Company opened a land office at Boonesborough and deeds were issued by the company as "Proprietors of the Colony of Transylvania." At the call of Colonel Henderson, representatives chosen by the people of Transylvania met on May 23, 1775, at Boonesborough and agreed upon, says Collins, "a proprietary government, and pass nine laws-the first legislative body west of the Allegheny and Cumberland Mountains." irbdgs_1originally submitted this to Draime Family Tree on 20 Jul 2011

In 1776, two of his daughters, along with a daughter of Daniel Boone, were kidnapped outside Boonesborough by Native Americans. Callaway led one of parties in the famous rescue of the girls.

On Sunday, July 14, 1776, Indians captured three teenage girls from Boonesborough as they were floating in a canoe on the Kentucky River. They were Jemima, daughter of Daniel Boone, and Elizabeth and Frances, daughters of Colonel Richard Callaway. The Cherokee Hanging Maw led the Indians, a war party of two Cherokee and three Shawnee men. The settlement was thrown into a turmoil and a rescue party was organized by Callaway and Boone. Meanwhile the captors hurried the girls north toward the Shawnee towns across the Ohio River. The girls attempted to mark their trail until threatened by the Indians.
The third morning, as the Indians were building a fire for breakfast, the rescuers came up. "That's Father's gun!" cried Jemima, as one Indian was shot. He toppled into the fire and was seriously burned but not immediately killed. Two of the Native Americans later died from being wounded during the brief gunfight. The Indians retreated, leaving the girls to be escorted home.
Jemima soon married one of the rescuing party, Flanders Callaway. Elizabeth Callaway married Samuel Henderson and Frances, John Holder. The episode served to put the settlers in the Kentucky wilderness on guard and prevented their straying beyond the fort.

Elizabeth Callaway our seventh great grandmother married William Bramblett. William and Elizabeth were with the group that settled Boonesborough.   According to Reminiscences from the Life of Col. Cave Johnson (1760-1850), who was an eyewitness to the event, a rather large party was returning to VA from Bryant's Station, KY in the summer of 1779. The Rev. William (Bethel Baptist of Bedford) was mistaken for an Indian and shot by Aquila White  near the Cumberland River. KY Court records show William established Bramlett's Station 'on a branch of Stoner's Fork, a branch of Licking' this same year, 1779. There is a dearth of information on this family and some confusion as to which William Bramblett we are talking about.  Some accounts list Aquila White as William's son-in-law.  Some documentation on the Brambletts is lacking for this line.

Joseph James Callaway * (1680 - 1732)

is our 8th great grandfather

Elizabeth Callaway * married William Bramblett

daughter of Joseph James Callaway *

Henry, Sr. Bramblett * (1710 - 1756)

son of Elizabeth Callaway *

Reuben Bramblett * (1734 - 1807)

son of Henry, Sr. Bramblett *

William Bramblett * (1770 - 1818)

son of Reuben Bramblett *

William Bramblett *Jr. (1785 - 1850)

son of William Bramblett *

Fielding Bramblett * (1814 - 1897)

 son of William Bramblett *Jr.

George Edward Bramblett * (1851 - 1922)

 son of Fielding Bramblett *

Walter Scott Bramblett * (1882 - 1978)

 son of George Edward Bramblett *

Margaret May Belle Bramblett * (1911 - 1988)

 daughter of Walter Scott Bramblett *