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

This is the heritage of Nettie Poole and cousin Pat Bonneau. Although I am an 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 paternal grandmother, and of Tillman's through his mother's paternal grandmother, Tirzah Gunter, wife of Tilman Pool. It has been my goal in doing my husband's genealogy to prove my Thomas Gunter whose wife was of royal descent, was related to Tillman's Josuha Gunter family. Tillman and I both descend from William Gunter and Lucy Havard. Tillman descends from their son William, and I descend from their son Jenkin.

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, via his son Wilson, his son Macom, his son LaFayette father of Fred and Willie. Another goal fulfilled before Tillman Passed away was to prove a connection of our Gunter families. In the end I proved Fred and Willie were cousins of their wives through Tirzah Gunter Poole, her mother was the daughter of Russell, brother of Balaam, g-great-grandfather of Willie and Fred, wonderful people to know.

George Dewey Gunter, our neighbor in Pelion, SC, descended from John Gunter, the brother of our Tirzah Gunter, who married Harriet Pool, sister of Tillman Pool. George Dewey Gunter and Tillman Blizzard were double 3rd cousins. Harriet and Tilman Pool were the children of Isaac Pool Sr., probably the son of Walter "the Cooper" Pool and his first wife Lucy. John and Harriet named a daughter Lucy after her grandmother. And Isaac named his first two children Walter and Lucy.

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 as his prize. 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 a rare form of G2a3b dna clade of Eastern Europe, which Haplogroup G originated near the India/Pakistaini border, according to the latest research. Tillman's mt-dna is H which was from Ireland through Elizabeth Overstreet's mother Catherine, wife of John Overstreet whose mother Sarah Booth was a Revolutionary ancestor, 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 (no blood relation to our O'Brians.) John Lang Williamson wrote his mother's name as Sara Bryant, born 1 May 1844 in Montrenetta, (Monetta) SC. Christopher C. Williamson wrote her name as O'brian.

Tillman Blizzard and Pat Bonneau both descended from Tilman Pool and Tirzah Gunter, and Samuel Williamson and Recia Bryant, which makes Tillman and Pat double cousins. An Autosomal DNA Family Finder test has Tillman linked to three others named O'brien which leaves me to believe the name of his grandmother should be O'Brien and not O'Brian.

• Ancestors of Tillman Arthur Blizzard (123 KB)
  Tillman was the younger son of Purvis and Nettie Pool Blizzard of Aiken Co, South Carolina. His family tree descends from King of Cologne Clovis "the Riparian" in the fifth century. His royal descent is through his maternal great grandmother, Tirzah Gunter who married Tilman Pool. Tirzah is also his maternal line which tested Haplogroup H11 mt-DNA.

• OSG Map Puhl property location (323 KB)
  Map of Philip Puhl/Pool property in 1798 courtesy of Pat Bonneau.
• 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 Samuel 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.
• 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. The Jack Russell terriers belonged to LaVern
• 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.
• 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."
• 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.
• 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.
• Tilman Poole Discharge (930 KB)
  Tillman Poole was discharged from the military after he lost a leg in the war. But it was always said he had a good sense of humor about it.
• 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.
• 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.
• 1940 Census of Purvis Blizzard and family (187 KB)
  This 1940 census has the head of household as Locky Spires Blizzard, months after the death of Thomas Arthur Blizzard. Living with her is her son Purvis and his family: wife Nettie Poole, (sister of John, Olivia and Ivy Poole. Olivia married Fred Gunter and her sister Ivy married Fred's brother Willie on another census listed here.) Also in this census is Purvis Grady Blizzard Jr. and son T(illman) Arthur Blizzard.
• 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.
• 1940 Census Willie Gunter (193 KB)
  This census is of Willie Gunter, (descendant of Balaam Gunter, brother of our Russell Gunter, sons of Joshua,) and Willie's wife Ivy (Iva) and their only child Boyce.
• 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.
• 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.

• BLIZZARD DNA PAGE
• Walter Poole DNA descends from William
• Weaving Webs of my Family Pages
• Blizzard, Gunter, Poole of Tillman Blizzard and Pat Bonneau

bblizzard@centurylink.net

Edit Your Page