BARBARA BLIZZARD, with PAT BONNEAU
Bringing you our Gunter family history.

This is the heritage of my husband Tillman and his cousin Pat. Although I am a Blizzard in-law, I am also connected by blood as a descendant of Peter Gunter and Joan Awbrey of royal descent from the Emperor Charlemagne. They are ancestors of mine through my father's mother, and of Tillman's through his mother's paternal grandmother, Tirzah Gunter, wife of Tilman Pool. It has been my ambition in doing Tillman's genealogy to prove my Thomas Gunter whose wife was of royal descent, was related to Tillman's Josuha Gunter family.

Eventually I found the connection in the lineage of William Gunter at the USGenWeb page of Forsyth Co, Georgia, listing my Thomas as the brother of Tillman's ancestor Henry, sons of William Gunter and Elizabeth Gethin in the lineage of J. Art Gunter. In fact my father has a double line through two children of their son William, Sr. Gunter. So, I descend from both William, Jr. Gunter and his sister Joan/Jane Gunter who married William Awbrey.

The husbands of Tillman's aunts Livy and Ivy Pool, Fred and Willie Gunter are related to our Gunter family through Joshua Gunter's son Balaam, his son Wilson, his son Macom, his son LaFayette father of Fred and Willie. Another ambition fulfilled before Tillman Passed away.

George Dewey Gunter, our neighbor when we lived at 3295 Calks Ferry Rd in Pelion, descended from the brother of our Tirzah Gunter, John Gunter who married Harriet Pool. George Dewey Gunter and Tillman Blizzard were double 3rd cousins. Harriet was the sister of Tilman Pool, children of Isaac Pool Sr., son of Walter "the Cooper" Pool and his first wife Lucy. John and Harriet named a daughter Lucy after her grandmother.

The Gunters were all born in Wales for almost five hundred years, beginning with Sir William I Gunter, knight, born about 1069 in Gunnerstone, Wales. Then our Gunter line moved to England in the 15th century and 200 years later, John Gunter, Pilgrim, sailed to America to make his home in Virginia.

Even though the Gunters were in Wales for almost 500 years, they were not native to Wales. The Welsh did not use surnames. Sir Peter Gunter of Gaunt went to England from France with William the Conqueror and ended up in Wales. Sir Peter's wife Jane Awbrey descended from Clovis, King of Franks and Charlemagne Emperor of Europe. His descendant Joshua Gunter of Brunswick, Virginia, came to South Carolina.

Joshua and his father John Gunter are listed as the earliest ancestor of men tested at Family Tree DNA. Both men are Haplogroup R1b1b2-yDNA which is a very old, European DNA. Pat's uncle James Pool tested Haplogroup I1. Tillman's y-dna is Haplogroup G2a3b, a rare and new dna clade of Eastern Europe, but originally from the India/Pakistaini border, according to the latest research. Tillman's mt-dna is H11 which was from Ireland through Elizabeth Overstreet's mother Catherine, wife of John Overstreet whose mother Sarah Booth was commended by the President of the US for wheat supplies in 1781 for the army.

Elizabeth Overstreet married Fountain O'Brian, son of Darby O'Brian, Sr. their daughter Sarah married John T. Williamson, son of Samuel Williamson and Recia O'Brian aka Bryant, neice of Fountain Bryant. Her father William was Fountain's brother. John Lang Williamson has her name as Sara Bryant, born 1 May 1844 in Montrenetta, (Monetta) SC. Sarah and her husband John Williamson were cousins through his mother Recia Bryant and her father Fountain Bryant, both were also known as OBrian in early records..

Tillman Blizzard and Pat Bonneau both descended from Tilman Pool and Tirzah Gunter, and Samuel Williamson and Recia Bryant, which makes them double cousins.

• Tillman Blizzard's Family Tree (194 KB)
  This tree of Tillman Blizzard's Family contains his direct ancestors and their siblings only, including the Emperor Charlemagne. The tree does not move. Click on a name for more information. Be sure your cursor is in the Family Tree box/area when you type shift key and F to see the list of names. For some reason people without surnames are at the bottom of the list. There you will see Charlemagne and Clovis, King of Franks. Use your browser to move up and down and from side to side.
• Gunter and Pool Family Tree (164 KB)
  This tree of Nettie Pool and her cousins includes the Bryant, Gunter, Pool and Williamson families. The Gunter line descends from the Emperor Charlemagne born 2 April 0747 died 28 January 0814 and beyond to Clovis, King of Salic Franks who died in 0511, who married Saint Clothilda, found at the bottom of the list of names where people without surnames are located. Be sure your cursor is in the Family Tree box/area when you type shift key and F to see the list of names. Our Pool DNA line of Pat Bonneau is through her cousin James Russell Poole. Use your browser to move up and down and from side to side. Nettie Poole's mt-DNA line is through Sarah Williamson's mother Betsy Bryant (O'Brian) to her mother Elizabeth Overstreet and her mother Catherine.

• OSG Map Puhl property location (323 KB)
  Map of Philip Puhl/Pool property in 1798 courtesy of Pat Bonneau.
• Pat Bonneau (45 KB)
  Pat Bonneau descends from Tilman Pool and Tirzah Gunter through their son Russell Pool and Henrietta Whetstone.
• 1860 census Thomas Wilson (337 KB)
  1860 census of Thomas and Elizabeth Wilson, and daughter Isabelle Wilson mother of Mary Anna Atkinson.
• 1840 census of Darby Jr. and Fountain Obryant (784 KB)
  In this 1840 census listed in order of household, Fountain Obryant is living next to Darby Obryant, the younger, who is probably the son of Darby the elder in the 1830 census. Just six households below Fountain is Our Samual Williamson. In the same Parish is Isaac Pool Sr and John Williamson, father of Samuel Williamson, father of John T who married Sarah Obriant aka Bryant, daughter of Fountain Obryant and Betsy (Elizabeth) Overstreet, daughter of John Overstreet and his first wife, Catherine. You got the idea by now that it is O'brian, Obriant,O'Bryant, Bryant etc. It was just pure inspiration that I ever found Fountain on this census. I tell you, I was thrilled.
• Barbara Neel Blizzard (120 KB)
  Barbara is the wife of Tillman A. Blizzard, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Administrator of the FamilyTreeDNA.com Blizzard Project page, and the Maryland DNA Project.
• Purvis Grady Blizzard, Jr. 1936-1992 (3 KB)
  Grady was the son of Purvis G. and Nettie Pool Blizzard
• 1850 Census of Fountain Obriant (110 KB)
  In this census, Fountain Obriant, Bryant in later census records, was living near Monetta, Aiken Co, SC where Sarah was born in 1845, however, at the time it was known as The District of Edgefield even though it was actually between the Western end of the Forks of the Edisto River. From there Fountain moved to Gregg twp. of Graniteville, Aiken Co, SC. Sarah married John T. Williamson of Hopewell Twp, Aiken Co, SC, the area where Fountain was born. John T. Williamson's mother was Recia O'brian aka Bryant, daughter of William Bryant, probably the brother of Fountain and Darby Obriant Jr. William was on the same 1800 census with Isaac Pool and John Williamson. This census was sent to me by Becky Jones.
• Lavern Gunter and Tillman Blizzard (55 KB)
  Lavern, left, is the son of Fred and Livy Pool Gunter. Tillman, right, was the son of Livy's sister Nettie Pool and Purvis Blizzard Sr.
• Brenda Lee Blizzard 1944-1975 (16 KB)
  Brenda was the daughter of Purvis and Nettie Blizzard
• Thomas (James) Arthur Blizzard Death Certificate (176 KB)
  Thomas A. Blizzard was born James A. Blizzard in Richland County, SC, but changed his name to Thomas, the middle name of his dead father, when the boy ran away from home and his grandmother Elisabeth Blizzard after they quarelled. Years later he was on good terms with his relatives and they exchanged many letters.
• Sarah Bryant Williamson's death certificate (123 KB)
  Sarah was also known as Sara O'Brian. This is a duplicate death certificate which has changes made from the original, both info given by her son Christopher Columbus Williamson.
• James Blizzard's letter to his mother (559 KB)
  James Blizzard was the son of Valentine and Elizabeth Blizzard. His only child was James "Thomas" Arthur Blizzard who ran away from his grandparents where he lived after his father died, changed his name to Thomas Arthur Blizzard and married Locky Spires, daughter of Elizabeth Smithhardt and James Henry Spires, son of Hamilton Spires of Lexington. This letter was written by James after being wounded in the leg and sent to a Washington DC hospital, a prisoner of war. The original was donated by the family to the Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, the the Civil War section.
• Russell Poole (16 KB)
  Russell Poole was the son of Tilman Pool and Tirzah Gunter, born 2 April 1857, died 25 Sep. 1920. He married Henrietta Whetstone. Their son, Henry Samuel was the father of our Y-DNA donor, James Russel Poole.
• Christopher Columbus Williamson death certificate (123 KB)
  Christopher was next to the last son born to John Williamson and Sarah O'Brian aka Bryant
• Russell Poole 1857-1920 Tombstone (44 KB)
  This is the tombstone of Tilman Pool and Tirzah Gunter's son Russell Pool whose photo is also on this web page. Russell is buried at the Pool Cemetery located near the old homestead where Tilman Pool and wife Tirzah as well as Tilman Pool Jr. and his wife Dolly Ann Nettie Williamson Pool (DAN Pool) are buried. As you can see, Russell died in 1920 and not 1928 as stated in "Gunters Along the Edisto."
• John Lang Williamson death certificate (145 KB)
  John Lang Williamson was the youngest son of John williamson and Sarah O'Brian aka Bryant. Sarah was living with him when she died. It is stated on John's death cert. that his mother was born in Montrenetta, Aiken Co, SC. But my sister-in-law Anita Williamson agrees with me that she was born in "Monetta" as the correct spelling of the location, which is near Batesburg. Sarah's family moved to Graniteville, Aiken Co. by 1860.
• 1779 Map of South Carolina (258 KB)
  In this 1779 Map of South Carolina our Gunter family settled in Lexington County and between the two branches of the North Edisto River and the South Edisto River.
• Samuel Pinckney Williamson (109 KB)
  Samuel Pinckney Williamson was the son of John Williamson and Sarah O'Brian aka Bryant. Samuel was also known as Pink and Pinkney Williamson. Samuel was the eldest son.
• The Forks of the Edisto Rivers 1704-1782 (302 KB)
  This field map #158 shows the location of Gunters Mill. Some of the early census records state Gunter Mill as the area the census was taken and includes our families.
• Sarah Bryant Williamson death certificate (119 KB)
  This is the original death certificate. The duplicate certificate has a change of place of death from Hopewell Twp. to Rocky Grove Twp. Sarah was 84 years old when she died on her birthday. Both certificate info was given by Christopher Columbus Williamson, her son. The death certificate of her son John Lang Williamson listed here has her place of birth as Monetta, Aiken Co, SC. From there her parents moved to Graniteville, Aiken Co, South Carolina which is near the town of Aiken.
• 1830 census of Isaac and Walter Pool (606 KB)
  In this census record, data is alphabetically listed, however it is in the same location as Darby and Fountain Obryant of Orange Parish, Orangeburg, SC and John Williamson as well.
• SCPO Tillman A. Blizzard USN Ret. 1938-2008 (49 KB)
  Senior Chief Tillman Blizzard retired from the Navy in Virginia.
• 1830 census of Thomas and Darby O'briant (606 KB)
  This is page 47 of the census that includes Isaac Pool on page 48, in alphabetical order, however, the 1840 census shows that the Darby and fountain Obriant actually lived near Isaac Pool and John Williamson. Thomas is a younger generation, and probably the son of Darby the elder, father of Darby in the 1840 census of Orange Parish, Orangeburg, South Carolina, and brother of Darby Jr. and Fountain O'Brian, Bryant.

• Related Family Cemetery Records of Aiken Co, SC (136 KB)
  Related family cemetery records researched by Pat Bonneau.
• Chris Parkers Family History of South Carolina (32 KB)
  Chris Parker is a descendant of Ambrose G. Blizzard, so Ambrose is on this lineage, too. A link to Chris Parker's page is below.
• Sir William Gunter Ancestry to Charlemagne (416 KB)
  Sir William Gunter was the son of Sir Peter Gunter and Joan Awbrey, ancestors of Barbara; and Tillman Blizzard and Pat Bonneau through Tirzah Gunter wife of Tilman Pool of Aiken County of South Carolina.
• Our Blizzard, Gunter, Pool Families (54 KB)
  This is our Blizzard, Gunter, Pool and Williamson families of Tillman Blizzard and his double cousin Pat Bonneau who is a cousin of Tillman's through his mother Nettie Pool Blizzard. Nettie is a double cousin through both her father Tilman Pool and her mother Dolly Ann Nettie Williamson.

• BLIZZARD DNA PAGE
• Walter Poole DNA descends from William
• Weaving Webs of my Family Pages
• Blizzard, Gunter, Poole of Tillman Blizzard and Pat Bonneau
• Family of SCPO Tillman A. Blizzard of Aiken, South Carolina
• Barbara's South Carolina Lineage
• Maryland DNA Project with Blizzard family
• Gunter DNA Project
• William the Joyner Poole Lineage of Henry Poole

Barbara Neel Blizzard
bjblitzen@yahoo.com

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