Common Ancestors

I could have tilted this Interconnectedness - Part V, but decided to go with Common Ancestors instead . . . just to stay a bit fresh. Ha!

Once again, updating my grandmother's (Mary Willie Boone-Sweat) siblings, and I find where her sister Mary Alberta Boone married Aloysious Delime Boone. Hmmmm . . . 

So, being the curious individual that I am, I had to backtrace Delime Boone's ancestry to see where - not if - they had a common ancestor.

Their common ancestor is Walter (aka Watty) Boone, my 4 x great-grandfather. Now, here's where it get's a wee bit interesting . . .

The two are descended from siblings, but not full siblings, half siblings, since Walter married twice. Delime is descended through Walter's first marriage to Mildred Edelen; while Alberta is descended through Walter's second marriage to Elizabeth Hagan.

The descent goes something like this . . .

Walter Boone 

- m - 

Mildred Edelen (1st)               Elizabeth Hagan (2nd)

John M. Boone - m - Elizabeth Howard    William Henry Boone - m - Rosena Hagan

William Joshua Boone - m - Elizabeth Norris      Miles N. Boone - m - Rosa Jane Duvall

John Walter Boone - m - Josephine Bowling    Victor Ivo Boone - m - Mary Willie Watson

Now, here's where things get a bit tricky because, there is one more generation on the descent through Mildred Edelen than through Elizabeth Hagan. So, what we have now is . . .

James Franklin Boone - m - Susan Mattingly

Aloysious Delime Boone - m - Mary Alberta Boone

And, there you have it for this bit of dancing with the ancestors. A Boone married a Boone, and they do have an ancestor in common, but the cousinal relationship is a bit skewed due to the descent coming through both the first and second wife of the common ancestor, plus the addition of one generation on Delime's side.

I just love a good mystery!!!

Interconnectedness - Part IV

As has happened many times before when I've been dancing with the ancestors, I've found another shared, cousinal (yes, I know, not a word) connection and - surprise, surprise, well, not really - this connection is through the Hagan branch of my family tree. Go figure! Ha!

I have a direct descent to Enoch Hagan and Tabitha Hagan (yes, same last name) through their daughter Rosena.

When updating information on my grandmother's siblings, I found that her sister Mary Kathleen Boone married James Paul Hagan. So, being the curious minded individual that I am, I decided to trace his descent backwards until I found a common Hagan. Trust me, in my family tree, with the name Hagan, it's not hard to find a common Hagan ancestor.

In this case, I traced back to Enoch Hagan and Tabitha Hagan, my four times great grandparents. So, the dual descent goes as follows . . .

Enoch Hagan - m - Tabitha Hagan

James Hagan - m - Lucinda McKune     Rosena Hagan - m - William Henry Boone

Thomas Enoch Hagan - m - Nancy Jane    Miles Nicholas Boone - m - Rosa Jane Duvall

Joseph Virgil Hagan - m -  Mary O'Bryan   Victor Ivo Boone - m - Mary Willie Watson

James Paul Hagan - m - Mary Kathleen Boone

So, James Paul Hagan and his wife Mary Kathleen Boone, have the same great-great grandparents: Enoch Hagan and Tabitha Hagan. So their children would not only be siblings, but fourth cousins. 

So, dancing with the ancestors is never dull . . . at least in my family tree.

The Red Shoes

Dancing with the ancestors isn't solely about building a family tree, finding a skeleton or four in the family closet, or finding out the where/why a person came from. Dancing with the ancestors is also about the stories passed down from generation to generation . . . like the fact that two of my half-great aunts were murdered in Louisiana in 1947, and that a third sister living with them survived the attack, crawled under the front porch, and survived. 

But, not all stories are so dreary and depressing, some of them are quite amusing, such as the story of my mother's red shoes.

Luckily, there is not one, but three stories about my mom’s red shoes . . .

The one I remember is that when my mom, her sister, a cousin of theirs, and another friend, lived together in Louisville, Kentucky, is that my mom's sister Dorothy was famous (or infamous is perhaps the better word) for borrowing my mom’s clothes, shoes, and whatnot. Well, one night, my mom’s getting ready for a date (probably with dad, but you just never know – ha), and she can’t find her red shoes. She looks and looks and looks. No red shoes. Well, in walks Aunt Dorothy into the apartment . . . wearing mom’s red shoes, well, at least until mom made her take them off. Ha.

The second story, was sent to me by my cousin, Aunt Dorothy's son . . .

Back in the day before my mom moved to Louisville from the small town (Lebanon Junction, KY she grew up in), she commuted to work in Louisville. Well, when the cat's away, the mice will play. The cat in this case would be my mother, and the mouse would be my Aunt Dorothy. Well, the cat was at work, and the clothes and shoes in her closet were free for the taking, . . . and Aunt Dorothy took freely, and without asking permission. Anyhow, one day while my mom was at work, Aunt Dorothy borrowed the red shoes and went up to Taylor's Drug Store for a soda. My mom returned from work and noticed that her red shoes were gone. I'm taking it Aunt Dorothy was a repeat offender, and mom wasn't unaware of the borrowing going on with her shoes/clothes. Well, mom marched right up to Taylor's to get her shoes back! She did, at least, carry a pair of her sister's shoes with her to trade. She could have let her walk home barefoot. Ha.

The third story came from my double cousin (her grandmother and my grandmother were sisters, and we share a great-great grandfather on another branch of the family tree) . . .

It seems that, at some point, my mom gave some of her old things to her younger sister and a cousin to play with at a later date. The red shoes were in the mix. My mom's sister and cousin wore the red shoes around town even though they were way too big. They were at least 10 or 11 years younger than my mother (who was one of 10 kids). According to double cousin, her mom said they thought they were really grown up in those shoes. 

My double cousin's final comment about the shoes: Can you imagine so much history from a pair of shoes?

I can't, but think it's neat that the shoes Aunt Dorothy loved to borrow led quite the life afterwards. I can just see my other aunt - shoes too big - walking all around the very small town of Lebanon Junction.

Why Do I Do Genealogy?

For the family members checking out my blog lately, you're probably wondering WTH with these different posts, rather than the family specific related posts I've been doing lately when dancing with the ancestors. Well, it's because I'm an Ancestry Ace - I'm not sure that tops Cousin of the Century which is my current title within the family since I wrested that title from my cousin Kathy (ha), but - and they keep putting out blog prompts and, well, I keep responding to them here.

Never fear, more family specific posts will follow, but more likely than not, it will be after I finish the prep for our upcoming family reunion at the end of June. Too much to do, and too little time.

But, back to the main question: Why do I do genealogy?

Simply put - because it's fun. I love the mystery. I love digging deeper and deeper, looking here, there, and everywhere, in search of an elusive ancestor. I love the brick walls that, more times than not, I've been able to knock down and discover what little skeleton was hiding behind the wall. Kidding. 

Okay, maybe not so much.

Seriously, it's not just about finding out about the past - where my ancestors came from, why they settled where they did, and then migrated somewhere else - it's about putting names to the ancestors . . . which is easier to do with Census Records that list the entire family, then further back when only the heads of households were mentioned.

Still, connecting the dates, finding my way through the maze, and all that jazz associated with dancing with the ancestors, is why I do genealogy.

Why Do I Do Genealogy?

Why do I do genealogy, or, in my little world . . . why do I love dancing with the ancestors? Sorry, always have to insert the title of the blog into the post. Ha!

I love a good mystery, and what better mystery is there out there than genealogy? Who knew my many-times great grandpa was the marrying kind of man . . . five times, plus a sixth, so far undocumented, time, while he was still married to his adulterous fifth wife. And, also allegedly, she was the inspiration for Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. No, she's not a direct ancestor . . . just married to one.

So, I do genealogy, or dance with the ancestors, to discover the pieces of the past that put the puzzle together that is, well, me.

I'm fascinated that the paternal and maternal sides of my mothers family both ended up in Nelson County, Kentucky.

The maternal side migrated from Maryland to Central Kentucky because, at least for at time, in Maryland, being Catholic was not allowed. A good portion of the ancestors on my mother's maternal side were part of the League of Catholic Families that began a migration from Maryland to Kentucky in the late 1700s. In fact, one of my ancestors spent thirty days in jail because he was Catholic. Go, Religious Persecution! That's sarcasm in case any one missed it!

The paternal side migrated from the New England - MA, NH, ME - part of the country. So far, I haven't figured out the why of that migration. Whatever the cause, the Sweat (mother's paternal) and Boone (mother's maternal) lines ended up in Central Kentucky, where a huge portion of them still reside, married, and, well, you have me. Ha!

So, that's why I'm dancing with the ancestors . . . to solve a good mystery, to find out the where/why I came from, and to learn whatever I can about the past. Every time I begin dancing with the ancestors, I seem to stumble across something new that makes me go . . . wow!

What Got Me Started . . .

. . . dancing with the ancestors. 

Well, I'm not really sure what was the first thing that made me start delving into the past of my family. I used to - in the days of youth and glory - laugh at my friends who were doing ancestor research. I believe irony was the oft used word from those same friends when dancing with the ancestors became my obsession.

Seriously, I was going to do the two week free trial, see what I could find, and that was that . . . done, finished, finito!

Ahhhh, but the seeds of obsession bloomed faster than I could dose them with weed killer. Next thing I knew I was renewing my membership for a second year.

Did you know my many times great Aunt Delilah was probably the original cougar? Yes, indeed! After her first husband died, at age 30 she married . . . and 18 year old. Go, Aunt Delilah. In fact, my cousin said she reserves the right to snag her a younger man, in honor of Aunt Delilah, at some point. Ha!

So, I guess, the thing that got me started was a simple curiosity, and a free trial on Ancestry. From there, well, I just couldn't stop. The further back I dug, the more information I found.

Did you know, my half-great Aunt Euphemia divorced her husband . . . pre 1910? Using FamilySearch, I stumbled across her divorce record. Come to find out . . . she divorced multiple times, in an era when divorces weren't as common as today.

As I've been dancing with my ancestors, not only have I learned a lot about my, well, ancestors, but also the struggles and hardships they've endured, plus found out the places - Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany, Switzerland - they once lived. 

Did you know one of my ancestors spent thirty days in jail . . . for being a Catholic? Neither did I until I stumbled across that information while doing research, and . . . he was proud of it, and there's a plaque to state that fact. Woo-hoo! This same ancestor, from Maryland by the way, and another ancestor, also from Maryland, both had chapels built on their property so the Catholics could worship freely . . . which wasn't allowed in Maryland at the time. Talk about religious persecution . . . the very reason many left Europe in the first place.

And, in a rambling nutshell, that's why I began dancing with the ancestors: curiosity! Yes, I know, it killed the cat, but the only thing it seems to kill for me is . . . free time.

The Johnson Family

There is not one, but two, branches of the Johnson family in my extensive family tree. So far, I haven't made a distinct connection between the two, but my guess is that, somewhere, there is a connection. For now, I'm dealing with the Johnson branch that married into the Semmes branch of my family tree.

I've only been able to trace that branch back to John Johnson who was born in 1670 in Maryland, and died 1710 in Prince George's County, Maryland. He married Mary Dove (b. 1673 in Prince George's County Maryland; d. 1763 in Prince George's County Maryland), daughter of robert Dove and Mary Dryden, in 1703 in Charles County, Maryland. They had the following children . . .

• John Johnson - b. 1705 in Prince George's County, Maryland; d. 1766 in Prince George's County, Maryland
• Mary Johnson - b. 1706 in Prince George's County, Maryland; d. after 1778 in Charles County, Maryland

After her husband's death, Mary Dove-Johnson married twice more as follows . . .

• William Cooke, by which she had the following children: Elizabeth Cooke, Alice Cooke, Anne Cooke, and Robert Dove Cooke
• Bryan Riley

The Last Will and Testament of Mary Dove-Johnson-Cooke-Riley

REYLEY, MARY, Prince George's Co. 22 Nov, 1748; 27 Aug, 1763

To son John Johnson, having a note in his hand of mine for 9 lbs. sterl, money being the balance of his father's estate for which I bequeath nine head of cattle to discharge the note; if sd. son shd. not agree to take cattle, that exs. shall sell cattle and dispose of sd. note.
To son Robert Dove Cook, the hand mill and great iron pot, for services done for me.
To dau. Anne Hugoe, 1/2 the crop.

To William Johnson Rawlings, grand-son, cattle, left him by his god-father Bryant Reyley.

To grand-dau. Mary Rawlings, cattle.

To son Robert Dove Cook, and dau. Elizabeth Piles, wife of Leonard Piles, slaves, to be equally divided between them, being to discharge the balance of thier father's estate; son Robert Dove Cook, shall have his choice, to keep the slave and pay the half of the value thereof to his sister Elizabeth Piles or Leonard Piles, her husband.

To daus. Anne Hugoe, and Else Estep, wife of Philemon Estep, the other of the slaves.

To grand-children, William and Anne Hugoe, cattle.

To grand-son William Hugoe,

To children: John Johnson, Robert Dove Cook, Elizabeth Piles, Anne Hugoe, Elce Estep, balance of estate.

Exs: Children, Robert Dove Cook and Philemon Estep.

Wit: Geo. Biggs, James Thomas, John Hill. 31. 1030

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mrmarsha&id=I07994

John Johnson II married Susannah Semmes (b. 1696 in Charles County, Maryland; d. 1766 in Prince George's County, Maryland) son of James Semmes and Mary Goodrick prior to 1724. They had the following children . . .

• John Johnson - b. after 1724 in Charles County, Maryland; d. unknown
• James Johnson - b. about 1725 in Charles County, Maryland; d. March 30, 1799 in Charles County, Maryland
• Monica Johnson - b. after 1726 in Charles County, Maryland; d. 1807 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Mary Anne Johnson - b. Charles County, Maryland; d. August 10, 1818 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Joseph Johnson - b. Charles County Maryland; d. after 1792 in Charles County, Maryland

Monica Johnson married James Hagan (b. 1725 in Charles County, Maryland; d. October 1775 in Frederick County, Maryland), son of Thomas Hagan and Sarah Mudd, on 1745. They had the following children . . .

• Mary Hagan - b. 1750 in Maryland; d. 1814 unknown
• James Hagan - b. 1761 in St. Mary's County, Maryland; d. 1814 in Washington County, Kentucky
• Susannah Hagan - b. 1762 in Maryland; d. 1807 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Sarah Hagan - b. 1764 in Maryland; d. unknown
• Edward Hagan - b. 1765 in Maryland; d. 1831 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Clement Phillip Hagan - b. 1766 in Maryland; d. May 15, 1844 in Holy Cross, Marion County, Kentucky
• Aliege Hagan - b.1769 in Maryland; d. October 7, 1855 in Pottinger's Creek Settlement, Nelson County, Kentucky
• Tabitha Hagan - . 1774 in St. Mary's County, Maryland; d. February 14, 1853 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky

Tabitha Hagan married Enoch Hagan (b. about 1770 in St. Mary's County, Maryland; d. 1834 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky), son of Bennett Hagan and Ann (surname unknown), on May 20, 1797 in Nelson County, Kentucky. They had the following children . . .

• Valentine Hagan - b. about 1799 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. unknown
• Louisa Hagan - b. 1801 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. July 26, 1866 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Nathaniel Hagan - b. 1802 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. unknown
• Matilda Hagan - b. 1804 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. June 17, 1876 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky
• Catherine Hagan - b. 1807 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. unknown
• Austin Hagan - b. February 8, 1809 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. November 9, 1871 in Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky
• Monica Hagan - b. about 1811 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. 1860 unknown
• Edward Hagan - b. about 1813 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. unknown
• James Hagan - b. about 1813 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. May 1, 1878 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Mary Hagan - b. about 1814 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. unknown
• Rosena Hagan - b. 1818 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. April 2, 1896 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky

The Last Will and Testament of Enoch Hagan

 

June 9, 1834

In the name of God Amen I Enoch HAGAN of the County of Nelson state of

Kentucky being sick and weak but of perfect mind and memory thanks be giving unto God calling unto mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die I do make & ordain this my last Will and Testament that is to say principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul unto the hands of Almighty God that gave it and my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of my executors. Further doubting but at the general resurection I shall receive the same again by the Mighty power of God and as touching such worldly estate where with it has pleased God to bless me in this life I give and dispose of the same in the following manner and form.

1st. I desire all my just debts to be paid by my administrator.

2nd. give to my beloved wife Tabitha HAGAN all of my estate both persoality and real her singal life if she maries she is to have only the third part ofmy estate.

3rd. At my wife Tabitha Hagan deth or marage my estate is to be divided in the following manner all my estate is to be divided between all my sons and daughters that is to say Monica Roberts the wife of Charles Roberts, Mary Burba the wife of Alinson Burba, Louisa Newton the wife of Clement Newton, Matilda Avis the wife of Basil Avis, Nathaniel Hagan, Valentine Hagan, Austin Hagan, Edward Hagan, James Hagan, Rosena Hagan, all my sons and daughters. I also give to Nathaniel Hagan and Valentine Hagan, Edward Hagan and James Hagan twenty five dollars each of them more than the rest. I also give my daughter Rosena Haganthirty dollars extra also my daughter Matilda Avis wife of Basil Avis eighteen dollars extra also I gave to the Revd. Robert Simms five dollars to say masses after my deth for me also I gave my son Austin Hagan five dollars. I leave my wife Tabitha Hagan and my son Edward Hagan my administrators. And I do hereby utterly disallow revok and disannul all and any other former testament or will legacies bequeath and executives by me in any wise before claimed willed and bequeathed ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last Will and Testament in writing whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty second day of March one thousand eight hundred and thirty four.

Signed in the presence of James Ballard, Randolph Hagan, Enoch Hagan, Charles Hagan, Martin Hill

Proved in Court at NelsonCounty Kentucky June 9, 1834.

Tabitha Hagan assigned her right of Administration to Peter Stewart having placed bond with Thomas Ballard, Charles Roberts and John Roberts.

NELSON COUNTY WILL Bk. G Pages 326 and 327

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mrmarsha&id=I60070

  

William Henry Boone married Rosena Hagan (b. 1818 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. April 2, 1896 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky), daughter of Enoch Hagan and Tabitha Hagan, on February 8, 1838 in Nelson County, Kentucky. William Henry and Rosena's grandfather's were brothers (James and Benjamin Hagan), so they had the same great-grandparents: Thomas Hagan and Sarah Mudd Hagan. They had the following children . . .

• Elizabeth Boone - b. about 1839 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. March 8, 1916 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Edward Boone - b. about 1840 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. unknown
• Thomas Boone - b. about 1842 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. unknown
• William Boone - b. about 1844 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. unknown
• Ann Catherine Boone - b. September 1, 1845 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. unknown
• Charles Henry Boone - b. September 20, 1847 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. unknown
• John H Boone - b. about 1849 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. unknown
• Miles Nicholas Boone - b. May 15, 1851 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. February 23, 1932 in Nelson County, Kentucky

Rosena Hagan married William Peake after the death of her husband William Henry Boone.

Miles Nicholas Boone married three times. First he married Rosa Jane Duvall (b. January 20, 1852 in Marion County, Kentucky; d. November 13, 1882 in Marion County, Kentucky), daughter of James D. Duvall and Charlotte Cambron, on March 20, 1871. They had the following children . . .

• William "Bill" Boone - b. March 12, 1872 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. March 19, 1872 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Victor Ivo Boone - b. October 12, 1873 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. February 26, 1954 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Anna Belle Boone - b. June 5, 1876 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. March 2, 1947 in Jefferson County, Kentucky
• William H. Boone (- b. June 15, 1878 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. December 4, 1955 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Milburn B. Boone - b. February 12, 1881 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. November 17, 1881 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Milburn A. Boone - b. November 13, 1882 in New Haven, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. April 15, 1938 in Nelson County, Kentucky

Note: Rosa Jane Duvall-Boone died hours after giving birth to her last child. Miles Nicholas Boone married his step-sister (Rosena Hagan-Boone having married William Peake after her husband's death) Amanda N. Peake a few months after his first wife's death. Lastly, he married Laura Price.

 

Victor Ivo Boone married Mary Willie Watson (. b. May 21, 1872 in Kentucky; d. February 2, 1952 in Nelson County, Kentucky), daughter of Richard Hilary Watson and Annie Johnson, on October 26, 1895 in Nelson County, Kentucky. They had the following children . . .

• Rose Louise Boone - b. June 25, 1896 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. May 6, 1984 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Bernadette Boone - b. September 12, 1897 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. March 8, 1899 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky
• Mary Willie Boone - b. October 21, 1898 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. April 4, 1981 in Lebanon Junction, Bullitt County, Kentucky
• Stella Marie Boone - b. December 12, 1899 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. January 4, 1983 in Jefferson County, Kentucky
• Joseph Miles Boone - b. February 17, 1901 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. November 28, 1967 in Bullitt County, Kentucky
• Victor Ivo Boone II - b. January 10, 1903 in Gesthsemane, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. March 31, 1934 in Jefferson County, Kentucky
• John Cripps Boone - b. August 31, 1904 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. 1965 in Lebanon Junction, Bullitt County, Kentucky
• Mary Bernadette Boone - b. October 10, 1906 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. September 15, 1907 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• David Cyprian Boone - b. August 12, 1908 in Nelson County, Kentucky; d. November 28, 1982 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Mary Elizabeth Boone - August 21, 1910 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. March 30, 1991 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Felix Bernard Boone - b. April 2, 1912 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. December 14, 1994 in Nelson County, Kentucky
• Mary Jessie Boone - b. December 23, 1913 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. June 25, 1997 in New Haven, Nelson County, Kentucky
• Mary Alberta Boone - b. May 26, 1915 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. January 9, 1998 in Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky
• Mary Kathleen Boone - b. September 30, 1917 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. March 21, 2006 in New Haven, Nelson County, Kentucky
• Margaret Ellen Boone - b. March 30, 1919 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. August 13, 1919 in New Hope, Nelson County, Kentucky

 

Note: I always wondered where the use of middle names versus first names came from, and I'm guessing it started with this generation of the family. I remember my mother referring to her Aunts: Jessie, Alberta, and Kathleen. I guess calling for Aunt Mary would be quite confusing. Ha! Seriously, my mother goes by her middle name, as did most of her siblings, and she called my brother and I by our middle names. I believe it's a Southern thing, but, at least in my family, I can trace back to the generation where it began.

Mary Willie Boone married William Oscar Sweat, son of William Joshua Sweat and Margaret Morris. They had ten children, thirty-six grandchildren, and too many great and great-great grandchildren to count.

And here ends, at least for this blog post, the descent of my family concerning the Johnson branch!