The 1834 Will of Vaughan Hilburn
Vaughan Hilburn, who was named in the 1790 Sampson County, North Carolina Census with nine children, died in Hinds County, Mississippi in 1834. He was likely the father of John, Frederick, Henry, Woodward, Vaughan Jr., James, Luke, Benjamin, and others. He is not to be confused with the “first” Vaughan Hilburn who was first recorded in Isle of Wight, VA (IOW, VA) in 1730. It’s most likely that this Vaughan of IOW, VA was the father of Vaughan Hilburn who died in Mississippi in 1834.
I first became aware of this will from the book Hinds County, Mississippi, Vol. I, 1822-1859, Will Book I Abstracts by Clara Wright Forrest, in which Vaughan’s will was transcribed. There were no familiar names listed in the will to suggest this was the same Vaughan Hilburn who was born in North Carolina and was likely the father of Hilburn men of Copiah, Misssissippi. Since this was only a transcription of the will, I felt it was necessary to view a copy of the original will.
In 2012, I went to the Mississippi State Archives and read a copy of the original will on microfilm. It was obvious that Mrs. Forrest’s transcription had some errors! Her transcription is as follows with my corrections in BOLD.
Abstract of Vaughan Hilborne’s Will, p. 41.
Hinds County, Mississippi, Vol. I, 1822-1859, Will Book I Abstracts by Clara Wright Forrest.
Vaughan Hilborne departed this life about the 5th of September 1834, & about a week before his death he reported (repeated) in a conversation with Wynand Vannamen that he should shortly die and that he wished what he had to be sold except his bed and bed cloaths, and that he wished Isaiah Warner (?) (Worrell) and Levi Bankston to see to the selling of said property and pay his debts and what was left he wished Axsa Waddel (?) (Axey Worrell) to have, and also he wished her to have his bed and bed clothing. He also said that this was his will and had been for some time- that he always wished for her (meaning the said Axey) to have what he had after paying his debts, that in repeating the above conversation he expressed it fully that it was his will. Probated October 27, 1834; Witness: Wynand Van Namen (signature)
This will was actually recorded in October, almost two months after Vaughan’s death and was based upon the testimony of a friend or neighbor in Hinds County. Vaughan Hilburn must have been living in Hinds County, MS at the time of his death. According to land records of persons named in the will, he was living in southern part of the couty which borders Copiah County, where his sons John & Frederick Hilburn owned land. Although only John Hilburn owned land by this date and his land was in Township 10, Range 8E in Section 14. At the end of 1834, Frederick Hilburn and John Hilburn, Jr. also bought land in the same township and range as John Sr.
It is believed that Vaughan Hilburn’s wife was Elizabeth Worrell, daughter of John Worrell who died after 1788 in Wayne County, North Carolina. In his will dated December 22, 1788, Worrell willed five shillings to several persons in a list- Wm. Worrell, Eliza Hilburn, Priscilla Peacock, and Benjamin Worrell. He did not state the relationship to these except he did identifyRich’d Worrell as a son, his wife and a grandson. It’s believed the others listed are relatives at least and likely children.
Will of Vaughan Hilborne, Hinds County, MS. 1834
Persons named in Vaughan Hilborne’s 1834 Will:
Wynand Van Namen. Van Namen was the witness who testified that he had spoken to Hilburn about his wishes only weeks before his death. He appears to have been a neighbor of Isaiah and Exum Worrell (see the Hinds County plat map on the following page). He is found in the 1830 and 1840 Hinds County census as “Hynand Van Namen”, age 30-40, and in the 1850 Hinds Census with wife Ann. He was born in Holland.
Axsa or Axey Worrell. Axsa or Axey Worrell, was born about 1810 in North Carolina and died in 1887 in Attala, MS., (according to the Worrell Family Website). At the time of Hilburn’s death she was single. She married James Mallette (b. 1788 VA) in Hinds County in 1837. His father was William Mallotte II; in 1809 Mallotte owned a inn on the “road west” in Baldwin Co., GA. In 1816 they moved to Lawrence Co., MS & later to Hinds County.
Biographical facts from the Bible given to Axsa by her father upon her marriage in 1837 mentions her sisters, Elizabeth (married Harrison Watson), Martha (married Wm R. Brock) and brother Exum. Her father, Isaiah is also mentioned in Vaughan’s will; he was the son of Richard Worrell, Sr. who was the brother of Vaughan Hilburn’s wife Elizabeth Worrell. According to family records, Vaughan married Elizabeth around 1748.
Isaiah Worrell– Isaiah was Vaughan Hilburn’s wife, Elizabeth’s nephew. He is believed to have been her brother Richard’s son. He was born in 1785 in Wayne County, NC and died after 1860 in Lebanon, Hinds County, Mississippi.
Lawrence County, Mississippi State & Territorial Census Collection 1792-1866. Date unknown.
- Isaiah Worrell 1-3-1-3 Total: 8
- Elijah Fisher 1-3-1-3 Total: 8
Isaiah Worrell is found in Monticello in Lawrence County, MS in the 1820 census. There were actually two Isaiah Worrells listed, along with a William Mallet.
Isaiah and Vaughan both appear to have moved from North Carolina to Mississippi Territory by 1812, as they are both found in early census records of Lawrence County. Since Worrell was named as administrator of Hilburn’s estate, it is believed that he and Vaughan were not only related by marriage but also close friends.
Levi Bankston– 1830 Census Hinds County Census- between 50-60 years old. In 1826, Bankston bought 80 acres in Hinds in Township 3 N, Range 3 W, Section 6 and lived fairly near Isaiah Worrell. The plat map below shows the section of Hinds County in which Bankston, Worrell and Van Namen lived.
Isaiah Worrell had land in sections 28 and 33, Exum Warrel had land in section 28, while Van Namen had 40 acres in Section 32. At the time Vaughan Hilburn died, Isaiah Worrell owned land in Section 33. These sections are slightly shaded for the purpose of identification.
Vaughan Hilburn Estate Records
(from MS. Archives; obtained from Ancestry.com)
1836 Dec 16. Inventory of Property Sold of Vaughan Hilburn estate.
Thos. A. Jelks, Isaiah Worle, James Mallett, John Brown, MC Moore, Jos. Stewart, John Brown, Charles Stovall, William Walker
Hilburn pastors of Bladen County, N.C.
The following information was gathered from
“A Pictorial Directory of the churches of the Bladen Baptist Association, Bladen County, N.C.” at archive.org
(My note: Three Hilburn men of Bladen County mentioned in this book were brothers… Rufus Marion Hilburn, David Henry Hilburn & Amsey Ashbell Hilburn. They were sons of Henry Francis Hilburn, b. 1827. At least two, R. M. Hilburn and David H. Hilburn were Baptist pastors. The man S. H. Hilburn, delegate of Mt. Pleasant church is unknown at this time.
Even though my family is likely related to these Bladen Hilburns, we’ve not met and would likely be as far removed as 6th-8th cousins or so. It’s interesting to note that my line of Hilbuns also has several Baptist preachers, going as far back as my 3rd great-grandfather, Stephen N. Hilbun, born in 1805, in Georgia. )
Beards Chapel Church, a member of the Bladen Co., NC Baptist Association. The following ministers have served this church: C. E. Beard, Rufus M. Hilburn, W. 8. Melvin, Henry Carter, A. J. Freeman, Claude Home, J. K. Todd, Ara H. Dove, Joel Johnson, David Hilburn, Lloyd Johnson, R. L. Byrd, P. T. Britt, LL Todd, C. S. Smith, HB Bennett, LL Johnson, Gaston Hester, Hollan Hughes, Everitte Anderson,Thomas Hughes, A. N. Huneycutt, C. J. Ellis, Wilton M. Jones, LL Barnes, & Robert E. Hill. The present pastor is Ralph Gore.
Pastors who have served Center Road Baptist Church are Noah Mercer, G. L. King, W. L. Brisson, D. H. Hilburn, WM. Brisson, D. L. Johnson, D. L. Hewett, R. M. Hilburn, J. L. Tyner, E. O. Johnson, C. F. Dever, K. L. Stanley, R. A. Britt, W. A. Coleman, J. M. Fleming, Paul Britt, CB Home, HB Bennett, Bob Harris, A. T. Peacock, Vance Tyson, WD. Hudson, Alton Williams, Eddie Reynolds, Howard Davis, Paul T. Forrester, James L. May, Jerry Haas, & Earl Henry.
The First Baptist Church of Bladenboro, a branch of the Galeed Baptist Church, was conceived in the minds & hearts of Baptists in Bladenboro a year or two before its organization. A Sunday School was conducted in the old school building for quite a while before the church was organized. This old school building was located as the present site of the pastorium. The Rev. I. P. Hedgpeth with the Rev. Snowden Hester and Amsey A. Hilburn assisted in this organization in 1911.
Two ministers have been ordained at Hickory Grove. Robert M. Sessoms was ordained in May 1856, & Charles Hester was ordained in July 1971.
Pastors who have served the church are Elias Davis, Isham Stone, Haynes Lennon, Furney Prevatte, Elias Davis Johnson, J. G. Fisher, E. W. Wooten, W. S. Ballard, R. L. Byrd, J. M. Fleming, R. M. Hilburn, AH. Porter, R. S. Lennon, R. N. Cashwell, W D. Pridgen, E. A. Paul, R. A. Stankwytch, R. L. Edwards. I.H. Lambert, J. C. Shaw, Steve Hora, Robert Carter, LeRoy Trevathan, Bruce Lanier, and Joseph Stanley.
The church was admitted to the Cape Fear Association in 1870 as Mount Pleasant. In May 1892, a vote was taken to ascertain the feeling of the church in regard to organizing a Bladen County Association & the result was nine for, seven against. In Aug. 1892, the minutes state, “The business of Bladen County Association Convention was called by the Central Union to meet Sept. 15, with Brown’s Creek Church was taken up & Brother J. M. Register, S. H. Hilburn, were appointed delegates & S. B. Thompson, J. B. Melvin and J. P. Vause, alternates. An invitation was extended to the newly organized association to meetwith this church in case it should be decided to organize.” In Sept., 1892, the church asked the Cape Fear Association for a letter of dismission to organize a new association. On Nov. 7, 1892, delegates from the churches of Bladen Co. met at Mount Pleasant, Lisbon, and organized the Bladen Baptist Association. Mt Pleasant Church was dismissed from the Bladen Baptist Association in 1906, admitted to Cape Fear-Columbus Association in 1907; readmitted to the Bladen Baptist Association in 1923.
Other pastors who have served this church are Rufus M. Hilburn; William Brunt; E. W. Wooten; H. H. Hildreth; W. S. Ballard; William Brisson; A. H. Porter; John E. King; D J Clark; O. P. Meeks; WO Biggs; W. D. Pridgen; A. D. Woodell; M. D. Beasley; R. A. Britt; Jennis McLamb; Alton Coble, who served as Associational Missionary for the Bladen Baptist Association; H. D. Harris; and Clyde Coates. The present pastor is Theodore Lawson.
Salt Marsh Baptist Church. It was dismissed from Cape Fear Association in 1892 and became a charter member of Bladen Baptist Association. The church was dismissed from Bladen Baptist Assoc. in 1904 &admitted to Wilmington Association. In 1918 the church was dismissed from the Wilmington Association to become a member of Bladen Baptist Association.
The Woman’s Missionary Union was organized in 1952. Pastors who have ministered in this church, in addition to J. M. Register & A. D. Carter, include David J. Ray, J. D. Elwell, O L Stringfield, John Smith, Jack Bordeaux, J. P. Lennon, D. H. Hilbum, R. M. Hilburn, W. C. Walton, E. Boney, J. H. Hildreth, Charles H. Utiey, J. H. Dobson, A. L. Goodrich, Henry Carter, David E. Pait, C B Home, Charlie Brisson, G. D. Peterson, Hugh Cox, A. E. Herring, W. H. Coleman, Boney Kelly, Norman B. Edge, Albert Smith, Garland Bordeaux, Bill Reynolds, L.D. Smith, Maurice McLean, Earl Evers, Frank Turner, H. D. Harris, and Walter Hayes. The present pastor Is Donald Hughes.
Charter members of Richardson Baptist Church, organized in 1914, were David H. Hilburn, RK Nance, Colon Singletary, John C Davis, Oscar McLaughlin, Rad Hester, Mrs. RL Sessoms, & Mrs. Hoke Single- tary.
The first conference of the church was held Oct. 4, 1914. The minutes of that conference follow: “First Conference held with the First Baptist Church of Richardson, NC, roll called, absences noted, spiritual condition of the church inquired into, nothing reported. Doors of the church opened, received by letter, Carrie Singletary, Sarah Ann Singletary & Bert Singletary. Moved & seconded that David Hilbourn be called as pastor. Collection on the Sabbath was $2.30. David H. Hilbourn, moderator, RK. Nance, Church Clerk.”
Sandy Grove Baptist Church- Emmett Guyton served as Sunday School Superintendent for over 40 yrs, perhaps the longest tenure of service in any organization. Several men from this church have received the call to preach from God. They are Clyde Adams, Richard Edwards, Jerry Kinlaw, Charles Kinlaw, Stephen Cain, Mitchell Nance, Larry Hayes, and Richard Smith.
Pastors who have served this church include A. J. Freeman, M. L. Mintz, D. L. Johnson, J. T. Tyner, E. O. Johnson, R. E. Powell, S. N. Watson, C. B. Home, R. M. Hilburn, W. A. Coieman, C. R. Hinton, Wilbur Edwards, and Gaston Hester and Eugene Gaskins.
Shady Grove Baptist Church- Bladen Co. Baptist Association- Records show Elder James Cashwell to have been the first pastor; he also served the church in 1862. Others serving as pastors include R M. Sess-oms, E. J. Edwards, J. B. Downing, Rufus M. Hilburn, J. M. Register, John Prevatte, William Brunt, David Hilburn, CE Beard, W. Lee Brisson, J. Tom Tyner, D. Lloyd Johnson, R. M. Hilburn, DL Johnson, D. L. Hewitt, W. A. Coleman, K. L. Stanley, C. B. Home, Cleve Herring, Paul Britt, Charlie Brissori, C. S. Smith, R M Walton, Mark Owens, Earl Hales, Wiley Rutledge, Eugene Gaskins, Sam Jewell, & Harold Bell. The present pastor is Carroll Fonvielle.
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Bladenboro Baptist Church was organized March 27, 1917. The meeting took place in the public school–house at Bladenboro Cotton Mills, about 300 yards from the present location. The Rev. R. M. Hilburn was moderator and was called as the first pastor. W. B. Hester was the first clerk. W. B. Hester and J. D. Edwards were elected deacons.
In 1919 West Bladenboro petitioned for admission and was received into the Bladen Baptist Association.
The Hilburn Family gave land to the church for a church building in 1919 & the building was completed the same year. Brother Tommie Hewitt built and gave the first pulpit stand to the church.
Pastors who have served through the years are R. M. Hilburn, R. E. Powell, D. L. Hewitt, W. D. Pridgen, Wilbur Edwards, Will Coleman, E. N. C. Andrews, A. T. Cain, L. L. Todd, J. W. Meares, B. W. Howell, Gaston Hester, Joe Campbell, C. B. Dunn, Ernest Davis, CE. Brisson, Glenn Moree, Stacy Wells, Millard Johnson, Richard Smith, Bill Harrison, and Vernon McKeithan. The present pastor is Aaron Brooks.
It is believed that the Woman’s Missionary Union was organized in 1935 under the leadership of the wife of the Rev. AT. Cain. Later, the Girl’s Auxiliary, the Young Women’s Association, Sunbeams, & Brother-hood were organized. Some of the names have changed, but the organizations are still active.
Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1885 in a community without a place of worship. The first meetings were a Sunday Prayer Meeting that met in a sawmill shanty; later this group organized a Sunday Bible Class which met in the Cleveland Schoolhouse. Several of the early members came from the Galeed, Hickory Grove, Abbottsburg, & Sandy Grove Churches. The church was constituted with 41 members in 1886. The church is located two miles north of Bladenboro on NC Hwy 410. Three houses of worship have been built. The first was a one-room frame building, begun in 1886, & finished in 1904. An annex was built in 1923. …
Zion Hill was dismissed by the Cape Fear Association to become a charter member of the Bladen Baptist Association at its organizational meeting on Nov. 11, 1892. The Sunday Bible Class that later became Zion Hill Church, first became a Sunday School which met each Sunday. It has met continuously since the beginning. The church has ordained three men into the ministry. They are David H. Hilburn, RonaldHester and Merle Johnson. Pastors include Rufus M. Hilburn, George C. Calnes, J. M. Register, Joe Fisher, William Brisson, R. L. Byrd, J. H. Hildreth, W. L. Brisson, E. O. Johnson, K. L. Stanley, Paul T. Britt, Joel S. Johnson, C. J. Ellis, George H. Wallace, E. S. Lingle, Macon J. Davis, J C Shaw, Steve Hora, Joe H. Dempsy, Clyde Coates, George W. Langley & Tim Sellers. The present pastor is Robert L Boone.
Martin Family Newspaper Clippings
While this blog is primarily about my Hilbun ancestors, I am using this forum to post some old newspaper clippings of my maternal ancestors, the Martins, of Clarke County, Mississippi.
LucyA_Martin_death1925 This is the death of Lucy Autrey Martin, wife of John Henry Martin.
Early News Articles mentioning Hilbuns in Jones County, Mississippi.
Seaborn_Wade__postmasterNov1855 (SF Hilbun’s wife, M. Almedia Wade’s grandfather)
1906_SF_Hilbun__Wade_ 1906_Apr_21__AJ_Hilburn
DockHilbun_marriageMay19_1906_Laurel_Ledger
CharlieHilbun_marr_CallieHintonDec23_1905_
LaurelLedgerCleo MIller n AUnt Hilbun 9 1929
22Feb1924_HIndsCoGazette_RaymondMSp4_HarlHilburn
12Nov1929_MorningCall_p5_MrsHilbun
Early Newspaper clippings about Rev. Bruce S. Hilbun of Jones County, MS and his sons.
I’ve been able to locate some clippings from newspapers about some of my ancestors, and in particular about my grandfather, Bruce S. Hilbun, of Jones County, Mississippi. “Pop” was born in 1893 and died in 1978.
There are 15 clippings and I will add more later. Some of the articles below are also about my Dad, Joel P. Hilbun, and my uncle Billy S. Hilbun. In most, I have highlighted the Hilbun names. The articles shown on this page and which are NOT linked are from the Mississippi Baptist Paper, The Baptist Record.
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- The Baptist Record, 1/10/1918. Bruce Hilbun 1917 Ordination
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- Bapt. Record. 4/8/1971. BS Hilbun, interim pastor
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- Bapt. Record. 8/24/1972.
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- Bruce S. Hilbun from The Baptist Record, May 1940
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- Billy S. Hilbun to Gulfport
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- 1950 Billy S Hilbun to LA.
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- The Baptist Record. 10/17/1957
Daily Herald, 6/5/1934. Rev. BS Hilbun
William Hilbun 1831-1863- researched & written by great-grandson, Joel P. Hilbun.
NOTE: Feel free to use this information but please acknowledge the source- manuscript by Joel P. Hilbun.
William Hilbun was the third child of Stephen Newberry Hilbun (1805-1888) who was the eighth child of Frederick Hilbun (1768-1850). William was born July 7, 1831 in Lowndes County, Alabama. He married Susan Elizabeth Beard July 3, 1855 in Monroe County, Alabama (Monroe County, AL Marriage Book A) and security was provided by Joseph C. Lambert. Susan was the oldest child of Moses Beard and was 22 years old when she married William. Moses Beard was found in the 1850 census of Monroe County, Alabama. Susan Beard’s sister, Martha married William’s younger brother, David Frederick Hilbun and they also moved to Wayne County and later to Laurel, Mississippi.
William and Susan Hilbun had three sons: Andrew Jackson, born in Alabama in 1856; Steven Filmore, born in 1858, and William P., born in 1860. The youngest boys were both born in Wayne County, Mississippi.
William purchased land in Wayne County, Mississippi, on September 8, 1857- 43.20 acres in Township 10 North, Range 7, Section 31, NE4 NW4, for $108, record # 13632. This land joined that of his father-in-law, Moses Beard. A certificate for a Land Patent was issued by the Augusta Land Office on November 10, 1859. On the certificate his name appears five times as “William Hilburn” with the “r” scratch through each time.
On January 9, 1861 Mississippi was the second state to secede from the Union, and on April 12 of that year the War Between the States began with the firing on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. As many men began enlisting to fight for the Confederacy, on March 8, 1862, William and his younger brother, John Wesley, enlisted in the Shubuta Guards of Clarke County, Company E with T. T. Howze, a Clarke County farmer, as captain. Organized March 1, 1862, the regiment was first called the 37th Mississippi Volunteers. Shubuta, the nearest enlistment station, was just a few miles from where he lived in Wayne County. On April 28, 1862, ten companies from the counties of Clarke, Jasper, Lauderdale, and Smith, rendezvoused at Columbus, Mississippi, and there they were mustered into the Army of the Confederate States of America as the 37th Mississippi Infantry Regiment with a total of 888 men, including field officers and staff. The date on William’s service record states that he enlisted on May 13, 1862, by Col. Orlando S. Holland, who had been editor of a newspaper in Enterprise.
William’s unit participated in the Battle of Iuka on September 19, 1862, after which his company was moved into position for the defense of Corinth as a major railroad center. On October 3 there began a three day siege by Federal armies. William’s service record dated October 13 records that he was absent from his company, the reason being that he was wounded in action at Corinth, Mississippi on October 3, 1862 and sent home. His Company Muster Roll for November and December recorded him “absent, wounded in action, Corinth, and in hospital.” The January and February records show “absent, in hospital.” There is a Hospital Muster Roll of General Hospital at Enterprise, Miss., that says “to February 28, 1863, dated February 28, 1863, listing William ”present” as a patient.
Sometime after February 28 William rejoined his regiment which was alrea
dy engaged at Vicksburg. In the fierce fighting that led to the surrender on July 4, the casualties of the 37th were 17 killed and 56 wounded. One of those wounded was William. He was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War on July 4, 1863 but was paroled on July 6.
The Company Muster Roll for April 30 to October 31 states “Died in hospital, Vicksburg, Miss., July 15, 1863.” He was buried near Vicksburg in Cedar Hill Cemetery, in a section established in 1866 for Confederate Soldiers called Soldiers Rest, in the Mississippi Section. His grave marker is inscribed:
“PVT WILLIAM HILBURN
CO E MISS INF CSA
JUL 7 1831 – JUL 15 1863.”
(picture- author and daughter Kaye at William’s grave)
William’s younger brother, John Wesley, was discharged by order of General Johnston sometime between April 30 and October 31, 1863. After he returned from the war, he married William’s widow, Susan Elizabeth, probably in 1865. In about 1879 the family moved from Wayne County to Jones County, Mississippi. An oral tradition has it that they were intending to move on to Texas, but were caught in west Jones County by a very unexpected snow storm. Stranded there for some days, they were treated so well by the Wade family that they decided to just settle in Jones County.
John Wesley Hilbun raised William’s sons and had more children with Susan- Lula, Theodocia, Mary Katherine, John T., and Daniel Benjamin.
William’s son, Stephen Filmore Hilbun grew up in the Big Creek area of Jones County and in 1881 married Mary Almedia Wade, daughter of Daniel Webster Wade and Cornelia Knight Wade. They had the following children- Doctor Franklin, Charles William, Nola Lavada, Persada, Bruce Sharp*, Daniel Wesley, and William Hobson.
*Bruce Sharp Hilbun married Cammie V. Miller and they had the following children, Billy S., John C., Charles C., Joel P., Robert B. and Thomas E.
This Hilbun Blog
My purpose for beginning this blog is simply to share information with others about Hilbun/Hilburn family history, with a focus on the earliest Hilbuns or Hilburns I have discovered in the southern United States, beginning in the colonial period of the 1700’s and going through the end of the 1800’s. My research has included only Hilburns found in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and the other “Southern” states. I am aware of some Hilburn families who settled in colonial days in parts of the northeast but I have not researched them. In addition, I have not researched the many Hilborns of Pennsylvania, many whom settled there also in colonial times.
This blog will share findings which I hope others will use to do further research. Genealogy takes a lot of time and energy and while I plan to continue to research within my own direct family line, I hope others will pursue researching other branches of this Hilbun/Hilburn family tree!
This blog will not provide any “family tree” per se, (listings of family members with DOB, etc.) unless it is relevant to the subject matter about which I decide to blog.
There are many other Hilbun/Hilburn researchers, one of whom is my father Joel P. Hilbun. He has been researching our Hilbun ancestors for over three decades and has much of his compiled history and family tree on his website- joehilbun.com.
One of my goals has been to discover the father of Frederick Hilbun, born in 1768, my fourth great-grandfather. My conclusion at this point is that I don’t know who his father was, but I do believe that he is related to the North Carolina Hilbuns, the Hilbuns who settled in Laurens County, Georgia, the Hilburns of Copiah County, Mississippi and is LIKELY related to the Newberry County, South Carolina Hilburns.
I also want to state that in my research I have tried to document my sources for any finding or conclusion and not perpetuate any undocumented claim. For example, I’ve seen online genealogies in which a person has traced their history back many generations but they do not cite proof or provide supporting documentation. One example related to our Hilbun genealogy is that some state that Frederick’s father was a Joseph Hilburn, but I have seen no evidence to support that claim. If someone has this evidence please share it with me. I am primarily interested in researching early Hilbun history- before 1850.
Hilbun? Hilburn? Hillbun? Hillburn?
There has always been confusion regarding the spelling of our family name Hilbun. My whole life I’ve been called Hilburn even when someone is reading my name. For whatever reason, others want to put a “r” in our name.
In the earliest records I have found on the Hilbun family, I have seen the name spelled numerous ways. In colonial days, few were educated and census takers often spelled names as they sounded. Within the records of the Vaughan Hilburn of the early 1700’s, his name is spelled HILBUN and HILBURN in official documents; the same is true for land records for John Hilbun of Duplin County, North Carolina in the mid 1700’s.
Regarding the Hilbun/Hilburn name, my father, Joel P. Hilbun, on his Hilbun family history webpage- http://joehilbun.com/history.htm stated:
“The family name has several spellings, Hilburn being the most prevalent. There is a Family Bible record by descendants of Frederick Hilbun by his second wife in which every entry is spelled Hilbun.
First page of Frederick Hilbun’s Bible Record. Frederick was last enumerated in the 1850 Census of Lowndes Co., AL. That record gave his place of birth as North Carolina.
I also have copies of a Family Bible record by descendants of Stephen Newberry Hilbun and in it every entry is spelled Hilbun. Some of Frederick’s lines of descendants have used the Hilburn spelling and others the Hilbun spelling.
In another document, Joel P. Hilbun stated:
“Hilbun is the spelling in several land records also and is the spelling kept by all of the family members in Jones County, Mississippi. HILBUN is the spelling maintained by a majority of the descendants of James Bruce Hilbun, as well as other family branches.
A majority of descendants of Vaughn Hilbun (1808-91) in Laurens County, Georgia, have followed the HILBUN spelling. Another group that resided in northwest Mississippi followed the HILBUN spelling. No records of the relationship of those two family groups with each other or of Frederick line has been found. The HILBUN spelling has been found on land records of the early 1700s in North Carolina and on census and other public records in England in the 1800s.”
In addition, I have noticed that the majority of descendants of Woodward A. Hilbun (1775-1851) spell their name “Hilbun”. He was born in North Carolina and is likely the son of Vaughan Hilbun, Jr. and settled in Pontotoc, Mississippi in the 1840’s. His children moved to Desoto County, Mississippi and Memphis area, while many of his descendants moved to Texas and then California. These families have consistently used the name HILBUN.
Another “Hilbun” family I have discovered actually spells their name “HILLBUN”. These Hillbuns are first found in Barren County, Kentucky in 1810 with William Hilbun as the father of several children, most of whom later moved on to Indiana, Illinois and Missouri.
Hilbun 