James CORBET (23 Sep 1784-10 Oct 1855) +
Mary Ann “Polly” GRISHAM (1792-10 Apr 1884)

John Williams (1 May 1816-~1872) — m. Elizabeth “Betsy” Eudaley on 5 Jan 1843

James Monroe (8 Jan 1818-15 Jun 1898) — m. Elizabeth Gilbraith on 5 Nov 1840; m. Mary Jane Williams on 21 Dec 1854

Michael Montgomery “Gum” (28 Jan 1820-29 May 1894) — m. Nancy Dickey Gilbraith on 7 Mar 1844

Susan (20 Jan 1820-1831) -- NOTE DATE CONFLICT

Melvinia (~1820-~1896) — m. Ellis Thornburgh in 183x -- POSS. NOT OF THIS FAMILY

David Morrow (15 Apr 1826-9 Jul 1896) — m. Isabella Sarah Mansfield on 8 Nov 1848

Andrew J. “Andy” (2 Aug 1828-13 May 1863) — m. Elizabeth M. Jones on 15 Sep 1852; m. Amanda A. Cannon on 8 Jan 1862

William J. (2 Aug 1828-9 Apr 1907) — m. Mary Elizabeth Thornburgh on 24 Aug 1852

Napoleon Bonaparte (1832-7 Apr 1863)

Shadrach Inman “Shade” (22 Feb 1834-16 Jan 1919) — m. Narcissus M. Duncan on 9 Feb 1859

James was the son of English immigrant John Corbet and his wife Elizabeth Reed.

Polly was the daughter of John Thompson Grisham (sometimes Gresham) and Katherine M. “Katie” Vaughn.

Pension records continuing until after Polly’s death detail James’s service during the War of 1812. He enlisted as a private in Capt. David Vance’s Tennessee Militia company from 1 Dec 1812 to 28 Feb 1813, and then signed on as a 2nd lieutenant under Capt. James Churchman from 13 Nov 1814 to 18 May 1815.

James and Polly married on 31 Oct 1815 in Jefferson County, Tennessee, which is in the Smoky Mountains east of Knoxville, toward the eastern edge of the state. They remained in Jefferson County for the rest of their lives.

The 1830 census noted that they had 5 sons, ages 0-15. That leaves one son unaccounted for. No daughters listed.

The 1840 census noted 7 sons, ages 5 to over 20. Again, one son unaccounted for and no daughters. However, Polly’s parents were living nearby with an unnamed young woman. It’s possible Polly loaned out a daughter to help her folks.

The 1850 census, the first to give names for anyone other than head of household, listed James (64) and Mary (56) Corbitt and their four youngest sons Andrew (22), William (19), Napoleon (18), and Shadrach (16). Sons David and Michael, married, were living nearby. James, Jr. and his wife had moved to Alabama.

James died in 1855. In the 1860 census, Polly was living with newly married son Shadrach and unmarried son Napoleon. In the 1870 census, she was still with Shadrach and family, and next door to Michael. I can’t find her in 1880. She died in 1884.

James and Polly are buried in the Dandridge Revolutionary War Graveyard, Dandridge, Jefferson County, Tennessee. This might indicate James’s father, who reportedly fought in that war, is also buried here.

Children

David, Shadrach, Napoleon, and Andrew served in the 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry, Company D, which fought for the Union. (Michael’s tombstone gives him the rank of colonel, but has no details of service.) There was a William J. Corbitt from Tennessee of about the right age who fought for the Confederacy, but I don’t know whether it was our William. James Monroe Corbett, Michael Montgomery Corbett, and Shadrach Corbett are buried in Jefferson County.

John Williams Corbet (1816-~1872)

John was out on his own by the time of the 1840 census. He married Elizabeth “Betsy” Eudaley (~1820-????) from North Carolina on 5 Jan 1843. They remained in Jefferson County. They had 12 children:

Mary Jane (9 Oct 1843-2 Nov 1918) — m. John Franklin Newman on 2 Apr 1868

Martha J. (Sep 1845-192x) — never married

Sarah Bethia (22 May 1847-27 Sep 1920) — m. William C. Hart in 187x

Susan Nelson (28 May 1849-8 Sep 1924) — m. William Lee Biggs on 7 Oct 1868

James Henry (11 Jun 1851-27 Oct 1921) — m. Amanda M. Swann on 25 Dec 1879

David D. (~1853-????) — m. Eliza D. Edgar on 1 Sep 1880

Eliza J. (~1854-????) — m. John B. Magee on 29 Feb 1876

Nancy Caroline (10 Sep 1856-26 Jan 1896) — m. William J. Wood on 30 Jan 1878

Julia Catherine (2 Apr 1859-13 Jan 1943) — m. Andy B. Edgar on 1 Oct 1878

Thomas Robert “Bob” (17 May 1860-28 Apr 1938) — m. Nancy C. Cox on 11 Dec 1881; m. Margaret A. Chrisman on 5 Feb 1905

John Patton (26 Jun 1862-29 Mar 1920) — m. Mary Elizabeth Edgar on 15 Dec 1889

Samuel N. (~1864-????)

In 1850, they had four daughters. In 1860, they were up to ten children, with the last two not yet born. In the 1870 census, John and Betsey and ten of their children, excluding the recently wed Susan and Mary, were living with Betsey’s parents and two of the Eudaley grandchildren in Civil District 4.

John died about 1872. I don’t know where he’s buried. In 1880, Elizabeth was still living in District 4 with five of her children: Martha, David, Robert, John Jr., and Samuel. I can’t find her after 1880. Findagrave.com has pages for seven of their twelve children, but incorrectly lists Sarah and Susan as the children of John’s parents.

Daughter Nancy married a son of Clark ancestors William Wood and Phoebe McKee.

James Monroe Corbet (1818-1898)

James was a blacksmith. He married Elizabeth Gilbraith (~1818-185x) on 5 Nov 1840. (Her surname has other spellings.) Along with a younger brother of Elizabeth’s, they moved to Marshall County, Alabama in the mid-1840s. Their two younger children were born there. They had four in all:

John Westerfield (15 Sep 1841-20 Sep 1923) — m. Nancy C. Chaney

Darthula (30 Dec 1843-19 Jan 1916) — m. Jesse Miller on 18 Mar 1860; m. William Henry Hale on 24 Dec 1878

Martha Logan (25 Dec 1846-5 Mar 1935) — m. Columbus Hale Skeen

Mary Elizabeth (1 Jun 1850-6 Jan 1917) — m. James E. Douglas in 1859

Elizabeth must have died in the early 1850s. Unknown whether that was before or after the family’s return to Tennessee. James married Mary Jane Williams (14 Oct 1835-13 Mar 1916) from Indiana on 21 Dec 1854 in Jefferson County. Their children:

Frances S. “Fannie” (6 Jun 1857-29 Aug 1930) — m. Joel Benjamin Franklin on 21 Dec 1890

George C. (1859-13 Mar 1916) — m. Mary E. “Mollie” Gass on 2 Feb 1882

James (~1861-????)

Sarah E. “Sally” (14 Oct 1864-31 Dec 1918) — m. ??? Denton

Nancy C. (9 Jul 1865-4 Mar 1931) — m. Henry Brogden

William E. (3 Oct 1868-18 Aug 1899) — m. Victoria Link

Abbie C. (1873-????)

Andrew Napoleon “Andy” (16 Jul 1876-12 Nov 1939) — m. Arta Leola Bowman in 1900

Son John was a first sergeant of the 9th Tennessee Cavalry during the war. James died in 1898, and is buried in Seahorns Chapel Cemetery, Dandridge, Tennessee. Mary Jane died in 1916, and is buried in Pleasant View Baptist Church Cemetery, Hamblen County.

Michael Montgomery “Gum” Corbet (1820-1894)

Michael married Nancy Dickey Gilbraith (16 May 1819-17 Dec 1895), daughter of James Gilbraith and Martha “Patsy” Hoskins, in 1844. Their six known children:

Sarah Emily (6 Oct 1845-10 Jul 1914) — m. Thomas Patrick Franklin on 31 Oct 1867

James Porter (17 Nov 1847-21 Mar 1915) — m. Mary Isabel Bettis on 15 Dec 1875

Mary Frances (25 Feb 1849-28 Apr 1912) — m. James Thomas Gass on 19 Dec 1877

Martha Caledonia (3 Jan 1852-19 Dec 1893) — m. James Lafayette Rankin on 7 Feb 1877

Alexander Marshall (26 Mar 1855-23 Feb 1916) — m. Lucy Edna Sullenberger on 26 Nov 1884

Thomas Cobb (13 Aug 1856-1 Apr 1930) — m. Ann Sarah Dick on 6 Apr 1887

The 1850 census for Jefferson City listed Michael (30) and Nancy (31) with children Sarah E. (5), James P. (3), and Mary F. (0), plus 23-year-old Martha Gilbreath, Nancy’s sister. By 1860 it was daughters E. (Sarah, 14), M. (Mary, 11), and M. C. (Martha, 8), and sons P. (James, 13), A. (Alexander, 6), and K. H. (sic) (Thomas, 4).

Michael rose to the rank of colonel during the Civil War. In 1870, five out of the six children were still at home: James T. (21), Mary F. (20), Martha (18), Alexander M. (16), and Thomas (13). By 1880, though, they were living in Grainger County, and only son Thomas was still there.

Michael died in 1894. He is buried in Hebron Cemetery, Jefferson County. Nancy died the following year and is buried with him.

Susan Corbet (1820-1831)

There are records for a Susan Corbet born to this family. Her supposed date of birth lands very close to Michael’s. They might have been twins, or her inclusion might be a mistake. In any case, she is said to have died in 1831.

Melvinia Corbet (~1820-~1896)

Melvinia might not have been a daughter of this family. There’s no documented evidence for it. Accounts agree she was from Tennessee, and married Reverend Ellis Thornburg (?1818?-18 May 1898), son of A. I. Thornburgh and Mary Lansdown, in the 1830s. They reportedly had nine sons. I have names for seven:

William Jasper (~1839-????) — m. Patience E. Kindrick

Andrew Lafayette (4 Nov 1842-20 Aug 1925) — m. Catherine “Katie” Walker in 1865; m. Dellia Keith in 1885; m. Lanora E. “Nora” Link in 1892

Allison Templeton (1 Dec 1845-8 Jan 1913) — m. Martha Emma Moore on 15 Feb 1870

Gabriel D. (4 Sep 1852-1 Oct 1896) — m. Rachel Turner

Ellis (~1852)

John Henry (Mar 1855-1910) — m. Martha Lanuria Webb about 1879

Martin K. (1860-1901) — m. Catherine “Katie” Hampton on 26 Apr 1883

They lived in Tennessee into the 1850s, but then settled in Alabama. Ellis, unlike his wife’s possible brothers, sided with the Confederacy. Awkward. The 1860 and 1870 censuses listed them in Madison County, Alabama, but called Melvinia “Lavina” and “Amanda” (and the 1860 one named the family “Thornsberry”). The 1880 census showed them in Cherokee County, Alabama, with son Martin still at home and recently married son Henry next door.

Melvinia reportedly died in 1896 in Cedar Bluff, Cherokee County, Alabama, and Ellis died in the same area two years later. The locations of their graves are not known, but Ellis was reportedly buried in a pauper’s field in Cedar Bluff.

David Morrow Corbet (1826-1896)

David has his own entry in the family tree.

Andrew J. “Andy” Corbet (1828-1863)

Andrew married Elizabeth M. Jones (~1834-1860) on 15 Sep 1852. They had three children:

George M. (1855-????) — poss. m. Susa/Susan Fields on 29 Nov 1874

Mary E. V./T. (1857-????)

James Brad (Jan 1860-????)

Elizabeth died about 1860. Andrew married Amanda A. Cannon (~1840-????) on 8 Jan 1862. They had one child:

John Andrew (30 Oct 1862-1 Jul 1937) — m. Cora Alma Case on 15 Aug 1888

On 2 Mar 1862, Andrew joined the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry, a Union unit. He died of typhoid fever in 1863 in Nashville, just over a month after the death of his brother Napoleon. He’s buried in Nashville National Cemetery, Madison, Tennessee.

In 1867, Amanda remarried to Henry H. Burchfield (2 Mar 1842-19 Jun 1890). The 1870 census for Jefferson County showed her and son John with her new husband’s family, and Andrew’s children by Elizabeth living with their maternal grandparents, George W. and Eliza Jones. There are records of filings for a Civil War pension for the support of Andrew’s son George. In 1880, son James was still living with his grandmother, but in Grainger County. I can’t reliably trace any of the three older children after that.

William J. Corbet (1828-1907)

William and Andy appear to have been twins. William married Mary Elizabeth Thornburgh (1 May 1833-16 Nov 1909) on 24 Aug 1852. Almost certainly some relation to the Ellis Thornburgh who married Melvinia. They had six children:

Sarah Adaline “Addie” (2 Aug 1852-13 Jun 1924) — m. William Pinkney Nichols on 14 Dec 1884

Millard F. (1856-186x)

William (1859-186x)

Mary Jackson “Mollie” (4 Aug 1864-5 May 1949) — m. William Harvey Pagette on 11 Sep 1889

James Henry (1866-18xx)

John Montgomery (Sep 1868-14 Feb 1928) — m. Jennie Satterfield on 18 Feb 1892; m. Onnie Knight on 24 Apr 1920

They lived in Jefferson County at least until 1860, in which year the census showed them, ages 29 and 27, with children Adaline (6), Millard (4), and William (1). There was a Confederate soldier from Tennessee named William J. Corbitt, but there’s not enough information to say whether it was our William, lining up against his brothers.

By 1870 William J. (40) and Mary (37) were in Grainger County with Sarah (17), Mollie J. (7), James H. (4), and John M. (1). If William did choose the Confederate side, maybe he moved to get some distance from the rest of his family. They were still there in 1880, with children Adda (26), Molly (16), Henry (13), and John (11).

The 1900 census found William (72) and Mary (67) in the household of married daughter Addie in White Pine Tree, Jefferson County. It noted they had six children, three living. William claimed to have born in August 1827, contradicting his tombstone by a year. He died there in 1907, and Mary in 1909. They’re buried together in White Pine Cemetery.

Napoleon Bonaparte Corbet (1832-1863)

Napoleon joined 3rd Tennessee Cavalry, a Union unit, and held the rank of corporal. His unit took part in the Battle of Stones River, a major battle near Murfreesboro in central Tennessee in December 1862 and January 1863. His death, however, was a few months later, and due to illness. He’s buried in Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, where he died.

Shadrach Inman “Shade” Corbet (1834-1919)

Shadrach married Narcissus M. Duncan (4 Jul 1840-9 Jul 1904) on 9 Feb 1859. They remained in Jefferson County. The 1860 census showed them, no children yet, sharing a place with Shadrach’s mother Mary and brother Napoleon. They eventually had nine children, although there are records for just eight, all girls:

Nancy Jane (25 Nov 1861-10 Mar 1948) — m. William P. Moreland on 31 Aug 1882

Martha Caroline “Mollie” (1864-19xx)

Alice Maude (25 Nov 1869-28 Mar 1941) — m. William Harrison Carter on 22 Feb 1893

Julia C. (10 Jan 1872-28 Apr 1947) — m. Joseph M. Hart on 10 Nov 1895

Rose (23 Feb 1874-1 Feb 1894)

L. (~1876-????)

Georgiana A. “Georgia” (~1877-~1919) — m. John Franklin Norton on 9 Feb 1918

Caldonia F. “Callie” (~May 1879-21 Mar 1940) — m. Abraham Moses Miller on 23 Dec 1900

The 1870 census showed Shadrach’s mother still with them. The (June) 1880 census showed them with eight daughters, and listed Martha as being age 10. Callie was there and 11 months old, contradicting her gravestone, which claims she was born in 1881.

The 1900 census said they had nine children, seven still living. Three of them – Martha (36), Georgiana (supposedly 20), and Caldonia (20) – were still at home. I don’t know who the ninth child was, or what became of the daughter listed only as “L.” in the 1880 census; one of those two must have been the seventh surviving child.

Narcissus died in 1904, and is buried in Hebron Cemetery, Jefferson County. The 1910 census showed Shadrach living in Hamblen County with daughter Georgiana and supposed son Earl Joseph Corbet (2 May 1908-16 Nov 1982). A findagrave.com contributor claims that Earl was actually the son of one Isaac Michael Corbet (1886-1960). I don’t know what the connection between the two Corbet families was. Shadrach died in 1919, and is buried with Narcissus.

Grandchildren

Findagrave.com currently lists Susan Nelson Corbett Biggs (28 May 1849-8 Sep 1924) and Sarah Bethia Corbett Hart (22 May 1847-27 Sep 1920) as children of James and Polly. They were in fact grandchildren, the daughters of John Williams Corbet, but I don’t know where their parents are buried.

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