Did You Know? #10

Although there are some dissenters, many researchers believe that our branch of the Bragg family can be traced back to America’s earliest settlers in James Town, VA (cf. “Did You Know? #5). In tracing out our family tree through the various maternal branches (associated through marriage to our Bragg ancestors) I discovered an even older connection with earlier American inhabitants.

Tracing backwards from our current generation, as has been previously listed in prior entries, we must traverse the familiar lineage of our last 6 generations:

Dad (Don C.)

Granddad Bragg (O.B.; 28 Aug 1895 - 16 Mar 1989)

Frank Martin (18 Mar 1867 - 23 Jun 1944)

William (14 Jun 1834 - 4 Dec 1900)

Hugh Lewis (1795)

Richard (born around 1762)

In 1785 our Great- Great- Great- Great-Grandfather, Richard Bragg, married 21 year old Elizabeth Venable, the daughter of Hugh Lewis and Mary Martin Venable. The Venable family possessed “immense tracts of land in Hanover, Louisa, Goochland and Albemarle” counties, wealth, and a number of slaves. Elizabeth’s grandfather, Abraham Bedford Venable, served as Justice of the Peace in Louisa, County, VA, “Captain of Colonial Militias and County Lieutenant, and a member of the House of Burgesses" from 1742-1762. Elizabeth’s great-grandfather, Abram Venable(s) (the family name originally ended in a final “s,” but Abram dropped the “s” when immigrating to America in 1685), “was a surgeon in the first regiment of troops sent out from England under the command of Sir John Harvie. He was so pleased with the prospects of the Colony of Virginia that he resigned his commission on returning to England and received from [King Charles] a grant of land in Manikin Town.”

Abraham Bedford Venable, a second generation American, married Martha Hannah Davis in 1723. Hannah was the daughter of Nathaniel and Abadiah Lewis Davis. Nathaniel Davis, like Abraham Bedford Venable, was a second generation American (both of their father’s came from Devonshire, England). Hannah’s grandfather, also bearing the name “Nathaniel Davis,” worked as an Indian trader in Hanover County, VA. This dangerous profession was made considerably easier by the fact that the elder Nathaniel Davis’ wife was herself a half-breed, the daughter of Rice Hughes and Nikitti (which means "she sweeps the dew from the flowers").

Nikitti’s father was the greatly feared Opechancanough, Chief of the Pamunkey Indians in Virginia, who “planned the massacres of 1622 in which one fourth of all the settlers of Jamestown were destroyed and 1644.” Eventually captured by Sir. William Berekley, Opechancanough was killed by one of Berekley’s soldiers in 1846 while he was held prisoner in Jamestown.

Opechancanough’s predecessor, his famous brother Powhatan (his real name was Wahunsonacock), was a great warrior in his own rights, serving as the leader of the estimated 15,000 Algonquian Indian population settled near the James River. John Smith described Powhatan as

"a tall well proportioned man, with a sower look, his head somewhat gray, his beard so thinne, that it seemeth none at all, his age (as of 1608) neare sixtie, of a very able and hardy body to endure any labour."

Powhatan had a large family, consisting of over 100 wives and many children, most notable

among them was the young Indian girl that endeared herself to John Smith and the English settlers, Amonute (or Matoaka), better known as Pocahontas (or “Lady Rebecca” to the English).

From Nikitti, Martha Hannah Davis’ great-grandmother, the generations can be traced as follows:*

Opechancanough (Nikitti’s father)

Scent Flower (Nikitti’s grandfather)

Dashing Stream (Nikitti’s great-grandfather)

Murmuring Ripple (Nikitti’s great-great-grandfather)

This makes Nikitti, Pocahontas’ first cousin, my 13^th Great-Grandmother, so “TAKE THAT, WALT DISNEY.”

* Researchers vary as to the identity of and chronology of parents. Some list Dashing Stream and Scent Flower as Opechancanough’s father and mother while others list them as his male ancestors. Another confusing aspect comes from the apparent fact that Opechancanough’s wife and mother of Nikitti, Cleopatra, happened to be Opechancanough’s half-sister.

Peyton Linley

Is this a "great" grand-daughter or not?  Peyton Linley was born on Sunday, February 8, 2009.  She was 22 inches long and weighed in at 7 lbs 5 oz.  Her parnets, Diana and Matthew are reportedly doing great.  Congratuations to them upon the birth of their daughter, grandmother, Ruth, and to Mom and Dad on the safe arrival of yet another great-grandchild.

Did You Know? #9

As one writer presented, the prominence of the Bragg family, at least in Texas and Oklahoma, and the reputations associated with their name was confirmed in the fact that the "Negro slaves" living among them not only freely took the Bragg name, but they stood side by side with them to brave the same dangers as their former white "masters," accounting for the large Bragg African-American families of today [1]. Many African-Americans proudly wear the Bragg family name, despite its apparent origins in white English and Europeans. One of the most prominent among the black population following the American Civil War was George Freeman Bragg (1863-1940). In addition to his work as the Rector with the St. James Church, in Baltimore, MD, he was the source of one of the earliest dissertations on slavery from the slave's perspective.[2].

Felicia Quintana Bragg wrote of her great-grandmother, Maggie Bragg, who "was a slave who was apparently born in Virginia. My first record of her is an 1870 census in Harris co., Tx" [3]. Maggie's children, Adam, Sally (Sarah) and Sandy, were born in Arkansas with very little additional information being known of them or their family. The depth of which the Bragg family of Virginia had become involved in the institution of slavery is indicated in Kathryn Rogers' reply to Felicia's posting, citing a family reference discovered on her family's tree, someone had made the notation "under the entry for Mary Polly (Bragg) Key (b. 6-11-1861) who was married to Larkin Key," that this couple had a Virginia plantation "with 999 Black Slaves" [4]. One of the most prominent Southern African-American Braggs may have been Andy Bragg, a "Mulatto male" who became "the first settler in Cherokee County, TX, where a settlement for freed slaves had been established [5]. This little town was first named after Bragg, but its name was later changed to Cuney, TX.

Another researcher on the internet, identified simply as " Dena," had examined some documents identified as the “Special Collections Division of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR.” She was especially interested in a 'bill of sale" for slaves. This receipt, dated December 31, 1860, confirmed that Branch V. Bragg, the son of slaveholder James T. Bragg, of Clay Township, Bradley County, AR, sold nine slaves in accordance with his deceased father's estate. The slave sale netted Branch the tidy sum of $10,695.00. Then Dena provides detailed information regarding two of the slaves included in this sale:

Sterling, sold to Robert Bragg for $875.00
Tempess, sold to Mary C. Black for $905.00

Just ten years later, in the 1870 census, two of these slaves, now former slave, show up in the census listing of Sterling Bragg (59), wife Sallie (52), and children: Amanda (20), Tempess (19), Margret (9), and Rufus (5). From this, and other information, she concludes that this family, which had been divided by slavery, was now reunited [6].

Regardless of one’s political views, it is wonderful to see the national and individual healing of slavery’s terrible wounds.

___________________

Notes

[1] Janet Greer Barnum, Cousins of Lincoln County, [fhcousins.html]; s.v. George A. Bragg--Son of Jesse.

[2] George Freeman Bragg, Church Advocate Press, 1914; URL: http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/bragg/bragg.html. According to Bragg's research, "In the record office in London, in 1712, there was a list of "Christian" men and women and children, and also black slaves in Maryland. According to this list there were then, in Maryland, 38,000 whites and 8,000 blacks. In 1790, there were over 208,000 whites and nearly half as many slaves in Maryland. Of the 2,290 blacks imported into Maryland between 1699 and 1707, all but 126 were brought in London vessels"
[3] Felicia Quintana Bragg, MyFamily.com, Inc, Re: American Bragg Family Slave Descendants, page 1172.
[4] Kathryn Rogers, MyFamily.com, Inc, Re: American Bragg Family Slave Descendants, page 1172., page 1171.
[5] James Smith , MyFamily.com, Inc, Re: American Bragg Family Slave Descendants, page 1842. James Smith, he reported that Andy's son, John, "married into my family, the McClendons" (1842).
[6] Dena, AfriGeneas.

Oak Ridge Boys Visit Cape Girardeau

These pictures were taken Monday evening, Dec. 8, 2008

A Hard Year

Having passed through security at the Las Vegas airport, and while awaiting to board our plane for our return to St. Louis after a week-long vacation to Utah and northwestern Arizona’s national parks seemed like a good time to call home and wish my father a happy 88th birthday. It was then that I learned that my call had been proceeded by another of a much different nature. That prior call bore the sad news that earlier in the morning my father’s oldest sister had passed away.

This has been a hard year for my family. In December my father’s younger brother, Duane, laid to rest his second wife, then just a few months later, on June 2nd, he passed away. Three weeks later another uncle, Forest Ledbetter passed from this life. His death was followed by that of his wife, my father’s older sister, Ellen Jane Ledbetter on August 8th at the age of 90.

Aunt Jane was a graduate of Windsor, IL High School and the Paris School of Nursing. As a RN she served as a WWII Army Nurse, attaining the rank of Lieutenant. As her obituary states, after the war she became “the Director of Nursing for the Mattoon Memorial Hospital and was instrumental in merging the Mattoon and Charleston Hospitals into Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center.” In an e-mail from one of my cousins I learned that Aunt Jane “was part of a team that built hospitals in whatever buildings were available in New Guinea.” I was not able to attend the funeral, but my cousin did, and she shared the following with me: “Her youngest great grandson helped the funeral director steer the casket into the hearse and then, at the cemetery, saluted as the honor guard saluted his grandma. I don't think too many Sullivan women are honored with a 21-gun salute as Aunt Jane was.”

Of the five siblings who survived childhood, only two are left. My prayers are with them. While they lost two siblings in just a few short months, Aunt Jane’s daughter, Sherry, has lost her mother and step-father in just a few short weeks. My prayers are with them as well.

Earlier in the year my mother lost one of her sisters, Lois Whitely. This has been a hard year, and while I hope that my parents will be spared in the remaining months of this year from having to stand beside the graves of other loved ones, I am also thankful for the long loves each of these have been allowed to live.

Another Passing

We were saddened to learn of the death of our uncle, Forrest Ledbetter, husband of Aunt Jane, Dad’s older sister, He passed away on June 23, 2008 at the age of 89. Over the past few years our paths only crossed at funerals, but we do have fond memories of past family gatherings. My personal memories of “Frosty” revolve mainly around his sense of humor. As just a kid back in those days, I never had a clue that while serving in Europe during WW II that he was wounded, captured, and for a time held as a POW in a German prison camp.

Like my own father, his recently deceased younger brother Duane (below), and another brother Earl (pictured to the left; Uncle Earl passed away on August 20, 2001 at the age of 79), and of course Aunt Jane, Frosty was a member of what has appropriately become known as the “greatest generation, their selfless service in defense of our country is deserving of the greatest honor. Our hearts should be filled with pride at their powerful example of patriotism.

Fondly Remembered

It was always a treat when I was a child to visit Uncle Duane, Aunt Doris, and Roger. Uncle Duane seemed to always be in a good mood. He loved working with his cows, and other outdoor chores. It was there that I first saw a milking machine in action. I was so amazed, giving the fact
that one of our twice daily chores was to milk our two cows the old fashioned way, by hand.

Long after I moved away from central Illinois, it was always a treat on our visits home to see Uncle Duane. Not only was he eager to catch up with what we were doing, he was happy to bring us up to date about his latest project or adventure. The last time I saw Uncle Duane was at the 80th birthday celebration held for my Mother back in January, just a month after the death of his second wife, Joyce, for whom he had tenderly cared. And he was so proud of Roger, Jill, and the grandchildren Hillary and Allison, to whom, as well as to Uncle Duane’s surviving siblings: Don Bragg, Jane Ledbetter and Ruth Stone, our sincere condolences and prayers are offered.

While we were in Sullivan in January we received word of the declining health of Mom’s sister, Lois Whitely. Aunt Lois passed away just a few weeks later, on March 6, 2008. It had been a few years since the last time I had seen Aunt Lois. I had returned to Sullivan to conduct a funeral. On the way into town I stopped off the grocery store to pick up the most recent copy of the local paper. After purchasing the paper, on my way out of the store I hesitated after passing another check-out station. The woman purchasing her grocery looked so much like my Mother, and I was sure it was Aunt Lois. I waited for her to complete checking out to visit with her, and we had a very pleasant visit. After returning home I received the most beautiful card with the nicest handwritten note from her. She, too, continues to live in our memories of the days when the family would congregate at Grandpa Ethington’s Allenville farm, or at our home for Thanksgiving and other special occasions. Now, only three sisters from the Luther and Mercedes Ethington family survive: Irene Parker, Mary Bragg, and Eva Ethington. Although it has been three months, we want to again express our sympathy and prayers to Aunt Lois’ children, Neal Whitely and Donna Bornhoff, and their families as well as to the sisters who deeply miss her.