THE TYLER FAMILY

[See also the Early Tyler Family addendum. ^correction and the Tyler Genealogy area.]

1. The Early Days of the Tyler Family. In the census of 1790, the first to be conducted in the United States, only ten persons with the family name of Tyler are listed as heads of households in South Carolina. One, and only one, of these had the name William, and he is shown as living in the Orangeburg District. In this first census, as well as in the next several ones that followed, the only name recorded in a household was that of the head. No precise ages were given; only age brackets. Even this was not done for females. So, the family composition of this William Tyler is recorded as follows:

		1  male over 16
		3  males under 16
		4  females
		4  slaves

The male over sixteen was, undoubtedly, William Tyler, the head of the household. His wife, if she were then living, would be one of the females. He, then, had six children in 1790. Allowing about twenty years for the births of these six children and assuming that he married at about age twenty, he was born around 1750. Who was this William Tyler?

The census of 1800 shows only nine Tylers as heads of households in South Carolina and only one of these has the name William. He is shown as living in the Abbeville District with the following family composition:

		1 male over 45
		1 female 16-26
		1 female over 45
		1 slave

Since only one William Tyler is recorded in both the 1790 and 1800 censuses in South Carolina, it is reasonable to believe that the two references are to the same person. Proceeding on this assumption, the William Tyler of the 1790 census and his wife could not have been born later than 1755 since the 1800 census shows them as being over age forty-five at that time. It is, therefore, probably correct to assume that they were born somewhere between 1740 and 1750.

The 1810 census shows a William Tyler, Jr., and a William Tyler, Sr., as heads of households and living in Orangeburg District, South Carolina. Their family compositions are as follows:

		William Tyler, Jr.
	1 male under 10
	1 male under 45
	1 female under 10
	1 female under 16
	1 female under 26
		William Tyler, Sr.
	2 males under 16
	1 male over 45
	1 female under 10

This William Tyler, Sr., is, undoubtedly, the William Tyler of both the 1790 and 1800 censuses. His wife was probably dead by 1810, since the only female shown was under ten years old in that year. William Tyler, Jr., was his son. How is he further identified?

From reliable sources of information, wholly independent of the censuses, it is known that a William Tyler was born in the Orangeburg District October 24, 1780. His wife, Ann, was born May 18, 1789. They had three children born to them prior to 1810. (See Section 3 for more information.) A girl, named Martha, was born in 1804. William, a son, was born in 1807. Another son, John Jefferson, was born in 1809. William, however, died in 1810. This leaves only two children to be accounted for in the 1810 census; one, a girl and the other, a boy. Their family, then, in 1810 consisted of the following members:

	William		father	age	30
	Ann		wife	age	21
	Martha		girl	age	6
	John Jefferson	boy	age	1

When this family composition is compared with that of the family of William Tyler, Jr., of the 1810 census, it is seen that they are identical with the exception of the female who is shown as being under sixteen years of age. She could have been a relative who happened to be living with William and Ann when the 1810 census was taken. Hence, the only reasonable conclusion to reach is that the William Tyler of the 1810 census is the William Tyler who was born in 1780.

The above facts and information are briefly summarized by stating that the William Tyler who was born somewhere between 1740 and 1750 was the father of the William Tyler who was born in 1780 and who is well-known in the Tyler ancestral line. It may be of interest to note that the 1790 census shows William Tyler as having in his household three males under sixteen years old. The William Tyler who was born in 1780 was then ten years old and was one of these three males,

The date of the death of William Tyler, Sr., is not known. He was certainly living in 1810. Since it is believed that Willow Swamp Baptist Church was founded in his home (see part III), it would be reasonable to believe that he is buried in the cemetery of this church. If this is true, there is no monument to his grave.

Before closing this section on the early days of the Tyler family, there is reproduced below a copy of a legal document which may be of some interest:

South Carolina

Pursuant to an Act of the General Assembly. passed the 12th day of March, 1783, we the Commissioners of the Treasury, have this day delivered to

William Tyler

this our Indented Certificate for the sum of seventeen pounds, eighr shillings for eight head of cattle.

The said William Tyler. his executors, Administrators, or Assigns will be entitled to receive the above sum on the [indistinct writing] day with interest at the rate of seven per centum from the first day of April, one thousand seven hundred and eighty three.

This William Tyler was, undoubtedly, the William Tyler of the 1790 census and the father of the William Tyler who was born in 1780.

2. William and Ann Tyler. As stated in the above section, William Tyler was born October 24, 1780. From census reports already cited. he was, undoubtedly, born in what is now Orangeburg County and lived his entire life there. He had the name of his father who was born sometime between 1740 and 1750. For this reason, he is sometimes referred to in the records as William Tyler, Jr.

In 1806, a William Tyler (believed to be William Tyler, Sr., who was born between 1740 and 1750) deeded some property to William Tyler, Jr. A copy of this deed is reproduced below:

State of South Carolina Orangeburg District

Know all men by these presents that I, William Tyler, of rhe aforesaid District in consideration of the sum of one hundred dollars to me paid by William Tyler. Jr. of the state aforesaid, have granted and sold and released and by these presents do grant, bargain and sell and release unto the said William Tyler, Jr. all that plantation or tracr of land containing one hundred and fifty acres, it being and lying in the fork of Edisto [writing indistinct] by the name of Willow Swamp [writing indistinct] and appurtenances to said premises belonging or in any wise incident or appertaining to have and to hold all and singular premises before mentioned unto the said William Tyler, Jr., his heirs and assigns Forever and l hereby bind myself, my heirs, executors, administrators to Warrant and Forever defend all and singular said premises unto the said William Tyler, Jr. his heirs and assigns against myself and my heirs and against every person whomsoever lawfully claiming or to claim the same or any part thereof. Witness my hand and seal this the Twenty-seventh day of May, one thousand, eight hundred and six and in the thirty-first year of the independence of the United States of America.

The wife of William Tyler was named Ann who was born May 18, 1789. They were married December 15, 1802. Nothing further is known about her except that she lived with her son, Levy Silvester Tyler, after the death of her husband. (See Section 4.)

William Tyler died August 16, 1842, and is buried in the cemetery of Willow Swamp Baptist Church, near Norway, South Carolina. The monument to his grave carries the oldest birth date of all those in this cemetery. His wife, Ann, died, June 10, 1865, and is buried in the space beside her husband.

3. The Children of William and Ann Tyler. Listed below are the names of the sons and daughters of William and Ann Tyler with the dates of their births and deaths:

Martha Tyler. Martha Tyler was born November 7. 1804, and died January 21, 18l6.

William Tyler. William Tyler was born January 19, 1807. and died September 17, 1810.

John Jefferson Tyler. John Jefferson Tyler was born February 27, 1809, and died January 20. 1816.

May Ann Elizabeth Caroline Tyler. Mary Ann Elizabeth Caroline Tyler was born January 12, 1812, and died January 16, 1816.

Rebecca Tyler. Rebecca Tyler was born August 30, 1815. and died October 30, 1815.

James Head Tyler. James Head Tyler was born November 24, 1816, and died August 29, 1817.

Joshua Tyler. Joshua Tyler was born November 18, 1818. The date of his death is not known. He married Ann Jane Corbitt September 9, 1838. '

Thomas Bennett Tyler. Thomas Bennett Tyler was born August 27, 1820. The date of his death is not known.

Levy Silvester Tyler. Levy Silvester Tyler was born December 8, 1823, and died June 6, 1864. (See Section 4.)

Darling Swift Tyler. Darling Swift Tyler was born February 16, 1826. And died Sept 24, 1864. See the addition. ^addition

Anner Rebecca Tyler. Anner Rebecca Tyler was born August 31, 1828. The date of her death is not known.

4. Levy Silvester Tyler. It is this particular son of William and Ann Tyler with whom we are concerned in this history of the Williams and Tyler families.

There is some confusion about the date of his birth and the spelling of his name. In an old family Bible, his name is given as Levy Silvester at the place where his birth is recorded, but at the place where his death is recorded it is given as Levi Silveston. A son of his, who presumably was named after his father, spelled it Levi Sylvester. (See Section 6.) This same Bible records his birth as December 8, 1823, but it is recorded on the monument at his grave as September 6, 1823.

Levy (or Levi) Silvester Tyler was born in Willow Township, Orangeburg County, South Carolina; perhaps, near the town of Norway. On February 14, 1856, he married Catherine Thomas. They lived during their eight years of married life near the tracks of the Seaboard Coast Line railroad and about a mile and a half south of Norway. The census of 1860 shows him living in Orangeburg County. His name appears in this census as Levi. It also records that he was a farmer with real estate valued at four thousand dollars and personal property valued at eighteen thousand dollars. The writer questions the accuracy of this last figure. When the census taker wrote '' 18000,'' he probably intended to write ''1800,'' for it would be unreasonable to assume that Levi had personal property with a value of eighteen thousand dollars when his real estate holdings were valued at only four thousand dollars.

According to this census, Levi's family in 1860 consisted of the following:

	Catherine	wife	age 26
	Daniel S.	son	age 3
	John		son	age 1
	Ann		mother	age 71

This family composition in 1860 checks accurately with information from other independent sources. The last person mentioned, Ann, was the widow of William Tyler. She probably began living with her son, Levi, after the death of her husband, in 1842.

Levi Silvester Tyler was a soldier in the Confederate Army in the War Between The States. Reproduced below are copies of two letters which he wrote about three months before he died.

March 14, 1864

Dear Wife,

I am getting on tolerable well. I spit up a little blood yet and my back hurts me at times.

There is a stirup in camp, the company is to be reduced today. 16 men had to leave. I have applied for a transfer today. It will he several days before I know whether it will be granted or not. l will see Rickenbaker tonight about it. If Jim Reed goes to Augusta, you could send $450 by him to get bond. Be sure to send the one hundred dollar bill. What you keep let it be $70. Bills dated in August 1863. The men have got no meat for 3 days last week. Sone are living on bread and water. I am sorry for them, but cannot help or I would soon be out.

Your affectionate husband,
Levi S. Tyler

Mrs. C. Tyler

Tell Dan I can hear the cannon firing now.

(Writer's comments: Jim Reed must have been some family friend. Dan was Levi's son. He was then eight years old. His picture appears at the front of this book as Daniel Swift Tyler.)

March 27, 1864

Dear son,

I am well this morning except my back and hope this will Find you all well. Tell your mother I have received my transfer and will get a furlough For 10 or 16 days to bring my horse home and then we will go fishing. You must be a good boy and take care of Ann and Levi. Ask Ann if she Feeds her gramma's rabbits yet. I hear old R. Walker is dead. But you did write to me about it. It is said that our company will leave next Wednesday, but I do not think they will leave so soon. General Wade refuses to give up the men till he receives an order from Beauregard. Tell mother to save me some supper Wednesday night. I might get home sooner.

Save me some eggs. I will come up horse back.

Your affectionate Father,
Levi S. Tyler.

Master Dan Tyler.

(Writer's comments: The son to whom this letter is addressed was Dan, who is identified in the first letter above. Ann was the writer's mother whose picture appears in the front of this book as Catherine Annie Elizabeth Tyler Williams. She was about four years old when her father wrote this letter. Levi was another son of Levi, the soldier. He was only two years old when this letter was written.) (See Section 6.)

While home on furlough during the latter part of the war, Levi Silvester became ill. In spite of this illness, when his furlough was about to expire he persisted on returning to his post of duty, near Charleston, South Carolina. A third letter is reproduced below which is concerned with his illness:

Battery Palmer
Saint Andrews Parish
June 7, 1864.

Mrs. L. S. Tyler
Dear Madam:

I am sorry to inform you of the illness of your husband, Mr. Tyler, and would beg of you to come as soon as you possibly can for I look on him as a very ill man. Cap't. Rickenbaker's Company had been ordered from this post. But your husband is here at this hospital. I have sent tor his brother, Mr. W. S. Tyler, and expect him this afternoon on the train from Adams Run. I do not wish to alarm you, but hardly think he will be alive when you get here. But there is one consolation and that is to put our trust in God, who doeth all things for the best. He is the only one now that we can look to for his recovery. I have done all that could be done for him here and I promised his brother that if he got worse to let you know and would have done so betore now, but l heard that they had written for you, and I waited. Not seeing you on the train this morning I thought best to write myself.

Permit me to remain, Dear Madam, although a stranger to you, but a friend to your sick husband,

Your Obedient Servant,
Francis S. Curtis Hospital Steward

Family records show that Levi died June 6. 1864. The letter above, however, indicates that his death could nor have occurred before the next day, or June 7, 1864. Regardless of which date is correct, his wife, Catherine, probably did not arrive before his death. His body was returned home and is buried in the cemetery of Willow Swamp Baptist Church, near Norway, South Carolina.

The letter above refers to a W.S. TyIer as a brother of Levi Silvester. No such brother is listed in Section 3. Could this W.S. Tyler have been Darling Swift Tyler who was born February 16, 1826? This is possible. The writer of the letter could have had his initials confused.

5. Catherine Thomas Tyler. Catherine Thomas Tyler, wife or Levi Silvester Tyler, was born in Barnwell County, near Blackville, South Carolina, March 19, 1834. After five years of widowhood, she married Dearal Rowell who died in April of 1877, and is buried in the cemetery of Willow Swamp Baptist Church. After the death of her second husband, Catherine continued to live at her old home place for a while, but later moved to Norway, South Carolina, where she was living at the time of her death, March 17, 1904. She is buried in the cemetery of Willow Swamp Baptist Church.

It is believed that the father of Catherine Thomas was Reuben Thomas and that her mother was named Elizabeth. Nothing further is known about them.

Before closing this section on Catherine Thomas Tyler, a letter and a legal document are reproduced below, both involving Catherine and showing something about conditions at the times the slaves were freed:

Caroline Tyler		Isaac Tyler
Frank Tyler		Beth Tyler
Mood Tyler 		Chancey Tyler
Eliza Tyler

6. The Children of Levi Silvester and Catherine Thomas Tyler. Listed below are the names of the sons and daughters of Levi Silvester and Catherine Thomas Tyler with the dates of their births and deaths. In some cases, other information is given:

Catherine Annie Elizabeth Tyler. Catherine Annie Elizabeth Tyler was born September 1, 1860, and died January 19, 1935. (See Part I. Section 8.)

Levi Sylvester Tyler. Levi Sylvester Tyler was born November 1, 1862. He married Eula Reed. He died December 28, 1933, and is buried in the cemetery of Emmit Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Bulloch County, Georgia, about seven miles from Statesboro.

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