William Brooks 1820-1853 Extended Family

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William Brooks Rediscovered

William Brooks 11 Aug 1820 to 29 Aug 1853 and Samantha Donaldson 16 Jul 1823 to 30 May 1897 (Tintype from Brooks Family Bible, sold on eBay 12 January 2008)

Biography

William was born 11 Aug 1820. Based on Eastern Cherokee claim records and a “bastard father” charge made by William’s mother, William was the son of [[Love-10089|John Love]] and [[Brooks-34434|Catharine Brooks]]Image 366 of 583 in family genealogy files compiled by Robert Scott Davis donated to the Hargrett Library at the University of Georgia. Microfilm files were donated to the Georgia Department of Archives and History. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHK-93R3-KFHM?view=fullText&keywords=James%2CJames%20Love%2CIngraham%2CIngram%2CJohn%2CMary%2CGeorgia&lang=en&groupId= Love genealogies begin on image 296. See the Research Notes for additional discussion.

William married [[Donaldson-4325|Samantha Donaldson]] in Dec. 1837. [[Maddox-3770|Fielden Maddox]], Samantha’s cousin on her Donaldson line, performed the service.

William enlisted on the 14th of May in 1838 for service in the “Cherokee Removal,” which culminated in the “Trail of Tears”. He was “about 17” at time of enlistment, serving under [[Brewster-3937|Sheriff Brewster (1804-1876)]]. William’s service period coincides with the beginning of the removal process in which Cherokees who had not voluntarily removed were forced from their homes to “round-up camps,” or “concentration camps.”

Sheriff Brewster was activated 7 May 1838 as Captain at Fort Gilmer, a temporary fort constructed to hold Cherokees pending their removal.Hill, Sarah H., Cherokee Removal from Georgia, Final Report, Under a Join Partnership between the National Park Service and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources/Historic Preservation Division, Funded by the National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Program December, 2005, pg 45. https://www.nps.gov/trte/learn/historyculture/upload/Cherokee-Removal-from-Georgia-508.pdf

Within the short period of William’s service, US Army volunteers rounded up about 3,000 Cherokees, a process completed in June 1838. William was discharged the 24th of June.

An ancestral irony is the Eastern Cherokee settlement claims filed by William’s daughters, [[Brooks-24494|Elizabeth C]] and [[Brooks-24496|Sarah Jane]]. Their claims were rejected.

Elizabeth and Sarah Jane made their Cherokee heritage claim through their Rutledge line. They didn’t name their Cherokee ancestor, but claimed their great grandfather was Josiah Rutledge, half Cherokee. [[Rutledge-1725|Josiah]] was instead their grand-uncle who married [[Pope-4544|Rachel Pope]]. There were several Pope Eastern Cherokee applications, most rejected.

Relatives of William’s future daughter-in-law, [[McDonald-17761|Eliza McDonald]], also asserted Eastern Cherokee descent. Their claims were rejected as well.

The Rutledge connection, and the unhappy irony, brings us to the work of Michael Rutledge, a member of the Cherokee Nation (not through Rutledge ancestors). It’s not easy reading, but part of our Brooks history. The work is called “Forgiveness in the Age of Forgetfulness” and includes a description a couple of individuals’ experience starting with the collection of Cherokees who had not voluntarily left their lands.

One memory is from Army private John G. Barnet. The other is “Samuel’s Memory,” the recollection of a Cherokee child as passed down to his descendants.Rutledge, Michael J., “Forgiveness in the Age of Forgetfulness,” https://sacnuoc.wordpress.com/2008/12/18/19/.

William’s wife Samantha filed for a pension for his service. Samantha’s application reports that William had blue eyes, light hair, and a fair complexion.

{{Image|file=Bill_Brooks-13557_Photo_Resources-16.jpg
|size=l
|caption=Samantha O. Donaldson Brooks’ Pension Application
}}

William passed away 29 Aug 1853 near Draketown, Haralson, GA.”Samantha O. Brooks pension application for service of William Brooks in Cherokee War of 1838.” https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/d/d9/Bill_Brooks-13557_Photo_Resources-4.pdf “Della Brooks Ritchey DAR application. “https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Brooks-18960-1 One instance of his death record in Samantha’s application has his death date corrected to 30 Aug.

They were members of the Haynes Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Loganville.History of Haynes Creek Baptist Church: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/gwinnett/churches/gbb56haynescr.txt

In the 1840 census, William and Samantha were in Gwinnett, Georgia, United States.”United States, Census, 1840″ citing Page: 65; Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: M704; Digital film/folder number: 005154508; FHL microfilm: 0007044; Image number: 137 {{FamilySearch Record|XHBZ-DLR}} (accessed 19 March 2025) {{FamilySearch Image|33SQ-GYTL-SPQ}}

Following table produced using tab2wiki Tools Powered by Wikimedia Toolforge https://magnustools.toolforge.org/tab2wiki.php

{| border=”1″
!Head of Household!!William Brooks!!
|-
|Residence Date||1840||
|-
|Home in 1840 (City, County, State)||Gwinnett, Georgia||
|-
|Category||Number in Category||Names in Category
|-
|Free White Persons – Males – 15 thru 19||1||William born 1821
|-
|Free White Persons – Females – 15 thru 19||1||Samantha born in 1823
|-
|Persons Employed in Agriculture||1||Unknown laborer
|-
|No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write||3||
|-
|Free White Persons – Under 20||2||
|-
|Total Free White Persons||2||
|-
|Total All Persons – Free White, Free Colored, Slaves||2||
|}

In the 1850 census, William (age 28) was in Gwinnett, Georgia, United States.”United States, Census, 1850″ citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: M432; Line: 10; Digital film/folder number: 004193240_004_M9CJ-KX3; FHL microfilm: 7067; Image number: 25; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N01154-8 {{FamilySearch Record|MZY5-CJM}} (accessed 19 March 2025) {{FamilySearch Image|S3HT-D899-5Z2}}

{| border=”1″ cellpadding=”4″
|- bgcolor=#E1F0B4
| Name || Sex || Age || Occupation || Birth Place
|-
| ”’William Brooks”’ || ”’M”’ || ”’28”’ || || ”’Georgia”’
|-
| Samantha O Brooks || F || 27 || || Georgia
|-
| Elizabeth C Brooks || F || 9 || || Georgia
|-
| Eliza A Brooks || F || 6 || || Georgia
|-
| Reuben J Brooks || M || 3 || || Georgia
|-
| Mary F Brooks || F || 1 || || Georgia
|}

William is mentioned in a Find-a-Grave memorial with a death date of 29 August 1853. Find a Grave (no image) {{FindAGrave|288175868}} (accessed 22 November 2025)
Memorial page for William Brooks (1821-29 Aug 1853); Maintained by Bill Brooks (contributor 49821957).

==Research Notes==
A brief proof statement connecting William to [[Love-10089|John Love]]:

It’s accepted by William’s family that he was born 16 Aug 1821. This date is from a [[Brooks-28400|Della A Brooks (1873-1953)]] DAR application, citing the Brooks Family Bible. Unfortunately the Bible was sold on eBay in 2008, so only photos and facts copied into family trees are available for confirmation. The date in the charge record made by Catherine Brooks is used for this profile; it’s the next best thing to a birth certificate.

===William is not Jabez and Sarah Davis Brooks’ Son===
William’s father is not named in any family records. Many researchers assign William to parents [[Brooks-22312|Jabez Brooks]] and [[Davis-92341|Sarah Sally Davis]]. Jabez did live in Gwinnett County at the time of William’s birth. Jabez and Sarah are buried in the Brand family cemetery, a family with known connections to the Haynes Creek Baptist Church William and Samantha attended.

The

The connection is based on the fact that Jabez and William were both in Gwinnett County and they were about the right age. Census records show Jabez’s son William was born about 1818. Find more discussion and sources on Jabez’s WikiTree profile.

===Indian Removal Company Note===
Samantha’s pension application for William’s service in the Indian Removal said he served in Hamilton’s Company. An auditor reviewing the pension application noted William Brooks instead served under Sheriff Brewster. One curious aspect of the record confirms a possible familial connection to Jabez Brooks’ lineage – Samantha included details for William’s service that instead belong to (James) Martin Brooks, one of Jabez’s sons.

===yDNA Testing===
The combination of Autosomal and yDNA testing supports the theory that [[Love-10089|John Love (abt.1795-)]] is William’s ancestor. Two patrilineal descendants of John’s brother [[Love-10088|Ingram Love]] have yDNA tested. They match what Catherine’s record charges – that John Love is William’s father.

John Love’s sister [[Love-9013|Mary (Love) Brooks]] and their father [[Love-9014|James Love (1764-aft.1832)]] were living in Walton County, Georgia in 1820, the year William Brooks was born. John Love lived next door to [[Brooks-24519|John Brooks (1780-abt.1883)]].

{{Image|file=Bill_Brooks-13557_Photo_Resources-18.jpg
|Size=M
|caption=Haplogroup I-FTA92228 Tester Earliest Known AncestorsFamilyTreeDNA Love Surname Project: https://discover.familytreedna.com/groups/love-dna/tree?subgroups=27451
}}

A BigY tested direct male Love descended from [[Love-10088|Ingram Love]] would be helpful.

===Triangulated DNA===
The following images show output for triangulated DNA of William Brooks 1820’s and James Love 1764’s descendants. Triangulated DNA means that the testers share a common ancestor.

Results on chromosomes 1, 2 and 5 show William Brooks 1820 and James Love 1764 descendants. All of James’s descendants go through his daughter Mary Love, wife of [[Brooks-24519|John Brooks (1780-abt.1883)]]. John Brooks descendants have yDNA tested and do not share William’s haplogroup, so John Brooks is not the common ancestor in these DNA pairings.

John Brooks parents and siblings are unknown, but it’s possible matching segments came through a sibling, [[Brooks-34434|Catharine Brooks (abt.1797-)]]. Other paths are also possible.

The Figure “Common Ancestor Key,” below, shows the path for each tester to William Brooks 1820, James Love 1764, or [[Love-2883|James Love (abt.1745-1821)]], James Love 1764’s father. The implication is all testers share James Love 1745 as a common ancestor.

{{Image|file=Bill_Brooks-13557_Photo_Resources-24.jpg
|caption=Wm Brooks 1821 and James Love 1764 Match Path Key
}}

William Brooks and James Love 1764 matches triangulating on chromosome 1:
{{Image|file=Bill_Brooks-13557_Photo_Resources-20.jpg
|Size=M
|caption=William Brooks 1820 Chromosome 1 Triangulated DNA with James Love 1764
}}

William Brooks and James Love 1764 matches triangulating on chromosome 2:
{{Image|file=Bill_Brooks-13557_Photo_Resources-21.jpg
|Size=M
|caption=William Brooks 1820 and James Love 1764 Descendant Chr 2 Triangulated DNA
}}

William Brooks and James Love 1764 matches triangulating on chromosome 5:
{{Image|file=Bill_Brooks-13557_Photo_Resources-22.jpg
|Size=M
|caption=William Brooks 1820 and James Love 1764 Descendants Chr 5 Triangulated DNA
}}

William Brooks and James Love 1764 matches triangulating on chromosome 6:
{{Image|file=Bill_Brooks-13557_Photo_Resources-23.jpg
|Size=M
|caption=Wm Brooks 1820 and James Love 1745 Descendants Triangulated on Chr 6
}}

William was born 11 Aug 1820. Based on Eastern Cherokee claim records and a “bastard father” charge made by William’s mother, William was the son of John Love and Catharine Brooks.

William married Samantha Donaldson in Dec. 1837. Fielden Maddox, Samantha’s cousin on her Donaldson line, performed the service. He enlisted on the 14th of May in 1838 for service in the “Cherokee Removal,” which culminated in the “Trail of Tears”. He was “about 17” at time of enlistment, serving under Sheriff Brewster (1804-1876). Sheriff Brewster was activated 7 May 1838 as Captain at Fort Gilmer, a temporary fort constructed to hold Cherokees pending their removal.

William’s service period coincides with the beginning of the removal process in which Cherokees who had not voluntarily removed were forced from their homes to “round-up camps,” or “concentration camps.” Within the short period of William’s service, US Army volunteers rounded up about 3,000 Cherokees, a process completed in June 1838. William was discharged the 24th of June.

An ancestral irony is the Eastern Cherokee settlement claims filed by William’s daughters, Elizabeth C and Sarah Jane. Their claims were rejected.

Elizabeth and Sarah Jane made their Cherokee heritage claim through their Rutledge line. They didn’t name their Cherokee ancestor, but claimed their great grandfather was Josiah Rutledge, half Cherokee. Josiah was instead their grand-uncle who married Rachel Pope. There were several Pope Eastern Cherokee applications, most rejected.

Relatives of William’s future daughter-in-law, Eliza McDonald, also asserted Eastern Cherokee descent. Their claims were rejected as well.

The Rutledge connection, and the unhappy irony, brings us to the work of Michael Rutledge, a member of the Cherokee Nation (not through Rutledge ancestors). It’s not easy reading, but part of our Brooks history. The work is called “Forgiveness in the Age of Forgetfulness” and includes a description a couple of individuals’ experience starting with the collection of Cherokees who had not voluntarily left their lands.

One memory is from Army private John G. Barnet. The other is “Samuel’s Memory,” the recollection of a Cherokee child as passed down to his descendants.

William’s wife Samantha filed for a pension for his service. Samantha’s application reports that William had blue eyes, light hair, and a fair complexion.

Samantha O. Donaldson Brooks’ Pension Application

William passed away 29 Aug 1853 near Draketown, Haralson, GA. His burial location is unknown.

William and Samantha were members of the Haynes Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Loganville. Several members of Samantha’s Rutledge family were also.

the 1840 census, William and Samantha were in Gwinnett, Georgia, United States.Following table produced using tab2wiki Tools Powered by Wikimedia Toolforge https://magnustools.toolforge.org/tab2wiki.php
Head of Household
William Brooks

Residence Date
1840

Home in 1840 (City, County, State)
Gwinnett, Georgia

Category
Number in Category
Names in Category
Free White Persons – Males – 15 thru 19
1
William born 1821
Free White Persons – Females – 15 thru 19
1
Samantha born in 1823
Persons Employed in Agriculture
1
Unknown laborer
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write
3

Free White Persons – Under 20
2

Total Free White Persons
2

Total All Persons – Free White, Free Colored, Slaves
2

In the 1850 census, William (age 28) was in Gwinnett, Georgia, United States.[8]
Name
Sex
Age
Occupation
Birth Place
William Brooks
M
28

Georgia
Samantha O Brooks
F
27

Georgia
Elizabeth C Brooks
F
9

Georgia
Eliza A Brooks
F
6

Georgia
Reuben J Brooks
M
3

Georgia
Mary F Brooks
F
1

Georgia
William is mentioned in a Find-a-Grave memorial with a death date of 29 August 1853.[9]William Brooks was

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