Tuesday, June 22, 2021
William Henry Trescot's Poem at the Confederate Soldier Monument
Saturday, June 19, 2021
On Bentheimer Ancestry
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Obituary Observations: George Alexander Morris of Covesville, Virginia and Princeton, West Virginia (1875-1938)
My great-great grandfather, George Alexander Morris, is an enigmatic figure, and possibly the great-great grandparent I'm the most interested in. When I began my research, it took a long time to begin to unravel his life. Firstly because his name, like that of many Southerners, was constantly reported differently. Was his name George? Alexander? Alexandra? Earley? Even Nicholas? It seems like it was George Alexander, but we can't be sure. When I first made contact with my sort of cousin Tony, I did not know that an obituary was even published for great-great grandpa George, but he had found it and uploaded it to his tree:
Transcription:
ALEXANDER MORRIS TAKEN BY DEATH
WASHINGTON AVENUE STONE MASON PASSES AFTER SHORT ILLNESS; FUNERAL SERVICES TO BE THIS AFTERNOON
Alexander Morris, 63, died at his home on Washington Avenue at 10:10 o'clock Friday morning following a twenty four-hour illness. He was taken ill Thursday.
He was born April 19, 1875 at Cavesville, Va., where he resided until 1912 when he moved to Princeton. He was a stone mason. Besides his widow, Rebecca Hall Morris, Morris leaves his mother, Mrs. Al Morris, of Cavesville, Va., one brother, Gene Morris, of Cavesville; and twelve children, Gene, Emmett, Theodore, George, Harvey, Alley, Mrs. Nelle Parish, Mrs. Julia Hardwell, Mrs. Elsie Hare, Mrs. Mary Sadler, Annie Morris, of Princeton; and John Morris, Tug River. Mr. Morris was a member of the local Presbyterian church.
Funeral services will be conducted at the home at 2 o'clock this afternoon by the Rev. W. R. Smith, Jr., pastor of the Presbyterian church. Burial will be in Helsel Cemetery.
This Obituary ends up being one of the most useful documents that exists in terms of unraveling the life of my great-great grandfather. Here are some of the facts that I observed:
- His name is given as Alexander. While this was probably not his full name, it is very likely that he was chiefly known as Alexander to friends and family.
- His birth date is listed, April 19, 1875. In the unfortunately extremely common habit endemic to Southern genealogy, this date contradicts the only other specific birth date given, of April 19, 1873 in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. At the very least his birthday is confirmed as April 19, although this contradicts (!) the 1900 Census, which says he was born in January. The reason I believe 1875 is more accurate then 1873, is because the obituary was printed before the Social Security claim. However, the 1920 and 1930 Censuses report his age as closer to 1873. The claims are still useful genealogically, since they give his SSN: 233-12-4029.
- His hometown, as well as the current residence of his mother and brother, is listed as "Cavesville" in Virginia. This is a misprinting of Covesville, an unincorporated community of Albemarle County. Morris is shown living in Albemarle County in both the 1900 and 1910 Censuses, and in 1910 was living directly in Covesville.
- Two facts about his life are included, that he was a Stone Mason and a Presbyterian. He must have attended church regularly, as he is listed as a member of the church.
- Very importantly, the obituary dates the family's move to Princeton from Covesville as being in 1912. This adds up well with established evidence, and helps prove that his daughter Mary, my great-grandmother, was born in Covesville and not Princeton. In August 1912, his son Emmett was born in Princeton, and in April 1915, his son Gene was born in Princeton.
- Death dates are unknown for both his mother and father, but this obituary helps narrow them down. His father is not mentioned as a survivor, meaning that he is already dead, and since his father appears in the 1930 Census, we can date his death as happening between 1930 and May 1938. His mother is still living however, so we can date her death as happening after May 1938. The obituary also gives the name of his father as Al Morris.
- The obituary states that he lived on Washington Avenue in Princeton, which helps narrow down the family's residence, although his address is not given.
- Twelve children are mentioned as living, and the name of one comes to mind, Harvey, which was also the name of his father-in-law, the unknown Harvey Hall.
- His burial site is listed, Helsel Cemetery.
- His cause of death is not listed in the obituary, although it was a sudden illness. His death certificate confirms it to be Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.
Lynchings and my Ancestors
The Lynching in America Project has done historians and genealogists a service with their interactive map showing where in America lynchings have occurred, and how many there were, by county. Luckily I have not documented that any of my ancestors participated in a lynching, but it is definitely possible. Several of my pre-1865 Southern ancestors were Slave owners and Confederates, so their twisted values were likely passed on through a few generations. Up to at least my father's maternal grandmother, some parts of my family were openly racist. In the interest of documenting the openly racist society that my paternal ancestors grew up in, I have compiled a list of the counties that my Southern ancestors lived in, with the number of lynchings that they possibly witnessed or participated in, using the Lynching in America Project.
- Dyer County, Tennessee (Freels): 7 Reported Lynchings
- Haywood County, Tennessee (Clemons, Freels): 4 Reported Lynchings
- Laurens County, South Carolina (Winn): 11 Reported Lynchings
- McDowell County, West Virginia (Saddler): 4 Reported Lynchings
- Mercer County, West Virginia (Saddler, Morris): 10 Reported Lynchings (worst in the State of West Virginia)
- Navarro County, Texas (Humphreys): 5 Reported Lynchings
- Polk County, Florida (Winn, Clemons): 20 Reported Lynchings (one of the brighter counties on the map, and tied with Columbia County for 2nd worst in the State of Florida)
- Tattnall County, Georgia (Winn, Benton): 5 Reported Lynchings
- Toombs County, Georgia (Pittman): 3 Reported Lynchings
- Volusia County, Florida (Winn): 4 Reported Lynchings
- Colleton County, South Carolina (Benton): 10 Reported Lynchings
- Tazewell County, Virginia: 7 Reported Lynchings
- Wythe County, Virginia: 3 Reported Lynchings
- https://lynchinginamerica.eji.org/explore Lynching in America Project Interactive Map
- https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/sep/5 Walter Johnson Lynched in Princeton, West Virginia
- https://www.newschief.com/news/20180505/lynchings-klan-activity-part-of-polks-history Lynchings, Klan activity part of Polk’s history
- http://peachypast.blogspot.com/2017/12/4-members-of-padgett-family-go-down-in.html 4 Members of the Padgett Family Go Down in a Hail of Bullets
- https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-lynching-america/ Lynching in America
Thursday, May 13, 2021
My Descent from the Royal House of Árpád
1. Álmos, Grand Prince of the Hungarians had:
2. Árpád, Grand Prince of the Hungarians had:
3. Zoltán, possibly Grand Prince of the Hungarians and a daughter of Menumorut had:
4. Taksony, Grand Prince of the Hungarians had:
5. Michael, possibly Duke of Nyitra had:
6. Vazul, possibly Duke of Nyitra had:
7. Béla I the Boxer, King of Hungary and Richeza of Poland had:
8. Géza I, King of Hungary and Sophia had:
9. Prince Álmos and Predslava of Kiev had:
10. Béla II the Blind, King of Hungary and Jelena of Serbia had:
11. Géza II, King of Hungary and Croatia and Euphrosyne of Kiev had:
12. Béla III, King of Hungary and Croatia and Agnes of Antioch had:
13. Andrew II, King of Hungary and Croatia and Gertrude of Merania had:
14. Béla IV the "second founder of the State", King of Hungary and Croatia and Maria Laskarina had:
15. Stephen V, King of Hungary and Croatia and Elizabeth the Cuman had:
16. Mary of Hungary and Charles II the Lame, King of Naples had:
17. Margaret of Naples and Charles, Count of Valois had:
18. Joan of Valois and William I the Good, Count of Hainaut had:
19. Philippa of Hainault and Edward III, King of England had:
20. John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Katherine Swynford had:
21. Joan Beaufort and Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland had:
22. Edward Neville, 3rd Baron Bergavenny and Katherine Howard had:
23. Margaret Neville and John Brooke, 7th Lord Cobham had:
24. Thomas Brooke, 8th Lord Cobham and Dorothy Heydon had:
25. Elizabeth Brooke and Sir Thomas Wyatt the Poet had:
26. Sir Thomas Wyatt the Rebel and Jane Haute had:
27. Sir George Wyatt and Jane Finch had:
28. The Reverend Hawte Wyatt and Anne Cox had:
29. John Wyatt I had:
30. John Wyatt II had:
31. Ann Wyatt and John Stafford had:
32. Joshua Stafford, R.S. and Martha had:
33. Ezekiel Stafford had:
34. Mary Stafford and John Pittman had:
35. Noah Gideon Pittman, C.S.A and Elizabeth Partin had:
36. Mary Elizabeth Pittman and Joseph Franklin Winn Jr. had:
37. John Washington Winn Sr. and Lula Lavene Benton had:
38. John Washington Winn Jr. and Ethel Clemons had:
39. LIVING and Luther Allen Saddler Jr. had:
40. Brian Keith Winn and LIVING had:
41. Hunter Ryan Winn, me.
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
My Descents from the Princes of Wales
NOTE: Because there are multiple dynasties and families involved, to simplify the presentation, I will only include the prince's descents down to my gateway ancestor, the Reverend Hawte Wyatt, or to where they intersect with other presented lineages. I have included my descent from him in other posts.
Descent from Llywelyn the Great, 1:
1. Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd and Joan of England had:
2. Gwladus Ddu and Ralph de Mortimer had:
3. Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer and Maud de Braose had:
4. Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer and Margaret de Fiennes had:
5. Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March and Joan de Geneville had:
6. Maud de Mortimer and John Charlton, 2nd Baron Charlton had:
7. Joan de Cherleton and Sir John de Beauchamp had:
8. Alice Beauchamp and Sir Thomas le Boteler had:
9. Joan Boteler and Hamon Belknap had:
10. Philip Belknap and Elizabeth Woodhouse had:
11. Alice Belknap and Henry Finch had:
12. Sir William Finch and Elizabeth Cromer had:
13. Sir Thomas Finch and Katherine Moyle had:
14. Lady Jane Finch and George Wyatt had:
15. The Reverend Hawte Wyatt.
Descent from Llywelyn the Great, 2:
1. Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd had:
2. Marared ferch Llywelyn and John de Braose, Lord of Bramber had:
3. William de Braose, 1st Baron Braose and Aline de Multon had:
4. William de Braose, 2nd Baron Braose had:
5. Aline de Braose and John de Mowbray, 2nd Baron Mowbray had:
6. John de Mowbray, 3rd Baron Mowbray and Joan Plantagenet of Lancaster had:
7. John de Mowbray, 4th Baron Mowbray and Elizabeth de Segrave had:
8. Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk and Lady Elizabeth FitzAlan had:
9. Margaret Mowbray and Sir Robert Howard had:
10. Katherine Howard and Edward Neville, 3rd Baron Bergavenny had:
11. Margaret Neville and John Brooke, 7th Lord Cobham had:
12. Thomas Brooke, 8th Lord Cobham and Dorothy Heydon had:
13. Elizabeth Brooke and Sir Thomas Wyatt the Poet had:
14. Sir Thomas Wyatt the Rebel and Jane Haute had:
15. Sir George Wyatt and Jane Finch had:
16. The Reverend Hawte Wyatt
Descent from the Lord Rhys:
1. Rhys ap Gruffydd, Prince of Deheubarth had:
2. Angharad ferch Rhys and William Fitz Martin had:
3. William Fitz Martin had:
4. Sir Nicholas Fitz Martin and Isabel had:
5. Nicholas Fitz Martin and Maud de Bryan had:
6. Sir William Martin and Eleanor Fitz Reynold had:
7. Joan Martin and Nicholas Audley, 1st Baron Audley had:
8. James Audley, 2nd Baron Audley and Joan de Mortimer (descendant of Llywelyn the Great) had:
9. Joan de Audley and Sir John Tuchet had:
10. John Tuchet and Maud de Grey had:
11. Sir John Tuchet and Elizabeth Stafford had:
12. Sir James Tuchet, 5th Lord Audley and Margaret de Ros had:
13. Elizabeth Audley and Edward Brooke, 6th Baron Cobham had:
14. John Brooke, 7th Lord Cobham and Margaret Neville had:
15. Thomas Brooke, 8th Lord Cobham (intersects with generation 12 in the prior descent).
Descent from Hywel Dda:
1. Hywel Dda, King of Deheubarth and Elen ferch Llywarch had:
2. Owain ap Hywel, King of Deheubarth had:
3. Einion ab Owain had:
4. Cadell ab Einion had:
5. Tewdwr ap Cadell had:
6. Rhys ap Tewdwr, King of Deheubarth and Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon had:
7. Gruffydd ap Rhys, King of Deheubarth and Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd had:
8. Rhys ap Gruffydd, Prince of Deheubarth ("the Lord Rhys", of the earlier lineage).
Descent from Gruffydd ap Llywelyn:
1. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Wales and Ealdgyth of Mercia had:
2. Nest ferch Gruffydd and Osbern Fitz Richard had:
3. Nest ferch Osbern and Bernard de Neufmarché had:
4. Sibyl de Neufmarché and Miles of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford had:
5. Bertha of Hereford and William de Braose, 3rd Lord of Bramber had:
6. William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber and Maud de Saint Valéry had:
7. William de Braose and Maud de Clare had:
8. John de Braose, Lord of Bramber and Marared ferch Llywelyn had:
9. William de Braose, 1st Baron Braose (intersects with prior lineages).
Descent from the Princes of Powys Wenwynwyn:
1. Maredudd ap Bleddyn, Prince of Powys and Hunydd ferch Einudd had:
2. Gruffydd ap Maredudd had:
3. Owain Cyfeiliog, Prince of Powys Wenwynwyn had:
4. Gwenwynwyn ap Owain, Prince of Powys Wenwynwyn and Margaret Corbet had:
5. Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn, Prince of Powys Wenwynwyn and Hawise Lestrange had:
6. Owen de la Pole, 1st Lord of Powis and Joan Corbet had:
7. Hawys Gadarn and Sir John de Cherleton, 1st Lord Cherleton had:
8. John Charlton, 2nd Baron Charlton and Maud de Mortimer had:
9. Joan de Cherleton (intersects with prior lineages).
Descent from the Princes of Powys Fadog:
1. Maredudd ap Bleddyn, Prince of Powys and Hunydd ferch Einudd had:
2. Madog ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys and Susanna ferch Gruffudd had:
3. Gruffydd Maelor, Prince of Powys Fadog and Angharad ferch Owain had:
4. Madog ap Gruffydd, Prince of Powys Fadog and Isota had:
5. Gruffydd ap Madog, Prince of Powys Fadog and Emma de Audley had:
6. Angharad ferch Gruffydd and William le Boteler had:
7. William le Boteler, 1st Lord Boteler of Wem and Beatrice had:
8. William le Boteler, 2nd Lord Boteler of Wem and Joan de Sudeley had:
9. Sir Thomas le Boteler and Alice Beauchamp had:
10. Joan Boteler (intersects with prior lineages).
Wales is a complicated country, that was divided into many different principalities. There are possibly other descents that I have not mentioned. Another thing that I have not mentioned is the ancestry of the Welsh Princes included in this article. For example, Llywelyn the Great was a great-grandson of Gruffudd ap Cynan, one of the most important figures in Welsh resistance to Norman rule. They were descendants of Rhodri the Great. And they were all descendants, through traditional lineages, of the important mythical figures of Celtic Wales, such as Coel Hen, Llywarch Hen, and Cadwaladr.
Gadewch inni anrhydeddu ac ymfalchïo yn ein treftadaeth a'n gwreiddiau Cymreig!
My Descent from the Royal House of Capet
1. Hugh Capet, King of the Franks and Adelaide of Aquitaine had:
2. Robert II the Pious, King of the Franks and Constance of Arles had:
3. Henry I, King of the Franks and Anne of Kiev had:
4. Philip I the Amorous, King of the Franks and Bertha of Holland had:
5. Louis VI the Fat, King of the Franks and Adelaide of Maurienne had:
6. Louis VII the Young, King of the Franks and Adela of Champagne had:
7. Philip II Augustus, King of France and Isabella of Hainault had:
8. Louis VIII the Lion, King of France and Blanche of Castile had:
9. Saint Louis IX, King of France and Margaret of Provence had:
10. Philip III the Bold, King of France and Isabella of Aragon had:
11. Philip IV the Fair, King of France and Joan I of Navarre had:
12. Isabella Capet the She-Wolf of France and King Edward II of England had:
13. Edward III, King of England and Philippa of Hainault had:
14. John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Katherine Swynford had:
15. Joan Beaufort and Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland had:
16. Edward Neville, 3rd Baron Bergavenny and Katherine Howard had:
17. Margaret Neville and John Brooke, 7th Lord Cobham had:
18. Thomas Brooke, 8th Lord Cobham and Dorothy Heydon had:
19. Elizabeth Brooke and Sir Thomas Wyatt the Poet had:
20. Sir Thomas Wyatt the Rebel and Jane Haute had:
21. Sir George Wyatt and Jane Finch had:
22. The Reverend Hawte Wyatt and Anne Cox had:
23. John Wyatt I had:
24. John Wyatt II had:
25. Ann Wyatt and John Stafford had:
26. Joshua Stafford, R.S. and Martha had:
27. Ezekiel Stafford had:
28. Mary Stafford and John Pittman had:
29. Noah Gideon Pittman, C.S.A and Elizabeth Partin had:
30. Mary Elizabeth Pittman and Joseph Franklin Winn Jr. had:
31. John Washington Winn Sr. and Lula Lavene Benton had:
32. John Washington Winn Jr. and Ethel Clemons had:
33. LIVING and Luther Allen Saddler Jr. had:
34. Brian Keith Winn and LIVING had:
35. Me, Hunter Ryan Winn.








