Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Not Alone

Perhaps, while dancing with the ancestors, I've done a similar post, so, if I have, I'm doing it again.

There's something invigorating about finding out that . . .

. . . you're not alone, i.e., not the last of the Mitchell line.

For the longest time, as you'll know from reading other posts, the theory was that Great Grandpa Charlie Mitchell was an only child. He had one son, who had one son, who had two sons, one of which married and had one son. The other child, well, I currently have two dogs and a cat. No human children in my future.

So, for the longest time, nephew Matt had quite a bit of pressure on him as the last Mitchell. Okay, he still has pressure as the last Mitchell in the direct line of descent from . . .

Allen Mitchell to . . .

William C. Mitchell to . . .

Charles Alexander Mitchell to . . .

John Francis Mitchell to . . .

Vernon Smith Mitchell to . . . 

Bob Mitchell to . . . 

Matt Mitchell to . . .

But the descent from Allen Mitchell includes many sons who had many or a few sons who had . . .

. . . and so on, and so on, and so on, so that . . .

. . . the Mitchell line descended from Allen, descended from his father, and his father, and his father, back to the first Mitchell, continues.

We're scattered here, there, and everywhere . . .

Delaware, Tennessee, Texas, Missouri, California, and other places as well.

We don't know each other, and many of my cousins don't have a clue that I exist. Maybe one day they will, or maybe they won't. There might be some male Mitchell out there, no sons, thinking I'm the last of the Mitchell line.

Well, he isn't, and - hopefully - he won't be, because Allen and his sons were quite prolific, well, until you get to my Grandfather John, aka Pop, who only had two children: a daughter and a son, and left many a descendant out there to continue the Mitchell line down through the generations to the end of time.

So, when dancing with the ancestors, there is hope you are not alone, and not the last of your line. Perhaps beneath that tree root you just stumbled across, you'll find a brother or sister of an ancestor you didn't know existed, and discover a whole slew of cousins you never knew you had. I know I did!

S

Thursday, February 13, 2014

When Branches Intertwine

When dancing with the ancestors cousin relationships might well drive you to drink. My cousin's son is not my 2nd Cousin. Rather, he's my First Cousin 1 x Removed. 

Joseph Bryan Reid is my 5th Cousin 2 x Removed. He was my Grandmother Mary Willie Boone-Sweat's 5th Cousin. Confused yet?

Well, so am I! Ha!

Not only is Joseph Bryan Reid my 5th Cousin 2 x Removed on one line, he's that way on another line. This happens when branches intertwine on the family tree. No, it's not first cousins marrying first cousins. So far, I haven't found any of that in all my research, but I have found where cousins have married. 

With Joseph Bryan Reid there are two branches/descents in his tree that combine with my tree: Thomas and Mary (Aisquith) Hagan and McKelvie and Ann (Williams) Hammett. Thomas and Mary are my 7 x Great Grandparents and McKelvie and Ann are my 6 x Great Grandparents . . . on two separate branches that merge together with the marriage of their descendants Victor Ivo Boone and Mary Willie Watson (my great grandparents).

Okay, really there's three, but it gets really complicated, so, I'm going to stick with the simple version for now.

It went something like this . . .

Thomas and Mary (Aisquith) went forth, were fruitful and multiplied. Boy, did they multiply. I have descent from three of their multitude of children, but, for this post . . . I'm going to simplify to one child, but then branch out a bit since that's where my tree connects with Joseph Bryan Reid's tree.

Thomas Hagan - Mary Aisquith

Thomas Hagan - Sarah Mudd

    James Hagan - Monica Johnson

Tabitha Hagan - Enoch Hagan                          Clement Phillip Hagan - Mary Ann Miles

Rosena Hagan - William Henry Boone    Thomas Sidney Hagan - Mary Amanda Edelen

Miles Boone - Rosa Jane Duvall                             Angelah Hagan - David Alexander Reid 

Victor Ivo Boone - Mary Willie Watson              John Bryan Reid - Mary Estelle Greenwell 

Mary Willie Boone                                          Joseph Bryan Reid

So, now you see where the trees were once one, but then split off into two. Tabitha Hagan and Clement Phillip Hagan were brother and sister.

In another interesting note on this cousin relationship, is the descent from Thomas Hagan and Mary Aisquith that leads to William Henry Boone. It goes something like this . . .

Thomas Hagan - Mary Aisquith

Thomas Hagan - Sarah Mudd

Benjamin Hagan - Monica Blandford

Elizabeth Hagan - Walter Boone

William Henry Boone - Rosena Hagan

But, as you know if you've been paying attention so far, there's another connection between Joseph Bryan Reid and me, since the other Grandparents we have in common are McKelvie Hammett and Ann Williams. That little descent goes something like this . . .

McKelvie Hammett & Ann Williams

Elizabeth Hammett - William Proctor Ballard              Susannah Hammett - James Cissell 

John Ballard - Elizabeth Nalley                          Elizabeth Cissell - James Madison Ballard

Charlotte Ballard - James Johnson                  Mary Helena Ballard - William Greenwell

Annie Johnson - Richard Hilary Watson      Thomas Greenwell - Mary Rose Mattingly

Mary Willie Watson - Victor Ivo Boone          Mary Estelle Greenwell - John Bryan Reid

Mary Willie Boone                                       Joseph Bryan Reid

Nope, not done yet, because, there's a second connection on this tree through William Proctor Ballard and his sons John Ballard and James Madison Ballard, both of who played a role in the respective descents of Mary Willie Boone and Joseph Bryan Reid. And, since I'm noting the cousin relationships, Charlotte Ballard and May Helena Ballard were first cousins, which means that Annie Johnson and Thomas Greenwell were . . . First Cousins 1 x Removed! Woo hoo!

To say that the children and grandchildren of both Mary Willie and Joseph Bryan are cousins, is quite the simplification, since we're/they're actual cousins on more than one level! Whew!

So, when dancing with the ancestors and trying to keep track of the cousin relationship, well, good luck with that lovely task.