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Dillard-Wilkins-Reid-Briant History Articles Reviewed
One learned Dillard-Wilkins-Reid-Briant family historian is Dr. James L. Reid of Campobello, SC. He has researched these families and their alternative branches for several years. He has published several studies of these families in the quarterly “Upper South Carolina Genealogy & History, a publication of the Piedmont Historical Society.
In one recent issue, Volume XIX, No. 4, November 2005, he had several articles relating to the Dillard, Reid and Briant families.
The first article is “The Family of Harcanus Dillard, a Reconstruction”. The second is “Family Groups and Family Connections from County Court Records”. The third is “Family Record of James and Gemima Dillard Briant”.
Dr. Reid uses census records, family Bible records, headstone engravings and various records from the county court house such as probate and land records as resources.
FIRST ARTICLE
In the first article, “The Family of Harcanus Dillard, a Reconstruction”, he presents the following information:
1. Harcanus, aka Hark, was born in the year 1789, the son of Joseph Dillard and Priscilla Wilkins-Dillard.
2. Hark’s birthplace is indicated as Spartanburg County in various census records.
3. Hark is found on the following Spartanburg District census records: 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840 and 1860. He is found on the 1850 census for Union District, SC.
4. Hark seems to have been married twice. Wife #1 was Nancy, supposedly the daughter of William and Sarah Tolleson-Briant though her maiden name has not been solidly documented. Nancy died between census dates of Nov. 21, 1850 and June 30, 1860. Wife #2 was Polly. Given the information in the 1860 census, Polly was born about 1814 and thought to have died about 1889.
5. Hark and Nancy had a daughter named Polly but she was born in 1809.
6. Hark died before the 1870 census. His burial site is unknown.
7. The children of Hark and Nancy were: Polly (Mary), James, Nancy A., William Frank, Nelly (Eleanor), Catharine, and two un-named daughters.
SECOND ARTICLE
The second article, “Family Groups and Family Connections form County Court Records”, relates to the families of Dillard and Wilkins. He uses three separate documents to verify the existence of Joseph Dillard and Priscilla Wilkins. Dr. Reid refers to the three documents as the “Rosetta Stone” for the documentation of the Joseph Dillard and Priscilla Wilkins families.
(The Rosetta Stone was a huge boulder with hieroglyphics written on it. It had translations of one piece of history in several languages. Through this stone, researchers were able to finally translate Egyptian hieroglyphics into English.)
By taking pertinent pieces of information from each of the three documents presented by Dr. Reid, a better picture can be drawn of the family of Joseph Dillard and Priscilla Wilkins. It’s similar to taking huge building blocks from different places and building a pyramid.
Dr. Reid used the following documents as resources:
1 Spartanburg District, SC, Probate Court, File No. 722, Estate of Samuel Wilkins, Deceased (1851), Reuben Briant [Jr.] and Harcaneous Dillard, Adminstrators.
2 Spartanburg District, SC, Probate Court, Real Estate File No. 402, Real Estate of Samuel Wilkins, Decease (1852), Reuben Briant Jun., Administrator.
3 Spartanburg District, SC, Probate Court, Estate File No. 2713, Estate of James Wilkins, Deceased (1857), Reuben Briant Jrn., Administrator.
These documents contain verification of the Dillard-Wilkins families, they verify the name of Priscilla Wilkins-Dillard and they identify the names of the four Wilkins siblings.
The information in the files is a result of the death in 1851of Samuel Wilkins who died without a will. His estate was dispersed among his siblings and/or their heirs.
In the first file mentioned, No. 722, the estate papers are filed, administrators are named and bonded, the property is appraised and ordered sold and a bill of sale is listed with names of the buyers given. Most importantly, the final settlement of the personal estate lists the names of the Wilkins siblings who received a share of the estate. The siblings of Samuel Wilkins listed are: Mrs. Joseph Dillard, James Wilkins, Polly Hacker. Mrs. Joseph Dillard was deceased for her children were to receive her share. (Priscilla’s actual name was not given here but is listed later in File No. 2713.)
The second file is No. 402. It contains the petition to sell real estate of Samuel Wilkins, appraisal and order to sell the land and the name of the buyer.
File No. 402 identifies the 10 children of Joseph Dillard and Priscilla Wilkins-Dillard. It is these children who will receive their mother’s share of the estate of Samuel Wilkins.
The third document is File No. 2713. This file gives an accounting of administrator Reuben Briant’s attempts to locate James Wilkins in order to disperse his share of Samuel Wilkins’ estate. Being unable to locate James, Reuben petitioned the court to settle the estate by giving the money from the sale of property to the heirs of his now deceased siblings “Priscilla Dillard” (named) and Polly Hacker (named).
Within a Deposition of Reuben Briant (1857), is a line reading: …..That he (Samuel Wilkins) has a living sister by the name of Polly Hacker & another by the name of Priscilla Dillard…..
Reuben Briant claimed in this file: “that he knows of no other persons except their representatives that ever made a claim to his (James Wilkins) Estate & he believe they are the parties duly entitled thereto that the said Polly Hacker and Priscilla Dillard claimed to be sisters to James Wilkins & that he (Reuben Briant) believes they were sisters.
THIRD ARTICLE
The third article in the quarterly is the “Family Record of James and Gemima Dillard Briant”. It uses as a resource the following record: Spartanburg County, SC, Probate Court, Real Estate File No. 402, Real Estate of Samuel Wilkins (1852), p. 182p “The Bryants of Spartanburg” compiled by J. Bland Pope, (1980), p. 34.
Dr. Reid can be contacted at the following addresses:
Dr. James L. Reid
730 Walnut Hill Road
Campobello, SC 29322
Dr. Reid is the Research Editor for the Piedmont Historical Society, P.O. Box 1842, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 29304
The webpage of the Piedmont Historical Society:
www.piedmont-historical-society.org
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