Did You Know #57

  It has been a while since I have posted anything to this blog, but when I stumbled upon this tonight, I could not pass it by without passing it along to you.

With all respect to Charlie, our family has its own connection with Santa Clause. The following information is from www.wikitree.com. You can also visit the central figure in this post to his Find A Grave memorial page HERE. According to the wikitree website both Dad and Santa are 14th cousins once removed. Both Dad and Santa can trace our ancestry back to Mary Poole Cotton (1438 - bef. 1469). Mary was Dad's 13th great grandmother and Santa Clause's 14th great grandmother.

Here is how this connection is laid out through the wikitree site:

1. Don Cicero Bragg (1920-2013)

2. Orval Bishop Bragg (1895-1989) 

3. Franklin Martin Bragg (1867-1944)

4. William Bragg (1834-1900)

5. Hugh Lewis Bragg (1795-)

6. Elizabeth (Venable) Bragg (1764-1830)

7. Hugh Lewis Venable (1727-1804)

8. Abraham Venable II (1700-abt.1768)

9. Abraham Venable I (1662-1710)

10. Thomas Venables (1643-1733)

11. Peter Venable MP (1604-1669)

12. Thomas Venables Esq. (1543-1606) 

13. Thomas Venables (1512-1580)

14. Eleanor (Cotton) Venables (abt.1490-abt.1541)

15. Richard Cotton (1461-1497)

16. Mary (Poole) Cotton (1438-bef.1469)

Meanwhile, this same Mary Poole Cotton is the 4th great grandmother of Santa Clause:

17. Mary (Poole) Cotton (1438-bef.1469)

16. Catherine (Cotton) Molyneux (abt.1445-)

15. Dorothy Powtrell (abt.1477-)

14. Richard (Molyneux) of Haughton (abt.1510-)

13. Francis Molyneux (abt.1530-abt.1600)

12. Thomas Molyneux (1557-1597)

11. John Molyneux (abt.1581-1618)

10. John Henry Mullinex (1618-1676)

9. Robert Molinor Mullinax (abt.1650-abt.1729)

8. Thomas Mullinix (bef.1674-1728)

7. Jonathan Mullinix (1705-1790)

6. Jonathan Mullinix (1731-1800)

5. Sarah Mullinix (1772-1850)

4. Elizabeth (Summers) Shoemaker (1807-abt.1870)

3. Lavina (Shoemaker) Samuels (1827-abt.1862)

2. Henrietta (Samuels) Clause (1861-1915)

1. Santa Clause (1888 - 1957)

If you are interested in further study, click HERE for another blog posting on Santa Clause.

Did You Know #56

     Writing this entry on the brink of July 4th, 2021, I was thinking of the founding fathers and the great sacrifices they endured to gain independence so many years ago. Also, I am aware that many of these men have fallen in status and appreciation because of their participation in the ugly practice of enslavement. Recent historians have also stressed that many of these slave owners abused those women they held in bondage and bore children with them. Perhaps at the top of the list when it comes to men who fit into that category was the author of the Declaration of Independence and our third president, Thomas Jefferson. One of the president's was a woman named Jemima Jefferson ( she and Peter Jefferson, the father of the President, were half-siblings). Jemima Jefferson married a man named John Davis.

    Born around the year 1725 in Goochland County, Virginia, by 1787 John Davis is listed as an overseer of a plantation in Pittsylvania County, VA. That plantation was owned by George Jefferson, of Mecklenburg County, VA, who was Thomas Jefferson's first cousin. The closeness between the Davis and Jefferson families is explained by Henry Ragland, in his "History of Logan County, W.Va. 1896," due to the fact that John Davis' wife, and the mother of his children, was Jemima Jefferson, the aunt of Thomas Jefferson.
    Another author, Constant Elisha Watson Davis (the great-grandson of Jemima Jefferson Davis), author of The Davis Family, an 1892 manuscript, offers support for this claim by recognizing the widow Jemima Collins, whose maiden name was Jefferson, as a relative of the president. Together the couple had at least eight children, possibly nine. Two of their sons, James (died in 1831) and Robert (died in 1843) claimed to be first cousins to President Thomas Jefferson. All this has led researchers, as per www.wikitree.com, to conclude that Jemima Jefferson was the daughter of Capt. Thomas Jefferson, II. She would have been born after the death of his second wife. It is assumed that her mother was the Captain's unknown third wife or perhaps "a companion or consort" (see NOTE). Some of her descendants have taken DNA tests and confirmed that they were indeed part of Capt. Jefferson's family (although many researchers deny the validity of the family's claims).
    IF it is true that Jemima Jefferson Davis is the half-sister of Peter Jefferson, then she would have been Thomas Jefferson's aunt. What is true is the fact that John Davis' sister, Martha Hannah Davis (born in 1702) became the wife of Abraham Venable II (born in 1700) and that they would become Dad's 6th-great-grandparents (and John and Jemima Davis would be Dad's 5th great-grand uncle and aunt). Here is how the connection breaks down.

Captain Thomas Jefferson II (1679)		Robert Nathaniel Davis and Abadiah Lewis Davis
Peter Jefferson (1708)	Jemima Jefferson (about 1730)	John Davis (1725)	Martha Hanna Davis Venable (1702)
President Thomas Jefferson (1743)			Hugh Lewis Venable (1727)
			Elizabeth Venable Bragg (1764)
			Hugh Lewis Bragg (1795)
			William Bragg (1834)
			Franklin Martin Bragg (1867)
			Orval Bishop Bragg (1895)
			Don Cicero Bragg (.1920)

    But there is more. According to another website, FamilySearch, there is another interesting connection. If you go from Thomas Jefferson's wife, Martha Wayles (October 30, 1748 – September 6, 1782), you will find the following connection showing that Mom and Thomas Jefferson's wife are 2nd cousins 7 times removed.

Richard and Elizabeth Worsham Kennon
Sarah Kennon (1689)	Martha Kennon (1682
Martha Eppes (1721)	Hannah Munford (1705)
Martha (Patsy) Wayles Jefferson (1748)	Hannah Marksbury (1735
	Samuel Peter (1753
	Zachariah Peter (1780
	James M. Peters (1820
	Margaret N Peters (1851
	Zacharious I. Standerfer (1871
	Mercedes Ruth Standerfer (1892
	Mary Jean Ethington Bragg (1928)

Did You Know? #55

    With the 2021 Super Bowl drawing ever closer the minds of many are focused on sports. When you think of those who have distinguished themselves in multiple sporting disciplines, one man's name may most often comes to mind: Wa-Tho-Huk. That was the Native American name, meaning "Bright Path," given to James Francis Thorpe.
    Jim Thorpe was born in what would become Oklahoma in May of 1888 "near and south of Bellemont – Pottawatomie County" (Wikipedia). In an article on his first wedding, Thorpe was described as "the world's greatest athlete" (Wedding of James Thorpe and Margaret Miller). From a page describing his third wife, the following is said concerning Jim Thorpe: "In 1950, the nations's press selected Jim Thorpe as the most outstanding athlete of the first half of the 20th Century. In 2001, he was named by ABC's Wide World of Sports as "The Athlete of the Century"" (Patricia Gladys Evelyn “Patsy” Woodbury Thorpe, Find A Grave). He would become ...

• An Olympic gold medalist (the first Native American to win gold for the U.S.).
• Track and Field.
• American football.
• Baseball.
• Basketball.

    

    Before his time as an Olympian Thorpe attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. While he was there he met Iva Margaret Miller, who was "known as "the prettiest girl at Carlisle"" (www.jimthorpefilm.com). They did not marry right away. It was not until 1913, after Jim signed on with the New York Giants, that the pair tied the knot on October 13, 1913. Four years later the couple purchased a house in Yale, Arkansas where he and Iva lived until 1923. They had four children: James Francis Jr., Gale, Charlotte, and Frances. James Jr. died at the age of two.

    In 1925 Iva Thorpe would file for a divorce from Jim on the grounds of desertion. The next year Jim would marry Freeda Verona Kirkpatrick (who worked for the baseball team on which he played) and that couple would have four children. Their marriage would last 15 years, after which Freeda filed for divorce in 1941. He married again in 1945, this time to Patricia Gladys Askew, and they stayed together until his death in 1953 from a heart attack. He was 65.
    It was through Jim Thorpe's first wife, Iva Miller, that our family has a connection. She and Dad were 7th cousins. The chart below shows the connection.

Richard Denton (b. 1603) & Maria Durden (b. 1604)
Nathaniel Denton b.1628	Samuel Denton b.1631
Nathaniel Denton, Jr. b.1652	Jonas Denton b.1677
James Denton b.1693	Robert Denton b.1695
James Denton b.1713	Thomas Denton b.1746
Daniel Denton b.1730	Josiah Denton b.1779
Mary Denton b.1765	Greenbury Jefferson Denton b.1816
Platt Hull b.1787	Martha Denton b.1859
Ezekiel Hull b.1813	Iva Margaret Miller b.1893
Rebecca L. Hull b.1841
Franklin Martin Bragg b.1867
Orval Bishop Bragg b.1895
Don Cicero Bragg b.1920

    It is not immediately clear Iva Miller's Native American status. Carlisle Indian School required that applicants be at least 1/4 Native American. Her mother, Martha Denton Miller, died in 1899 when Iva was five. Her application form for Carlisle was not signed by her father, James Finis Miller, which has led some to conclude that he also had died. However, it seems that he lived until the 1930s. On that form Martha Denton Miller is said to have been "half-blood Cherokee" (Tom Benjey's Weblog). Her next of kin contact on her school application was Grace Gray-Morris, Iva's older sister. According to Iva's Carlisle School student file, Iva's father was listed as white but her mother was "1/2 Indian of the Cherokee Tribe located in North Carolina" (Application for the Enrollment of). J. H. Robson testified of Iva that she "is known and recognized in the community in which she lives as an Indian; that in my opinion she can not receive proper and adequate schooling at home for the reason that the schools here do not give music or nurse training" (Vouchers of Disinterested Persons). She became a nurse after graduation.
    Piecing together comments from the Miller side of the family, it seems that Iva's maternal grandmother, Charlotte McCarty, wife of Greenbury Jefferson Denton, is where the Native American bloodline was introduced.

William Glenn Parker

William Glenn Parker, 76, of La Junta passed away on January 11, 2021 at the Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs. He was born on December 13, 1944 in Smithfield, NC to William Golden & Irene Marie (Ethington) Parker.

Glenn entered the US Air Force in 1963 as a Radio Operator and was stationed in Germany on a 3-year tour. After various ventures and businesses Glenn landed in La Junta in 1996. During his time here he sang his way into the hearts of many people. He loved music, singing, performing and sharing his love for music with others is something he will always be remembered for. He put together and performed many shows for the nursing homes in our area, events and long running karaoke group. He never knew a stranger and took the time to befriend anyone and everyone. He took every opportunity to promote La Junta and be a part of as much as he could. Some groups that he gave back to where TRY, (Tiger Resources for Youth), American Legion Post #9, Picketwire Players, Jay’s Christmas Dinner, Operation Christmas Child, Arkansas Valley Community Cancer Group, La Junta Chamber of Commerce, and RESADA to name a few. Glenn was proud that he had overcome his addiction of alcohol and spent time volunteering and speaking at RESADA letting the people know that with faith and strength from our Lord and Savior that rehabilitation was possible. He received his 30 year chip this past September.

He enjoyed traveling back home to Illinois where he grew up, to visit family, old friends and classmates. He loved to frequent local restaurants, attend plays, football games, basketball games, and the Ayala household. He was a great friend and storyteller. If you ever sat down with Glenn you would know that whatever followed after “Can I tell you something?” was gonna be good. He was a humble and faith filled man that didn’t need a lot and would rarely speak of his accomplishments. “The greatest joy of life is to love and be loved” - RD Clyde. Glenn loved with all his heart and was loved by everyone that knew him. He would be happy to know that he will be remembered with a smile, a chuckle or even by singing a little tune.

He is survived by his sons, Joshua Parker of Stockholm, Sweden; Christopher Eric Parker, Jason Edward Parker and William Golden (Nicole) Parker all of Colorado Springs; nine grandchildren; one great-grandchild; siblings, Christine (Scott) Wulff of Champagne, IL; Diana (Larry) Ferrol of Clearwater, FL; dearest & closest friends, Joe (Angela) Ayala and children, Gianna & Adrianna Ayala; many nieces and nephews also survive. He was preceded in death by his parents, William & Irene Parker and sister, Joan Spencer.

A Memorial service will be Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in La Junta with Reverend Dr. M.J. Romano officiating. Inurnment will follow at the Fairview Cemetery with Military Honors by the La Junta American Legion, Post #9.

Online condolences may be made at www.PeacockFH.com. Peacock-Larsen Funeral Home and Arkansas Valley Crematory is in charge of arrangements.

Did You Know #54

Born in 1923 into a West Virginian farming family, Charles Elwood Yeager would become famous as a test pilot. He enlisted in the military in 1941 and served as an airplane mechanic. After WWII Chuck Yeager became "a test pilot at Muroc Army Air Field (now Edwards Air Force Base, California)" (www.wikitree.com). It was in this capacity that Yeager flew the Bell XS-1, which he called Glamorous Glennis, named for his wife, into history.

"Two nights before the scheduled date for the flight, Yeager broke two ribs when he fell from a horse. He was worried that the injury would remove him from the mission and reported that he went to a civilian doctor in nearby Rosamond, who taped his ribs" (wikipedia.org). In great pain from this accident Yeager was determined to carry out his scheduled test flight and on October 14, 1947, at an altitude of 45,000 feet over the Mojave Desert, he became the first person to break the sound barrier.

On December 7, 2020 Brigadier General Chuck Yeager died at the age of 97. What I did not know at that time was our family's relationship to him. He and Mom just happened to be 7th cousins 1 time removed. The chart below traces the family tree connection.

Col. James Taylor and Elizabeth Paisley
Mary Ann Taylor b.1710	George Edmund Taylor b.1710
Catherine Hannah Burke b.1727	Zachariah Taylor b.1739
John M. McComas b.1757	Mary Taylor b.1765
Christena McComas b.1796	Zachariah Peter b.1780
Elisha M. Franklin b.1829	James M. Peters b.1820
Adeline Frances Franklin b.1865	Margaret N. Peters b.1851
Albert Hal Yeager b.1896	Zacharious I. Standerfer b.1871
Brig Gen Charles Elwood Yeager b.1923	Mercedes Ruth Standerfer b.1892
	Mary Jean Ethington b.1928

Did You Know #53

    With Thanksgiving coming up I thought this item may be of interest to visitors of this family blog. Four hundred years ago a little ship called the Mayflower brought a group of pilgrims to The New World. Arriving in what is now Massachusetts on November 21, 1620, the Mayflower was only about 90 feet long, and the living quarters, where the 102 passengers spent their 66-day voyage, was about the size of a volleyball court. One hundred and two passengers finally disembarked on December 21st (the two births en route offset the two deaths). In those first harsh winter months half of the pilgrim population died.
    But did you know that our family has a link (by marriage) to the Mayflower? Dad's 3rd-Great-Aunt, Alzina Nettleton Bragg was the fifth-great-granddaughter of Priscilla Mullins who, along with her father, William and brother, Joseph, were all passengers on the Mayflower. Their other siblings, William and Sarah, stayed behind in England.
    Also on the Mayflower was Priscilla's future husband, John Alden. Priscilla Mullins was also a main subject of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1858 poem, The Courtship of Miles Standish.
    So here is the connection that comes through William and Alzina Bragg:

Don C. Bragg (1920)
Orval Bishop Bragg (1895)
Franklin Martin Bragg (1867)
William Bragg (1834)
Hugh Lewis Bragg (1795)         <brothers>	William M.Bragg (1808) married Alzina Nettleton (1814)
	Barnabas Nettleton (1780) married Phoebe Stafford (1785)
	Daniel Nettleton (1740) married Phebe Stannard (1748)
	Lemuel Uriah Stannard married Ruth Grinnell (1722)
	Paybody Grinnell (1691) married Ruth Nettleton (about 1700)
	Daniel Grinnell (1668) married Lydia Pabodie (1667)
	William Pabodie (about 1620) married Elizabeth Alden (about1624)
	John Alden (about 1598) married Priscilla Mullins (about 1602)
	William Mullins (about 1572) married Alice (last name unknown)

NOTE: Each generation's principle individual in bold.

Attached are pictures we took in August 2007 of the John and Priscilla Alden's house in the Duxbury, MA (visit Alden Kindred of America for more information).

Getting Through Life Alive

     Under the dark shadow cast by COVID-19 during the summer of 2020 more American families opted for vacationing in the great outdoors. With camping and campers on the rise, the National Park Service issued guidelines for safety when encountering a bear in the wild. Their advice ...

    • don't run (bears will chase you)
    • don't climb a tree (bears can climb too)
    • don't push!
NPS officials actually warned campers, “Do NOT push down a slower friend (even if you think the friendship has run its course)” (Kootenai Valley Times, Bonners Ferry, Idaho).
    We are all pilgrims on this physical journey through life (1 Peter 1:1). Our goal is to fully realize the eternal life Jesus promised to those who obey and follow Him (John 14:1-4). On this journey we need the support and encouragement of fellow Christians. Satan, however, uses any means possible to keep us from attaining those precious promises, even if it is getting us to turn on each other, "pushing each other to the bears."
    Isn't it wonderful that the church of the New Testament is infused with love? Love for God. Love for the Son. Love for the Bible. Love for one another (1 John 4:21). As Christians, we need each other to help us get out of this life to live forever.

David Bragg