Did You Know #29

The eighth day of August is a special day in our national, and even our world's history. Consider just a few of the reasons why this is true ...

• In 1709 Bartolomeu de Gusmão demonstrated before the King of Portugal the power of hot air to lift.
• In 1863, just after the Union victory at Gettysburg, Gen. Robert E. Lee submitted his resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis (his resignation was not accepted).
• In 1911 Francis Holdton submitted would be the nation's 1,000,000th patent (it was for tubeless tires).
• In 1945 the Soviet Union declared war on Japan.
• Also in 1945, the United States joined the United Nations.
• In 1974 President Richard Nixon announced that he would resign the presidency at noon the following day.
• And in 2000 a submarine, the H. L. Hunley was raised from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of Charleston, SC. The last time the Hunley had been seen was as it quietly pulled away from the shore on the evening that it successfully sank the Housatonic on February 17, 1864. The eight man crew's remains were recovered from the Hunley which had been their crypt for over 137 years.

August the eight has also seen the birth of some people who would eventually make their mark, especially on the entertainment industry ...

• In 1921 television producer William Asher was born. He would some of TV's most iconic shows such as I Love Lucy, Make Room For Daddy, and of course, Bewitched, in which his own wife, Elizabeth Montgomery starred.

• Also born in 1921 was the high diving actress Esther Williams.

• In 1922 western actor Rory Calhoun was born.

• In 1926 Richard Anderson was born. He played Steve Austin's boss Oscar Goldman, in The Six Million Dollar Man.

• 1932 witnessed the birth of M..M..Mel Tililis, country music superstar.

• Dustin Hoffman was born in 1937.

• Connie Stevens was born in 1938.

• CHiPs co-star Larry Wilcox was born in 1947.

• Keith Carridine, who shared hosting duties of Wild West Tech with his brother David, was born on this day in 1949.

• And Happy Days co-star Don Most (Ralph Malph) was born on August 8, 1953.

Two countries celebrate August the eighth as national holidays ...

• In Tanzania it is Farmer's Day.
• Taiwan celebrates Father's Day on August 8.

Although it is not recognized as such in the United States, for our family, August the eighth is father's day as well.

Don Cicero Bragg was born in Bruce, IL on August 8, 1920. Named in honor of his maternal grandfather, Cicero Gilbreath, he was the second child of Orval Bishop and Gladys Gilbreath Bragg. He, like so many of his ancestors before him, grew up a farmer. But there is so much more of him.

He is a hero, a patriot, serving our country in its time of greatest need in the 20th century in the Philippines and later in Japan, during World War II. Following his military service he returned to the states and began his family. Over the years he was a selfless provider for those he loved. He never sought special recognition, and, sadly, so few times was extended it.

Over the years he worked the good earth, was employed as a mechanic, sometimes a truck driver. Yet, he would take time to fish and play ball with us. My earliest memories of church are of joining he and Bonnie on warm Sunday mornings outside the Bruce Church, the family station wagon's rear facing the open door of the meeting house, and Bonnie on blankets in the back singing along with the hymns.

As I've grown older I've come to recognize Dad as a man of great courage. I was probably around eleven years old on my very first foray out of the Land of Lincoln. While it took somewhat of a caravan to carry it off, he led us across the Indiana border to Turkey Run. It was a wonderful trip.

Times have changed so much with the passing of time. Today, while our children live so far away from us, with modern technology we are still able to keep in touch quite easily. But it can still not compare with the "good old days" where family lived nearby and we could witness first-hand his care for his own parents.

When it came to the modern conveniences we have grown use to today, we knew nothing of in our day to day lives. No indoor bathroom facilities, air conditioning, or cable TV, and, and yes, even in those primitive conditions we had joy and love as we grew up. Dad's laughter filled our home.

Dad is a great example of what it means to love. Married 64 years, 13 children, life has brought many ups and downs. It is especially in the "down" times that his love always rose to the occasion. He and Mom led in offering the daily support Bonnie needed. While doctors gave her only five years to live, Mom and Dad gave her a real, meaningful life that brought immeasurable joy to our family. At the passing of both Bob and Bonnie, Mom and Dad provided strength to us all.

Since this blog was established I have presented some interesting family connections of people who obviously had no real knowledge of our family's existence. As much as I enjoyed watching Larry Bird play with the Boston Celtics, Henry Fonda's performance in The Ox-Bow Incident, or even watching James Arness' portrayal of Marshal Matt Dillon (and even have a personally autographed picture of him), I'm under no delusion that he knows us. To us, the biggest star of them all was born on August 8, 1920, and he is our Dad.

Happy 90th Birthday Dad!!

On Sunday, August 8, 2010 Dad will turn 90 years old.

Dad, thank you for all that you have done and continue to do. We love you more than words can express. I hope this video will say what is in our hearts.

Did You Know #28

NOTE: I wanted to comment on the previous Did You Know entry, number 27. Upon further reflection I was somewhat struck by the fact that I was really excited about the link to James Arness and Peter Graves, it never really hit me to think it of interest to see a clear link with English royalty. Sometimes, even if by accident, we do have a way of getting our priorities right. Curiosity got the best of me about who these people were that I'd passed over without giving them a thought.

John of Gaunt¹ (20th great grandfather) was born in AD 1340 to King Edward III of England and Queen Philippa in Ghent, Belgium (hence his moniker, "Gaunt"). In 1342 he became Earl of Richmond, a knight in 1355, and first married to his cousin Blanche (the daughter of Duke of Lancaster) in 1359 leading to his becoming.the Earl of Lancaster in 1361, and Duke of Lancaster in 1362. He, along with his brother Edward the Black Prince, waged war with France leading the English forces in 1370. While engaged in this war his wife, Blanche, died and John remarried the daughter of Pedro the Cruel, Constance. This marriage empowered John to seize the title of king of Castile and Leon. Now that he had the title, he just needed a kingdom. After 16 years of fruitless pursuit he returned to England where the demands of the national government awaited.

Turmoil enveloped John as he did battle with Parliament, defended the religious leader John Wycliffe, saw his nephew crowned King Richard II, and while guarding the border of Scotland his palace was burned in the peasant's revolt in June 1381. With his attention directed to Scotland, and then France, John was building a tradition of military failure. In the arts he showed great taste, becoming the patron of Geoffrey Chaucer, whose work Boke of the Duchesse was a lament for John's first wife, Blanche.

John married a third time (following the death of Constance in 1394, taking Catherine Swynford² (20th great grandmother) as his bride. She was the daughter of Sir Payne de Roet. With a reputation of great beauty, Catherine had been raised in a convent after the death of her parents early in her life. When she was 16 she was called back to the royal court where she became the wife of Sir Hugh Swynford.

Catherine is the ancestor of at least 5 Ameican presidents, Queen Elizabeth II, and Princess Dianna. It was following his death that she married John of Gaunt. Prior to their marriage the couple had already become the parents. Their extra-marital children bore the name Beaufort, who following John and Catherine's marriage were given a legitimate status. John died on February 3, 1399. His remains rest in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England. His wife, Catherine (or Katherine de Roet) outlived John by only four years.

King Edward III (also known as Edward Plantagenet), the father of John of Gaunt, is our 21st great grandfather. He was born in 1312 at Windsor, Berkshire, England to King Edward II and Isabella of France. King Edward III reigned as King of England for fifty years (1327-77). He was made Earl of Chester in 1320, and Duke of Aquitaine in 1325. Edward spent much of the late 1320's in France with his uncle Charles IV.

Edward was crowned King in 1327, although his mother, and her lover Roger Mortimer actually reigned in his name. He was married to Philippa, the daughter of the Count of Hainaut, the next year. In 1330 he set into motion a plan that resulted in the arrest and execution of Mortimer, and taking his rightful place as monarch of England. Following the death of Scotland's Robert the Bruce, Edward took advantage of the new king's youthfulness and invaded Scotland in 1332. He fought with France in what has come to be known as the Hundred Years' War. Another blow to England during his reign was the plague, or Black Death.

While over his long reign Edward's "main ambition was military glory, he was not a bad ruler of England. He was liberal, kindly, good-tempered and easy of access."³ King Edward III died of a stroke on June 21, 1377 in Surrey, England. His body was interred in London's Westminster Abbey.

Sources:

¹ John of Gaunt [http://www.nndb.com/people/826/000094544/]

² Isabella [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_France]

³ King Edward [http://www.nndb.com/people/315/000093036/]

(A Double-Barreled) Did You Know #27

This has been, to me, the most enjoyable work in preparing a post to our family blog. It is filled with some of my fondest memories growing up: gathering around the old black and white, and especially Bonnie's enjoyment at the certainty that SHE was going to be the very first victim in EVERY single episode. As the familiar theme wafted towards her bed her anticipation would build until finally, as pistols blazed, she would exclaim, "Ouch, they got me!" Even today, if you were to call my cell phone, that familiar theme serves as my ringtone.

James King Aurness was born in May 1923 in Minneapolis, MN. As a young man he already towered over his classmates as he was on his way to his familiar height of 6' 6". During the second World War he served with 3rd Infantry Division and served a leading role in the invasion of Anzio, where he sustained a severe leg room that would plague him as he ages and was noticeable in his work as he mounted and dismounted his horse. Urged by his younger brother, James made his way to California to begin his acting career, appearing first in "The Farmer's Daughter" (1947). Following the advice of that movie's director, H.C. Potter, James "Aurness" became James "Arness."

Perhaps his biggest break came from his work with John Wayne. After making a few movies together, he was on the Duke's mind when he was approached with the offer of starring in a new television program based on the popular radio show, Gunsmoke. Wayne was not interested, but he knew just who to recommend, and he even introduced the first episode (you can see his introduction on YouTube)

From 1955 until 1975 James Arness kept the peace in Dodge City, tried to keep the peace between Doc and Chester (and later Festus), and kept from kissing Miss Kitty. Following the end of the television series he starred in How the West Was Won television series, the short-lived McClain's Law (1981), and a re-make of John Wayne's Red River (1988), and a number of made for TV Gunsmoke movies.

He was married to Virginia Chapman from 1948 until their divorce in 1963. They had three children. His only daughter, Jenny, appeared in two episodes of Gunsmoke, but sadly she died of a drug overdose in 1975, just as Gunsmoke was ending its run. James Arness and Janet Surtrees were married in 1978.

If we are related to James Arness, that obviously we are related to his younger brother, Peter Graves (born in 1926), who likewise had a long-running television career at Agent Jim Phelps in "Mission: Impossible" (1966). Peter made many movies, one of the most memorable being the pilot on Airplane (1980). Sadly, Peter passed away on March 14th of his year.

To find the family connection we must go back a number of generations to John of Gaunt, Prince of England (1340-1398), son of King Edward III (1312-1377). John had a number of wives, but in 1395 he married Catherine de Roet, Duchess Of Lancaster. The chart below traces out the two family lines:

Prince John of Gaunt and Duchess Catherine de Roet
John "Fairborn" De Beaufort Marquess Of Somerset b.1373	Joan De Beaufort b.1379
Joan Beaufort b.1398	Jane Neville b.1399
Annabella Stewart b.1440	Thomas Hare b.1418
Elizabeth Gordon b.1462	John Hare b.1438
Robert Keith b.1483	Nicholas Hare b.1460
Janet Keith b.1514	John Hare b.1506
William Lyon b.1540	John Hare b.1526
Richard Lyon b.1590	Elizabeth Hare b.1555
Richard Lyon b.1624	Richard Ward b.1575
Richard Lyon b.1653	Gov. Andrew Ward I b.1597
Daniel Lyon b.1697	Esther Ward b.1623
Ruth Lyon	Daniel Burr b.1660
Levi Beardsley	Elizabeth Burr b.1696
Esther Beardsley b.1791	Nathaniel Hull b.1726
Ann Maria Graves b.1820	Ezekiel Hull b.1765
Josephine Jenks b.1841	Platt Hull b.1787
Hess Graves Duesler b.1859	Ezekiel Hull b.1813
Ruth Duesler b.1894	Rebecca L. Hull b.1841
James King Aurness (ARNESS) b.1923 and Peter Duesler Aurness (Graves)	Frank Martin Bragg b.1867
	Orval Bishop Bragg b.1895
	Don Cicero Bragg b.1920

As the above chart illustrates, James Arness, Peter Graves and Frank Martin Bragg (our great-grandfather) are 18th cousins, being three generations later we are 18th cousins 3 times removed of James Arness and Peter Graves.

Did You Know #25

As you read these words you should be able sense our extended family tree becoming more and more ponderous. Stepping out on this particularbranch will bring you face to face with some of the great names of our time, in Hollywood (R. Burton), business (Hilton), and politics (Warner), and the inspiration for the number one hit of the Statler Brothers. And it can all be found by looking into the incredibly pulic life of one of motion pictures most admired actresses, and our grandfather's 9th cousin.

Here is the connection...

Gov. Andrew Ward I & Esther Sherman
Samuel Ward b.1645		Esther Ward b.1623
Samuel Ward b.1677		Daniel Burr b.1660
Elizabeth Ward b.1708		Elizabeth Burr b.1696
Mary Harris Hinman b.1749		Nathaniel Hull b.1726
Rhoda Hinman b.1774		Ezekiel Hull b.1765
Jonathan Perigo		Platt Hull b.1787
Margaret Jane Perigo b.1830		Ezekiel Hull b.1813
Francis Marion Taylor b.1860		Rebecca L. Hull b.1841
Frank Martin Bragg b.1867		Francis Lenn Taylor b.1897
Orval Bishop Bragg b.1895		Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor b.1932

Born in London, England (her mother, a retired actress, and father, art dealer, were in England on business), "Liz" Taylor was a hit from her very first film, There's One Born Every Minute (1942), and appeared in some of the greatest movies of the next two decades, such as:
National Velvet (1944)
Life with Father(1947)
Father of the Bride (1950)

Cleopatra (1963; costarred with future husband Richard Burton, the first of 11 films together)

She is also greatly renowned for her many marriages (8), seven of which ended in divorce and two of those to the same man (R. Burton). "Fourth-husband Eddie Fisher said that a $50,000 diamond could keep Taylor happy for approximately four days."[1] An episode in the classic sit-com "Here's Lucy" revolves around Lucy getting one of Taylor's famous diamond rings stuck on her finger, the highest rated episode of that series. "She has been named "#7 in the American Film Institute's list of the 50 'Greatest American Screen Legends'"; voted "the 11th Greatest Movie Star of all time" (Entertainment Weekly); highest rated episode of A & E's popular "Biography" series (1987); runner up for the most times featured on cover of People magazine (14 times up to 1996, Princess Diana was first); in 1976 she was second in a magazine poll for "Most Memorable Eyebrows" (Lassie was first);and she was the first "actress to earn $1,000,000 for a movie role (in Cleopatra (1963)."[1] She was nominated five times for the Oscars, and won twice (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1966; BUtterfield 8 in 1960) along with numerous nominations and wins for very presigious awards (i.e. Life Achievement Award; Cecil B. DeMille Award; Golden Globe [3 nominations, 1 win for Suddenly, Last Summer in 1959).

[1] IMDb Biography for Elizabeth Taylor
[2] Awards for Elizabeth Taylor

Did You Know? #24

This will be an entry dealing with opposites, graves, and connections with our Bragg family.

If you were to list five infamous outlaws in the old West, I just bet that our first subject will come to mind. Jesse and Frank James emerged from the American Civil War (where they rode with the infamous Kansas terror William Quantrill and Bloody Bill Anderson) and began a new career in crime. Sons of a Baptist preacher, the Rev. Robert James, reputedly "pulled off the first daylight bank robbery in peace time," stealing $60,000 from the bank in Liberty, MO, not far from their home and the community in which their father had helped to found the William Jewell College.[1]

Over the next 15 years their gang held up banks and trains, Jesse married his first cousin, Zerelda, and traveled as far as Minnesota to rob the Northfield bank. The James-Younger gang was stunned when they suddenly found themselves caught in the fire of feisty citizen's defending their bank and town. Frank and Jesse escaped alone.

Although they attempted to begin lives under assumed names, eventually they returned to a life of crime, recruiting the help of Bob and Charlie Ford. But they could not resist the $10,000 reward on their leader's head. On April 3, 1882 Bob shot Jesse in the back of his head as he was adjusting a picture on his living room wall. Or did he? Theories raged for decades as to who was buried in Jesse James' grave.[2]

The connection of the James brothers with our family comes through our father's 3rd great-grandmother, Elizabeth Venable (wife of Richard Bragg, 1762-1840). The next two charts illustrate the connection.

Abraham Bedford Venable & Martha Hannah Davis
Hugh Lewis Venable b.1727		James Venable b.1734 - married Judith Morton, see the next chart for her relation- ship with the infamous Jesse James.
Elizabeth Venable b.1764 (married Richard Bragg)
Hugh Lewis Bragg b.1795
William Bragg b.1834
Frank Martin Bragg b.1867
Orval Bishop Bragg b.1895
Don Cicero Bragg b.1920

Elizabeth Venable Bragg's aunt Judith Morton (the wife of James Venable, Elizabeth's father's brother) and Jesse Woodson James are 2nd cousins 4 times removed.

Col. Robert Woodson & Elizabeth Ferris
Richard Woodson b.1662		Benjamin Lewis Woodson b.1666
Agnes Woodson b.1711		Robert Woodson b.1690
Judith Morton b.1739		Elizabeth Woodson
		Elizabeth Woodson Mims b.1769
		Mary "Polly" Poor b.1790
		Rev. Robert Sallee James b.1818
		Jesse Woodson James b.1847

What kind of person do you think of as being the opposite of the outlaw Jesse James? How about a legendary explorer, trailblazer, a man who fought for family and country? That would be Daniel Boone (the real one, not Fess Parker, although he is pretty great too).

Just as our connection with the James clan comes through marriage (the daughter-in-law of our 6th great-grandfather Abraham Bedford Venable, that is Judith Morton), the connection with the Boones comes through Jesse James' daughter-in-law.

Boone, born in 1734, was a talented hunter and pioneer who loved solitude. Feeling "crowded" he was always moving westward. When he brought his family through the Cumberland Gap, Daniel's wife, Rebecca Bryan, became the first white woman settler of Kentucky.

Although he fought the Native American's for the land he, and others, were attempting to settle (on one occasion they kidnapped his daughter, on another they murdered his son), he eventually gained their respect. In later life he settled in Missouri, living with his son, Nathan (near Defiance, Missouri). [3] It was there that he died in 1820, at the age of 83.

As you can see in the chart below, Jesse James' daughter-in-law, Stella McGowan, was the 3rd great-granddaughter of Daniel Boone.

		Daniel Boone b.1734
		Col. Nathan Boone b.1781
		Mary O. Boone b.1822
		Mary Francis Hosman b.1842
Jesse Woodson James b.1847		Alfred M. McGowan b.1860
Jesse Edward James b. 1875 married .....		Stella Frances McGowan b.1882

As we began I stated that this entry is all about "opposites" and "graves." Boone and James certainly covers the "opposites," so what about the "graves?"

At first Daniel Boone was buried near his wife, Rebecca (who passed away in 1813) in Marthasville, MO. However, today Frankfort, KY purports to be the final resting place of the great frontiersman. Folks in Missouri insist that when the Kentuckians came to dig up Boone's body in the 1840's, they dug up the wrong body. At the time of Boone's death the grave next to his wife's was already occupied, so Daniel was buried at the foot of Rebecca's grave. As a result, both states claim to be the site of Daniel Boone's grave.[4]

The question surrounding the grave of Jesse James is, "Who is buried really buried in Jesse James' grave?" For Daniel Boone the question is, "Where is the real Boone's grave?"

With today's scientific advances some of the mysteries of these graves, Boone's and James', have been clarified. Is it the body of the infamous outlaw that is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Kearney, MO? Scientists say, "Yes?" Where is the "real" Daniel Boone buried, near Defiance, Missouri or Frankfort, Kentucky? Researchers, after studying casts made of the skull buried in the Kentucky grave have concluded that the body buried there is that of "a large black man."[4] Neither decisions have quelled the debates surrounding the graves of these two men, one famous and the other infamous.

Sources:

[1] The City of St. Joseph, MO website [http://www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/history/jessejames.cfm]

[2] Find A Grave, Jesse Woodson James [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=539]

[3] Daniel Boone American Pioneer and Trailblazer, 1734
- 1820 [http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95nov/boone.html]

[4] Boone's Bones Brouhaha [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/18662]

Did You Know? #23

Although raised in the great state of Illinois, since the mid-1980's we have resided in the border state of Missouri, beside the legendary muddy Mississippi, and in the city Mark Twain described as "situated on a hillside, and makes a handsome appearance." In those days Cape Girardeau was frequently visited by the many steamboats that fought their way up and were carried down the great river.

About 30 miles south of Cape the Mississippi welcomes the Ohio River as it runs past the southernmost town of Cairo. About 200 miles north of Cape is Twain's hometown of Hannibal (actually he was born just a bit south in Florida, MO and moved to Hannibal when he was 4 years old).

Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born in November 1835 just a few weeks after Halley's Comet started appearing. Twain was noted for commenting that he came in with Halley's Comet and that he would go out with it as well. Twain passed away on April 21, 1910, the day after Halley's Comet made its closest pass during its 1910 reappearance.[1]

In addition to his illustrious career as a writer, Clemons was also a printer's apprentice, typesetter, a riverboat pilot, a governmental secretary for the state of Nevada, a miner, a reporter and newspaper editor. In addition to all this he had a brief stint of military service with the Confederate army during the Civil War, although that does not seem to have lasted more than a couple of weeks.[2]

Yet, despite this brief association with the Confederates, Mark Twain became a close personal friend of U. S. Grant and was instrumental in getting Grant to write and publish his personal memoirs.

Clemons married Olivia Langdon on February 2, 1870 and the couple's children included Langdon, Olivia Susan, Clara, and Jean Lampton Clemens.[3] Following Olivia's death in 1904, Clemens, in a letter to his brother-in-law; declared, I am a man without a country. Wherever Livy was, that was my country."[4]

This year the state of Missouri is commemorating Mark Twain's life. 2010 is the 175th year after Twain's birth and the centinnial of the celebrated author's death. The "Father of American Literature" also has ties through his marriage to our Bragg family (Great-grandfather Frank

Martin Bragg and Olivia Langdon Clemons were 8th cousins). As the chart below with detail, descending from common ancestors George Hull and Thamzen Mitchel, Mark Twain's children and our Grandfather Bragg were 9th cousins (making our generation 9th cousins 2 times removed).

George Hull and Thamzen Mitchel
Mary Hull b.1618	Lieutenant Cornelius Hull b.1628
Nathaniel Pinney b.1640	Cornelius Hull b.1655
Nathaniel Pinney ,Jr. b.1671	Nathaniel Hull b.1694
Nathaniel Pinney III b.1695	Nathaniel Hull b.1726
Lucretia Pinney b.1721	Ezekiel Hull b.1765
Moses Barnard b.1750	Platt Hull b.1787
Olive Barnard b.1785	Ezekiel Hull b.1813
Olivia Lewis b.1805	Rebecca L. Hull b.1841
Olivia Langdon b.1835	Frank Martin Bragg b.1867
Langdon Clemens	Orval Bishop Bragg b.1895
	Don Cicero Bragg b.1920

[1] Gayle Harper, Missouri's Shining Star, Midwest Traveler, May/June
2010, 28-31.

[2] Mark Twain House and Museum http://www.marktwainhouse.org/theman/bio.shtml

[3] Samuel Langhorne CLEMENS http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/twainbio.html

[4] Consolatio http://www.consolatio.com/2008/04/mark-twain-afte.html

[5] Source for picture of Mark Twain's family http://ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392624