This is a followup of a post from November 4, 2011. That post examined
the long search to overcome a dead-end in our Bragg family tree. In that
post
(http://thebraggfamily.blogspot.com/2011/11/for-petes-sake-review.html)
you can read how we were able to deepen our family tree by a number of
generations (to Dad's fourth great-grandfather John Galbreath, who was
born in Ireland and died on August 18, 1800).
Cicero Gilbreath was Dad's Grandfather (Grandma Bragg's father).
Cicero's father died in Indiana when Cicero was a boy. After moving to
central Illinois Cicero's mother (Grandma Bragg's grandmother, Eleanor
or Ellen Hale Gilbreath) remarried. Things did not go well with Cicero
and his step-father which led to Cicero striking out on his own at a
fairly young age. The table below will trace the generations under
consideration:
| Ellen Hale (married William Gilbreath, married J H Humphrey) |
| Cicero Gilbreath |
| Gladys Gilbreath (married O. B. Bragg) |
| Don C. Bragg |
Cicero Gilbreath with his daughters
(Grandma Bragg is in center of back row)
Dad never knew his maternal great-grandmother, Cicero's mother. She died
on August 8, 1919 while Dad was born on the very same day the next year (August 8, 1920). I learned that she was buried at French
Cemetery. After a couple of attempts I was finally successful in finding
her grave. She is buried on the first row of graves not far from where
the old church building stood, which makes me think she was among the
first people to be buried there. The weather-beaten marker is inscribed
"Ellen Wife of
J H Humphrey
1838 - 1919"
Following Dad's death I was able to scan many family pictures, some of which came from Grandma and Grandpa Bragg. On the back of the picture below is written, "Grandma and Grandpa Humphrey."
It was exciting to uncover the name of Dad's great-grandmother, Ellen
Hale Gilbreath. Now we can put a face to that name and visit her final
resting place in the same yard of her great-grandson whom she never
knew.
