The Larkin Bramblett who IS related - Stories from the Tree

The last two "Stories from the Tree" told the sad tale of Larkin Bramlet, who, in an alcohol-induced snit, shot and killed his friend and fellow mill operator. Justice prevailed, however, and Larkin was publicly hanged for his crime in Cherokee County, Alabama in 1854. I pointed out that this particular Larkin Bramlet was not directly related to the immediate family, and was rather merely kin to someone who was kin to someone who was kin to a distant relative.

However, there is another Larkin Bramblett in the family, and he is directly related. Thomas Larkin Bramblett, my second great grandfather, was born in Laurens District, South Carolina about 1803, and departed this life in the same county precisely at sundown on 7 June 1838. We know the exact date and time, because he was allegedly murdered by his neighbor, Hiram Holcombe, and there is a record of the Coroner's Inquisition concerning the circumstances of his death.

The actual document is lengthy and shot through (um, poor choice of words) with legal mumbo jumbo, so here's a somewhat abridged and spell-checked version:

"Laurens District - An inquisition taken at the House of Newton Bramblett [Larkin's father] the 8th day of June in the year 1838 upon view of the body of Larkin Bramblett, late of the said District then and there lying dead.

"Good and lawful men of the said District, who being charged and sworn to inquire for the state when, where, how and after what manner the said Larkin Bramblett came to his death, do say upon their oaths that Hiram Holcombe of the state and District aforesaid on yesterday evening the 7th Inst. between sundown & dark did feloniously, voluntarily and of his own malice aforethought with a certain shot gun shoot and wound the said Larkin Bramblett in the breast, neck and head of which said mortal wounds the aforesaid Larkin Bramblett then and there instantly died and so the said Hiram Holcombe then and there feloniously killed and murdered the said Larkin Bramblett against the peace of this state.

"Spilsby C. Brown was sworn and on his oath says that yesterday evening, the 7th June 1838, Larkin Bramblett, the deceased, came to this deponent and requested him to go and help him get some hogs out of his field; that he went and found a number of hogs in the field and that they run or drove out some ten or twelve head. They caught one, the last they saw, near Hiram Holcombe's fence, which is a dividing fence between the said Holcombe and Bramblett, and that they dragged the hog to the fence near the corner of the field in the low grounds of the creek where the bushes and briars are very thick outside of the field.

"They laid down a few rails for the purpose of putting the hog into Hiram Holcombe's corn field; just as they raised up with the hog, Larkin Bramblett having hold of the head and this deponent of the hinder part of the hog, a gun was fired near to them and in front of where Bramblett stood, who fell back with a groan and never spoke. This deponent spoke and said, "In the name of God who had done this?" and cast his eyes in the direction of where the report of the gun came from and saw the smoke rising but saw no person, the bushes being quite thick in that direction.

He stepped a few steps around the corner of the field and saw Hiram Holcombe standing near a tree in the act of loading his gun in great haste. He says it was between sundown and dusk but entirely light enough for him to see distinctly that it was Hiram Holcombe, whom he has lived near all of his life and is well acquainted with, and that he could not be mistaken in the man.

This deponent, believing that Holcombe was loading his gun to shoot him also, ran off as fast as he could and never spoke to Holcombe nor Holcombe to him. He says it was about fifteen steps from where he and the deceased were standing to where he saw the smoke rise but that Holcombe, when he saw him, was some ten or twelve steps further off. He also says that it was Hiram Holcombe's hogs that were in Larkin Bramblett's field and which they were putting out. The deponent has no hesitation in saying that it was Hiram Holcombe of Laurens District in the State of South Carolina who shot the gun which killed Larkin Bramblett."

Unlike non-relative Larkin Bramlet's story, there was no big city newspaper to record what happened next, or at least I have been unable to find any further proceedings. The best I can come up with is a FindAGrave memorial that states a Hiram Holcombe was born in Laurens District about 1794,  died on April 24, 1842 and was buried in the Holcombe Family Cemetery in Laurens. That's 5 years after Larkin's death and I doubt that the wheels of justice turned that slowly.

So for now, at least, there is no rest of the story. I can only conclude that perhaps it is bad luck to be named Larkin if you are a Bramblett, and that if your neighbor's hogs get in your corn, you might check first to see if he wants them back.