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Genealogy for
William F. Bevis 

 Parents 
Click for more Information about William Bevis.
William Langley Bevis
1/3/1791 - 10/1/1870

Jane Virginia Palmer
1/9/1801 - 11/1/1882
Click for more Information about Jane Palmer.


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About William F. Bevis
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William F. Bevis
12/24/1818 - 2/4/1907
William F. Bevis was born on December 24, 1818 in Laurens District (Charleston), South Carolina and died on February 4, 1907 in Bascom, Florida. He lived to be 88 years old.

Called "Uncle Billy". Married in Henry Co. GA. He had ten children with wife Martha:
  1. Margaret J.
  2. France A.
  3. Susan
  4. Sarah Elizabeth
  5. George Clark
  6. Thomas L.
  7. Robert Franklin
  8. Mary Ellen
  9. William Allen
  10. John Wesley
  11. Martha A.
In 1840, he was a member of Southern Methodist Church and later became a Master Mason. He worked as a jeweler and also did watch and clock repairs. He sold Bibles and Christian literature to people in Jackson and other near by counties. He served in the CSA FL 1st. Inf. Co. C based in Marianna, FL. Under Capt. Michell, he fought in the Battle of Natural Bridge. In Quincy, FL he was listed as a POW on May 11,1865 and paroled on May 20,1865. After the war he organized a Sunday School held in homes around the town. With help of others, he was able to build a church in 1880. They called it Bascom Methodist Church after Bishop Bascom. Later the town was also named after the church. In his last years, he was almost deaf and sat on the front row in church with his hand cupped around his ear. From the book 'Bevis family history' by Leslie and Polly Bevis Grant. Burial at Bascom Methodist Cem.
Records
Birth Certificate12/24/1818 Charleston SC (Lauren County) 0 days old 
The birth of a son named William F. Bevis is recorded for William Langley Bevis and his wife Jane Virginia Palmer.  Source:  Edmund West, comp.. Family Data Collection - Births [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2001.
Military5/2/1864 FL  45 yrs old 
Enlisted as a Private in the Confederacy on 5/2/1864 at the age of 45. Enlisted in Company C, 1st Reserve Infantry Regiment, Florida. He took his oath of allegiance on 5/20/1865 in Quincy, FL. Date of birth: 12/24/1818. He died in Jackson County, Fl on 2/4/1907. Unit number was 1107. Company C fought on 20 February 1864 at Olustee, FL; 04 July 1864 at Cedar Key, FL; 06 July 1864 at Cedar Key, FL.; 24 September 1864 at Marianna, FL.; 27 September 1864 at Marianna, FL.; 19 October 1864 at Marsh Island, FL. 04 March 1865 at Natural Bridge, FL.; 10 March 1865 (unidentified location); and 19 March 1865 at Natural Bridge, FL. 
Census6/8/1880 precinct 10 FL (Jackson County) 61 yrs old 
Family# 139 : William Bevis (62), Martha E. (59) Ellen (21) Willie A. (18),John W. (17), Mattie A. (14) William is a farmer, Martha, Ellen & Mattie keeping house; Willie listed as a laborer. William was born in SC, his father VA & mother SC. Martha was born in SC, as were her parents. Mattie born in GA, others in FL. 
Additional information about Jackson County, FL around 1880: Click here to see a map from this timeperiod.  
Census7/20/1900 Bascom, precinct 11 FL (Jackson County) 81 yrs old 
Family # 86: William (born Dec. 1817 age 82) Emeline (Apr. 1821 age 79) He was born in SC, his father VA & mother SC. She was born in SC, as were her parents. They own their home, they can read & write. 
Additional information about Jackson County, FL around 1900: Click here to see a map from this timeperiod.  
Military7/13/1909 FL (Jackson County) 2 yrs after death 
Widow's Pension Clam - Application Number: A11382 Last Name: BEVIS First Name: William Service Unit: 1st Regt Inf Resv Wife's Maiden Name: Copland Wife's First Name: Martha Application County: Jackson Co 

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Click on any of the News, Events, or Discoveries buttons above to see historical things that happened during William Bevis's life. These are only some of the major events that affected the life and times of William, his family, and friends. For example, William is 2 years old when The Act of April 24, 1820 abolished the land purchase credit system, fixed the price of public lands at $1.25 per acre, and set the minimum purchase at 80 acres. After a person purchased land, a final certificate was issued by the land office and sent to Washington DC to be verified and signed by the President -- a time consuming process. Public lands were most typically available through US treaties with Indians who agreed to be removed from their homelands.
AgeDateEvent
3 1821 Spain formally cedes Florida to the United States in 1821, according to terms of the Adams-Onís Treaty. Spanish colonists as well as settlers from the newly formed United States begin to pour into the new territory. Prior to this change, Florida was a wilderness sparsely dotted with settlements of native Indians, escaped/freed slaves and Spaniards.
4 1822 Florida Territory is purchased
5 1823 The Treaty of Moultrie Creek pushes the Seminole Indian towns into the interior of the Florida peninsula.
6 1824 Tallahassee is established at the capital of Florida because it is half-way between the two government centers in St. Augustine and Pensacola. The Legislative Council meets in November in a log house erected in the vicinity of today's capitol.
17 1835 The Second Seminole Indian War keeps the United States and Seminoles Indians fighting in North & Central Florida.
19 1837 NEWS HEADLINES: In October, Chief Osceola of the Seminole Indians is captured when he arrives for supposed truce negotiations at Fort Payton. He is imprisoned at St. Augustine, FL where he refuses to eat and attempts to escape several times. In December he is moved to a prison in SC where he dies on January 20, 1838. At the time of his death, Osceola was the most famous American Indian.
24 1842 Congress passes the Armed Occupation Act of 1842. It entitles persons willing and able to bear arms against the Indians and establish themselves in villages along the borders of Indian territory ownership of their land after 5 years.
24 1842 Second Seminole Indian War ends and some of the Seminole Indians living in FL are moved to the Indian Territory
27 1845 Florida becomes the 27th state to join the United States. William Moseley becomes the first governor and David Yulee the first senator.
32 1850 Florida's total population has grown to 87,445. This includes about 39,000 slaves and 1,000 free blacks. Indians were not counted.
37 1855 Third Seminole Indian War begins and war breaks out with most of the battles occurring in Central Florida. It ends three years later when Chief Billy Bowlegs and his band are forced to move from Florida.
43 1861 No Floridian's voted for Lincoln during the 1860 election. On Jan. 10, 1861, Florida seceded from the U.S. and joined the Confederate States of America a few weeks later.
46 1864 Battle of Olustee is a Confederate victory. Union troops pull back
47 1865 May 10th -- Union troops occupy Tallahassee. While Tallahassee was the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi River that had not been captured, Union troops occupy the capitol following the surrender of the major Confederate armies in the east.
47 1865 Battle at Natural Bridge (Wakulla County) is a Confederate victory.
52 1870 During the 1870s, the remaining Seminole Indians begin establishing trading posts and other economy with local settlers.
64 1882 The Florida Central and Western Railroad Company was created. It combines the Florida Central, Jacksonville, Pensacola, and Mobile railroads.
65 1883 Three railroad companies are merged to form the Florida Transit and Penisular Railroad Company. Thee are: Florida Transit Railroad Co., Peninsular Railroad Co, and the Tropical Florida Railroad Co.
66 1884 Most railroads in Florida are passed into the hands of a single company owned and operated by a single management, under the name of The Florida Railway and Navigation Company. It has more that 500 miles of main track in operation and about 300 miles of track under construction. The longest route was the "Western Division" which ran from Tallahassee to Jacksonville - 209 miles.
88 1906 An attempt to drain the Everglades and convert it to farmland begins.
AgeDateEvent
12 1830 The first railroad is constructed between Liverpool and Manchester, England
21 1839 Goodyear invents vulcanized rubber, opening the door for tires and other rubber products.
26 1844 The first telegraph message is sent by Morse, who later invents the Mores Code
35 1853 The process of creating steel is invented by Besermer in Britain and Kelly in the U.S.
38 1856 The first Neanderthal fossils are found near Germany
41 1859 Charles Darwin publishes "Origin of Species" and begins the evolution theory.
47 1865 Mendel publishes his papers on genetics and introduces the concept to the public.
51 1869 Cro-magnon Man fossils are found in France
59 1877 Edison invents the phonograph permitting music and voices to be recorded and replayed.
61 1879 Edison invents the electric light bulb.
71 1889 The first calculating machine is invented and uses punch cards
77 1895 Wireless telegraph and the "antenna" are invented but it covers a very short distance.
79 1897 First ship to shore message is sent using an improved form of wireless telegraph
82 1900 The cause of yellow fever is discovered. It is proven that the fever is spread by mosquitoes. This rallies an effort to provide better mosquito control.
82 1900 Freud publishes his book "The Interpretation of Dreams"
83 1901 First transatlantic wireless telegraph is sent.
84 1902 The first Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil is discovered.
85 1903 Wright Brothers complete the first successful flight with an airplane at Kitty Hawk
86 1904 The first vacuum tube diode is invented by Fleming
88 1906 Kellogg sells the first box of Corn Flakes
88 1906 The triode vacuum tube is invented
88 1906 Electrons are discovered by Thomson
AgeDateEvent
10 1828 Gold is discovered in Georgia.
16 1834 July 9 - The S.S. John Randolph, the first successful iron steamship, is launched in Savannah
43 1861 NEWS HEADLINES: American Civil war begins at Ft. Sumter, located in Charleston Harbor, VA.
44 1862 NEWS HEADLINES: May 20, 1862 the US government passes the Homestead Act to provide cheap land for settlement of lower Southeast and West.
64 1882 NEWS HEADLINES: Edison creates the first large power station in New York City, making it the first place in America to have electricity.
67 1885 NEWS HEADLINES: Eastman invents the box camera. For the first time photography becomes affordable for the average citizen.
AgeDateEvent
12 1830 South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union, setting the stage for the creation of the Confederacy.
42 1860 About 63,000 men from South Carolina served in the Confederate armed forces.
50 1868 South Carolina was readmitted to the Union.
AgeDateEvent
2 1820 The Act of April 24, 1820 abolished the land purchase credit system, fixed the price of public lands at $1.25 per acre, and set the minimum purchase at 80 acres. After a person purchased land, a final certificate was issued by the land office and sent to Washington DC to be verified and signed by the President -- a time consuming process. Public lands were most typically available through US treaties with Indians who agreed to be removed from their homelands.
12 1830 Indian Removal Act signed and the moving of eastern Indians west of the Mississippi begins.
17 1835 Second Seminole Indian War begins.
19 1837 The trickery used to capture Seminole Indian Chief Osceola (Assi Yohola) creates a public uproar and U.S. General Jesup is publicly condemned.
22 1840 Oregon Trail is established
24 1842 Second Seminole Indian War ends and thousands of Seminole Indians are forced to move west of the Mississippi.
37 1855 Third Seminole Indian War begins. It ends three years later when Chief Billy Bowlegs and his band are forced to move from Florida.
42 1860 Presidential election puts Abraham Lincoln in office. The campaign has heated the issues regarding slavery in the south.
44 1862 May 20, 1862 the US government passes the Homestead Act to provide cheap land for settlement of lower Southeast and West.
45 1863 Abraham Lincoln issues the "Emancipation Proclamation" freeing slaves.
47 1865 American Civil war ends with General Lee's surrender at Appomattox, VA. Reconstruction begins in the "old South"
50 1868 An eight-hour work day is established for federal employees.
57 1875 Tennessee enacts Jim Crow law.
58 1876 The National League of Baseball is founded
AgeDateEvent
15 1833 Santa Anna is elected President of Mexico


Marriages
Martha Copeland
Born on April 9, 1823 and died on April 13, 1910.
They were married 11/22/1842.

Click for more information about Martha Copeland.


The Children of William F. Bevis

42 years old
Sarah Elizabeth Bevis
Born in Heard County, Georgia on December 9, 1848 and died in Bascom, Florida on July 14, 1936. She was 87 years old.

Children:
Charlie P. Grant
Mary Ada Grant (8/21/1873-4/20/1963) -married Joseph Henry Bevis
Emmett Alonzo Grant(3/18/1876-4/27/1949)
Lillian Telulah Grant(12/17/1879-3/16/1967)
Ma...
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Robert Franklin Bevis
Born somewhere in Georgia on July 28, 1856 and died in Bascom, Jackson Co., Florida on July 22, 1921. He was 65 years old.

Children:
Minnie L.(1875)
Robert (1877)
Lucius(1880)
Pearl D. (1882)
Henry P. (1885)
Whit (1890)
William F. (1893)...
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