The American Ledbetter name is likely French in origin - Lebete, LeBett, LaBett, LeBatt , Le Lebete or something similar. An alternate spelling is Leadbetter. Our Ledbetters likely migrated to England from France. From England they may have come directly to the USA or they may have gone to Ireland and then to the USA. Like most of my southern US families, the Ledbetters appear to all be related in some fashion. Some researchers claim that our Ledbetters have been in the USA since the mid 1600s.
The American Ledbetters have been fairly well researched and I have provided links at the bottom of this page for you to download a couple of the most thorough works for yourself. With our Ledbetters living in Pendleton District, SC and Franklin and Hart Counties in Georgia for so many years, we also have quite a bit of information available via the censuses, tax digests and land records should anyone decide to "dig deeper". My focus here is of course my own line and I have not researched the Ledbetter lines that do not pertain to my own (line). Even for my own Ledbetter line I have not personally done much research due to time constraints. My grandmother did some work back in the 1960-1980 period so what I present below is a lot of her work combined with my own recent research. My grandmother was the granddaughter of Rev. Joel Parks Ledbetter of Franklin County, GA (discussed below). I have only hit the high spots but someone might find something here of use for further research.
The best resource for any southern Ledbetter researcher is the book entitled "Ledbetters of Virginia". The book's authors are well educated and their work is substantial. Since the book is not copyrighted, I have reproduced some of the book here rather than re-tell the story. I have provided a link at the bottom of the page where you can obtain the full book. If you are a Ledbetter descendant, you should have a copy of this book. Note that I have not confirmed all of the research contained in the book but from what I have read, it appears to be accurate in most respects; However, there are few original records provided so, as always, it would be prudent to confirm the data for yourself by locating the original records.
Chapter 3 - Ledbetters of Early Virginia
My proven Ledbetter lineage can be traced to the Baptist preacher Reverend Henry Ledbetter (1721-1785) of Prince George County, Virginia (Formerly Bristol Parish). His wife is said to have been Edy Clark. Henry and his descendants went on to settle in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. Like so many Ledbetter men, Henry was a preacher and many of his descendants followed in the Ledbetter tradition of becoming preachers of various denominations. For many of these Ledbetter families, the church was their life.
Chapter 5 - Rev. Henry Ledbetter, born 1721 in Bristol Parish, VA
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(Familysearch.org)
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Henry appears to have died while living in North Carolina. Many of his descendants kept the migration pattern intact by moving south where we find my Ledbetter ancestors living in Pendleton District, SC and Franklin County, GA by 1798.
Henry's son Joel Ledbetter was an early settler of Pendleton District, SC arriving in the 1790s. Although it hasn't been proven, Joel's wife was probably Catherine Braselton, who was related to the Braselton family that settled in Jackson County, Georgia where there is a town by that name named for Jacob Braselton. Jacob was a devout Baptist. Based on her age, Catherine could be a sister of Jacob. [1] Jacob's son Henry is said to have married a daughter of Joel and Catherine. I have not found any documents to support this; However, the 1800 census for Pendleton District does show the Ledbetters and the Braseltons living fairly close together. Jacob Braselton is family #458 and Joel Ledbetter is #443. Two more of my maternal ancestors can be found living close: George Verner and Mary Verner, families #461 and #462. George is my 4th great grandfather; This Mary Verner is either his mother (Mary Pettigrew Verner) or a sister-in-law.
Today, his land looks to have been located fairly close to Highway 187, just north of Interstate I-85. With the formation of Lake Hartwell in the 1960s, it is hard to pinpoint the location exactly. It may have been farther south, perhaps even south of I-85.
Joel and Catherine left Pendleton District and moved to Madison County, AL where they later died; However, many of their descendants remained in the area.
A grandson of Joel Ledbetter, and a great-grandson of Henry Ledbetter was the Methodist minister Rev. Joel Ledbetter (1811-1873). The following newspaper article provides a brief summary of his life. Note that the Providence Methodist Church referred to is the present day church near Hartwell Georgia (formerly in Franklin County) whose cemetery contains several Ledbetters. Joel's mother (Mary Verner Ledbetter) is buried here.
In 1833, Joel was only 22 years old; His brother John was 24
Rev. Joel Ledbetter's brother, Rev. John Ledbetter, was the pastor of Allen's Methodist Church in Franklin County, Georgia. For my own family, it is important to note that several of my maternal ancestors and cousins are associated with that church and some are buried in the church's cemetery. [3] Rev. John Ledbetter is my maternal 3rd great-grandfather.
The son of Rev. John Ledbetter was also a Methodist Minister. He was Rev. Joel Parks Ledbetter (1848-1923) also of Franklin County, Georgia. Joel's church was Fairview Methodist located north of Carnesville. He and his wife, Mary Miller, are buried in the small church's cemetery. This Joel was my grandmother's grandfather. Interestingly, Mary Miller's mother, Adenia/Addeaney Dolba Mayson, was the granddaughter of Colonel James Mayson who was one of the key figures in the American Revolutionary war in the south. Mary Miller's ancestry also includes the German Kesler and Cromer families who settled in Dutchfork (Deutsch Fork) South Carolina (near Newberry). There were several descendants of Colonel James Mayson that were early settlers and noteworthy citizens of Decatur and Atlanta, Georgia.
The old photo below was in my grandmother's (Rubye Bailey Blair) records -The handwriting on the back is hers.
Joel may have been associated with Providence Methodist Church near Hartwell Georgia since he owned land on Shoal Creek and his mother (Mary Verner Ledbetter) is buried in that church's cemetery.
Married Thomas Jefferson Bailey
(Family photo)
(Family photo)
I have a vague memory of visiting my great grandmother (Rosa) when I was 6 years old. We drove all the way from our home in Decatur, GA to her home in Mauldin, SC which was a long drive back then with no "freeways/interstates". My sister celebrated her 8th birthday at her house during that visit. I remember her living close to the railroad and we heard numerous trains while we were there. Years later (late 1980s), when I lived and worked nearby, my mother and I tried to locate her house but had no luck. The railroad was still there of course but not the house - It was probably torn down and something built in its place. My mother had a memory of her living in another house in Mauldin but she could not remember its exact location. The Greenville SC home where she lived just before her death is still standing. It is located on McMakin Drive which is off of Highway 29 north of Greenville - just north of the present day intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 291. Rosa, her husband and most of her children are buried in the Mauldin Methodist Church cemetery which is close to where she lived at the time of her death.
The book "Methodist Preachers in Georgia 1783-1900" (Harold Lawrence, 1984), lists several Ledbetter men - most of whom are likely closely related who probably share a common ancestor that arrived in Virginia in the 1600s. Some of these men are discussed above. I do know that Lewis L. Ledbetter is a descendant of Drury Ledbetter (Rev. War soldier). With the known migration pattern from Virginia southward through North Carolina and South Carolina, it should not be a surprise that so many of these Ledbetter families wound up in Georgia.
Research Sources
1. In 1980, 2 years before my grandmother died, Howard M. Waddle of West Point, Georgia wrote a paper based on his research into the Ledbetters of Franklin County, GA. To my knowledge his work was never formally published and the copy that I have of his work was in my grandmother's files. I have scanned that research and posted it here.
2. A great deal of extensive research work was done by Roy C. Ledbetter, William R. Ledbetter, Justus Moll and James Tillman in the 1960s. Their research was entitled "Ledbetters From Virginia".
3. Lastly, we have the transcribed Vestry Book and Register of Bristol Parish, VA 1720-1789 by Churchill G. Chamberlayne which contains the names of several Ledbetters.
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[1] I have not researched Joel and Catherine. If his wife was Catherine Brazelton/Braselton, they would likely have been married in North Carolina sometime between 1765 and 1790. There are 2 books located in the Commerce, Georgia public library that have extensive information on the Braselton family but I did not find anything in them that would shed light on Catherine. If she was the brother of Jacob, why is she not mentioned in her father's Will?
[2] There is a modern day plaque placed on the grave of Jacob Braselton's wife Hannah Green stating that she was a niece of George Washington. This is probably not correct; However, I did find anecdotal evidence that she was a cousin of President George Washington. Hannah's mother (Annie Willis) may have been a 1st cousin of George Washington's father - which likely makes Hannah a cousin of President George Washington.
[3] Wansleys - see my info posted HERE.
(This page was created on 8/7/2023)