Begining 2023 with new purpose

Over the holidays I longingly looked at my oft ignored Ancestry pages. Then dear friendly Ancestor advisor, Amy Johnson Crowe again listed her themes for the year in 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks.

So here are the themes which I may follow. They only require one posting a week. That shouldn't be too hard!

If 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks feels a bit overwhelming, give 12 Ancestors in 12 Months a try! Just pick one of the themes for that month and run with it!

January
Week 1 (Jan. 1-7): I’d Like to Meet
Week 2 (Jan. 8-14): Favorite Photo
Week 3 (Jan. 15-21): Out of Place
Week 4 (Jan. 22-28): Education

February
Week 5 (Jan. 29-Feb. 4): Oops
Week 6 (Feb. 5-11): Social Media
Week 7 (Feb. 12-18): Outcast
Week 8 (Feb. 19-25): I Can Identify

March
Week 9 (Feb. 26-Mar. 4): Gone Too Soon
Week 10 (Mar. 5-11): Translation
Week 11 (Mar. 12-18): Lucky
Week 12 (Mar. 19-25): Membership
Week 13 (Mar. 26-Apr. 1): Light a Candle

April
Week 14 (Apr. 2-8): Begins With a Vowel
Week 15 (Apr. 9-15): Solitude
Week 16 (Apr. 16-22): Should Be a Movie
Week 17 (Apr. 23-29): DNA

May
Week 18 (Apr. 30-May 6): Pets
Week 19 (May 7-13): Bald
Week 20 (May 14-20): Bearded
Week 21 (May 21-27): Brick Wall
Week 22 (May 28-June 3): At the Cemetery

June
Week 23 (June 4-10): So Many Descendants
Week 24 (June 11-17): Last One Standing
Week 25 (June 18-24): Fast
Week 26 (June 25-July 1): Slow

July
Week 27 (July 2-8): The Great Outdoors
Week 28 (July 9-15): Random
Week 29 (July 16-22): Birthdays
Week 30 (July 23-29): In the News

August
Week 31 (July 30-Aug. 5): Flew the Coop
Week 32 (Aug. 6-12): Reunion
Week 33 (Aug. 13-19): Strength
Week 34 (Aug. 20-26): Newest Discovery
Week 35 (Aug. 27-Sept. 2): Disaster

September
Week 36 (Sept. 3-9): Tradesman
Week 37 (Sept. 10-16): Prosperity
Week 38 (Sept. 17-23): Adversity
Week 39 (Sept. 24-30): Surprise

October
Week 40 (Oct. 1-7): Longevity
Week 41 (Oct. 8-14): Travel
Week 42 (Oct. 15-21): Friends
Week 43 (Oct. 22-28): Dig a Little Deeper
Week 44 (Oct 29-Nov. 4): Spirits

November
Week 45 (Nov. 5-11): War and Peace
Week 46 (Nov. 12-18): “This Ancestor Went to Market…”
Week 47 (Nov. 19-25): “This Ancestor Stayed Home…”
Week 48 (Nov. 26-Dec. 2): Troublemaker

December
Week 49 (Dec. 3-9): Family Recipe
Week 50 (Dec. 10-16): “You Wouldn’t Believe It”
Week 51 (Dec. 17-23): Cousins
Week 52 (Dec. 24-31): Me, Myself, and I

William Henry Cannon and son William Henderson Cannon

  William Henry Cannon 1771–1868, my four times great grandfather

 His wife was Catharine Henderson Cannon (1777-1827) (see her post yesterday HERE)

 Burial Trundle Family Cemetery Sevierville,Sevier County, Tenn 

Birth: Nov. 28, 1771 Virginia, 

 Death: Jun. 11, 1868 Sevier County TN 

 Parents: John Cannon, Rev. War patriot, (1744-1806) 

 Nancy Ann Whitlow Cannon (1747 - 1830) 

 Children: Cyntha O. Cannon Rogers (1800 - 1855) 

 John Overton Cannon (1803 - 1846) 

 Guilford Cannon, Dr. (1806 - 1873)

 Nancy Cannon Bogle (1808 - 1844) 

 Rebecca Henderson Cannon Sharp (1812 - 1901) 

Mariah Louisa Bonaparte Cannon Earnest (1814-1851)

William Henderson Cannon (Jr) (1817 - 1901) 

Martha Caroline Cannon Earnest (1820 - 1847) 

 Siblings: 

Jane (Janey) Cannon (1770-1850

Elizabeth (Betsy) M. Cannon Gamble (1778-1849)

John (Jack) Cannon (1779-1864)

Henry Cannon (1780-1850)

Robert C. Cannon (1781-1854)

Martha Elizabeth (Patsey) Cannon Nelson (1784 - 1862) 

Charles Cannon (n.d.)

My Ancestry tree gives a few documents which follow Grandpa Cannon's life.

He married Catharine in 1799, on Aug. 22, in Sevier County TN.

Their first child, Cyntha O. was born Aug. 24, 1800 in Sevier County, TN.

She would grow up and marry Micajah Rogers and moved with him and their family to Huntsville TX...and became my great times three grandparents.

William Henry is listed as the son of John Cannon and Anne Whitlow Cannon on a document in the Allen Papers of the McClung Collection, under John Cannon in the Lawson McGhee Library, Knoxville, TN. This document says John was the son of a William Cannon who moved from Cumberland County VA to Caswell County, NC, where John was born.  He suspposedly moved to Sevier County TN, then to Knox County, TN before 1795.

This information is in a typed format, not saying where it originated. The Allen Papers. The next information is refuted in several census documents, so it brings to question any validity of this document. It says this John Cannon (b. March 18, 1744) had 3 sons, John, William, and Robert and one daughter Cyntha (spelled Cynithia) who married M. C. Rogers before moving to Texas.

So some of the information seems correct. I'm not going to worry about the sons Robert and John, but will look closer at William.

A sentence by itself is typed, saying "John W. Sharp, a grandson of Wm. Cannon says Wm. John and Robt had a sister who married an Olford."

Then there are a couple of hand written sentences. Whether these were just added to my copy of this paper, or exist on the original is unknown...but they look like the same handwriting.

First is a statement:

"John Cannon tax payer in Greene County, TN in 1783."

Then with an asterisk which leads from the name Cynithia above...

"* Cynthia Cannon who. m. M. C. Rogers, was b. Aug. 24, 1804, Sevier Co. TN, daughter of Wm. and Catherine (Henderson) Cannon.

Wm. Cannon, her father, was b. Nov. 28 1771. son of John & Nancy Cannon."

Then the whole page mentioned above from the Allen Papers has a note by an Ancestry member, 

"This John Cannon is not from the Kennon family, contact me for proof of this." Entered by "newseeker" of Eurika, CA. I have no more information on that person.

I'm guessing that the hand written notes are not on the original in the library in Knoxville, TN but on the photocopy.

There's yet another page from the Allen Papers about William Henry Cannon - but it's very confusing also.

I'll go to some other sources first. 

One son of William Henry and Catherine Henderson Cannon as mentioned above, was William Henderson Cannon. His middle name is his mother's maiden name, a tradition carried on by many families. He was b. March 12, 1817 and d. 16 July 1901. He is buried in the Trundle Cemetery in Sevier County, TN, where his second wife, Julia Huffaker Cannon is also buried.

Now the way trivial information has been added wherever I've found it, I've put 2 and 2 together and came up with his first wife completely.

To follow my path, when William Henderson Jr.'s daughter, Elizabeth "Bettie" died in 1912 (which of course doesn't show on his own life history) her younger brother John (J. G.) Cannon provided her parents' names on her death certificate. He said William H. Cannon, for father, and just Heiskell for her mother's name. Obviously she had had a different mother than John's, whose mother was Julia Huffaker Cannon.

So I also saw on William Henderson Cannon's obituary that he'd been married twice, both wives dying young. Then on the Find a Grave site, his first wife is listed as Mary Cannon. I tried a trick I learned long ago, and tried putting Mary and Heiskell together, and got 10 hints for this woman. Her parents, her birth and death dates, and that she had 3 children, only the daughter, Bettie having lived to adulthood. The two sons she gave birth to both died immediately.

William Jr.'s obituary speaks of his daughter Bettie having looked after him in his later life, after the wives had died...and I imagine she raised the son of his second  wife who lived past his mother's death, John (J. G.) Incidentally, Bettie never married. 

All of this is substantiated by several census reports.

The one that I first found brings another generation into the family, is The 1850 Census for Eastern Subdivision 12 of Sevier County TN, in which his father William Cannon, (age 75) is living with him.  William Henderson Cannon is the head of the household at 33 years. His wife Mary is 21, and daughter Betty (sp.) is 4 mos. When looking at the occupations of the two William Cannons, the elder is a farmer, while his son is a merchant.

The obituary I mentioned earlier also says William Henderson Cannon had owned a store, which was destroyed during the Civil War. His slaves of course were freed by the war. So he had to start over as a farmer. He had also been the postmaster for the area before the war, and became the same for the Confederacy. So when he wanted to become a US citizen again following the war, he had to petition to President Andrew Johnson requesting a pardon for having served in an official capacity for the Confederacy.

I have gone in depth to what William Henderson Cannon's life was like, because I just found a cousin who is a descendent of William H. Jr. He recently contacted me, being descended through his sister, Cyntha Cannon Rogers. So I became interested in his early ancestor. As he says, we can help each other work out the mystery. 

Here's the original document describing William H. Cannon's being postmaster at Cannon's Store. (Second line)

As of Aug 4, 1857 William H. Cannon was postmaster for the post office at Cannon's Store. The letter to reinstate his citizenship indicates that it was the son, William Henderson Cannon who had been the postmaster during the war, and it shows that as of 20 Sept 1867 he was no longer postmaster,

My four greats grandmother...

 Catherine Henderson Cannon 1778–1827 

I posted two years ago about her father and his son of the same name, My Four Greats Grandfather William Henderson and his son, (though her father would have been five greats actually.)

Her parents were Lt. William Henderson (1741-?) and Mary Catharine Beavers Henderson. It's interesting that Catharine Henderson Cannon's daughter, Cyntha Cannon married Micajah Rogers, who's grandmother had also been named Mary Beavers (deBeauvillers/Bieber) who married Lt. Spencer Clack of Siever County TN. They tried to anglicize their name, after it had been French, then German in the past.

We don't know Catharine (Catherine)'s exact date of birth, but it was in the 1777/78 time. The calendar has changed, so one year difference is expected. She was born in the Virginia Colony.

She married William Henry Cannon (1771-1868) in Sevier County, Tennessee on August 22 1799. Both the Cannon and the Henderson families had emmigrated to Tennessee from Virginia. The Cannons had 8 children.

I'm spending my time today trying to discover how she ended up dying in another county in TN than the one she lived in all her life. Her last child would have been around 7 years old. Her husband outlived her by 40 years.

If she had been ill, I would have imagined Cyntha, her oldest daughter would have cared for her. Cyntha had been married in 1819, and had  the first 4 of her 10 children by then, all in the Sevierville area.

Catherine Henderson Cannon died in Athens, McMinn County TN, which is about 80 miles from Sevierville. There is no relative, sibling or child that lived there that I could find. It's a mystery!

8th Great Grandfather James Clack Jr.

James Clack Jr. (1698-1757) born in Ware, Gloucester, Virginia. His father (Rev. James Clack 1657-1723) was the minister of Ware Episcopal (Anglican) Church in Gloucester County, VA until his death. 

James Clack Jr probably moved to Brunswick County, in southern Virginia, between 1730-31, since he had one child born in 1730 in Gloucester county, and one born in 1731 in Brunswick County. He was a Captain and mariner.

He was grandfather of Lt. Spencer Clack of Sevierville TN who fought in the Revolutionary War.

He died 29 JUN 1757 • St Andrews Parish, Brunswick, Virginia.

He's my 8th great Grandfather. His wife was Mary Sterling Clack. They had 12 children.

His son John

"John was a surveyor, a warden of St. Andrews Parish, and a sheriff. He is said to have become a lieutenant in 1748 and to have been a soldier in the French and Indian War from 1755-1763. He was in the House of Burgesses 1761-65, and was a member of the Brunswick County Court 1765. During the period 1782-1784 he was a Brunswick County taxpayer, with one poll tax payer and 16 slaves."

Immigrant Benedictus Pulsifer, Born 11.19.1635

 Well there I've left my family tree to blow in the wind for over a week! Just life pulling me this way and that...and all is still well. So I'll catch you up with some of the other ancestors who had events here at the end of November.

Nov 19, 1635, was the birth date of Benedictus Pulsifer, in Whitehall, England. He immigrated to the American Colonies and died in 1710, in Ipswich, Essex, Massechussets Colony. (Ipswich was incorporated as a town in 1634.)

Ship to designate an immigrant to America

(Note by BR, editor) I quote a published source below (with slightly different dates of birth and death, and some other facts are a bit 'flexible' perhaps. 

HISTORY OF BENEDICT PULSIPHER

abt. 1630 – 1695

"Benedict Pulsipher had settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts, according to his own statement, by 1659. He was probably married a year or two before coming to this country. He very likely brought his wife and infant son, Benedict II or Junior. We have no record of the birth of the son or of another son, John, but Elizabeth’s birth in 1609 is recorded in the town records of Ipswich. His first wife, of whose maiden name we are ignorant, died at Ipswich 16 July 1673. His son, Mr. William Henry Pulsipher says, "We’re of little help or comfort to his family." Evidently John moved to Gloucester, where he became a respected member of the family. There he probably supplemented his income as a farmer by occasionally building or helping to build houses for his neighbors. He is styled in one document "Yeoman" and in another "mason". In the History of Gloucester", J. J. Babson – 1860, page 130, appears the following:

"John Pulsipher, settled about 1680, according to tradition near a spot still occupied by one if his descendants on the old road leading to Coffin’s Beach (Gloucester). In 1688 he had a piece of land "given to the house where he then lived." Benedict Jr., proved to be a "roving blade", according to Mr. William Henry Pulsipher. "We hear," says Mr. Pulsipher, "of a Benedict Pulsipher engaged in an Indian fight in Maine in 1688. This was probably Benedict Jr. Cotton Mather refers to the incident in his ‘Magnalia Christi Americana’ London 1702. VII, page 63. Benedict, Jr., probably never married. In 1690 he engaged in Sir William Philip’s expedition to Quebec as a member of Captain Abraham Titton’s Company, and it is quite possible that he was killed or taken prisoner in the unfortunate attempt to capture the Canadian stronghold.

"A Compendious History of New England" by Morse and Parrish, page 146, makes a confirmatory reference to this episode. 

After the death of his first wife on 16 July 1673, Benedict, Sr. married in the succeeding February, Susan A. Waters of Salem, Massachusetts, who was the fifth daughter of Richard and Joyce Waters. She was born at Salem, Massachusetts 01 Feb 1649. "Benedict Pulsipher, Sr. brought his young wife to Ipswich immediately after his marriage and entered upon what might be termed the second period of his career." The records show that his young wife was rather vain. She liked to adorn herself. "She,  among others, braved the laws in 1675 by appearing in the meeting house with a silk hood and scarf. She and the others were arrested, tried, and fined ten shillings each for yielding to their vanity."

Benedict Pulsipher was a man of some means. He was also "a man of considerable education" in a period when educated Englishmen were rare.

Late in 1663 or early 1664 he bought a dwelling house with outhouse, orchard, gardens, etc. of Moses Pingry of Ipswich, Massachusetts, which property Pingry had acquired in 1652 of Richard Scofield who came to New England in 1635. This estate was situated on the north of the "Tom River". Its site is now occupied by a factory. The original deed to this property was either lost or "casually" burned, and on 7 Feb 1667, Pingry made a supplementary deed of the property which he gave Benedict Pulsipher. Benedict was then styled a "planter."

He added to his estate in 1664. In the same year, 1664, the town of Ipswich granted him a share (No. 55) in the town lands on Plumb Island, Castle Neck, and Hogg Island. He continued to reside at Ipswich, pursuing his occupation as planter or farmer for many years.

 ----------------------

Ipswich MA area

(editors note) I think it's interesting to find that this ancestor is also an ancestor of Joseph Smith of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons.) We're all related, aren't we?

He's my 8th great grandfather on my grandmother Ada Phillips Swasey Rogers' tree.

Ipswich river front 1909

Thanks for the entry quoted above from Ancestry by Carol Easterbrook Wolf, but still without knowing if she was the author...

This post is a repost from Nov 2017 Three Family Trees...here.

Nancy Ann Whitlow Cannon

Nancy Ann WHITLOW Cannon 1747–1830 

Birth 18 NOV 1747 • Caswell County, North Carolina, 
Death 01 JUL 1830 • Loudon County, Tennessee

grandmother of Cyntha Cannon Rogers (w. of Micajah C. Rogers) both buried in Huntsville, TX

She married John Cannon,  Birth 18 MAR 1744 • Virginia, Death OCT 1806 • Grass Valley, (?) Knox, Tenn  He did receive a 100 acres of land warrant as a result of serving in the Revolutionary War.  

Three children are listed on "Find a Grave" site with her and their markers.
Martha Cannon Nelson (1764 - 1862)
William Cannon (1771 - 1868) (father of Cyntha Cannon Rogers)
Robert Cannon (1781 - 1854)
 

Photo of Irwin House, Milton, Caswell County, NC taken 1940

Caswell County is located right on the Virginia line, and was formed in 1777.  It has today only two real towns, Yanceyville (the County Seat) and Milton.  

Casswell County Courthouse, maybe built 1830

Nancy Cannon is buried in Steekee Cemetery, Loudon County, TN.  The year she died she is on the census living with her son Robert, who has a similar headstone.  On that census she is the free white female age 80-89 years old in his household in Roane, Loudon County. TN

In considering a fifth great grandmother, I often wonder how she dressed.  

Revolutionary War women's clothing:

Fabrics could be simple cotton floral prints, stripes or checks; ballgowns might be made of silks or brocades, some even worked with gold or silver threads. For everything except formal wear, the apron -- practical or decorative -- was an essential part of a woman's attire, worn even to church.

Eighteenth-century women wore caps to keep their hair clean, because they rarely washed it. For going out, hairstyles required elaborate coiffures or wigs, sometimes powdered. Hats were worn atop the caps or wigs; between 1784 and 1786 alone, hat styles changed 17 times in Paris -- though with wartime shortages, that likely wasn't the case during the Revolution. Women's shoes were leather for everyday wear, trimmed with metal buckles, laces or "paste" -- costume -- jewels. Heel styles varied from flat to higher, though chunky. Instead of coats, men and women alike wore woolen capes called cloaks, hooded or not, short or long, and tied at the chin. While wealthy women often wore jewels, even a working woman might wear a miniature on a silk necklace.

As the war went on, many supporters of the Revolution avoided English imports, even wearing homespun -- which became increasingly sophisticated rather than rough -- and weaving political motifs into decorations: an eagle, for example, or heroes such as George Washington or Ben Franklin, who himself became known in European courts for wearing a fur hat. Boycotting of imported textiles was widespread.

 Undergarments:

Cap: It was stylish and practical. Worn inside and out. Covere dirty hair and protected it from fire. Also helped prevent the spead of lice.

Shift: Made of linen cloth. Worn as a night gown and a slip. Nothing was worn underneath because underwear didnt exist yet.WOmen usually had betwen 3 and 5.

Stockings: Worn on he legs and held on, under, or above the knee. Served a purpose that was alot like socks would today. Usually hand-knitted of wool or linen cloth.

---

Foundation Garments Stay: Some women may start wearing something like this even as a toddler known as a jump. This piece of clothing is for supporting good posture. It is backed with whalebone, wood, or reed. Pockets: Pockets didnt get sewn into womens clothing, instead they were tied around the waist and the other layers of clothing that went over them had slits in them to make the pockets accessible. The pockets were not meant to be seen and sometimes contained important items. Under petticoat: Sometimes this term was used to refer to many petticoats because women wore at least two petticoats- which are alot like skirts- at one time and sometimes may have worn up to five. Most under petticoats were made of udyed linen cloth, but also could be made of wool, cotton, or silk. Shoes:They were made by 'cordwainers' or shoemakers.  The shoes fastened with buckles and had neither left nor right. Theyusually had 1 or 2 pair.

Daily Garments

Kechief: Worn for modesty purposes. Made from silk, linen, or woolen cloth. Went to parties or balls without if the occasion was special. Gown: Made from fine wool. Buttons were not fashionable so they were either sewn or held together with straight pins. Quilted petticoat: It was changeable silk and quilted in a fashionable design. The fabric was dyed with two colors, which was considered fashinable, and it was quilted for warmth.

Scissors clip: Clipped to their clothes and kept swing materials handy. Any number of thi could be tied to the clip by ribbon or change

Outer Garments

Cape: It was woolen and hooded. It was made large enough to go over all clothing, and was usually red like 'Little Red Riding Hood'.

The clothes that were being worn by women in the 1830's are possibly what Nancy would have also worn. They look as if they are of one piece.

And undergarments would help every lady have the right support!

Quote for Today: 

The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see.

DR. ROBERT HOLDEN

 

Happy birth anniversary Elizabeth Beers Booth

 

ELIZABETH BEERS Booth 

1721–1780

BIRTH 16 NOV. 1721 • Stratford, Fairfield, Connecticut Colony

DEATH 9 NOV 1780 • Huntington, Fairfield, Conn

Her great great grandparents were Richard and Elizabeth Hawley Booth.  They were also her husband Zachariah Booth's great grandparents, one generation closer, but that made them cousins of some distance!  Can you tell me what their relationship would have been?

I spoke of Zachariah Booth back a few years ago HERE.

And I briefly talked about Elizabeth Beers Booth Here.

Her father was:

Josiah Beers 

Birth 8 Aug 1693 in Stratford, Fairfield, Connecticut, United States

Death 10 May 1717 1744??? in Stratford, Fairfield, Connecticut

Her Mother was:

Elizabeth Ufford (or Uffort) Birth 3 Apr 1698 in Stratford, Fairfield, Connecticut, United States  Death 19 Sep 1783 in Stratford, Fairfield, Connecticut, United States

Elizabeth was the 3rd child of 11 siblings, and the oldest girl.  She married at age 22 in 1743.  She and Zachariah Booth had 9 children, perhaps.

Residence of Israel Beach, Sr. Erected about 1735...Stratford, CT (No relation that I know of)

Samuel Booth was supposedly born in June 18, 1749, and Elamuel was born on June 17, 1749, according to 2 different records, and since the records only indicate one son was born to Zachariah and Elizabeth Booth, not both, I think this was just one child and the church record and the town record kind of made some mistake.  Yes, Elamuel was known as Lemuel and was in Berkshire MA, in 2 censuses (1790 and 1800) with his age giving a birth year near 1750. He has a wife and children listed as well.  There probably never was a Samuel Booth, just a clerical error.

So Elizabeth likely only had 8 children.  And the record-keeping apparently fell apart, in that they have birth years, but 4 of them don't have known death dates, and spouses are not available for many of them.  Their youngest daughter died when she was 8 years old.

Another (fun?) family tradition was having sister and brother marry brother and sister of the 2 families.  So Lemuel Booth (1749-unknown) married Mabel (Mehitable) Moss (1752-unknown) and Elizabeth Booth (1751-unknown) married Mabel's brother, Joseph Moss (1746-1795).

Of course I know the most about my ancestor Isaac Booth, Sr. (1755-1841) and have written about him HERE.  That post will tell a bit about Stratford CT, and the the community in which he lived in western New York state.   And it mentions that he fought in the Revolutionary War.  He had a son named Isaac also, whom I've named Jr. (1795-1836.)

Isaac's brother Silas Booth (1758-1835) also served in the Revolutionary War. I'm glad I just looked through some of the hints on Ancestry, and found he lived till 1835, instead of dying in 1809 as some records said...at least he received his war pension until then. In the war he moved from a private in the Connecticut Militia to Quartermaster. When he moved to Albany, NY, following the war, he was a cooper, woodworker, carpenter.

Elizabeth and Zachariah Booth's children scattered a bit, perhaps after the war.  Daughter Elizabeth Moss ended up in Charleston,SC; Lemuel to Lenox, MA; Silas in Albany, NY; and Isaac in Ontario County, NY. Tabitha Booth Shelton died and is buried in Booths Hill, Fairfield CT...near where she was born.

Three have no death date or place:  Mary Booth Hinman 1744-?, Lemuel Booth 1749-?, and Elizabeth Moss Booth 1751- ?, but she did move to Charleston SC.  They all married, and most of them gave Elizabeth and Zachariah some grandchildren.  Thus the Booths spread about in the US.

Elizabeth and Zachariah Booth were my 9th great grandparents.

My line came from Isaac who moved to New York state, then others eventually went to Texas, and finally my great great grandmother was Eugenia Almeta Booth Miller, after whom I'm named. She was on my mother's matriarchal line. 

William Worsham's Native American mother, Tatacoope

My last list ended on 11.14. Who came next? I'll try to give a bit more information about these ancestors, so it isn't just a list.

Nov 15 (no idea why he's listed on this date) William (John) Worsham, my 9th great grandfather

Birth 1610, 1619 or 1610, one source offers 1594 • Jordans Parish, Charles City, Virginia, American Colonies (though one source says in England, I propose that having a Native American mother, it's more likely he was born in Virginia.

Death 1659 OR 1661 • Bermuda Hundred, Henrico County, Virginia, American Colonies

father of Eliz Worsham Kennon, w. of Col. Richard Kennon,

William Worsham, born ca 1619 in Virginia. He had a Land Patent for 400 acres of land with his brother George, which was dated on 15 February 1652 in Henrico Co., Virginia. William married Elizabeth Littlebury/Littleberry). Elizabeth was born ca 1623 in Henrico Co., Virginia. William was a well respected man. He was at one time a County Commissioner in Charles City Co., Virginia. William died ca 1660/61 in Henrico Co., Virginia, leaving his wife a widow

Bermuda Hundred marker in front of a newer house

"Genealogies of Virginia Families from the William and Mary College Quarterly. Vol. V. Thompson-Yates"  

Note: I do not know what "the list" is that the publication speaks of. If you know its meaning, please let me know. And what would a "Patentee" mean?

His parents were William (or George) Worsham of England and Susan Tatacoope Taylor, a Powotan woman of Virginia. Geneanet says she was sister to Pocahontas. I haven't checked that yet. They (Geneanet) give her birth as supposedly 1580, which makes her too old a bride if son William (John) was born in 1619 or even 1610 (possibly). (It would work if he had been born in 1594, but little substantiates that.) But her death is commemorated Nov 15, 1628.

I hadn't been fazed by William Worsham having parents of an interacial marriage when I originally typed about him. His mother had obviously converted to Christianity, as many Native brides did to be recognized by the colonials. Her given name had been Tatacoope. I wonder what that meant to Powotan Indians. She was baptized as Susan Taylor.

Now I'm off to learn more about her. Incidentally, her death date was Nov. 15, thus she should be followed on this date on my annual calendar note.

(Not Susan Tatacoope Taylor Worsham, but a painting of a Native mother and child.)

Unfortunately all the hints on Ancestry were for Susan Taylor native Americans living in Oklahoma...not the same generation at all.

Though there are several names given for her parents, and many dates they might have married, I respect that the Native Americans might not have had the same traditions in marriage as the colonials. 

Robert Hall

 

Traces of Texas

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One of the all-time great Texas characters, Robert Hall. Robert, who was an early Texas settler, soldier, and Texas Ranger, was born in South Carolina in 1814 and was taken as a child to Tennessee, where his family built the first house in Memphis. He moved to Texas, probably as a member of the crew of the side-wheeler George Washington, in 1835 and apparently served on the Yellow Stone during the Texas Revolution. He enlisted in the Texas army on June 1, 1836, and remained with the forces until November 7. Later he joined the Texas Rangers under Benjamin McCulloch.

In 1838 Robert and three other rangers secured land and laid out the town of Seguin. Hall married Polly King, one of the daughters of a Colonel King of Gonzales, and in 1841 was issued a second-class certificate for a league and a labor of land for having arrived in Gonzales County after the Texas Declaration of Independence and before August 1836. Hall served for three years with the Confederacy. After that he was among other things, a hunting guide. As an old man, Robert lived with one of his thirteen children at Cotulla, where he died in 1899 and was buried.

Saving for my Texas relatives... our ancestors might have heard of him too. The Phillips lived near Seguin, I think. I've letters from Mary Granger Phillips in my blog posts earlier.