INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS

SEABORN/SEABOURN FAMILY

By Joyce Disharoon

The picture above was taken in 1899 and printed in the Cleveland Daily Banner in Cleveland, Tennessee in the 1930’s. 

The people in the picture are the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Joseph Seabourn who settled in Bradley County during the late 1830’s after the Ocoee District land opened up and settlers poured into the prime land that the Cherokees were evacuating.  This evacuation became known as the Trail of Tears, and the Cherokees gathered in Bradley County for the long journey westward, accompanied by the militia.  This occurred in 1838.

The location of this picture is close to the White Oak Mountains in Bradley County.  This is the Seaborn homeplace, once owed by Richard J. Lee (or Lea), another Bradley County pioneer.  It was purchased by the Seaborns and still stands with a spring and spring house in the front yard and the Lee/Seaborn Cemetery a short walk from the house.  My mother grew up here, and started her married life in a small house across and down the road a short distance.  This was 1931 and my parents’ house had dirt floors and no basic comforts.

Joseph Seabourn is the earliest ancestor we have identified.  There is speculation as to his father’s name, but no proof.  It is our goal to trace our lineage past Joseph and overseas.  The research that you see in this section is a repository of bits and pieces of history that have been collected over the years by family members far and wide.  We are publishing our notes so that we as Family Ties researchers can collectively work with them, and also so that other Seaborns may have the opportunity to analyze them and perhaps find their way through the brick wall we’ve stumbled into.

You will find that the name Seaborn has many spellings.  The Bradley County Seaborns generally use “Seaborn”.  The western Seabourns generally use “Seabourn”.  We have also seen Seburn, which Joseph occasionally used, and Seabourne.  Other variations may be Sebring, Seeborn, and others.  We do not have proof as to the origin of the name.  Family lore is consistent in claiming the family is of German origin.  Joseph’s wife, Mary Wilhite, was from an  upper-class German family. Then there are others who claim the name is of English origin, and indeed, there were Seaborns in England.  There is another claim that the family is Scot-Irish (Ulster Irish).

The story that appears in almost every branch of the family is that the surname was adopted during the family’s trip from Europe to America when a baby was born on the sea…seaborn.  We are doubtful that this is a factual account.  There were Seaborns in Europe prior to the American colonization.

You will note that we will use different spellings of the name throughout this section.  In giving information from public records or speaking of family members, we will use the spelling that they used.  I favor using “Seaborn” when a specific spelling is not required because my mother’s family used that spelling.  Some of our other Seaborn researchers favor using “Seabourn” for the same reason.

Our researchers are Barbara Seabourn Brinkley, Betty Jo King Pitts, Hoyle R. King, Kermet Seabourn, and Pam Jacoby. Our relationships within the Seaborn branches are:

Barbara:                      

Father was John Clifford Seabourn                                 

His father was DeWitt Clinton Pardue Seabourn

His father was Napoleon Bonaparte Seabourn               

His father was John Seabourn                               

His father was Joseph Seabourn

Betty Jo:                       

Mother was Alva Hickman King                                  

Alva’s mother was Lydia Seaborn                                 

Lydia’s father was James Landon Seaborn                                   

James Landon’s father was James Monroe Seaborn                                  

James Monroe’s father was Joseph Seabourn

 Joyce  and Hoyle:         
                 

Mother was Agnes Lorena Seaborn King  

Agnes’ father was Charles Hambrick Seaborn      

Charlie’s father was James Landon Seaborn

James Landon’s father was James Monroe Seaborn    

James Monroe’s father was Joseph Seabourn    

Kermet:   

Father was Samuel Monroe Seabourn

His father was Jesse Columbus Seabourn

His father was Francis Marion Seabourn

His father was John Seabourn

John’s father was Joseph Seabourn          

Pam:                           

Father is a Seaburn

His father was Clarence Seabourn

Clarence’s father was Jackson Robert Seaboun

Jackson’s father was William O. Butler Seabourn

His father was Miles Wright Seabourn

His father was James Monroe Seaborn

His father was Joseph Seabourn

We are using every piece of research that we can find to build the history of the Seaborns in this country in colonial times.  We want to give special acknowledgment for the contributions of the following, and if we have missed someone, we deeply apologize and will make the correction:

Mettie Belle Allen Seabourn:  This is Barbara’s mother and her research collection is very large.

Clay and Agnes King Seaborn:  My mother and dad worked together on the histories of both her  family and my dad’s.

Treva Treesh: When Treva learned of our project, she volunteered material from her research.