By Staff
Wow! I love it when I get mail and this week has been a good one. I have heard from Brian Nilsson with some information about Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg. I will get to that later as well as some more on the Brewton family.
First, though, I received an email from Vanessa Kierce Burzynski in Katy, Texas. She wants us to know that there will be a Confederate grave marker dedication ceremony at Fairmount Baptist Church in Red Level this coming Saturday for the Rev. George W. Kierce. This will be at 3 p.m. following the Magilbry Findley reinterment which is at 2 p.m. at the same cemetery. Both of these events should be of interest to residents of Escambia County.
The Rev. George W. Kierce was a pioneer citizen of Covington County and was instrumental in the formation of several churches in the county. One of his brothers was the Rev. Henry Kierce who was the great-great-grandfather of Mrs. Burzynski. He is buried at Jordan Cemetery in Gonzales, Fla. He, too, was a Baptist minister. Mrs. Burzynski has ordered markers for him, Wilson Kierce (the father of Henry and George) and Greenberry Hinote who is buried at Fort Crawford. He was the father of Honor Hinote, wife of Henry Kierce. He served in the 15th Alabama Cavalry in the Civil War and is buried at Fort Crawford in East Brewton.
Mrs. Burzynski's great-grandparents were Moses Kierce and Florida Mims of Pensacola. Florida Mims was the daughter of Thomas Mims and Florida Dixon. Florida Dixon was the daughter of Francis F. Dixon and Martha Ann Cobb. Francis F. Dixon was the son of John Dixon and Martha Peavy of Escambia County. He served in the war with Greenberry Hinote and his burial place is unknown. Mrs. Burzynski believes that it may have been at the Dixonville Cemetery where so many of the family are buried. If you have any additional information about these families, let me know.
Now, back to the material sent to me by Brian Nilsson. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the article in the Escambia County Historical Society's newsletter. It voiced the question of a connection with Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Va., with the Brewton family in our area. Nilsson has sent quite a bit of information (too large to put here)that states there is no connection. Knowing how precise his research is, I would put my money on what he says. He also included information about his trip to Bruton in Somerset, England, and what he found there. It was all quite interesting and I would be glad to share it all if anyone is interested. Just let me know by writing to The Brewton Standard, P.O. 887, Brewton, Ala. 36427 or email me at lydia.grimes@brewtonstandard.com. In the meantime, join me at the ceremony in Red Level. I am sure it will be interesting.