Re: Bewley Family Tree

Don't get in too big of hurry to get that far back.If you start with gathering the generations back
your parents, their siblings,
your grandparents and their sibilings,
your great grandparents and their siblings
get all the oral histories you can and keep track of it sometimes there a part-truths that give you better clues on down the line.
I did a quick look at Thomas Bewley who was residing as a servant in the household of Jonathon and Sallie V. Helms at Morristown, Hamblen Co. TN in 1880, he is single at this time.There was a white Bewley family in the area check and see if they owned slaves on the 1860 census (check Jefferson and Grainger County).Sometimes the slaves took the last names of their owners, sometimes they chose their own, this is why your oral history is so important.I would take the information on the 1900 census which lists Thomas and Nicie's children and look at the families living around them and their names.Just remember the census often has errors.I have found my Bewley line as Bulak, Bulley, Buley, Beverly, Belley, Bulley, and about every crazy way you could try to spell it.Southern drawls and phonetic spelling often is a headache.You might also check the civil war soldier's rosters for confederate and union in those counties, and see what families served which side, take those names and see who were the slave holders in 1860.Good luck - Neysa