SCPO Tillman Arthur Blizzard 1938-2008

The Blizzard Family

This is the heritage of Purvis Blizzard, Sr. 1910-1985 and Nettie Pool 1908-1984, parent's of Purvis Grady Jr, 1936-1992, Tillman 1938-2008, Brenda 1944-1975; and Anita Blizzard, of royal descent through Nettie Pool and her grandmother Tirzah Gunter. Tirzah's ancestor Joshua Gunter, a descendant of the Emperor Charlemagne, came from Virginia as well as James Gill and many other related families. In Virginia they were part of the Scotch-Irish settlement in Augusta County which included West Virginia at that time.

Tillman's Blizzard and Pool ancestors were in South Carolina in the mid 1700's. Although his mother knew her Williamson family was from Ireland, Tillman said his father's family didn't talk about where they came from originally, but he thought they were from England.

In England the Blizard/Blizzard family originated in Brittany, France, where it is pronounced Bliz'zard. But in America it is pronounced Bliz-erd like the snow storm. Listed in Fairbairn's Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland in England there are two Blizard/Blizzard Crests. One "Blizard" Crest with a Coat of Arms that has the French "Fluer-de-lis" which is the symbol of France, an iris flower. There is also one "Blizzard" which does not have the French symbol.

Allendale was settled in the mid 1600's at the request of the governor to populate the interior. Our related families have lived near there since that time. Thomas Blizard 1st, of Richland County, had taken part in a 1794 petition of Chesterfield. Three names stand out in the petition Thomas Blizard, John Purvis and James Purvis. Tillman Blizzard looked like South Carolina FBI agent Melvin Purvis.

The name Darling is on another Colonial file with the name Blizard. Many sons were named Darling in the families of the Blizzards, and Darlington Dist. was probably named for the Darling family. The name Purvis is also found in other Richland County Blizzard families, descendants of other sons of Thomas Blizzard, 1st. as well as Jacob or Thomas’ sons.

Our ancestor Jacob Blizard Sr, born about 1780 in Richland County, South Carolina, married Mary Gill, daughter of Valentine Gill, of Barnwell County, South Carolina, son of James Gill, son of David Gill who is said to be the son of Stephen Gill. Mary was the only child of Valentine Gill's unknown first wife. Many of these unknown first wives were probably Native American and therefore there simply was no record of them. For more information on the Gill family, visit Dr. Frank Clark's webpage. 

Jacob Blizard and Mary Gill had a son named "Volantini." Valentine was born in Barnwell. He married Elisabeth who was born in North Carolina. Their son Pvt. James Thomas Blizzard married Mary E. "Lizzie" Lee. James T. joined the C.S.A. in 1861 stationed in Columbia, not far from home.

Tillman's paternal Blizzard line is through his ancestor Valentine Blizard, son of Jacob Blizard, Sr. and Mary Gill of Native American descent. According to America A Narative History by Tindall, Colonial American men outnumbered women three to one; and single men outnumbered single women seven to one. That means a lot of men probably married Indian women. There is Native American blood in both Tillman's and my ancestors who were in America in the early days of the colony. Although the Blizzard family moved a lot, they always stayed within a 30 miles radis of Lexington County. Mary Gill, daughter of Valentine Gill, was born in Barnwell County, South Carolina which at one time was Allendale County.

Valentine/Volantini, our line, was named after his grandfather Valentine Gill, and was born about 1802 in Barnwell, which covered a wide area for a while, close to the Fork of the Edisto River. At that time the area was a part of Barnwell County. Mary Gill stated she was born in Fairfield, but her father Valentine Gill lived in Barnwell. Both people and county lines at that time were always being redesignated.

In Blythewood where the Blizard family lived, the family still owns the old homestead, which was in Fairfield County then, but, it is in Richland County today because of changes in the county line. I keep repeating myself. The county lines changed so often I put a link to them online to help your research below and here...

The only sons of Jacob and Mary Gill Blizzard’s that I know of for certain were Valentine Blizard, a planter in Blythewood in 1850; and Jacob Jr, an attorney at law. They were all educated people, so they may have descended from the titled Blizards of England. After Jacob Sr. died, Jacob Jr. and his mother moved to Georgia.

Valentine Blizzard’s wife Elisabeth was born about 1801 in North Carolina. The following are their children: daughter Martha aka Marsha born in Richland County, daughter Mary was born in Sumter County, and son James Thomas (our family line) was born in Fairfield, County as well as the younger siblings. Blythewood, was later claimed by Richland County where it is today. And this time it was Valentine who actually did move around because he stated these different locations on his census record for each child.

So, let us take a closer look at these two early Blizard/Blizzard families in South Carolina of Richard and Thomas. According to the research of other genealogy, Richard Blizard, Sr. born about 1701 in Pershore, County Worcestershie, England (where his parents were married) was the father of Richard Blizard, Jr, born 31 September 1731; and Thomas Blizard born in South Carolina between 1740-50. Richard Blizard Sr, moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and Richard Jr, moved to Duplin Co, North Carolina, but I don't know where our Thomas went or where he died, or where his sons were raised, just that they are first found in Barnwell, South Carolina, with no real proof of who their parents were.

Thomas Blizard is listed with James and John Purvis, and Francis Spires who were originally in the Chesterfield District area before Darlington in 1794-1799. All of these men are related to our Blizzard family. Thomas Blizard was not in the 1800 census of South Carolina. In fact, there were no Blizard/Blizzards in South Carolina Census records in 1790 either. Later the sons of Thomas lived in Sumter County and Richland County, which was also known as Chesterfield, Camden, Darlington District and Lexington County which was also known as Orangeburg Territory, Lexington District, Edgefield District and even Barnwell County for a time. Thomas Blizard II born in 1781 moved to Tennessee. It would help a lot if more Blizzards had yDNA testing done.

Tillman Arthur Blizzard tested his paternal family line: Haplogroup G2a3b-yDNA, which Family Tree DNA determined came from Romania. And so we know he is not connected to the Blizzard of Tennessee who came directly from England to Tennessee, who was Hapolgoup I-yDNA. This family descended from John Blizard born 1780 in North Carolina and his wife Nancy. But it's possible that the Pendleton Blizzard family of John and Ruth was related to Richard Blizzard, Sr. of Maryland. We need DNA testing of this line. Richard Jr.and his sons moved to Duplin County as stated above. Richard Sr. son Thomas stayed in SC awhile, and it's possible John Blizzard of Richland County was another brother of Thomas.

John of Russell County, Virginia, first married Margaret, and then Nancy Blizard who was also born in North Carolina. Some yDNA testing is really needed with this family. These early Blizzard families always spelled their name Blizard as well as John and Ruth Blizard of Augusta, Virginia in the early census records, but are no connection to each other or us.

In 1850 there were James and John Blizzard in Richland Co, South Carolina which is about fifteen or twenty miles from Blythewood where Jacob lived. Also just across the North Carolina line was Joab Blizard, but I don't have him on my gedcom.

Of Thomas Blizard Ist of Darlington, his son Thomas Blizzard, II, born in South Carolina in 1785, was not the same Thomas Sr. born 1781 who went to Tennessee and got married there before moving on to Alabama where he died in June, 1857. A descendant of that family told me they were "Gypsies."

I don't know for sure who his father was, but I don't doubt that they are related to our Blizard family in Richland County. I do know there were two different Thomas Blizards born between 1781-1785 in Richland County, south Carolina. One went to Tennessee and married there, and one stayed in South Carolina where he married and raised a family.

It is a fact that the South Carolina Blizzards married into families who were among the Rom from Scotland who settled Allendale in Orangeburg District, in the area later known as Barnwell County today. South Carolina records state the Allendale Rom came to America from Scotland, and some of our relatives intermarried with them, but, there is no record of a Blizard listed.

There were no Blizard families in South Carolina in the early census records, however, there are legal documents that lists them. And yet even the Richard Blizard, Jr. who was born in South Carolina in 1731, is also listed as born in Duplin, North Carolina by some descendants, because that is where he died. Perhaps we claim he was born in South Carolina because that is where the first record of him was found. Richard moved to North Carolina and died in Duplin County, North Carolina in 1782. Richard Jr, was probably in South Carolina because his father was in the militia in the 96^th District there. That still needs to be proven.

Thomas Blizard of Darlington District, South Carolina was born in South Carolina between 1740-50. His son, Thomas Blizard II, had a son named John Blizard who was born in Richland County, South Carolina about 1805. He married Emma first and they had a large family. Then he married Rebecca and had at least one daughter named Martha.

Of Richard Blizard, Jr, he and his sons moved to Duplin Co, North Carolina where he died 13 December 1782, however, the residence for his son John Blizzard listed in the 1800 census, did not have anyone living there. Just his name, no people in the household. Not even John who didn't die until 1858. But in 1820 Richard’s son William, born in Bertie County, North Carolina, was living in Duplin Co, probably on the family farm, and also found in Duplin is Richard’s son Solomon. Many Blizzard and Pool ancestors came from the same area of North Carolina, including the Gunter family below.

The only other Blizard/Blizzard families listed in North Carolina 1800 census was Pernald Blizzard of Stokes, and Joab Blizard of Mecklenburg, just North of Darlington District of South Carolina.

Back to Valentine Blizard: His son James Thomas Blizzard married Mary E. "Lizzie" Lee. Their son James Arthur Blizzard was born during wartime on 27 Sep. 1863. James must have been stationed nearby because he went home on "leave" several months before James Arthur was born. Some of James Thomas Blizzard’s military papers are at the Misc. Records page link below.

In August of 1864 James T. Blizzard was wounded a wrote a letter to Mom. He was wounded in battle and sent to a Washington D. C. hospital where he died 29 Oct 1864 from a thigh wound. The copy of his letter to his mother was sent to us by Tillman's cousin Lounette, daughter of his uncle Clayton Blizzard. Lounette also gave us modern day genealogy, which we are very glad to have, however, for security and privacy reasons, I do not put anyone born after 1930 on my gedcoms. The original letter was donated to the Civil War section of the Charleston Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. Since it was addressed only to his mother and siblings, Valentine may have taken part in the war as well, because he was only about 55 and many that age were in the ranks.

Sixteen years later, their orphaned grandson James Arthur Blizzard ran away from his grandmother Elisabeth who had a hard time at home with Valentine being senile by that time. James went to Aiken County where he changed his name to “Thomas” Arthur Blizzard.

In 1961 Tillman and I started researching our genealogy. His parents gave us some family history, as well as information written in the family Bible. Tillman's father Purvis Grady Blizzard, Sr. also took us to see the graves of his ancestors, including those of his parents James "Thomas" Arthur Blizzard and Theoxena "Locky" Spires, which you will find on the Tombstone link below. That is when I first heard that Tillman's grandfather Thomas Arthur Blizzard was really the run-away, orphaned teenager James Arthur Blizzard, son of Pvt. James Thomas Blizzard, which I wrote about above.

The orphaned James is in Valentine Blizard's 1870 census as Valentine's grandson, but it is continued on the next page, along with Valentine's daughter Gutheredge who was also listed in Valentine's household. So it is totally possible to miss him unless you know he was originally named James and continued on the next page on the original census.

James Thomas Blizzard's orphaned son James Arthur, lived with his grandparents Valentine and Elisabeth Blizzard. James later said that Elisabeth was very strict with him, so when he was about 16 or 17 years old he hopped a train to Aiken County, South Carolina. James Arthur aka "Thomas," Tillman's grandfather, ran away from his grandparents because he argued with his grandmother, Elisabeth.

James changed his name to Thomas Arthur Blizzard so he couldn't be found, but later wrote to his grandparents to let them know where he was. He kept the name Thomas Arthur Blizzard for the rest of his life and is buried under that name in Kings Grove Cemetery located near Pelion on Hwy 178. Thomas is buried next to his wife Theoxena "Locky" Spires.

Theoxena's name was spelled incorrectly on the the 1880 census as Henry Spire's seven year old daughter Ceoxeny. In later records with Thomas Blizzard her name was spelled Lockie. Her tombstone at Kings Grove Cemetery just has L. A. Blizzard. In the same 1880 census just below Henry's household is Hambleton Spires. Another typo. That is clearly Hamilton with his second wife Elizabeth and 24 yr. old daughter Emma by his first wife. I would question the spelling of other names written by that census taker as well.

James "Thomas Arthur" Blizzard and "Locky" Spires were the parents of Lula, Clifton, Clayton, Sudie, and their youngest child, Purvis Grady Blizzard. Lula married Joseph Lucas and named a son Sylvanus. Purvis is a form of Pervez, a name found in India.

Purvis married "Nettie" Pool. Their children were Purvis Grady Blizzard, Jr.; Tillman Arthur Blizzard; Brenda Lee Blizzard Tindal; and Anita Blizzard Williamson. If you want a hint in doing research, most of these names are the surnames of the mothers in the families.

The Pool Family

There are twelve Pool/Poole Crests: two "Pool" Crests, and ten different additional "Poole" family Crests, however our Pool ancestors came from Germany or another country in that area.

Our first Pool of record in South Carolina was Isaac Pool who came to Orangeburg Territory, at the Forks of the North Branch of the Edisto River. Pat Bonneau's cousin, James Pool, tested Haplogroup I1a y-DNA. James is a direct male descendant of Isaac and Keziah Pool. Another Pool living in the area although not in a census, was Walter Pool who bought land at the Forks of the Edisto River in 1794, and was probably living with Isaac, Phillip Pool or another family member. It is believed that Isaac and Walter were brothers, sons of Phillip Pool who may have been related to Elias Pohl and Isaac Pool of Charleston, of German-Jewish descent. 

The G-yDNA and I-yDNA; T-mtDNA and J-mtDNA groups originated near the Garden of Eden, then went to the Fertile Crescent of Turkey where farming first began, before going on to Eastern Europe. Our Pool ancestors came from Germany. The I1a Haplogroup came from Germany and Scandinavia.

Other South Carolina Pools whose descendants tested G1-yDNA, were James Pool born 1756, married Ursula Hudson, born 1762, Laurens, South Carolina; and John Pool born about 1758 in Edgefield Dist., South Carolina and died 1839 in Alabama who married Mahulda Holloway. John was the son of William, son of Adam Pool born in England and died in South Carolina, according to some lineages.

Another or the same lineage had Adam Pool with a son named William Pool born in 1703 was I1-yDNA. This William was also living in Lexington District, South Carolina, born 1703 in Prince George County, Virginia, and he died in 1777 in Lexington. He was also said too have a son named Adam Poole, but this Adam went to Fairfield District. According to the yDNA results Pat Bonneau sent in of her uncle James Pool, grandson of Tilman Pool, we are no relation to these Pooles of South Carolina.

The James and John Pool living in the Orangeburg District of the Edisto River, may be related to either William or Philip Pool. 

A map of the area of John Jordan of the Pool Trail is very hard to read. It was found by my husband's cousin Pat Bonneau, my Pool genealogy partner. The area of the Edisto River was in both Orangeburg District and Edgefield District at one time or another.

I have no idea if there is a relationship with German born Phillip Puhl in the Richland County and Isaac Pool in Charleston. Philip Phul/Pool came to America in 1744 from Germany and lived at one time in Sax-Gotha, Lexington County, may have been related to the elder Czech born Isaac Pool who died in 1813, and was buried in a Jewish cemetery in Charleston. This elder Isaac Pool is listed living next to Elias Pohl in the 1800 Charleston census. But as of yet, our Poole family descended from William "The Joyner" Poole who may or may not be to Isaac Pool of Charleston.

For years it was thought that the elder Isaac Pool was the grandfather of our Isaac Pool who married Keziah, until fellow researcher Pat Bonneau found the lineage of Linda Pool, which is proving to be the correct line. Isaac Pooles descendants are Haplogroup I1a y-DNA.

William Poole born before 5 October, 1759 and wife Nancy lived near Mary Poole, by the North Fork of the Edisto River, which is now Lexington County, was probably Isaac's brother, since William and our Walter lived near each other at one point. In the 1840 census our Isaac was listed as 80-90 years old. In the 1850 Lexington Co, SC census William was 90 years old. Isaac married Keziah before 1799. Their son Walter married Elizabeth "Polly" Wells about 1820. Walter is on the 1840 census, with the 1850 and 1860 census record listing Polly and children, below on the Census link.

On the 1800 census Isaac is listed with John Williamson, Jacob Hutto, William Bryant, (Tillman's gg-great-grandfather) 2 Robert Gavins, and more you will recognize now as neighbors in Aiken and Lexington counties. Walter and Polly were the parents of blond haired, blue-eyed, Pvt. Tilman Pool I, of the C.S.A. Tilman's discharge paper is below in Misc. Records of the Blizzard and Pool Families.

Nettie "Nannie"Poole's sisters Olivia and Ivy, married brothers Fred and Willie Gunter, who descended from Balaam Gunter, son of Joshua Gunter, through Balaam's grandson Macom; so they also descended from the Emperor Charlemagne. I posted Fred and Willie's Gunter family census records online beginning with Balaam's son Wilson which will prove this line of descent.

Tilman Pool, Sr. had an illegitimate half-brother named Isicker. Both Tilman and Isicker had sons named Walter Pool in honor of their father Walter Pool. It has been determined by DNA that they were sons of Isaac Pool, son of Walter "the Cooper" Pool and Lucy Dukes. Walter's father was Willian "the Joyner" Pool. Tilman's son, Tillman II, married Dolly Ann Nettie Williamson, daughter of John T. Williamson and Sarah Bryant.

John's father Samuel Williamson was born in North Carolina in 1792. Tillman Blizzard's mtDNA (Haplogroup H11-mtDNA) is through his Irish grandmother Dolly Ann Nettie Williamson, daughter of John Williamson and Sarah Ann Bryant. Sarah's mother was Elizabeth "Betsy" Overstreet, daughter of John and Catherine Overstreet. John Williamson’s sister Sarah married Joel Knotts, son of Benjamin Knotts, Rev. War soldier below.

Tillman Pool II, and Dolly were the parents of "Nannie" Nettie Pool who married Purvis Blizzard, Sr. Since their son Tillman Blizzard looks like South Carolina FBI agent Melvin Purvis, Purvis is certainly a family name, however, I haven't discovered the connection yet.

I have no idea if Tilman was related to the founder of Clemson College SC Gov. and US Sen. Benjamin Tillman, of Edgefield, or his brother US Congressman George Tillman of SC, but the name had to come from somewhere, so there may be a connection. The original English spelling of Tillman in the Domesday Book is Tilghman.

Tilman Pool married Tirzah Gunter who was of royal descent through her Gunter/Awbrey ancestors. Tilman and Tirzah lived near the North Fork of the Edisto River.

Royal Gunter Connections

You may wonder why being descended from royalty is noteworthy. Simply because they could read and write, and they kept genealogy records which allows us to trace our roots back to Biblical times, or the Pharaohs of Egypt. Or in the case of our Gunter line, the Emperor Charlemagne, and Clovis, King of the Franks. Many descendants of Charlemagne are those very people listed in Gunters Along the Edisto by J. H. Buff, Jr.

Mr. Buff interviewed me while we were living at the old home of Nettie Pool Blizzard in the 80's, but at that time I didn't know about the royal Gunter connection and neither did he. His book is full of information in the first edition, from John Gunter of Kintbury, ancestor of Joshua Gunter who came to South Carolina, to present day families in Aiken and Lexington Counties. I haven't seen the second edition, but Pat Bonneau told me there is one.

Although I am a South Carolina Pool in-law, I am also connected by blood as a descendant of Peter Gunter and Joan Awbrey of royal descent. They are ancestors of mine through my father, and of Tillman's through his mother's paternal grandmother, Tirzah Gunter, wife of Tilman Pool, 1st. 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. Through the lineage of J. Art Gunter I found the missing link connecting Joshua Gunter to Sir Peter Gunter and Jane Awbrey of royal descent. In fact my father has a double line through two children of their son William, Sr. Gunter. So, I am descended from both William, Jr. Gunter and his sister Joan/Jane Gunter who married William Awbrey.

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, went to England from France with William the Conqueror and ended up in Wales. Sir Peter's wife Jane Awbrey was descended from Clovis, King of Franks and Charlemagne Emperor of Europe. His descendant Joshua Gunter, a Rev. War soldier from Virginia, came to South Carolina. Joshua and his father John Gunter each are listed as the earliest ancestor of men tested at Family Tree DNA. Both men are Haplogroup R1b1-yDNA which is a very old, European DNA. Haplogroup R yDNA is in fact, the foundation of most yDNA.

John Gunter was born in 1722 in Prince George County, Virginia, and died in 1785. He left a will written in 1781. His son Joshua Gunter was born in Brunswick County, North Carolina, and died in Lexington County, South Carolina after first living in Edgefield County, South Carolina. (Edgefield boundries once included much of Lexington and Aiken Counties, so people probably didn't move as much as their county lines did.)

Joshua married Keziah Banks who was also born in Virginia. Nettie Pool was the granddaughter of Tirzah Gunter, daughter of Elizabeth Wilson and Russell Gunter, son of Joshua Gunter. Russell married Elizabeth Wilson according to the Lexington Historical Society records I found at the Lexington County Library about 1992. I know everyone else has her name as Elizabeth Nelson, but I believe it was read incorrectly and repeated by everyone, because the Historical Society record I read in Lexington clearly stated Wilson.