DNA Proves Family Lore

 As I work through DNA matches about which Ancestry suggests a common ancestor, I like to research everyone from the common ancestor forward through to the person with matching DNA. Then I add all the new information to my family tree.

My three times great grandmother was Anna Mariah or Marie Waldrond (1782-1868)1. Several of my Waldron DNA matches share Anna's father, Benjamin Walrond (died 1811) as our common ancestor as did this interesting match:

Ancestry.com suggested common ancestor; courtesy Ancestry.com

I had researched Thomas, John and Samuel Washington Waldron extensively. According to my research Samuel Washington Waldron didn't have a daughter named Sallie Bell and why was her maiden name Presley?

I found this note posted by Ancestry.com user Timothy Hunt in 2007:

Courtesy Ancestry.com

After much research, I discovered that the family lore outlined above was true as proved by my DNA to Sallie Belle's grandson as well as several other shared matches that could only be matches to me if a son of John Waldron fathered Sallie Bell. 

What Nina's grandmother, Bertha (Altizer) Waldron failed to mention however, was that Bertha's father Cecil Corbin Altizer was born before Bertha's marriage to Augustus Spotts Waldron, Samuel Washington Waldron's brother. Such a tangled, but oh so interesting family tree.

Relationships between Waldron and Altizer families; created using
Microsoft Powerpoint

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1 Spelling of the Walrond surname was later changed to Waldron.

Will "My" Coy Franklin Hicks Please Stand Up?

Mary Inez Muir was my first cousin once removed, the eldest daughter of my grand uncle, Henry "Jack" Muir and his first wife, Mary Frances Canterbury. Mary Inez was born on 8 January 1922 in Raven, Virginia. According to her granddaughter, she was married as many as nine times. So far, I have found at least the surnames of eight husbands. 

On 26 January 1994 Mary Inez married Coy Franklin Hicks in Tazewell County, Virginia. For years I could not find any additional information about Coy beyond his name. Earlier this week, I tried searching for him again. I had more success than I bargained for and found three men named Coy Franklin Hicks!

Virginia marriage record for Mary Inez and Coy Franklin Hicks; 
courtesy of Ancestry.com

Coy Franklin Hicks

• Born: 17 June 1917 in Caretta, West Virginia, to Mitchell and Rebecca "Beckie" (Boothe) Hicks.
• Died: 23 May 1999 in Tazewell County, Virginia
• Married: 1) Kathleen Hopkins (died in 1988) in 1938 and 2) Mary Inez Muir in 1994; no known children

Coy Franklin Hicks

• Born: 21 December 1918 in Davidson County, North Carolina, to Marvin and Cora Louise (Klass) Hicks
• Died: 8 June 1971 in Thomasville, North Carolina
• Married: 1) Dorothy Mae Loveless in 1938; one known child

Coy Franklin Hicks

• Born: after 1940 to Coy Harrison and Elma H. (Ward) Hicks
• Married: 1) Carolyn Joy Harris and 2) Trudy (maiden name unknown); three known children by his first wife

I was able to discount the North Carolina Coy Franklin Hicks fairly quickly as he died before the 1994 marriage to Mary Inez Muir. However, I added him to my tree in order to have facts about him readily available so I could better analyze each record I was finding to determine to which Coy Franklin Hicks they related.

However, I had a "stray" marriage record that led to the third Coy Franklin Hicks. On that record he and wife, Carolyn Joy Harris, were the parents of the bride. Was this "my" Coy Franklin Hicks? Determining there was actually a third man with that name was confirmed by the obituaries of Elma (Ward) Hicks and Tina Joy (Hicks) Stewart. To find those obituaries, though, required more researching. That's how I end up with unrelated people in my family tree. And research notes with links to all the men named Cory Franklin Hicks so I, and others in the future, don't have to do the research again.

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Unraveling Henry's Children: Mary Inez Muir (1922-2002) 

Finding Capt. Thomas Wood's Daughters

Since Capt. Thomas Wood's last will and testament did not name his children, I went back to information about him on the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) website. It listed one daughter:

Sede Wood
born circa 1781 in Bedford County, Virginia
died 16 August 1824 in Adair County, Kentucky
married Henry Dooley on 7 August 1797 in Bedford County

I was able to find an abstract of their marriage in several sources:

Abstract of marriage bond for Henry Dooley and Sede Wood; courtesy of
Ancestry.com

Browsing through the Bedford County marriage bonds, I found two other daughters:

Elizabeth Wood
daughter of Thomas Wood
married Jonathan Smith on 15 March 1791 in Bedford County

Abstract of marriage bond for Jonathan Smith and Elizabeth Wood; courtesy
of Ancestry.com

Pebe Wood
daughter of Thomas Wood
married Peter Purnal on 15 February 1792 in Bedford County.

Abstract of marriage bonds for Peter Purnal; courtesy of Ancestry.com

Since Peter Purnal married again in 1793, I am assuming Pebe Wood died during their first year of marriage.

The marriage bond abstracts for Elizabeth and Pebe state they are daughters of Thomas Wood.

Other people named Wood mentioned in the abstracts:

Josiah Wood
James Wood
Jeremiah Wood

Who are they and what is their relationship to Thomas and his three known daughters?

My three times great grandmother and brick wall was Sarah "Sally" Wood (c1792-after 1884). So I am looking for a son of Capt. Thomas Wood. The search continues but now I have some names to research.

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Last Will and Testament of Capt. Thomas Wood of Bedford County, Virginia
Finding Sede (Wood) Dooley: Is She Sally Wood's Aunt?
Sarah "Sally" Wood (c1792-c1884): Has Ancestry's ThruLines Broken a Brick Wall?

Last Will and Testament of Capt. Thomas Wood of Bedford County, Virginia

Ancestry.com's new ThruLines indicates Thomas Wood (c1733-c1793) may be my five times great grandfather and the grandfather of Sarah "Sally" Wood (1792-1884), my three times great grandmother, who married Daniel Mitchell, Jr.  Her parents have been a longstanding brick wall.

Before exploring the DNA connections, I wanted to learn everything I could about Thomas Wood. I already knew he was Daughters of the American Revolution Patriot through two descendants of his daughter Sede Wood, who married Henry Dooley.

I also knew that he was a member of the Peaks of Otter Presbyterian Church and had signed a petition to the House of Burgesses in 1774 asking for permission to buy slaves to work church land so that it could support a full-time minister. (Just let that sink in for a minute!)

Next, I wanted to find his last will and testament, which I was able to do. It did not, however, provide any new information as his children's names are not mentioned. The will did not advance my quest to discover the parents of Sarah "Sally" (Wood) Mitchell.

Bedford County, Virginia
Will Book 2 (1788-1803)
Pages 102-103

Last Will and Testament of Thomas Wood (c1733-c17930; courtesy of Ancestry.com

In the name of God, Amen. I Thomas Wood of Bedford County being desirous of making a Testament and I do make and ordain this -- my Last Will and Testament in form and manner following to wit

First of all I give and recommend my soul to God who gave it Nothing doubting but at the General Resurrection to receive the same by the mighty power of God and as to my Temporal Estate I will first of all my Just Debts be fully discharged and paid and

Secondly I will my wife Elizabeth have her third of my Estate as the law directs and also one horse saddle and bridle and one feather bed and ten pounds in cash out of my moveable Estate. I give and Bequeath my Lands equally between my male and female children both in my moveable Estate they are equally to have and I do by these presents constitute and appoint my true and loving wife Elizabeth Wood my lawful Executrix

Last Will and Testament of Thomas Wood (c1733-c1793); courtesy of
Ancestry.com

together with John Sharp in said County

26th day of November 1773

Thomas Wood (signed and sealed)

Signed, sealed, published and pronounced before us
Thomas Best
John Stovall
Elizabeth Stovall (her mark)

This is to certify this in mentioned [?] will stands up good from the first day of my writing of my will to my wife Elizabeth and my children my witnesses

My had this 17 day of January 1781

Thomas Wood (his mark)

Teste,

James King
Eliza King (her mark)
Hannah [illegible] (her mark)

At a Court held for Bedford County the 25 day of February 1793

This last will and testament of Thomas Wood, deceased, was proved by the oath of Elizabeth Leftwich late Elizabeth Stovall and the said Elizabeth Leftwich made oath that she saw John Stovall subscribe his name there to as a witness to the said will whereupon the same is ordered to be recorded and at a Court held for said County in July following the motion of Eliza Wood the Executrix therein named who made oath thereto --

Certificate is granted her for obtaining probate thereof in due form giving security whereupon she together with Henry Jeter, Thomas Logwood and George Potter her securities entered into and acknowledged their bond in the penalty of two hundred pounds conditioned for said Executrix due and faithful administration of said decedent's estate and performance of his will. Liberty being reserved to John Sharp the Executor therein named to join in the probate thereof when he shall think fit --

Teste,

James Steptoe, County Clerk

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Finding Sede (Wood) Dooley: Is She Sally Wood's Aunt?
Sarah "Sally" Wood (c1792-c1884): Has Ancestry's ThruLines Broken a Brick Wall?

Finding Sede (Wood) Dooley: Is She Sally Wood's Aunt?

Thomas Wood, my possible five times great grandfather and grandfather of Sarah "Sally" Wood, my three times great grandmother, died in 1793. Did he serve in the Revolutionary War? I used the Daughters of the American Revolution's (DAR) Genealogical Research Service (GRS) to find out.

DAR GRS Ancestor record for Thomas Wood (c1733-1793); courtesy of
DAR.org

Thomas Wood not only served in the Continental Army under Capt. Joseph Spencer and Capt. Rueben Lipscomb, he furnished supplies to the patriotic cause. Two DAR members joined the lineage society using Thomas Wood as their patriot ancestor. Both women descended from Thomas' daughter, Sede Wood, who married Henry Dooley.

I know that my three times great grandmother, Sarah "Sally" Wood, may have descended from a son of Thomas Wood, so this step in the research process did not break through a brick wall, but it did give me more names to research.

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Sarah "Sally" Wood (c1792-c1884): Has Ancestry's ThruLines Broken a Brick Wall?

Sarah "Sally" Wood (c1792-c1884): Has Ancestry's ThruLines Broken a Brick Wall?

Sarah "Sally" Wood (born about 1792) of Bedford County, Virginia, was my three times great grandmother and is one of my biggest brick walls. When we visited the Bedford Museum and Genealogical Society in October 2018, one of the aides pulled up Sally's marriage bond and consent note. I thought for sure it would put a crack in the wall, but, alas, no. Sally was of legal age to marry and basically gave herself permission to marry Daniel Mitchell.

Later, I was able to download Daniel's War of 1812 pension file and learned more about the couple, including specific death dates, but nothing about Sally's parents.

Several DNA matches are direct descendants of John Blagdon Wood (born about 1791) in Bedford County. I have assumed for a few years that John was a brother, though I have not been successful establishing who his parents were either. A John Wood and John B. Wood are listed in the probate files for Daniel Mitchell's father, Daniel Mitchell, Sr. So there were definitely strong connections between my Mitchell family and a Wood family, but which one?

Bedford County, Virginia Circuit Court Records: Abstracts of Will Book 6,
September 1823 - December 1827, Including Appraisements and Inventories,
Sales and Allotments, page 70; personal collection

A few weeks ago, Ancestry released a major enhancement to their DNA products. Probable common ancestors are identified even if both trees do not include the ancestor as was previously required. I have been spending most of my time using this upgrade to continue descendancy research and validation of the documents I have collected about the families in my tree.

The other part of Ancestry's DNA enhancement was the introduction of ThruLines. When I first explored ThruLines there were many issues, but yesterday there was this gem:

ThruLines for Capt. Thomas Wood IV (1737-1793). Is he Sally's grandfather?
Image courtesy of Ancestry.com

I can't wait to start researching Capt. Thomas Wood!

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Daniel Mitchell, Jr. (c1786-1872): Miller, Cooper, Farmer
Daniel Mitchell, Jr. and Sarah "Sally" Wood Marriage Bond and Consent Note

How did Pearl Meet Charles?

William Norborne Pattie was born on 11 May 1905 in Roanoke, Virginia, to Otho Thomas Pattie and Garnett Pearl Wade. His father worked for Norfolk & Western as a machinist. William apprenticed for the railroad and also became a machinist like his father.

He married Eunice Virginia Cromer, daughter of Frank Lewis Cromer and Alice Inez Powell, about 1925 or 1926. They had a daughter, Norma Jean Pattie, on 29 June 1926 in Roanoke. Eunice died two months later on 6 August 1926 of a postnatal infection.

Otho Thomas Pattie, William's father died in 1927. His daughter, Norma Jean, lived with her widowed grandmother, Pearl.

William married Ruby Pauline Smith about 1927 or 1928 and they had two children. 

His mother, Pearl, also married again to Charles Stewart (or Stuart) Powell, who was 20 years older than her and a widower. They married sometime between 1930 and 1933 when Charles died of pneumonia. Charles' daughter from his first marriage was the informant for the personal information on his death certificate. She indicated he was a widower. However, the 1932 Roanoke city directory listed Pearl as the wife of Charles S Powell at 549 Day Avenue, SW, which was Pearl's home when her first husband was alive. Her headstone listed her name as Pearl Pattie Powell and her death certificate stated Charles S. Powell had been her husband before his death.

So how exactly did Pearl and Charles meet before their brief marriage?  

While researching this family group, a few names seemed familiar. By investigating the spouses of William and his mother, Pearl -- the Cromer and Powell families -- I learned Charles Stewart Powell (Pearl's second husband) was the maternal grandfather of Eunice Virginia Cromer (William's first wife).

Do you suppose Charles and Pearl met though his granddaughter and her son?

Relationship between the Cromer, Pattie and Powell families; created using
Microsoft Powerpoint

This is why I enjoy researching my collateral ancestors so much. The connections and relationships to others provide more context about the lives of our direct ancestors.

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Garnett Pearl (Wade) Pattie Powell, who went by Pearl, was third cousin twice removed. She desended from my four times great grandfather as follows: Daniel Mitchell, Sr. >> Matilda (Mitchell) Stevens (or Stephens) >> Elizabeth J. (Stevens) Wade >> Garnett Pearl (Wade) Pattie Powell.

William Joseph Parker (1904-1938): Bigamist Came to a Tragic End

Idella Scott Franklin married William Joseph Parker on 20 April 1928 in Hopewell, Virginia. They separated on 9 February 1931 and Idella was granted an absolute divorce decree on 30 March 1938 by the Richmond City Circuit Court. They had no children. The reason Idella sued for the divorce was desertion and bigamy.

The back of the divorce decree had the following handwritten information:

Idella Scott Franklin Parker and William Joseph Parker divorce decree;
courtesy of Ancestry.com

"This man was indicted in Pennsylvania on complaint from his wife for having married another woman in 1931 in Elkton, Maryland, and is also wanted in Maryland to answer charges there. This marriage took place after the desertion from the first wife."

Twelve days later William was dead. According to his death certificate, hee committed suicide by drinking ink solvent in Berks Prison.

William Joseph Parker obituary as published in
the Richmond Times-Dispatch on 14 April 1938;
courtesy of the Library of Virginia

William's parents were Joseph John Parker and Magnolia "Nolia" Melison Clayton. He was born in Belhaven, North Carolina, on 15 May 1904.

He was also married to Marian Ulshafer, daughter of Ralph Ulshafer and Rose Kirk. She was born on 3 October 1910 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She and William had one son. Was this the marriage that took place in Elkton, Maryland?

I have assumed he was in prison because he had been arrested for bigamy. Was that the reason he committed suicide?

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Idella Scott Franklin was my third cousin once removed. We both descend from John W. Jennings, Sr. (1776-1858). John W. Jennings, Sr. >> John William Jennings, Jr. >> John Arias Jennings >> Maude Florence Jennings >> Idella Scott Franklin

William "Fletcher" Claytor or Fletcher Claytor

A couple of days ago, I posted a biographical sketch of the Fletcher Claytor I already had in my family tree. However, as I reviewed my research prior to writing that post, I learned about two other men named Fletcher Claytor, both born in Floyd County. Many public trees have combined these two men into the same person. I began to realize they were different when I noted their birth dates on several records.

William Fletcher Claytor (1879-1955)
William Fletcher Claytor was born on 28 February 1879 in Floyd County, Virginia, to Jackson Claytor and his first wife, Jane Price, daughter of Chester and Clementine Price. He went by "Fletcher," instead of his first name, and his father is thought to be the brother of Fletcher Claytor (1859-1949). William Fletcher married Ida Jane Davis[1], daughter of Isaac and Malinda Davis on 19 September 1901 in Floyd County; they had several children. By 1906 Fletcher lived in West Virginia where he worked as a coal miner. Fletcher died 6 February 1955 in Fayette County.

William Fletcher Claytor's World War II Draft Registration Card; courtesy of
Ancestry.com

Fletcher Claytor (1878-1953)
Fletcher Claytor was born on 8 October 1878 in Floyd County, Virginia, to George Claytor and Serine Wilson. As a young man he made his way to Des Moines, Iowa. In 1925 he was enumerated there with a spouse named Lizzie. Also living with them was his father-in-law, Sam Jackson. However, he married Dorothy Turner, daughter of Arthur Turner and Julia Collins, on 25 May 1929. They had three known sons: Henry, Morris (also known as Ali Muhammad) and Freddie. Dorothy died in 1951 and Fletcher died in 1953.

Fletcher Claytor World War II Draft Registration Card; courtesy of Ancestry.com

At first I thought this Fletcher Claytor's father, George, was the third teen-aged boy living with Gloster and Irena Claytor in Floyd County in 1870[2]. However, that George Claytor married Frances Jane Reynolds, a sister of the wife of Fletcher Claytor (1859-1949). I feel sure all of these people are related to each other. I just don't know how yet.

The men named Fletcher Claytor, all born in Floyd County, Virginia;
created using Microsoft PowerPoint

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[1] Ida Jane's death certificate stated that her parents were Stephen and Linda Turner, but I believe her mother married Stephen Turner after Ida Jane was born.

[2] See Fletcher Claytor (1859-1949): Born Enslaved, Died Free

Fletcher Claytor (1859-1949): Born Enslaved, Died Free
In Celebration of Black History Month (or More DNA Discoveries)

Fletcher Claytor (1859-1949): Born Enslaved, Died Free

Fletcher Claytor was born enslaved in 1859[1]. When the 1870 census was enumerated Fletcher lived in the household of Gloster and Irena Claytor. In the same household were three daughters born after the Civil War and assumed to be the daughters of Gloster and Irena. Also in the household were three  teen-aged boys -- George, Jack, and Fletcher. Perhaps Irena is their mother; we just don't know for sure who their parents were. This Claytor household lived in the Locust Grove district of Floyd County, Virginia. We know from cohabitation registers held by the Library of Virginia, several people formerly enslaved by Harvey Claytor,[2] a large landowner in Franklin County, Virginia, settled in Floyd County.

Fletcher Claytor (1859-1949); courtesy of Daryl Watkins
via Jane Lawry

By 1880 Fletcher Claytor left home as he was not enumerated with Gloster and Irena but I have been unable to find him in that decennial census. Fletcher married Serena A. Reynolds, daughter of Harvey A. and Nancy (Guerrant) Reynolds, on 26 August 1888 in Floyd County. When the 1900 census was enumerated Fletcher owned a farm free and clear with no mortgage, and he and Serena had five children.

In September 1908 Serena became a patient at the Central State Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia. The institution was originally known as the Central Lunatic Asylum and was the first such institution established in the country for "colored persons of unsound mind." Patients of the hospital were admitted for being demented, tubercular, epileptic, criminal, suicidal or suffering from psychosis. Until 1915 some of the supposed causes of psychosis included abortion, masturbation, or typhoid fever. Before the Civil War the enslaved who deserted, were emancipated, or married without permission could be diagnosed as psychotic and committed!

Central State Hospital building for chronically ill females; courtesy of
Wikipedia

Fletcher remained on his farm in Floyd County with three of his five children. Ulysses (born about 1894) and Junie V., (born about 1897) were not listed on the 1910 census or on any later record so it is assumed they died some time between 1900 and 1910. Fletcher's wife, Serena, died on 24 October 1918 at the Central State Hospital of acute dysentery.

By 1930 all of the children had left home. Fletcher continued to live on his farm. A married couple also lived on the farm and helped with farm labor and housekeeping. In 1940 a different married couple helped out with the farm and Fletcher had boarders.

Some time after 1940, Fletcher Claytor moved to Garten, West Virginia, where his daughter, Sadie May (Claytor) Ritchie lived with her husband and children.

On 7 January 1948 Fletcher wrote his last will and testament:

I, Fletcher Claytor, residing in Garten in the county of Fayette and State of West Virginia being in sound mind and disposing memory do make and ordain and declare this to be my last will and testament, by revoking all former wills and codicils by me made.

In the Fayette Co. National Bank is $3,000.00. I bequeath to the heirs of my oldest son, Leonard ($1,000.00) one thousand dollars.

To my son, O. M. Claytor, I bequeath ($1,000.00) one thousand dollars and to my daughter, Sadie Ritchie, I bequeath ($1,000.00) one thousand dollars.

I loaned to the Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Garten ($1,500.00) one thousand and five hundred dollars, which will be due in Nov. 1948 with 6% interest making a total of $1,590.00, one thousand five hundred and ninety dollars. This is to be divided equally among the heirs named above $530.00 each.

Lastly, I evoke[?] constitute and appoint my son, O. (Orestes) M. Claytor to be the executor of this my last will and testament.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed this the 7th day of January in the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and forty-eight.

Fletcher Claytor (signed)

The Children

HIRAM LEONARD CLAYTOR was born about 1891 in Virginia, likely Floyd County. He married Isabelle M. Chambliss on 20 January 1924 in Princeton, West Virginia. Hiram, who went by Leonard, was struck by an automobile on 21 August 1933 in Princeton and died the next day from a fractured skull. He and Isabelle had two sons: Hiram Leonard, Jr., and Clarence. Isabelle married Arthur Joseph Forney, a widower, on 17 October 1936 in Tazewell County, Virginia.

ORESTES MEREDITH CLAYTOR was born on 21 June 1892 in Floyd County. He served with the U.S. Army during World War I as a private in Company I, 802nd Pioneer Infantry. Pioneer infantry regiments were trained in infantry tactics but also combat engineering. Twenty of the 37 Pioneer infantry regiments in World War I were filled by African-Americans.

802nd Pioneer Infantry breaks stone to build roads so that guns can be brought
up to be placed in position. Chappy Meuse, France. Oct. 12, 1918; courtesy of
the U.S. Army

Orestes sailed from Brest, France, on the SS Nansemond on 28 June 1919 and was honorably discharged the following month. Some time before the 1930 census was enumerated he married, but his wife's name is not known at this time. On 1 September 1954 in Charleston, West Virginia, he married Lera Alice (Kidd) Berger; both were divorced. Orestes died in on 12 November 1975 in Charleston. He was interred in Spring Hill Cemetery in that same city. No children were mentioned in his obituary.

ULYSSES S. CLAYTOR was born about 1894 in Virginia, likely Floyd County. He died some time between 1900 and 1910.

SADIE MAY CLAYTOR was born on 8 November 1905 in Floyd County. She married Samuel James Ritchie on 17 August 1913 in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Samuel died on 25 June 1965 in Raleigh County and Sadie died on 21 July 1976. They had ten children: Goldie May, Lurinda, Dorothy Evelyn, Henry Orestes, James Leroy, Joseph Edward, William Orswell, Thomas Demaurice, Samuel Vatelle, and Harold Lonelle.

JUNIE V. CLAYTOR was born about 1897 in Virginia, likely Floyd County. She died some time between 1900 and 1910.

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NOTE: A Letcher Claytor born about 1860 lived in the household of David and Letitia Claytor in Franklin County, Virginia, in 1870 and 1880 but I have discounted him as being this Fletcher Claytor as other records consistently indicated Fletcher was born in Floyd County. At least that is my current working theory.

[1] Based on his age at death which was 89 years, 8 months, 15 days.

[2] Some think Fletcher Claytor was the son of Harvey Claytor and the family cook, Letitia, who was also enslaved. However, in 1870, he did not live in the same household as Letitia but rather in the household of Gloster and Irena Claytor. I have several DNA matches with descendants of Harvey Claytor and Letitia, but do not with descendants of Gloster or Irena Claytor. Harvey Claytor's mother was the daughter of my five times great grandfather Robert Mitchell (c1714-1799).

In Celebration of Black History Month (or More DNA Discoveries)

McMullin Family: Where Did They Go? The Illinois Contingent

Mary (McMullin) Beard, one of my three times great grandmothers had been a brick wall for Dad and me for many years. We knew little beyond her name from a Bedford County, Virginia, marriage record and that she died some time before 1850 when her widowed husband remarried. Thanks to a few DNA matches with people who had the McMullin/McMullen surname in their trees and communications with one of those matches, I found two Chancery Court cases at the Library of Virginia, which unlocked Mary Mullin's family.[1]

Map of Botetourt County; courtesy of Etsy

My four times great grandfather, Matthew McMullen, Sr., moved his family to Botetourt County from Warrington, Pennsylvania (York County) sometime in 1790 or early 1791. One of his daughters, Elizabeth, married Joseph Withrow soon after arriving in Virginia. Joseph Withrow was born in 1772 in Pennsylvania. As a young boy, he moved with his family to Botetourt County, Virginia, likely traveling on the Great Wagon Road. The county was formed from the southern portion of Augusta County in 1770 and is situated where the Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountain ranges run close together, separated by the James River.

Joseph and Elizabeth (McMullin) Withrow's first child was born in 1791. They had seven more children before moving to Washington County, Kentucky, near  Muldraugh Hill in 1811. Today Muldraugh Hill is a central Kentucky landmark, an escarpment which separates the Bluegrass region from the Mississippi plateau. In Kentucky, Joseph and Elizabeth had two more children. Elizabeth (McMullin) Withrow died after the 1820 census was taken.

List of 1822 marriages; courtesy Ancestry.com

On 5 June 1822, Joseph married again to Susan Landis. Joseph and Susan had a child in Kentucky before removing north to Sangamon County, Illinois. They settled in Woodside township in 1825 and had another child. Joseph deposited a certificate at the Springfield Land Office on 1 May 1826, proving he had fully paid for 163 acres of public land offered for sale by the federal government.

Back in Bedford County, Joseph Withrow's former brother-in-law, James Harvey Beard, who had married Elizabeth McMullin's sister, Mary, filed a cause in the county Chancery Court in his position as administrator of Daniel McMullin's estate. Daniel was a brother of Elizabeth and Mary. The case was quite complicated but did detail the McMullin family relationships.

Snippet of Bedford County Chancery Court cause 1832-067; courtesy of the
Library of Virginia

The relevant part for tracing the Withrow family was found in the initial filing by James Harvey Beard:

"...Elizabeth Withrow, widow and relic of Joseph Withrow, deceased; Peggy Withrow, William Withrow, _____ Cloyd and Ann his wife, late Ann Withrow; Robert Withrow; _____ Ferrell and Sally his wife, late Sally Withrow; Matthew Withrow; Harvey Withrow; Tabitha Withrow; and Caroline Withrow..."

So in 1831, the McMullin family knew that Joseph and Elizabeth Withrow had left Virginia and headed west. It seems the McMullin family thought Joseph was deceased. "Widow and relic" makes one think Elizabeth was still alive, but if she was, why name her children? They would have only been relevant to the Bedford County case if their mother was deceased as she was one of heirs in the case.

I also surmise Elizabeth and Joseph lost contact with their Virginia McMullin family. As they didn't know that Elizabeth predeceased her husband and the names of all their children or the fact that Joseph Withrow had remarried and moved to Illinois, where he died in 1850.

According to the Chancery Court cases and a book entitled History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois: Centennial Record, Joseph Withrow had the following children:

1. Margaret "Peggy" Withrow, born in 1791 Virginia, married Daniel Hays on 21 June 1812 in Washington County, Kentucky according to a Kentucky marriage record. 
2. William Withrow, born 14 October 1793 in Botetourt County; will probated in Sangamon County, Illinois, on 25 January 1894; married 1) Rhoda B Prather, 2) Polly Smith, 3) Celia Turpin, 4) Ana "Ann" Wilson, and 5) Lucinda Combs
3. Anna/Ann Withrow, born 29 December 1795 in Virginia; died in 1882 in Sangamon County; married Thomas Cloyd
4. John Withrow, born about 1797; died about 1820
5. Robert Withrow, born on 27 January 1800 in Botetourt County; died 3 October 1842 in Sangamon County; married Mary T. Peter in Sangamon County
6. Polly Withrow, born about 1802; died about 1822
7. Matthew Withrow, born 12 August 1804; died 9 Dec 1891; married Pamelia Knotts
8. Sally Withrow, born about 1805 in Virginia; died 16 Feb 1885 in Quincy, Minnesota; married 1) Gabriel Ferrell and 2) John Sudduth
9. James Harvey Withrow, born 15 January in Botetourt County; died 26 September 1883 in Sangamon County; married Mariah Rice Beaucamp
10. Tabitha Withrow, born about 1812 in Kentucky; died after 1850; married Alvah "Alvey" Graves
11. George Washington Withrow, born about 1813 in Kentucky; died before 1860; married Sarah Ann Waterman
12. Caroline Withrow, born about 1813 in Kentucky; died before 1843; married Edward Shan

From History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois: Centennial Record, published in 1876:

WITHROW, JOSEPH was born about 1772 in Pennsylvania. His parents moved when he was a young boy to Botetourt County, Virginia. He was there married to Elizabeth McMullin. They had eight children in Virginia, and in 1811 moved to Washington County, Kentucky, near Muldraugh Hill, where two children were born. Mrs. Elizabeth Withrow died there, and Joseph Withrow married Susannah Landis. They had one child in Kentucky, and moved to Sangamon County, Illinois, where they had one child. Mrs. Susannah Withrow died in 1844, and Joseph, Sr., died in 1850 both in Sangamon County, Illinois.

MARGARET, born in Virginia, was married in Kentucky to Timothy Hays. They moved in 1824 to Vandalia, Illinois, and the next year to Sangamon County, where they both died, leaving several children.

WILLIAM, born 14 October 1793, in Botetourt County, Virginia, was married in 1818, in Washington County, Kentucky, to Rhoda B. Prather. They had twelve children, and moved with Thomas Cloyd to Fayette County, Illinois, thence to Sangamon County, in 1825, and settled in Curran Township, where two children were born...Mrs. Rhoda Withrow died in 1827 and William Withrow married Polly Smith. They had two children...Mrs. Polly Withrow died and William Withrow married Celia Turpin. They had eight children, and Mrs. Celia Withrow died, and William Withrow married [Mrs.] Anna Barbre. They had had two children, and Mrs. Ann Withrow died...William Withrow resides two and a half miles southwest of Mechanicsburg, Sangamon County, Illinois.

The Find A Grave memorial for Ann (Binion) Wilson Barbre Withrow includes a biography that contains this interesting insight into William Withrow's character:

Anna Barbre's husband, "Eli died 29 November 1839 in Waverly, Morgan County, Illinois, before their youngest son, Robert, was born. His obituary mentions that he 'leaves a widow and nine young children[2] in destitute circumstances.' His second son, William, apparently helped support the younger siblings and Anna after that time.

Anna married a third time on 7 May 1846 in Sangamon County, Illinois. This husband was William Withrow, whose son, Robert Harvey Withrow, would later marry her daughter, Sarah Elizabeth. Anna
was William's fourth wife, and she had two more children with him. William Withrow was reportedly 'so mean' to Anna's young sons, James and John Barbre that Anna 'gave them all the money she had -- 50 cents -- and sent them across the fields to live with their half-brother William.' The two boys appear in the 1850 census living with William Barbre and his wife, Lucy, in Sangamon County."

ANNA, born 29 December 1795 in Virginia, married Thomas Cloyd. Thomas, son of David, was born 14 January 1798 in Botetourt County, Virginia, and went with his parents to Washington County, Kentucky, in 1815. He was married there 27 April 1820 to Ann Withrow. They had three children in Kentucky, and in 1824 moved Fayette County, Illinois, where they had one child, and from there to Sangamon County, arriving October 1825, in what is now Curran Township, north of Lick Creek, where they had two children.

JOHN, died, aged twenty three years.

ROBERT, born 27 January 1800, in Botetourt County, Virginia, was married in Sangamon County, Illinois, 10 September 1826, to Mary T. Peter. They had five living children...Robert Withrow died 3 October 1842, and Mrs. Mary T. Withrow married August 1844 to Samuel Graham, who was born in 1811, in Pennsylvania. Samuel Graham died 1 October 1850, and Mrs. Mary T. Graham was married 23 August 1854, to Joseph McKinley. She resides in Loami, Sangamon County, Illinois.

POLLY, died in Kentucky, aged about twenty years.

MATTHEW, born in Kentucky, married Amelia Knotts. They have one child. Matthew Withrow lives eight miles west of Virden, Macoupin County, Illinois.

SARAH, married Dr. John Sudduth. They have one child, and live in St. Charles, Minnesota.

JAMES H., born in Botetourt County, Virginia, 15 January 1811, was married in Sangamon County, Illinois, to Maria R. Beauchamp. They had eight living children. James H. Withrow lives between Sherman and Barclay, Sangamon County, Illinois -- 1874.

TABITHA, was married in Sangamon County, Illinois, to Alvah Graves. They both died, leaving several children in Macoupin County, Illinois.

CAROLINE, married Edward Shane. They both died, leaving three children.

ELIZABETH H., the oldest by the second marriage, was born in Kentucky and married Joseph Drennan. Joseph Drennan was born in Kentucky and married in Sangamon County to Elizabeth Richardson about 1833. They had two children and he married Elizabeth Withrow. They had ten children. She died, and he married Sarah Purvis. They had six children, and he died in Macoupin County, Illinois.

ALMIRA, born in Sangamon County, Illinois, married Israel Coverdell, and lives in Gerard, Macoupin County, Illinois.

Note: There are some inconsistencies between the Sangamon history book and the available online records.

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[1] There is a reference to a third case which was heard by the Chancery Court of Botetourt County, but it has not yet been indexed or digitized.

McMullin Family: Where Did They Go? The Ohio Contingent
Matthew McMullin, Sr. (<1765-c1816): Court Cases Tell the Tale

Lillie Paulina's World Cruise

Lillie Paulina (Beard) Sherrod buried her husband in 1927 and two years later embarked on a 4-month around-the-world cruise aboard the Red Star Line's SS Belgenland.

Postcard of the SS Belgenland; courtesy of Wikipedia

I wanted to know more. Where did the ship stop? What did Lillie see and do?

I learned about how the cruise was marketed from the cruise itinerary folder for an earlier cruise available for sale on Amazon.com:

SS Belgenland 1924-25 cruise itinerary folder; courtesy of Amazon.com

Carl Kay[1] sailed on the Belgenland the year after Lillie. His printed itinerary was identical to several others I found for other years. So I assume the itinerary is the same as Lillie's.

Itinerary of the 1930-31 world cruise; courtesy of
Internet Archive.

Thirty stops and over 29,000 miles in a little over five months!

_______________
Lillie Paulina Beard was born 22 March 1870 in Bedford County, Virginia, to Charles Edward Beard and Ann Elizabeth Key, my three times great uncle and aunt. She was their youngest known child. She lived with her parents until their deaths in 1900 and 1902. She trained as a nurse and moved to Richmond where she worked as a nurse for a private family. In 1920 she lived in the home of John Mayo Sherrod and worked as a nurse in a domestic practice. Lillie and John married on 22 July 1922; they were both in their 50s. John died in 1927 and was interred in Tarboro, North Carolina, his native state. Lillie died on 22 July 1938 and was interred at Evergreen Burial Park in Roanoke, Virginia.

[1] Carl Kay maintained a diary of his cruise, which is available on Internet Archive.

Lily Paulina (Beard) Sherrod (1870-1938): World Traveler
Albert Einstein and the Charlie Fischer Orchestra

A Strange Valentine's Day Tale

The following article was published in The Franklin Times on 22 January 1904 about the remarriage of Felix Von Briesen and Daisy Penland. They were first married in 1893, divorced in 1902 and remarried in 1904. Their love story was also published in several other newspapers around the country.

Won Fortune and Wife Who Had Divorced Him

"The mountain city of Asheville is the beginning and end of a romance in real life which is as full of incident and interest as any theme of a novelist.

A dozen years ago Felix Von Briesen, a talented young German went there to work in carving the stone for the quaint gargoyles and other ornaments of George Vanderbilt's magnificent chateau at Biltmore. He was born in Macon, Ga., but no native German has more sentimentalism, with a leaning toward the tenderest love, and so it happened that when he saw Miss Daisy Penland it was a case of love at first sight.

One of the "quaint gargoyles and other ornaments" on the
exterior of the Biltmore; personal collection

Marriage quickly followed and for five years they lived in Asheville, Von Briesen all that time working at the chateau.

When the latter was completed the sculptor had to go elsewhere for employment, and he went to Arizona and New Mexico, but found no work sufficiently permanent to justify him in sending for his wife. He wrote her from time to time, sending money, but the periods between the letters grew longer and finally the letters ceased entirely.

His wife spent two years without a word from him. Then she secured a divorce on the grounds of desertion. Two children had been the fruit of the union, but one, a boy had died, leaving a little girl with all her mother's beauty. Mrs. Von Briesen became a trained nurse and so supported herself and daughter, seeking no pity and putting aside the memory of her husband, who it was thought by her family and friends had tired of his love and deserted her.

One day last October a letter came from Santa Fe, N. Mex., assuring her that his love had never failed, but that failure to secure profitable employment had disheartened him and he feared to write, but sunshine had come by the death of a relative, who had left him $25,000, and he was prepared to take care of his family.

So startling was this letter that the wife could hardly credit it, but replied and correspondence was resumed. Von Briesen wrote that he would give his wife and child a large portion of his inheritance. The wife wrote him to lose no time in coming to Asheville. He came a few days ago and complete understanding was effected. He gave his wife a certificate for a large sum of money and on Monday of last week they were re-married by the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Asheville."

Biographical Sketch of Felix Von Briesen

Felix Von Briesen was the third known son of Oscar and Susannah (Wagner) Von Briesen. He maintained on various documents he was born on 10 June 1870; however, he appeared on the 1870 census as a three-year old boy. So my assumption is he was born on 10 June 1867 in Macon, Georgia. His family had lived in Macon earlier in the decade when his father taught music at Wesleyan Female College, now Wesleyan College. His father was thought to have been of German heritage and immigrated to the United States about 1846 from the area of eastern Europe that was variously under Polish, Prussian, and Russian rule. His mother consistently stated on source documents that she had been born in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.

In 1870, Felix's family lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where is father taught school -- perhaps at another college -- but by 1880, his family had been torn apart. His father, Oscar, lived in Austin, Texas, making pianos. His mother and brothers, Edward and Robert, lived in Baltimore, boarding with the William F. Schwarze family. Susannah was a dressmaker and Edward worked as a bartender. The whereabouts of Felix's younger brother, William, is unknown to me at this time. Twelve-year-old Felix was an inmate at the Home of the Friendless.

The Home of the Friendless was a private social services organization, which began its work in Baltimore in 1854 when the Home of Friendless Vagrant Girls was chartered. Its purpose was to provide a "refuge and Christian home for homeless, friendless, and worse than friendless vagrant girls with the objective of preparing their residents for service in Christian homes." A boys' home was constructed in 1871.

In 1888 Felix lived in Baltimore and worked as a stonecutter. The next year George Vanderbilt, a grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, began constructing a 250-room French Renaissance chateau, known as the Biltmore, in the Blue Ridge mountains near Asheville. Felix moved to Asheville and worked on the Biltmore for five years before the mansion was opened to Vanderbilt's friends and family for Christmas in 1895.

Biltmore mansion in Asheville, North Carolina; personal collection

He married Daisy Penland, daughter of Noble and Nancy (Stevens) Penland, in 1893 in Buncombe County and they had two children, Oscar A. and Felicia Nancy, though Oscar died on 24 November 1895 just days after his first birthday.

Soon after their son died, Felix went west to look for work. In 1900 he lived in Holbrook, Arizona, which was then a territory, in a large boarding house along with several other stonecutters and day laborers. I suspect the craftsmen had gathered there to build the now historic Navajo County Courthouse. Holbrook was known as "the town too tough for women and churches." In 1902, Felix was registered to vote in Graham County, Arizona.

Historic Navajo County, Arizona, courthouse; courtesy of Wikipedia

Meanwhile back home his wife filed for and received a divorce in 1902 in Buncombe County. Felix returned to Asheville and the couple remarried on 14 December 1903. A few days after their second marriage, they moved to Washington, DC, where Felix had secured, what the local newspaper described as  "a good position."

While in Washington, Felix pursued a civil suit against Congressional and Mexican Mining Company to recover $10,500. It appears judged ruled against him and his attorney filed a motion for a new trial. What happened to this motion is not clear. Then on 7 August 1906 a creditor of the mining company sued several stockholders, including Felix for not making their installment payments for stock. The outcome of this lawsuit is also unknown.

He and Daisy purchased a 140-acre farm in Clifton Station, Virginia, and took in boarders during the summer months. Felix's mother, Susannah died on the farm on 28 October 1905. Daisy had a son in 1907 while they lived in Virginia. Felix sold the farm in 1910 and by 1912 he and his family had moved to El Paso, Texas.

Felix and Daisy's love story did not last. They divorced in January 1916. Both of them remained in El Paso. Daisy worked as a nurse and Felix worked at various jobs with the Army, a milling company, and a mining concern. In 1921 he went to Sinaloa, Mexico, on a prospecting trip for a mining company.

Felix died of heart problems on 26 July 1928 in El Paso. Daisy never remarried and died on 25 April 1964, also in El Paso.

Their children:

• Oscar A. Von Briesen, born 11 November 1894 in Buncombe County, North Carolina; died 24 November 1895; interred at the Newton Academy Cemetery in Asheville, North Carolina.
• Felicia Nancy Von Briesen, born 18 July 1896 in Buncombe County; died 3 March 1984 in El Paso County, Texas; interred at Restlawn Memorial Park in El Paso; married 1) Walter Vernon Haggard (1893-1927) and 2) John Graham Melton (1897-1972).
• Delphin Von Briesen, born 4 June 1907 in Clifton, Virginia; died 28 January 1970 in El Paso, Texas; interred at Restlawn Memorial Park; married Mary Emma Luckett (1912-1986).

_______________

Felix Von Briesen, was the brother-in-law from 1913-1916 of the first wife of my second cousin three times removed, James Taylor. When Rose Etta (Poole) Von Briesen married my cousin, she was a widow. Her first husband was Felix's brother, Robert Von Briesen.

Cowhiding in Wake County 

The Mysterious Rose Etta (Poole) Von Briesen Taylor...

Nine Sons Wore the Suit of Gray

My three times great grandparents, James Harvey Beard and Mary McMullin (or McMullen) had four known sons:

• David Fleming Beard, Sr. (1812-1878), my great great grandfather
• Granville Lacy Beard (1813-after 1873)
• Robert M Beard (about 1818-after 1880)
• Charles Edward Beard (1827-1900)

Charles Edward Beard married Ann Elizabeth Key, daughter of John Bernard Key and Paulina Overstreet, on 21 November 1849 in Bedford County, Virginia, and two of his nieces married younger brothers of his wife, Ann.

Beard-Key marriages; created using Microsoft PowerPoint

Apparently the Beard and Key families were quite close as evidenced by the fact that my great great grandparents, David Fleming Beard and Barbara Ann (Mitchell) Beard are buried in the Key Family Cemetery in Bedford County.

According to a book about the Key family, John Bernard Key, was born in Petersburg, Virginia, to Thomas and Nancy Keys. He moved to Bedford County, Virginia, when he was 17 or 18 years old. Also living in the southern part of the county was a family with the same surname. The mail frequently was delivered incorrectly so John Keys dropped the "s" from his surname.

Ann Elizabeth Key, wife of Charles Edward Beard, was one of thirteen children. Nine of her brothers served in the Confederate States Army (CSA):

• Thomas Henry Key, born 3 September 1821; enlisted in Company C, 28th Virginia Regiment on 10 August 1863; mustered out on 30 March 1864 at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia; according to Find A Grave he died on 30 March 1865 and was interred in Texas so there is some mystery about the end of Thomas' life. 
• Robert N. Key, born 17 February 1823; enlisted in Company G, 34th Virginia Regiment; died on 10 April 1862 in the Confederate army (according to his brother). His company muster rolls stated that he was "supposed to be dead since April 1862." 
• Charles Hopkins Key, born 29 November 1825; enlisted in Company G, 34th Virginia Regiment on 3 March 1862; captured on 6 April 1865 in Farmville, Virginia; died in prison in 1865 in Newport News, Virginia. 
• Yelverton Peterson Key, born 29 October 1829; enlisted in Company G, 34th Virginia Regiment on 3 March 1862; wounded and sent to a hospital in Petersburg, Virginia, on 18 May 1864; died 2 April 1911.
• Edward Willoughby Key, born 17 January 1835; enlisted in Company G, 34th Virginia Infantry on 3 March 1862; captured on 6 April 1865 in Farmville.
• John Singleton Key, born 6 May 1839; enlisted in Company G, 34th Virginia Regiment on 1 May 1863; died 4 June 1864 at a hospital in Petersburg.
• Joseph Cephas Key, born 7 May 1841; enlisted in Company G, 34th Virginia Regiment on 3 March 1862; transferred from a hospital in Farmville to a hospital in Bedford County on 29 March 1865; died 21 January 1884 according to his widow from a lung illness contracted during the war.
• Benjamin Franklin Key, born 17 January 1844; enlisted in Company G, 34th Virginia Regiment on 3 March 1862; transferred to a hospital in Farmville on 2 April 1865; died 1 May 1925.
• William Alfred Key, enlisted in Company E, 34th Virginia Infantry in 1864 at Petersburg.

As stated earlier, Thomas Henry Key's death is a bit of a mystery. In Key and Allied Families, written by Mrs. Julian C. Lane, his brother wrote in a letter, "Thomas Henry, b. Sept. 3, 1821, d. in Confederate Army Mar 1865; m. Cecilia A. Owens." Yet, his military records indicated he mustered out of the Army on 30 March 1864. He was interred Pilot Grove Cemetery in Yoakum, Texas, and the inscription on his headstone says, "Thomas Henry Key PVT 2 Co C 28 VA INF Confederate States Army Sept 3 1821, Mar 30 1865." His widow lived in Pike County, Missouri, in 1870 with their children.

Benjamin Franklin Key wrote to a grandson of his brother, Charles Hopkins Key about the experiences of the nine brothers during the Civil War:

"You asked me to tell you something about your grandfather. He belonged to Company E, 34th Virginia Regiment[1], Capt. William Jordan's company, Wise Brigade, Infantry, and was taken prisoner not very long before Gen. Lee's surrender at Appomattox and was kept in prison at Newport News, Va., until June 25, 1865, he passed out and went home to be with his Redeemer. I can say this, that a more devout Christian ever lived or died. He was imprisoned about three months and buried at Newport News. Your papa scarcely remembers ever seeing him. He was born Nov. 29th, 1826. Besides him I had seven other brothers in Civil War, namely: Thomas H., who was born Sept. 3, 1821, and died at a hospital in Richmond, Va., March, 1865. Robert N. was born Feb. 17, 1823, was put on a boat in Yorktown very, very ill with double pneumonia enroute to hospital in Richmond, but never landed, supposed to have died and was thrown overboard. Yelverton P., Edward W., Joseph C., William A., and myself were the only ones to return and I came from a hospital in June at Farmville after the surrender, minus a foot I lost on our retreat the 29th of March, 1865, and John S. Keys was born May 6th, 1839, and died June 4th, 1864, in a hospital in Petersburg."

Benjamin Franklin Key is credited as the author of this verse:

Nine sons wore the suit of gray,
Four sons passed o'er the way --
And their deeds, proud deeds shall remain for us,
And their names, dear names without stain for us,
And the glories they won shall not wane for us,
     In legend and lay
     Our heroes in gray
Though dead, shall live over again for us.

The 34th Virginia Infantry Regiment was formed in May 1862 from men from Norfolk, Richmond, and Yorktown and the counties of Gloucester, Mecklenburg, Bedford, Greene, and King and Queen. For almost two years the unit served as heavy artillery. During that time it was known as the 4th Heavy Artillery and was assigned to the Department of Richmond. In May 1864 it was assigned to Wise's Brigade as an infantry unit. It participated in the Siege of Petersburg and saw action in various conflicts around Appomattox.

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[1] According to muster rolls Charles Hopkins Key served in Company G, not Company E.

Lane, Mrs. Julian C. Key and Allied Families, (Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Co., Inc., 2003), pages 275-280.

A Shot Rang Out and Tore Apart a Family

One day a shot rang out and Lizzie Tolles was wounded. In 1895 a Douglas County, Oregon, grand jury determined there was enough evidence to charge Edward "Ned" Trent Bridges, Jr. with assault with the intent to kill. Justice seemed as slow then as it does today because the final judgment in the case was not rendered until 1899.

Douglas County, Oregon, Courthouse; courtesy of Genealogical Society of
Douglas County

Perhaps in preparation for being found guilty, Ned Bridges and his brother-in-law, Enon Lilly, did some fancy land trading. Ned sold his land to Enon and then, in turn, Enon deeded the land to Ned's wife, Mary Etta (Lilly) Bridges. My supposition was these transactions were to ensure the land could not be taken as a result of Ned's legal troubles.

Ned must have held out some hope that he would not have to go to jail because he was enumerated in the 1900 census with Mary and three of their children. Their son, Edward Trent Bridges, III, must have died sometime after his birth in 1891 and before 1900 because he was not included in the enumeration of the family. But sometime after the census, Ned did a runner.

He simply disappeared.

He and Mary had married on 7 January 1886 in Mercer County, West Virginia. Ned was son of Dr. Edward Trent Bridges, Sr., and Sarah Pope Claytor, daughter of Harvey Claytor[1] and Adeline Walker. He was 25 years old and Mary was 15. She was the daughter of Johnson Keatley Lilly and Alabama Gore. Ned and Mary had four children in Mercer County before Ned's grandmother, Adeline (Walker) Claytor, died. She made her grandson, Ned, Jr., the executor of her will. The Walker and Claytor were families prominent Virginia families and owned large plantations. Though the Civil War wrecked havoc on their financial position, there was still plenty of money.

Ned's inheritance enabled he and his family, along with his brother-in-law and his family to move to Oregon. The brothers-in-law bought a tract of land together in Douglas County on 9 May 1891.

Ned and Mary's oldest daughter married Authur O. Parks in 1907. Mary and the two youngest children, Bruce and Lucy, lived at 441 Fowler Street in Deer Creek, Oregon. Mary worked as a dressmaker to support her family. Her children also contributed to the family coffers as Bruce worked for the railroad as a fireman and Lucy was a clerk for a dry goods establishment.

And Ned, well, he was still alive and kicking. His runner had taken him almost 700 miles south to Butte County, California, where he boarded with Nathaniel and Clara Burns and worked as a hired man for a blacksmith. I don't know if he kept in touch with Mary and his children or not, but Mary had clearly had enough of her absentee husband. She was granted a divorce on 24 March 1919.

News-Review, 24 March 1919; courtesy of Newspapers.com

Ned Bridges, Jr. died on 22 June 1928 in Butte County, California, and was interred in the Old Oroville Cemetery.

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[1] Harvey Claytor (1800-1871) was my first cousin five times removed. This is the second new branch I've been able to add to my family tree as a result of DNA matches with other people who are related to Harvey Claytor, including:

In Celebration of Black History Month (or More DNA Discoveries)
Savior of the USS Indianapolis Survivors

Five Firefighters Killed in Lynchburg

William Reuben Moore was born 1846 in Franklin County, Virginia, to Thomas Moore and his second wife, Frances Delaney. William married Mary Olivia Wrenn, who went by Olivia or Ollie, my second cousin three times removed, on 2 June 1875 in Lynchburg, Virginia.

I have been unable to find William and Olivia in the 1880 census and know very little about their lives. Olivia died on 9 January 1881 in Lynchburg at the age of 26 years. I know William and Olivia had a least one child as their headstones are engraved "Mother" and "Father," but I have not yet found the children.

William was a volunteer fireman and was still volunteering with the Lynchburg Fire Department soon after its formation in April 1883 as a Captain. Just a month later five firefighters died while fighting a major fire downtown, including William Reuben Moore.

Memorial plaque located at Presbyterian Cemetery commemorating the first
firefighters killed in the line of duty in Lynchburg, Virginia; courtesy of FAG
volunteer LJH

Lynchburg and Its People, published in 1900, described the fire:

"The question about the paid fire department had not been fully settled. March 28, Alexander Thurman was elected chief, and the work of organization started.

The Fifth Street station had been finished, and in May the Gamewell electric fire alarm was in operation. None dreamed of the fearful experience that awaited the new department so early in its history.

There was nothing unusual in the early morning of May 30. It was a hot, dusty day and business was moving along as usual, when about ten o'clock the city was startled by a rude alarm of fire. The alarm came from the box at Main and Ninth streets, and before the fire department arrived Jones, Watts Brothers & Cos.' big iron front hardware store seemed to be in a blaze from bottom to top. It seems that a clerk threw a lighted paper upon the basement floor where the oil was kept, and it immediately caught fire. The elevator shaft was open and the building caught so quickly that there was not time to close the safe. The newly organized department began to fight the fire in earnest, but it was powerless. The streams of water seemed to feed the flames, and soon the Virginian Building, corner of Main and Tenth street, was afire. Then the Sample Room, a tailor shop, a frame stable corner Church and Tenth streets, Peters & Flood's tobacco factory and two frame houses on Church street caught, and were soon wrapped in flames. Holcombe Hall, Friends' warehouse, Mrs. C. J. M. Jordan's house and several other buildings caught, but were extinguished before much damage was done. At one time it seemed as if two or three blocks would be destroyed, but fortunately the winded changed and they were saved. The people were almost frantic, and once it looked as if there would be a riot; men wanted to take the hose from the firemen. The Home Guard and the Blues were called out to preserve order, and they had scarcely gotten on the ground when another disturbance arose and a race riot was imminent.

The fire was at length confined to the buildings already burning, and the firemen turned their attention to them. Edward McCrossin and W. P. Redman climbed to the top of the reeling iron front of the hardware store to attach a rope in order to pull it down, before it fell and killed some of the men. This was successful, and when it was over the Virginian Building blazed up and Halsey Gouldman, J. A. Vaughn, J. T. Clement, Captain W. R. Moore and Felix Delbelvre went into the house with two streams of water. They had been there about thirty minutes when the division wall fell with a crash and buried them beneath its ruins. A shudder of horror went through the crowd as soon as it was learned that the men were buried under the hot bricks. The citizens rushed in to help remove the debris and it was with difficulty that the police and the military companies could keep them back and prevent other accidents. Willing hands worked for hours searching for the bodies. None thought that any escaped death, and they were correct, for when the bodies were reached it was found that they had been killed almost instantly.

Besides the great loss of property in this, the most disastrous fire ever known in Lynchburg, the awful death of these brave men carried sorrow to every heart. The city council called a meeting that night to honor the heroic dead, to arrange for their funeral, and to have a monument erected to their memory by the city.

The funeral was appointed for Thursday, May 31, at 4 p.m., at the Opera House. When the time arrived all business was suspended, the houses were draped and the streets were crowded with people. The five caskets rested in front of the stage, and every available space in the building was occupied by citizens eager to show their last respect to the brave men. Revs. T. M. Carson, S. B. Southerland, G. C. Vanderslice, W. T. Hall, W. E. Edwards, and W. R. L. Smith took part in the service, and Major John W. Daniel delivered the funeral oration. After these ceremonies were concluded the longest procession ever witnessed in Lynchburg, consisting of the white and colored military companies, various orders and associations, fire companies, city officials and citizens took up its line of march to the Presbyterian cemetery. There the services at the grave were performed by Revs. J. H. Williams, R. R. Acree and J. M. Rawlins.

A subscription for the widows and orphans of the dead fireman was at once started, and in a few days after the funeral a mass meeting was called at the Opera House to arrange for the investment of the funds raised. Peter J. Otey, N. R. Bowman, R. L. Waldron, Charles M. Blackford, and W. A. Strother were appointed trustees. The total amount was three thousand, four hundred and sixty-eight dollars. Later the council decided that instead of a monument in the cemetery it would erect a memorial fountain at the foot of Courthouse Hill. This was done and the fountain stands there today as Lynchburg's recognition of the brave deed of these faithful men."

The fire department purchased several burial plots at Presbyterian Cemetery. Four of the firefighters killed in the 1883 fire were the first firefighters to be buried there. Capt. William R. Moore, a volunteer firefighter, who worked for the Northern & Western railroad was buried in a family plot at Spring Hill cemetery.

In 2009 the Lynchburg fire department erected a memorial at Presbyterian Cemetery, commemorating the firefighters killed in the 1883 fire because the marble headstones were growing harder to read. According to the News & Advance, it was "feared that one day people visiting the graveyard won't know who these men were and the sacrifice they made."