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Benjamin and Rachel McWilliams Pyatt

Benjamin Pyatt was born in 1807 in Virginia to James and Sarah Mary Donahue Pyatt and died in St Louis, St Louis Co, Missouri, on March 9, 1863, while serving as a musician with the Union Co D, 67th Reg't Indiana. He is said to be buried in Bartholomew Co, Indiana, where his name appears on the headstone of his widow. Benjamin married in 1827 Augusta Co, Virginia, Rachel McWilliam who was born in Virginia in 1805 and was the daughter of John and Margaret Fisher McWilliams. Rachal died in Bartholomew Co, Indiana, January 15, 1900 (or 1901). The marriage bond of Benjamin and Rachel is as follows:

Benjamin Pyatt and James Pyatt are held and firmly bound...this 6th day of February 1827...to be solemnized between the above bound Benjamin Pyatt and Rachael McWilliams, daughter of John McWilliams of Rockingham Co....[Rockingham Marriage Book 3:632, Note: The same bond is also found with a date of 8 February 1827.]

It could be assumed that the James Pyatt is Benjamin's father, but, it could also have been a brother or cousin of the same name.

Benjamin and Rachel had the following known children:

Benjamin and Rachel were in Augusta Co, Virginia, during the 1830 census and 1830 and 1831 tax enumerations. He is listed as "Benjamin (of James)". By 1833 they are in Delaware Co, OH, where they stayed through at least 1837.

Benjamin and family were enumerated in Center Township, Marion County, Indiana on the 1840 census:

This family enumerated pg 292 (ancestry image 5/10); neighbors were Jacob Pugh, Beth Bridges, Alex Pugh, Ruth Schooly, Wm McHorton, Saml Masters, Thomas Wool???, *, Robt Gilbreath, John Roberts, Michael Huskaw, Rice? Miller, Wille Wibster, Alfred Right. One male under five would be Charles C, 2 males 10-15 would indicate other children of which I have no information or other relatives living with Benjamin, 1 male 30-40 is consistent with Benjamin's birthyear of 1807. One female under five could be Clarissa or could be a child that is known to me, the two females 5-10 would probably be Clarissa and Mary, one female 20-30 is unknown to me and one female 30-40 is consistent with Rachel's 1805 birthyear. At this time, Benjamin and Rachel had been married for 13 years. This would indicate that the female 20-30 was a sister or some other young relative who lived with them and possibly helped care for the children. There are 4 years between the marriage date and the first child of which I am aware. Therefore, there is room for two older males who would have been about 10 and 12 at this census year.

Benjamin and family appeared as follows in the 1850 census of Bartholomew Co, Indiana (columbus Twp):

Living next door was:

Could Benjamin and Jackson be brothers?

They were in Bartholomew Co, IN, in 1860 and Rachel appears as a widow on the 1890 Union Veteran census in St. Louis, MO.

Daniel Lee Pyatt has the Pyatt family bible that was started by his great grandmother Catherine Ullery Pyatt, that takes the line back to Benjamin Pyatt. Pension records for Benjamin's widow, Rachel McWilliams Pyatt, list his father as James Pyatt. In a statment given to the Pulaski Co, IN, clerk on September 20, 1865, James comfirms that Rachel and Benjamin were married in Augusta Co, Va.

Some postings list Benjamin as buried at Mount Pleasent Cemetery in Columbus, IN. But, Daniel (who lives 4 miles from the cemetery) has not been able to comfirm that. He has searched the records at the court house, and at the trustees office that takes care of cemetary, but find that his name is not listed in the records. Rachel is listed in the records and on the head stone. Benjamin's name is on the head stone along with the regiment he served in during the civil war. He died in St Louis, MO, during the war and we have to wonder if the family would have had the money or influence to bring him home for burial. Does anyone have access to St Louis Co, MO, records for Jefferson barracks or some other military cemetery?

Daniel has a hand written poem written by Benjamin's wife in 1856 upon the death of her father John McWilliams.

For Benjamin's Civil War information see the following Web page
http://165.138.44.13/civilwar/067notes.htm

For more on Rachel McWilliams see Alley Blackford's summary on the McWilliams Research Directory & Links
http://members.aol.com/mcwmshist/page4.htm

Sources:

Updated Apr 2002

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Email: mcpgene@excite.com