HISTORY OF PASCO COUNTY

Blanton

Jesse G. Blanton and Martha Howell

This page is taken, with permission, from the former My Blanton web site, created by Marinell Davis.

Jesse G. Blanton's parents came to south Ga. in 1827 from Bladen Co., N.C.

Jesse married Martha E. Howell (daughter of John G. Howell) December 10, 1857 in Lowndes Co., GA. He enlisted in the Confederate Army in May 1862 and served in Company A, 20th Battalion, Georgia Cavalry, in Georgia and Virginia campaigns.

Jesse G. Blanton acquired the following land in Hernando (now Pasco) County in the 1880’s:

Parts of T24S R21E, Sections 7 & 8 - 1883

Parts of T24S R21E, Section 18 - 1885

He and his wife, Martha Howell, built a log cabin east of what is now Blanton Lake. They were from Scevren County, Georgia. Daniel M. and James M. Blanton acquired land nearby. Jesse died April 22, 1891 in Florida.

Note: Comparing the census of 1870 and the Jesse G. Blanton genealogy (listed below), I conclude that the Daniel and James who bought land in Blanton in the 1880s were Jesse G's oldest sons. There is no evidence of families of Jesse's brothers, also James and Daniel. -- Marinell

Letter Written to Nancy Goff Blanton
From Her Son Jesse G. Blanton

The letter and following remarks contributed by Tillis Bryant.

AUGUSTA GEORGIA
SATURDAY, APRIL 16TH, 1864

My Dear Mother:

Through kind Providence I am once more spared and blessed with an opportunity of writing you a short letter to inform you that I am yet blessed with reasonable portion of health and also to inform you of our late move from Savannah. We left there on Thursday, the 7th and got here to Augusta on the 14th, marched very slow, not more than 15 miles a day. My horse keeps up very well so far, but we have a long wearisome march ahead of us, and lame horses that will never get to Virginia.

We fared a great deal better than I expected on the march from Savannah to this place and there never were people more kind or free hearted than they are in Scevren and Burke counties. I ate several good dinners on the march by dropping out at the houses of kind citizens. I called at a place last Sunday and took dinner and while forming an acquaintance I found they were some of our relatives. The battalion camped four miles from there that night, His name was William Newton. Old cousin George Alderman married this old mans sister. I tell you they were the kindest old Baptists I have struck up with since I have been in the service.

Mother I went home on the 26th of march on 24-hours leave of absence and was so anxious to see you once more but did not have time to go see you. I don’t know that I will ever have another opportunity of seeing you and my little family. The prospect that lies ahead of me now is a gloomy one. Sometimes I despair of all hopes of outliving this war and returning to my peace- full home and family. Then at other times my hopes revive a little, so I am unable to tell what my destiny will be. I often feel like I had as soon die and be laid away at home by the hands of those loved ones there as to go into Virginia and suffer all the hardships and privations that I will have to undergo there, with but little hope of ever returning home. We will leave here in two or three days for Columbia, South Carolina. There we will stop awhile until all the cavalry that is ordered there, which I understand is about 15,000. From there we will go to some place where there are Yankees.

Mother, I want you to write me as soon as you get this, direct to Columbia, South Carolina, care of Capt. M . Smith. Tell Elizabeth to write too, and let me know how she and family are, and when she heard from D.T. Have been so anxious to hear from him ever since I was there.

Mother I must soon close my letter as I have nothing interesting to write. I will write to you as often as I can. Mother there is one request I want to make to you, that is to be in constant prayer and remember your poor soldier boy. I feel the need of prayer on my part and am fully persuaded that we are ever restored to peace and liberty it will be through the prayers of the righteous.

General Morgan said is was through the prayer of his wife that he escaped from the Ohio prison penitentiary, and if so, I hope that through the prayer of a loving wife, mother and friends I will be spared to return home proclaiming the joy and glad tidings of a free and independent Confederacy.

Mother there is one more subject I feel to be my duty to mention. You are no doubt aware of my joining the Free Masons. I have had my own consent for some time to join them, knowing that the Primitive Baptists as a denomination is opposed to the Society, as well as you and some of my connection, and now I pledge you my word as a dutiful son that Masonry doesn’t interfere with my religion or political principals in any shape or form whatever, not only so, there never was a good, true Mason but what was a Christian. Free Masonry is founded on the three great principles of Faith, Hope, and Charity, without which can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

As ever, your affectionate son,
Jesse G. Blanton

REFERENCE: Confederate military History, Vol. VI, library of confederate St History, in twelve volumes, edited by Gen. Clement A . Evens; confederate publishing co., Atlanta, Ga. 1899.

Remarks by Tillis Bryant

Let me tell you the story behind this letter, and how it came into my hands. I was in the Valdosta Library in Ga. And ran across this book, that had articles from the war in it. The first letter I started to read, and I knew that it was a lovely letter to a mother from a son during the civil war. So I asked my husband to copy it and I would finish reading it at home when I had more time. Well time went by and a couple of months later I ran across it in my papers again. Well I started to read it again. It brought tears to my eyes it was such a beautiful letter and sad at the same time. At the end of the letter you will see it was signed by J. G. Blanton. Well that rang a bell in my head so I started to look through my data base at the Blanton names and there it was Jesse Goodman Blanton. At that time I realized it was written to my g-g-g-grandmother. From my g-g-uncle. And I really was impressed at this time even more than before. And I started to try and find out if this man survived the civil war. And my research brought me right back to Dade City, Pasco Co., where I grew up and where Jesse came to after the war, and started the community of Blanton Fl. He is buried in the Mt. Zion cemetery near there. No head stone but a marker for his infant son Jess Jr. His wife Martha moved back to north Fl after his death where she lived out the rest of her life. She is buried in St. Pete, FL. So what is the moral of this little story is look right under your own nose sometime to find the obvious. I have found so many times in my research that life seems to have a familiar pattern that repeats its self over and over again.

Mcguire’s and their Kin Vol. I or Vol II contains a large section on the Blanton family and their beginning. The books sell for $60.00 or $45.00 for book two which also has a lot of information on the Blantons. Any one that is interested in the book can contact Tillie Bryant. Email: tkiddl@tampabay.rr.com

UPDATES. In 2017 Wayne Sweat wrote: “Sergeant Jesse Blanton now has a Veteran’s Administration upright stone marker with his cavalry regiment and company engraved on it. Was placed by Sons of Confederate Veterans and United Daughters of The Confederacy. The gravestone is next to his infant son.” In 2017 Patricia Raposa wrote: “Some family members believe that Jesse’s stone at Mt. Zion is a cenotaph. He died in Gadsden County, and has a headstone in a cemetery there.”

1880 Census - Hernando County - Precinct 9 and 10

A. A. BLANTON 10 <1870> Georgia  White  Male   Son
D. E. BLANTON 20 <1860> Georgia  White  Male   Son
E. C. BLANTON 14 <1866> Georgia  White  Female Dau
Howile BLANTON 2 <1878> Georgia  White  Male   Son
J. G. BLANTON 49 <1831> Georgia  White  Male   Self
J. M. BLANTON 18 <1862> Georgia  White  Male   Son
M. E. BLANTON 42 <1838> S. C.    White  Female Wife
T. M. BLANTON 12 <1868> Georgia  White  Male   Son
W. V. BLANTON  6 <1874> Georgia  White  Male   Son

Jesse Goodman Blanton Family

By TILLIE BRYANT

JESSE GOODMAN BLANTON & MARTHA HOWELL

Jesse was born Sep. 9, 1831 Brooks Co. Ga. & died Apr. 22, 1891, Gadsden Co. Fl. Martha was b. 1838 died date unknown in St. Pete. Fl.

List of their children:

1. John Goodman b, Oct. 10, 1858 Brooks Co. Ga. Died Dec. 5, 1871 Mt Enon Plant City Fl.

2. David Edmound b. De. 30 1859 Lowndes Co. Ga. Died Dec 11,1934

3. James Milton b. Jan 18, 1862 Lowndes Co. Ga. Died Dec. 19, 1946

4. Emma Candes b. Nov. 12, 1865 died 1927 married John Jordan Oberry

5. Thomas Newton b. Mar. 21, 1869 Fl. died 1956 Tampa Fl.

6. Annual Ashley b. May 14, 1871 Fl. Died Apr. 4, 1956 Lake Carroll Tampa. Fl.

7. Jesse Eliza. B. Jun. 10, 1874 Pasco Co. Fl. Died May 11, 1876 Pasco Co. Fl. Mt Zion

8. William V.b. Aug. 21, 1876

9. Richard Howell b. Feb. 19, 1879 died Sep. 27, 1906 Oak Grove Tampa Fl.

10. Bennett Bartlet b. Sep. 27, 1881 Fl. Died Oct. 29, 1945