You never know what treasures you will find online, especially on Ancestry.com. It was an absolute delight to finally see the sight of my 2nd great-grandfather, Joshua L. Brewington. It is a great photo with an antique frame. Not unlike many people of his day, Joshua looked away from the camera.

Just who was the man in the photograph?

Joshua L. Brewington’s the maternal grandfather of my maternal grandfather. That is to say, he was born about 1846 in Sampson County, North Carolina to Raiford and Bathsheba (Bashaba) Brewington, one of their at least twelve children.

Joshua later moved to Wayne County, North Carolina where he married Amelia Aldridge on March 25, 1877. Joshua and Amelia had at least seven children: Tilithia (1878-1965), Bashuay (1879-1899), Mattie (1883-1952), Elijah (1886-1949), Hattie (1890-1981), Lundy (1893-1914), and Tony (1894-1973).

Joshua farmed land and held livestock in Wayne County, North Carolina. Interestingly enough, there happens to be an 1890 newspaper account of his cow “adopting” three pigs.

In 1893, Joshua provided testimony in the estate case of his sister, Polly Ann Jacobs, and witnessed that his father, Raiford Brewington, was “hard to please” and that he had “plenty to eat,” as a counter statement to the allegations against his sister and brother-in-law to the contrary.

Tragedy touched the Brewington family when Joshua’s wife, Amelia, passed away in 1895. He went on to marry Louisa Raiford (1858-1923) on June 17, 1896.

Another newspaper article from 1900 documents Joshua helping his neighbor, Sallie Winn, during a horrific kerosene oil fire incident that happened at her restaurant.

In 1923, Joshua was widowed a second time by the death of Louisa Raiford. By January of 1931, Joshua was deathly ill himself. Two of his daughters and one of his grandsons drove down from Norfolk, Virginia to bring him back to Norfolk so that he could be surrounded by family during his final days.

I am so thankful that one of my Braswell cousins, J. Braswell, was kind enough to publicly post this wonderful photo of our ancestor, Joshua. Even with all of the articles and important findings, there really is nothing like looking at a picture of your kin. What a gem!

Consider taking a look online today to see if a genealogical treasure in the form of a family photo awaits you. Rest In Peace and Power to our Joshua L. Brewington.

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