Bland Blakely

In researching whether Dionysius Blakely is likely to be my sixth great-grandfather, I came across another person who's probably related:

Bland Blakely.

Probably a fair to middling kinda person....Sorry. Bad joke.

Some trees at Ancestry have Bland listed as Dionysius's wife. Others have Fanny Unknown. Still others have Iva "Fanny" Eller as Big D's wife.

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=pubmembertrees&gss=sfs28_ms_db&new=1&rank=1&msT=1&MS_AdvCB=1&gsfn=dionysius&gsfn_x=NP&gsln=blakely&gsln_x=NS&msdpn__ftp=South%20Carolina%2C%20USA&msdpn=43&msdpn_PInfo=5-%7C0%7C1652393%7C0%7C2%7C0%7C43%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C&msdpn_x=1&msdpn__ftp_x=1&MSAV=2&MSV=0&uidh=wy5

Since we know from DB's will that he had at least one wife named Fanny, that means that Bland could be either another wife or another person altogether.

Here are the verifiable facts I found on Bland, along with their sources.

• AN EXACT NAME SEARCH of all collections at Ancestry bring up 13 hits, of which we can eliminate five because they are too late. "Our" Bland would have been a contemporary of DB. So only these hits work:


1. AGBI, 1750

2.  1790 Census

3.  A privately owned portrait

4. Five military documents from Revolutionary War



What does each entry say about BB?

1. The American Genealogical-Biographical Index says that BB's birthdate was 1750 based on the entry in the 1790 Census. I personally don't see how AGBI can come to that conclusion, because the 1790 Census indicates only that Bland was over 16.

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=NpZ12&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&gss=angs-g&new=1&rank=1&msT=1&gsfn=bland&gsfn_x=NP&gsln=blakely&gsln_x=NS&msypn__ftp=South%20Carolina,%20USA&msypn=43&msypn_PInfo=5-%7C0%7C1652393%7C0%7C2%7C0%7C43%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C&msypn_x=1&msypn__ftp_x=1&MS_AdvCB=1&cp=0&catbucket=rstp&MSAV=2&MSV=0&uidh=wy5&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=1141419&recoff=2%203&dbid=3599&indiv=1&ml_rpos=5


2. In the 1790 US Census for SC, Bland Blackley is living in Orangeburg District, South Carolina. In the household are one male under 16, one male 16 and over, and four females. Neighbors include Dionysius, George Turner, Roof, Geiger, Drehr, Drafts, Fulmer, Corley, Looner (Looney?), Rolls, Metz, Lighsey.


https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/5058/4185996_00242?pid=388712&backurl=http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc%3DNpZ13%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource%26usePUBJs%3Dtrue%26gss%3Dangs-g%26new%3D1%26rank%3D1%26msT%3D1%26gsfn%3Dbland%26gsfn_x%3DNP%26gsln%3Dblakely%26gsln_x%3DNS%26msypn__ftp%3DSouth%2520Carolina,%2520USA%26msypn%3D43%26msypn_PInfo%3D5-%257C0%257C1652393%257C0%257C2%257C0%257C43%257C0%257C0%257C0%257C0%257C0%257C%26msypn_x%3D1%26msypn__ftp_x%3D1%26MS_AdvCB%3D1%26cp%3D0%26catbucket%3Drstp%26MSAV%3D2%26MSV%3D0%26uidh%3Dwy5%26pcat%3DROOT_CATEGORY%26h%3D388712%26recoff%3D7%25208%26dbid%3D5058%26indiv%3D1%26ml_rpos%3D6&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=NpZ13&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true


3. I'll have to write and ask permission to see that privately owned portrait right away!!!


4. Five military records

• July 1, 1779, Private in SC Third Regiment, commanded by Col. William Thompson, male

•  August 1, 1779, Private in SC Third Regiment, commanded by Col. William Thompson, male

• August 18, 1779, Private in SC Third Regiment, commanded by Col. William Thompson, male

• Another entry, August 1779, Private in SC Third Regiment, commanded by Col. William Thompson, male

• November 1, 1779, Private in SC Third Regiment, commanded by Col. William Thompson, male


• INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER GARY BLAKELY has added another military record from the National Archives in DC:

"Bland Blakely, Pvt., 2d Comp., Pay roll of 3d Regt for March on Garison 1780

Note: Third Regiment in Garrison at the Siege of Charleston in the year 1780"

http://news.rootsweb.com/th/read/BLAKELY/2007-04/1177286012


• GARY HAS ALSO ADDED a piece of information that may or may not be Bland:

"Bland appears to be on a 1785 Wilkes County, Georgia tax list with one poll and 200 acres."

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/BLAKELY/2016-02/1455583837

And this, same idea:

"Bland Blackley/Blakeley ( Rev War veteran, on 1790 census, 1785 through 1806
Wilkes/Warren Counties in Georgia)"

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/BLAKELY/2007-01/1170034865

Here's a source for the 1785 Wilkes County Tax List. I have been unable to find a source for anything in Warren County or anything in 1806.

http://www.giddeon.com/wilkes/books/early-records-of-ga-vol2/013-070.shtml



• FOLD3 ADDS only Bland's date of enlistment as October 17, 1777.

https://www.fold3.com/image/21643309



• THE ROSTER OF South Carolina Patriots in the Revolutionary War, Vol. 1, A - J, by Bobby Gilmer Moss says on P. 73 that "Bland Blackley...served in the Third Regiment under Capt. John C. Smith during 1779 and was later a dragoon in the cavalry under Col. Maham."

https://books.google.com/books?id=95vwdfiI67MC&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=%22bland+blackley%22&source=bl&ots=OCwVbY6d86&sig=-RauoMQxDRjW8X4bgTmW3RCs4Es&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiK58aX2qrUAhWGz4MKHVuWA9MQ6AEIKTAB#v=onepage&q=%22bland%20blackley%22&f=false

What can we know about Bland Blakely after seeing all this info???

1. Bland Blakely was a man—or a very masculine woman who passed as a man (1790 Census and war service).

2. Bland could ride horses. He was probably a farmer. (Cavalry and 1790 Census)

3. Bland was educated (signed payroll lists at Fold3.com)

4. He was born before 1774 (1790 Census)

5. He had a family, or people living with him (1790 Census).

6. He served in the same unit at Dionyius Blakely and John Edins (Roster of SC Patriots).

7. He may have lived in GA before he lived in SC.


That's all we can know for sure, but it's a better than fair-to-middling start.