Did You Know? #37

The following answer was given on the popular game show "Jeopardy" a few months ago.

Can you identify the subject of the question? He was, by his own admission, [1] perhaps the most reluctant president in American history. The position he really was interested in was Supreme Court Chief Justice. In fact, when Theodore Roosevelt offered that position to this man, he was eager to accept it. His wife, however, wanted her husband to be President, and she got her way.

William Howard Taft, 27th U. S. President, is perhaps best known as the largest of all the American chief executives, at six feet two inches [2] and weighing in at 330 pounds. Due to his large girth, Taft had real struggles taking a bath, and on more than one occasion he became stuck in the White House bathtub and had be be physically extracted. Finally growing wearied of this humiliation, Taft had a larger tub installed into the White House. It was "seven feet long and nearly four feet wide, and could fit four more-normal-sized men." [3]

Taft was born on September 15, 1857 in Cincinnati, OH into a political family. His father,Alphonso Taft, served President U. S. Grant first as Secretary of War and then as Attorney General. William Howard Taft married Helen "Nellie" Herron and would go on to serve as Theodore Roosevelt's Secretary of War, where he played an important role in the construction of the Panama Canal.

He served only one term as president, 1909-1913. During his term as president two states joined the union, Arizona and New Mexico. [4] Taft also instituted the now traditional "seventh inning stretch." According to tradition, "Taft was attending a baseball game and stood up to stretch his legs during the 7th inning. Since the president stood up, so too did the crowd, creating the 7th inning stretch." [5] When he was nervous, Taft would munch on almonds, his favorite snack. "Taft was known to eat pounds of salted almonds in a sitting." [6]

Although he ran for a second term, his heart was not in it, and his chances were further injured by his friend, Theodore Roosevelt, who ran as a third party candidate. While his supporters may have grieved over his loss to Woodrow Wilson, no doubt Taft was relieved. Now he was free to pursue his real dream, which was realized when Warren G. Harding appointed him as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, a position no other American president ever occupied. [7] He held this position from 1921 to 1930. [8]

As was stated in the Jeopardy clue, William Howard Taft's son, Robert Alphonso Taft, and his grandson, Robert Taft, Jr., were both US Senator from Ohio. [9] Also, his great-grandson, Robert Alphonso "Bob" Taft I Governor of Ohio from 1999 to 2007 [10] But politics did not end there. They could have also added that William Howard Taft's grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft I (1785–1867), was a member of the Vermont legislature, his brother, Charles Phelps Taft I (1843–1929), was a U.S. representative (1895–1897). Two other of Taft's sons entered politics, William Howard Taft III was an ambassador to Ireland (1953-1957) [11] and Charles Phelps Taft II was the mayor of Cincinnati. [12] A grandson, William Howard Taft IV, was Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1984 to 1989. [13]

President William Howard Taft died on March 8, 1930 in Washington, D.C., and his body was interred at Arlington National Cemetery (John F. Kennedy is the only other president laid to rest there). [14] As the following chart will illustrate, President Taft and our great-grandfather, Frank Martin Bragg, were 9th cousins (making our father and Pres. Taft 9th cousins 2 times removed).

Edmund Sherman (b.1572) and Joan Makin
Grace Sherman b.1614	{siblings}	Esther (or Hester) Sherman b. 1606
Hannah Livermore b.1633	{1st cousins}	Esther Ward b. 1623
Grace Cooledge b.1665	{2nd cousins}	Daniel Burr b. 1660
Josiah Bond b.1690	{3rd cousins}	Elizabeth Burr b. 1696
Anna Bond b.1710	{4th cousins}	Nathaniel Hull b. 1726
Susanna Trask b.1730	{5th cousins}	Ezekiel Hull b. 1765
Susan Trask Holman	{6th cousins}	Platt Hull b. 1787
Susan Holman Waters b.1760	{7th cousins}	Ezekiel Hull b. 1813
Louisa Mana Torry b.1800	{8th cousins}	Rebecca L. Hull b. 1841
President William Howard Taft b.1857	{9th cousins}	Frank Martin Bragg b.1867
		Orval Bishop Bragg b.1895
		Don C. Bragg b.1920

Notes:

[1]Rick Beyer, The Greatest Presidential Stories Never Told, Collins, New York, 2007, 130-31.
[2] FunTrivia.com; http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Taft-William-H-13718.html
[3] Beyer, 131.
[4] About.com; http://americanhistory.about.com/od/williamhowardtaft/a/ff_w_h_taft.htm
[5] FunTrivia.com
[6] FunTrivia.com
[7] William Howard Taft, Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Howard_Taft
[8] Concise Biography & Facts About President William Taft; http://www.facts-about.org.uk/american-president-william-taft.htm
[9] Robert Taft, Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Taft
[10] Bob Taft, Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Taft
[11] William Howard Taft III, Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Howard_Taft_III
[12] Taft Family, Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taft_family
[13] William Howard Taft IV, Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Howard_Taft_IV
[14] FunTrivia.com

Did You Know? #36

When the final word is written on the entertainment industry in the 20th century, and the ultimate list of popular and talented actors, the subject of this post will most certainly grace one of that list's the top positions.
Audrey Kathleen Ruston was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium, the daughter of a prosperous English banker and a Dutch Baroness. Shortly after her birth, Audrey's father changed her name to Audrey Hepburn Kathleen Ruston, after finding the name "Hepburn" in his ancestry. She and her mother just happened to be on vacation in Holland when they were caught up in Hitler's invasion and occupation of that country. On the run, Audrey assumed the name of Edda Kathleen as they evaded the Nazi forces.

Those were difficult years for Audrey, but after WWII she became a model until spotted by a movie producer. That is when her career really took off with an amazing string of extremely popular movies - Roman Holiday (1953); Funny Face (1957); Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961); and My Fair Lady (1964). She won an Oscar (best actress) for her role in Roman Holiday, and was nominated for an Academy Award for her performances in Funny Face, Nun's Story, Wait Until Dark, and Breakfast at Tiffany's. She was named as People's magazine "50 most beautiful people in the world," Empire magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time," and, from 1988 to 1993 she was a special ambassador to the United Nations UNICEF fund.

Audrey Hepburn was married twice, made her final film in 1989 ( Always). She passed away on January 20, 1993 in Switzerland after battling colon cancer.

So, how is our family related to this amazing actress? To answer is to again take a journey back to royalty in the Old World. There we find that Audrey Hepburn and our father are 19th cousins 1 time removed. Here is the connection:

Richard "Copped Hat" Fitzalan (the 10th Earl of Arundel) and Eleanor Plantagenet, Countess Of Arundel
Sir John Fitzalan, Lord Of Arundel (b.1348)	{siblings}	Alice Fitzalan Countess of Kent (b.1350)
Margaret Fitzalan (b.1370)	{1st cousins}	Eleanor de Holland (b.1373)
Baron Thomas de Ros IIX (b.1406)	{2nd cousins}	Alice De Montague, Countess Salisbury, (b.1405)
Richard de Ros (b.1428)	{3rd cousins}	Alice Montagu Neville, Baroness FitzHugh (b.1431)
Mary de Ros (b.1478)	{4th cousins}	Elizabeth FitzHugh (b.1465)
Margaret Capell (b.1500)	{5th cousins}	Anna Catherine Vaux (b.1492)
Geoffrey Warde (b.1526)	{6th cousins}	Sir Thomas Throckmorton (b.1512)
Thomas Warde (b.1548)	{7th cousins}	Ann Throckmorton (b.1549)
Richard Ward (b.1575)	{8th cousins}	Philippe Sheldon (b.1580)
Gov. Andrew Ward (b.1597)	{9th cousins}	Ralph Sulyard (b.1612)
Esther Ward (b.1623)	{10th cousins}	Thomas Sulyard (b.1660)
Daniel Burr (b.1660)	{11th cousins}	Agnes Johanna Sulyard (b.1695)
Elizabeth Burr (b.1696)	{12th cousins}	Pieter Anthony Godin (b.1725)
Nathaniel Hull (b.1726)	{13th cousins}	Antoinette Charlotte Godin (b.1753)
Ezekiel Hull (b.1765)	{14th cousins}	Cornelia Anna van Westreenen (b.1777)
Platt Hull (b.1787)	{15th cousins}	Aamoud Jan de Beaufort (b.1797)
Ezekiel Hull (b.1813)	{16th cousins}	Wilhelmina de Beaufort (b.1843)
Rebecca L. Hull (b.1841)	{17th cousins}	Baron Aarnoud Jan Anne Aleid van Heemstra (b.1871)
Frank Martin Bragg (b.1867)	{18th cousins}	Baroness Ellavan Heemstra (b.1900)
Orval Bishop Bragg (b.1895)	{19th cousins}	Audrey Kathleen Hepburn (b.1929)
Don C. Bragg (b.1920)

Sources:

Audrey Hepburn Biography, Elegant Woman,
http://www.elegantwoman.org/audrey-hepburn-biography.html

Rootsweb, Anybody and Everybody,
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=okami&id=I13466

Wikipedia, Audrey Hepburn, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Hepburn

The Internet Movie Database, Biography for Audrey Hepburn
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000030/bio

It's a Boy

Congratulations to Nathan and Carissa, who just found out this morning that their family's new addition will be a BOY!! Can't wait until we get to meet our new grandson sometime after his birth in July of this year.

The Newest Arrival

Congratulations to Chad and Koran on the newest addition to their family, Lochlyn Elizabeth Bragg, born on December 25, 2010. Both Chad and Koran are Chiropractic Doctors in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, where they have operated Tranquility Specific Chiropractic since September 2001.

Congratulations are also in order for the Grandparents, Charles and Rebecca Bragg and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Gurcak, Great-Grandparents Don and Mary Bragg, and Aunt Amber.

Did You Know? #35

His name would rank high on nearly anyone's list of America's greatest poets. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine on February 27, 1807, the son of Stephen and Zilpah Wadsworth Longfellow. For Henry, formal education began at the very early age of three and quickly distinguished himself as a proficient student. Stephen's aspirations for his son to follow in his own footsteps by becoming a lawyer never came to fruition. Instead, upon his graduation from Bowdoin College Longfellow was employed by the college as a professor in modern languages, a position he filled after some time off for a European tour.

A few years later, in 1834, Longfellow accepted a position at Harvard, after yet another tour of Europe this time accompanied with his new bride (he married Mary Storer Potter in 1831). Sadly, the new Mrs. Longfellow did not survive the trip. Heartbroken, he returned to Cambridge, Massachusetts to begin his teaching duties at Harvard. It was here that he met his second wife, Frances Appleton. All this time he immersed himself into writing poetry. Among some of his most famous productions were "Song of Hiawatha," "The Courtship of Miles Standish."

In 1854 Henry resigned from the Harvard faculty to devote himself more fully to writing. Just a few years later, as the nation was just entering the horrors of civil war, Longfellow suffered the loss of his second wife (in 1861). Many honors came to Longfellow in his final years (he passed away on March 24, 1882). "Of all the suns of the New England morning," says Van Wyck Brooks, "he was the largest in his golden sweetness."

Our family is connected to that of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by marriage. Dad's 3rd great-grand aunt Martha Hull (sister of his 3rd great-grandfather Platt Hull) married Joseph L. Longfellow, the second cousin 2 times removed of the great poet. The following charts illustrate the family connection.

Ezekiel Hull & Mary Denton
Platt Hull b.1787	Martha Hull b.1796 married ... Joseph L. Longfellow (see chart below)
Ezekiel Hull b.1813
Rebecca L. Hull b.1841
Frank Martin Bragg b.1867
Orval Bishop Bragg b.1895
Don C. Bragg b.1920

William Longfellow & Anne Sewall
William Longfellow b.1679	Stephen Longfellow b.1685
Jonathan Longfellow	Stephen Longfellow b.1685
Joseph L. Longfellow (third wife was Martha Hull b.1796)	Stephen Longfellow b.1723
	Stephen Longfellow b.1750
	Henry Wadsworth Longfellow b.1807

Sources:
Maine Historical Society, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow http://www.hwlongfellow.org/life_overview.shtml
American Poems, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/longfellow

Did You Know? #34

In reading M. William Phelps' biography of Nathan Hale, the patriot and Revolutionary War hero hung by the British for espionage. While most elementary school students should be familiar with the famed Hale, two important figures in the tragically short life of that patriot are certainly not household names, but have special connections with our family.

Just a few generations after his ancestor, Capt. Thomas Munson helped found New Haven, Connecticut and Yale University, Dr. Eneas Munson, a Yale graduate, would settle in New Haven where he would practice medicine for 66 years. [1] Dr. Munson was known for "his wit and humor," but especially for having served as Nathan Hale's personal tutor prior to Nathan's entering Yale, along with his younger brother, Enoch, at the age of 14. [2] At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Dr. Munson would serve as an medical assistant in the Continental army, being present at Yorktown as the War drew to a close in 1781. Our ancestry is traced through Dad's maternal grandfather, as is outlined in the chart below, and was Dad's second cousin, six times removed.

Dr. Eneas Munson	Samuel Munson & Martha P. Bradley
	Theophilus Munson b.1675	Samuel Munson b.1669
	Benjamin Munson b.1711	Solomon Munson b.1688
	Dr. Eneas Munson M.D. b.1734	Samuel Munson b.1717
		Samuel Munson,Jr. b.1763
		Isaac Munson b.1802
		Joel Munson b.1846
		Gladys Gilbreath b.1898
		Don Cicero Bragg b.1920

One of Nathan Hale's closest friends was a fellow Yale graduate, two years older than Hale, was William Hull (1753-1825). William was one of the last to plead with Nathan to reconsider his voluntary mission behind enemy lines, and also one of the last to marvel at his friend's patriotism and valor. Hull would also be recognized for his courage by George Washington and the Continental Congress.

William Hull would survive the Revolutionary War and, having passed the bar in 1775, practiced law in his wife's hometown of Newton,Massachusetts. He served as a judge and state senator until appointed as governor of Michigan Territory in 1805 by Pres. Thomas Jefferson.

Hull would again see military service during the War of 1812, serving as brigadier general. Through a series of miscommunication and missteps would surrender Fort Detroit on August 16, 1812. For this William faced a court-martial, receiving the death penalty for cowardice and neglect of duty, but then pardoned by Pres. James Madison (based on his past military valor).

Here is how we are related to General Hull:

Thomas Hull & Joane Peson		General William Hull
Richard Hull b.1599	George Hull b.1590
Dr. John Hull b.1640	Lieutenant Cornelius Hull b.1628
Capt. Joseph Hull b.1667	Cornelius Hull b.1655
Joseph Hull b.1694	Nathaniel Hull b.1694
Joseph Hull b.1728	Nathaniel Hull b.1726
Major General William Hull b.1753	Ezekiel Hull b.1765
Julia Knox Hull (b.1799)	Platt Hull b.1787
Joseph Wheeler (b.1836)	Ezekiel Hull b.1813
	Rebecca L. Hull b.1841
	Frank Martin Bragg b.1867
	Orval Bishop Bragg b.1895
	Don Cicero Bragg b.1920

This would make Dad General Hull's 5th cousins 6 times removed.

One other interesting connection should be noted. As the chart above illustrates, Major General William Hull's daughter, Julia Knox Hull (b.1799) was also the mother of Confederate General Joseph Wheeler (b.1836). Wheeler, a West Point graduate (class of 1859), resigned his commission in April 1861 to enter the Confederate Army as a First Lieutenant of Artillery. It was in this capacity that he served at the battle of Shiloh, commanding the Cavalry under General Braxton Bragg. Both Bragg and Wheeler would work together in Kentucky (prior to Wheeler's promotion to Major General, CSA in January 1863), the Battle of Chickamauga, September 18-20, 1863, and Lookout Mountain. Wheeler slowly retreated before Union General William Techumseh Sherman as he "marched to the sea."

During the Civil War Wheeler was wounded three times and had sixteen horses shot from under him, earning him the name "Fightin' Joe" Wheeler. After the war he moved to New Orleans, and then returned to his beloved Alabama. After the Civil War Wheeler served in the United States Congress and lead troops during the Spanish-American War in 1898. He is one of "only two former Confederate generals to be buried in Arlington" National Cemetery overlooking Washington, D.C. There, Wheeler is buried alongside his oldest son, Joseph Wheeler, Jr., [3] who also enjoyed an honorable military career both as in instructor at West Point and in domestic and foreign service (including service under his father in the Spanish-American War). The younger Wheeler received the Silver Star with Oak Leaf cluster (for gallantry).

This would make Dad and Gen. Joseph Wheeler 7th cousins 4 times removed, and Joseph Wheeler, Jr. 8th cousins 3 times removed.

Gen. JosephWheeler

Notes:

[1] THE FIRST MEDICAL TRANSACTIONS IN AMERICA

[2] Wikipedia, Nathan Hale

[3] Arlington National Cemetery

Did You Know? #33

It is one of the most influential political family of our times, producing, for only the second time in American history, a father and son each serving as the nation's chief executive.

On the first Friday of each year Freed-Hardeman University, in Henderson, TN (my alma mater) hosts its Advisory Board Benefit Dinner, the largest fund raising effort of the year. In previous years featured speakers included actor and comedian Tim Conway, former Governor of Arkansas and Fox News host Mike Huckabee, Regis Philbin, Walter Cronkite, and former President and First Lady George H. W. and Barbara Pierce Bush (in separate years). This year's guest speaker is their son, former President George W. Bush.

Bush served for two terms as the 43rd President of the United States. Before that he served as the 46th Governor of Texas, and the first to hold that position to consecutive 4-year terms. As president, according to the White House website, the "most significant event" of his presidency ...

"came on September 11, 2001, when terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people on American soil. President Bush responded with a comprehensive strategy to protect the American people. He led the most dramatic reorganization of the federal government since the beginning of the Cold War, reforming the intelligence community and establishing new institutions like the Department of Homeland Security. He built global coalitions to remove violent regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq that threatened America; liberating more than 50 million people from tyranny. He recognized that freedom and hope are the best alternative to the extremist ideology of the terrorists, so he provided unprecedented American support for young democracies and dissidents in the Middle East and beyond. In the more than seven years after September 11, 2001, the United States was not attacked again."

His father, George H. W. Bush, was a hero of WW II (awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action) and served in various elected and appointed positions including "a Representative to Congress from Texas ... Ambassador to the United Nations, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chief of the U. S. Liaison Office in the People's Republic of China, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency" prior to serving two terms as Ronald Reagan's Vice President, and one term as the 41st President of the United States.

Other prominent members of the Bush family include former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (George W. Bush's younger brother) and Prescott Bush (George H. W. Bush's father), who served as United States Senator from Connecticut from 1952-1963.

So what is the connection between our family and the Bush family? As the following chart illustrates, each family can trace their ancestry backwards to a single couple, Henry and Agnes Butler Sherman. This would make Sen. Prescott Sheldon Bush and our grandfather, Orval Bishop Bragg, 12th cousins; Pres. George Herbert Walker Bush and our father, Don C. Bragg, 13th cousins; and Pres. George Walker Bush and our generation of the Bragg family 14th cousins.

Henry Sherman & Agnes Butler
Henry Sherman b.1546	Edmund Sherman b.1548
Samuel Sherman b.1571	Edmund Sherman b.1572
Philip Sherman b.1610	Esther Sherman b.1606
John Sherman b.1644	Esther Ward b.1623
Hannah Sherman	Daniel Burr b.1660
William Bourn Jr.	Elizabeth Burr b.1696
Hannah Bourn	Nathaniel Hull b.1726
Anne Fitch	Ezekiel Hull b.1765
Levi Pierce b.1797	Platt Hull b.1787
Elizabeth Slade Pierce b.1822	Ezekiel Hull b.1813
Mary Elizabeth Butler b.1850	Rebecca L. Hull b.1841
Flora Sheldon b.1872	Frank Martin Bragg b.1867
Sen. Prescott Sheldon Bush b.1895	Orval Bishop Bragg b.1895
Pres. George Herbert Walker Bush b.1924	Don Cicero Bragg b.1920
Pres. George Walker Bush b.1946

* Picture from The Jackson Sun (Jackson, TN), 12-04-2010