| Brister-Whittington Families |
My husband's parents, James Howard and Lola Elizabeth Whittington Brister, grew up in
Lincoln and Copiah Counties, MS, respectively. His paternal ancestor, John Bristow, came to
America from England (probably in the 1660's) and settled in Middlesex County, Virginia. The
line is: John Bristow > Jedediah Bristow > Thompson Bristow.(Thompson moved his family, first,
to the Greenville District of South Carolina and, eventually, to the Mississippi Territory. It's
believed that almost all of the Bristers who were pioneers in the lower Mississippi Valley in the
first half of the 1800's were descended from Thompson Brister. As far as can be determined, it
was Thompson who first began spelling the "Bristow" name "Brister" or "Bristor.")
The line, continuing: Thompson Brister > Samuel Brister (Lawrence County, MS) > George
Wilson Brister (Lawrence County, MS) > George W. Brister (Lincoln County, MS) > John Alex
Brister (Lincoln County, MS).
John Alex Brister (known as Alex) was my husband's grandfather; he married May Hall and they
had only one child, my husband's dad, James Howard Brister. May Brister died when James
Howard (known as Howard) was three years old. Alex fought in World War I. When he returned,
he married Janie Lou Hollingsworth; they had no children. Alex was, first, a sheriff and, then,
sanitary inspector in Lincoln County. He was set to testify at a federal hearing concerning
bootlegging in the area, in fact, he was packing for the trip, when he died suddenly and some
thought mysteriously. His death was ruled a suicide. Even though there were suspicious
circumstances, no investigation was conducted. His family was never convinced that he took his
own life. He was thirty-three years old. His son, Howard, my husband's father, was raised by
Alex's parents.
Howard and Lola Brister lived in Brookhaven, MS and Tylertown, MS, before eventually settling
in New Orleans, LA, where they spent most of their married years. They had ten children, nine
of whom lived to adulthood.
Lincoln and Copiah Counties, MS, respectively. His paternal ancestor, John Bristow, came to
America from England (probably in the 1660's) and settled in Middlesex County, Virginia. The
line is: John Bristow > Jedediah Bristow > Thompson Bristow.(Thompson moved his family, first,
to the Greenville District of South Carolina and, eventually, to the Mississippi Territory. It's
believed that almost all of the Bristers who were pioneers in the lower Mississippi Valley in the
first half of the 1800's were descended from Thompson Brister. As far as can be determined, it
was Thompson who first began spelling the "Bristow" name "Brister" or "Bristor.")
The line, continuing: Thompson Brister > Samuel Brister (Lawrence County, MS) > George
Wilson Brister (Lawrence County, MS) > George W. Brister (Lincoln County, MS) > John Alex
Brister (Lincoln County, MS).
John Alex Brister (known as Alex) was my husband's grandfather; he married May Hall and they
had only one child, my husband's dad, James Howard Brister. May Brister died when James
Howard (known as Howard) was three years old. Alex fought in World War I. When he returned,
he married Janie Lou Hollingsworth; they had no children. Alex was, first, a sheriff and, then,
sanitary inspector in Lincoln County. He was set to testify at a federal hearing concerning
bootlegging in the area, in fact, he was packing for the trip, when he died suddenly and some
thought mysteriously. His death was ruled a suicide. Even though there were suspicious
circumstances, no investigation was conducted. His family was never convinced that he took his
own life. He was thirty-three years old. His son, Howard, my husband's father, was raised by
Alex's parents.
Howard and Lola Brister lived in Brookhaven, MS and Tylertown, MS, before eventually settling
in New Orleans, LA, where they spent most of their married years. They had ten children, nine
of whom lived to adulthood.
| This page is dedicated to my sweet niece, Catherine Brindley, who has done extensive research on the Brister and Whittington families and has generously shared her discoveries with the rest of the family. Catherine kindly contributed the vintage family photos on this page. |
| My husband's grandparents, John Alex and May Hall Brister |
| John Alex Brister, left, WWI; right, date unknown |
| John Alex Brister's grave Rose Hill Cemetery, Brookhaven, MS (Photo on the left is courtesy of Natalie Maynor) |
My husband's maternal grandparents were Willie Octavis and Lowe Etta McCormick
Whittington. They lived in Lincoln and Hinds Counties, MS.
The Whittington line is: John Whittington (Sussex County, VA) > Cornelius Whittington
(who served in the Revolutionary War and, afterward, migrated first to SC, then to GA,
finally settling in MS) > John Whittington (Scott County, MS) > Ephraim Whittington (Leake
County, MS) > John Whittington (Copiah County, MS) > John Franklin (Lincoln County,
MS) > Willie Octavis Whittington (my husband's grandfather).
Lowe Etta's parents were Hugh Pickins and Julia Caroline Pitts McCormick. Hugh
McCormick's parents were William and Susan McElroy McCormick. William died at the
Battle of Shiloh, serving in the 22nd Alabama Infantry Regiment.
Whittington. They lived in Lincoln and Hinds Counties, MS.
The Whittington line is: John Whittington (Sussex County, VA) > Cornelius Whittington
(who served in the Revolutionary War and, afterward, migrated first to SC, then to GA,
finally settling in MS) > John Whittington (Scott County, MS) > Ephraim Whittington (Leake
County, MS) > John Whittington (Copiah County, MS) > John Franklin (Lincoln County,
MS) > Willie Octavis Whittington (my husband's grandfather).
Lowe Etta's parents were Hugh Pickins and Julia Caroline Pitts McCormick. Hugh
McCormick's parents were William and Susan McElroy McCormick. William died at the
Battle of Shiloh, serving in the 22nd Alabama Infantry Regiment.
| My husband's dad, James Howard Brister |
| While living in Tylertown, my husband's dad ran a bus service. The photo above appeared in the local newspaper, along with the following article: "Howard Brister and his chief mechanic were shown standing beside one of two new buses he purchased just prior to the first trip to Jackson, under the new management of Brister Bus Lines. Brister Lines is scheduled to make daily trips to Jackson and return, and inaugurated the first Sunday schedule, leaving Tylertown in the afternoon at 4:45 p.m. for Jackson." |
| Howard Brister died in 1969; Lola Whittington Brister died in 2007. They are buried in Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Cemetery, Bogue Chitto, Lincoln County, MS. |
| My husband's grandfather, Willie Whittington, died in 1921; grandmother, Lowe Etta McCormick Whittington, died in 1979. They are buried in County Line Baptist Church Cemetery, Crystal Springs, Copiah County, MS. |
