George Washington kinship

This month was George Washington's 280th birthday, and I've learned recently that we are related to him on both sides of the family!

Our Wright ancestors (Haynie side) include Anne Washington, great aunt of the father of our country, who married Major Francis Wright in the 17th century, Westmoreland County, Virginia. Anne's father John Washington, great-grandfather of General George Washington, was the family member who acquired the land where Mount Vernon is located, south of Alexandria, Virginia. Lt. Col. John Washington (born circa 1632) served in the House of Burgesses for Westmoreland County, in the colonial capital of Jamestown; as did our ancestor Capt. John Haynie (b. circa 1624) of Northumberland County, just a few years earlier (1660s and 1650s, respectively). Their home counties are adjacent to each other along the Potomac River, with Northumberland County being situated closer to Chesapeake Bay.

Our Smith ancestors (Tillett side) include Elizabeth Warner and her husband John Lewis. Elizabeth was another of George Washington's great aunts, sister of his grandmother Mildred Warner. Mildred married Lawrence Washington, brother of the above Anne! (Mildred and Lawrence were the parents of Augustine Washington, who in turn - with his second wife Mary Ball - became the father of George.) The Warner-Lewis estate is called Warner Hall and is located in Gloucester County, Virginia.

So, all four of George Washington's paternal great-grandparents appear in our family tree: John Washington, Anne Pope (Washington), Augustine Warner, and Mildred Reade (Warner). Their graves have been preserved, in Westmoreland County and Gloucester County, respectively. The Washington burial site was incorporated into the George Washington Birthplace National Monument; while the graveyard at Warner Hall is maintained by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, or Preservation Virginia, as it's now called.

Elizabeth and Mildred Warner's father and their grandfather, both named Augustine Warner, served for many years in the colonial assembly and also on the royal Council. The elder Warner is said to have arrived in Virginia in 1628 at the age of seventeen. His son, having been educated in England, represented Gloucester County in the House of Burgesses and served as Speaker of the House in 1676 and 1677.

During Bacon's Rebellion (1676), which came about because of differences of opinion in how to handle conflicts with Indian tribes, Warner and other leaders of the Jamestown government temporarily evacuated the area. The rebel leader commandeered and looted the Warner home, for which Speaker Warner sought compensatory damages against William Byrd I, an associate of Bacon, as Nathaniel Bacon had suddenly died. The following year Warner was appointed to the King's Council, where he served until his rather premature death in 1681. The information concerning Warner's efforts to obtain compensation for damage to their home is found in the book Speakers and Clerks of the Virginia House of Burgesses 1643-1776.

The image of Colonel Augustine Warner (born 1642), attached here with that of his great-grandson President Washington (b. 1732), is the earliest portrait we have, to date, of any of our American ancestors!

In addition to the kinship with George Washington, the Warner and Lewis families also connect us genetically to Meriwether Lewis (Corps of Discovery), General Robert E. Lee, and even Queen Elizabeth II.

Historical anniversaries

This blog has been on hiatus for quite a while, but I don't want the year to close without noting a couple of important anniversaries which have been commemorated in 2011:

175 years since the conclusion of colonial Texas' rebellion against Mexico (1835-36), including the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the tragic Alamo siege and the Goliad massacre, and the victorious Battle of San Jacinto. That series of events transpired only sixty years following the American Declaration of Independence and resulted in nearly a decade of independence for the Republic of Texas, which is yet a source of pride today. (The Texas Capitol building is actually taller than the U.S. Capitol, and the State has the right to fly its "lone star" flag at the same height as the "stars and stripes.")

150 years since the start of the Civil War (1861-65), which in the 19th century was known by other names such as the War Between the States, the War of Secession, the War of Northern Aggression, or the War for Southern Independence. For the first time, this year I was able to view Ken Burns' multi-part documentary film "The Civil War" in its entirety. It's hard to comprehend the massive effect this conflict, and its aftermath, had on our country.

2012 will mark the beginning of the bicentennial for the War of 1812 (1812-15).

Visited Austin, Bastrop, & LaGrange

In January I was able to make my first visit to Austin, Texas, and explore some of the Haynie family's 19th century Texas history. I've delayed posting this report because I haven't been able to upload my photos to a web album; here is a summary of the trip, with pictures to follow at a later date:

Drove up Congress Avenue, where in the 1800's Dr. Samuel Garner Haynie had an office and drugstore.

Explored the area near the State Capitol, to see the place where the Haynie-Cook House used to be. (It's mostly a parking lot now, sad to say.) Nearby is the imposing First Methodist Church, which was locked. I tried to peek through the front windows to see if Rev. John Haynie's picture was there, as the "founding father."

The Governor's Mansion was still so shrouded that almost nothing could be seen of it, due to restoration in progress after the disastrous fire. It is the oldest governor's mansion west of the Mississippi River, designed by Abner Cook during the same period that he built the Haynie-Cook House nearby: early 1850's.

Then I spent quite a while at Oakwood Cemetery, taking pictures of our great-great-grandparents' graves, Dr. Samuel and Mrs. Maria Haynie, and of others near them. I walked to the other end of the cemetery & found the grave of our ancestor, Elizabeth Brooks Haynie (wife of Rev. Haynie), in the Caldwell family's plot.

The next day I took quite a few pictures at St. David's Episcopal Church, which the younger Haynies helped to establish. After my trip I received wonderful assistance from the church's archivist, as far as old church records.

Then I made a fleeting attempt to go to the Republic of Texas museum north of town; unfortunately I was thwarted by confusing roads, rain, and traffic!

Next I headed to the Neill-Cochran House, which is virtually the only house museum representing Abner Cook's work...After I left there I found the little old building which now houses the U.T. Center for American History, also designed by Cook. The director of the Neill-Cochran House museum -- who turned out to be a Haynie, as well! -- had told me that when this (now university) building was constructed circa 1860, it was the home of the Institute for the Blind and Dr. Haynie was the superintendent. I believe our ancestors lived there, if only for a year or two. (Our great-grandfather Charles was five years old in 1860.)

By this time it was dark outside, so the building was closed...I discovered on line later that, after the Civil War, General Custer and his family lived in the same house --- as part of the military occupation of Texas!

On the third morning I headed toward Bastrop, stopping at the Haynie Chapel site in Garfield, another landmark honoring John Haynie's instrumental role in early Texas Methodism.

In Bastrop I ate lunch in the building which has our great-grandfather's name on the front, C. R. Haynie & Co. 1883. He must have operated a store there! Then I lingered in the Old Town Visitors Center, I think it's called, which used to be the bank and is very cute with the original teller windows. Eventually I drove around and looked at the fronts of some of the old houses, the Bastrop County courthouse, & the jail.

I especially wanted to find the house called the Luckett house, as C.R.'s sister Frances lived there with her family of sons and husband Dr. H. P. Luckett. It was also where, as I learned later in the year, our ancestor Hannah Maria Evans Haynie died, in 1898. [Historically the land was the location of the Bastrop Military Institute, which moved to Austin.]...I don't know yet where our grandfather Hiram's family resided, unless they lived above their store. His father Charles Raymond Haynie was the Bastrop County Treasurer, as well.

I visited the town's historical museum, where the staff showed me files which informed me who our great-grandfather's in-laws were, as they gave the young couple the lot upon which the Main Street store was built! There again, later I found more documentation on line about our Taylor great-great-grandparents. Campbell Taylor was an officer in the Republic of Texas Army and served in the Battle of San Jacinto, as did Charles Haynie's maternal grandfather Musgrove Evans.

Lastly in Bastrop was -- what else? visiting Fairview Cemetery. I hunted & hunted for our Haynie great-grandparents' graves, finally locating them when it was nearly dark.

During my stay in Fayette County, after exploring the courthouse area I tried to visit the place now called Brendan Manor -- a B & B -- formerly known as the Bradshaw-Killough House. It was owned for a few years by Rev. John Haynie toward the end of his life, circa late 1850's. Then the children and descendants of James Asbury Haynie (Sam's brother) lived in it for about 100 years....But apparently the owners didn't have any guests, as the house was locked.

On the morning of my departure I went to the LaGrange Cemetery and found Rev. John Haynie's grave, along with the aforementioned James Haynie's family.

Visited Tuskegee last year

A few days after Christmas last year, I made a half-day visit to Tuskegee, Alabama, home of the Campbell family. It sits on a sort of high ridge, between Montgomery and Auburn.

I took pictures of the large First Baptist Church on Main Street, built in the 1850s, where Ava Lucerne Campbell (Granny) got married in 1884 to David Graham Hill of Texas. I had planned to take the tour of The Oaks, Booker T. Washington's home, but the National Park Service had closed the house that day. I took pictures of the town square and Macon County courthouse; and I spent quite a while in the Tuskegee Cemetery photographing the graves of our ancestors and their relatives, which included Granny's parents, her paternal grandparents, and the Wright family. I didn't have time to visit the Tuskegee University campus, since I had a long drive ahead of me.

Early in January I visited our cousin Gloria in Louisiana. She has a painting which her father David Gatlin Hill (Uncle Dege) made, based upon memory, of the Campbells' home. Amazingly, the house in this photo caught my attention in Tuskegee, and its architecture is remarkably similar to the real Campbell home in the painting -- which reportedly burned down a long time ago.

Irish & other Celtic ancestors

For St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd post a summary of ancestors we know of who emigrated from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, or Cornwall. When I went to double-check some of these "roots" last night, I found some information which was new to me about a couple of the families, so I'm a day late here! Although Haynie is said to be of English-Irish origin, our Haynie ancestors came to America from England, not Ireland.

The following are surnames coming from areas with persistent Celtic traditions. The Irish names actually represent Scotch-Irish (Scots-Irish) or English-Irish families, who had previously migrated to Ireland, probably during the Ulster Plantation.

See the Wikipedia article: Plantation of Ulster


Ireland:

Houston -- The mother of Lucindy Johnson Morgan (1827-1863) was Jennie or Virginia Houston, said to be a cousin of Sam Houston. Sam Houston's emigrant ancestor, according to a family tree in RootsWeb.Com, was John McClung Houston (1703-1754), who arrived in the colonies circa 1730. He is said to have been born in Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland. In earlier times, this surname was spelled differently, e.g. Houseson.

Johnson -- Jennie Houston, who was born in Virginia, married Patrick Johnson. Patrick Johnson was born in Ireland 1780, of English-Irish descent. Therefore, he emigrated after the U.S had become an independent nation. This couple had their children in Abbeville District, South Carolina, where they were neighbors to John C. Calhoun; then they moved to Talladega County, Alabama, and from Ala. they moved to Texas. This was in the late 1840s after Texas joined the Union; being relatives of Sam Houston may have had something to do with their decision to go there!

Johnson -- Elizabeth Frey (b. 1812), mother of Bascom Covington, was the daughter of Mary Johnson (Frey). Mary's father, according to online information, was Henry Johnson, who was born 1738 in Antrim, Northern Ireland. He married in Pennsylvania and then served in the Revolutionary War; so he had emigrated at quite a young age, perhaps as a child. This Johnson couple ended up in Robertson County, Tennessee...Family lore says that Elizabeth Frey's mother was related to Reconstruction-era President Andrew Johnson, but to date I've not been able to find data supporting this kinship.

[Patrick Johnson and Henry Johnson may have been related to each other, back in Ireland. Their descendants Ione Morgan and Bascom Covington, respectively, were joined in marriage in 1890, in Callahan County, Texas.]


Scotland:

Campbell -- George W. Campbell (1828-1905)'s grandfather was a Scotsman who lived in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (vicinity of present-day Charlotte), and served in the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). As of yet, we know nothing else of this Campbell family's American beginnings; the descendants moved from N.C. to eastern Georgia and from Ga. to Macon County, Alabama.

Smith --The immigrant ancestor of both Anne W. Smith (d. 1871) & her husband-cousin Benjamin M. Smith (d. 1877), of North Carolina & then Arkansas, was Alexander Smith, a Scotsman who died 1696 in Virginia. Col. Samuel Smith, descendant of Alexander, was a Revolutionary War officer in N.C. Smith descendants also fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War (1861-65), although not in our direct ancestral line.


Wales:

Evans -- The maternal grandmother of H. A. "Gus" Tillett was Pamela Evans (Wyche), of Virginia and North Carolina. Pamela's father was William Evans, who was born circa 1756, moved to Va., and served as an officer in the Revolution. William's father was Lewis Evans, of the Welsh Quakers in southeastern Pennsylvania, Bucks & Chester Counties.

Evans -- Samuel Haynie's wife was Hannah Maria Evans (Haynie); I posted her obituary recently on this blog. Although she was born in upstate New York, her paternal ancestry, too, was of the Welsh Quaker Evanses of southeast Pa. In fact, their line of descent has been traced back to the 14th century & earlier. Her immigrant ancestor was Thomas Evans (1651-1738), who is said to have arrived in 1698, or when he was in his late 40s. Thomas's great-grandson Samuel B. Evans was an officer during the Revolution, and Samuel's son & grandsons participated in the Texas Revolution (1836), with one dying in the Alamo.

[Although Lewis Evans was very likely related to Thomas Evans' family, so far I haven't found a direct connection. Their respective descendants were united with our own parents' marriage in 1948.]

Morgan -- Our Morgan ancestors descended from Col. Haynes Morgan, head of the Colonial Virginia Militia for part of the Revolutionary War. His exact ancestry hasn't been traced, but he is said to have been born in Wales circa 1742 & there is at least a tentative link to Morgans in Pa., although Haynes Morgan lived in Virginia. Many of the Colonel's great-grandsons served in the Confederate Army, some giving their lives for that cause; the Civil War veterans are not in our direct line because our own great-grandparents were young children in the 1860s.

The large website on which I found the Pennsylvania Welsh Quakers' ancestry information (URL updated 10/10/2016) is:

Gwynedd Friends Meeting Genealogy


Cornwall:

Blewett -- Bascom Covington's paternal grandmother was Winifred Covington, born in 1780s Richmond County, North Carolina. Her mother was Susannah Blewett; Susannah's father was William Blewett, who had several royal land grants in the area, near the Pee Dee River bordering South Carolina. William Blewett was born 1706 in Cornwall and came to the colonies as a child. The name is said to have probably originated in France, arriving in England at the time of the Norman Conquest.

Tillett? -- It strikes me that our other family name ending in "-ett" may have a similar historical path. It is said to have been a French Huguenot name, a group which was discriminated against in Catholic France. The Tilletts apparently migrated to England & lived there for some period of time before settling in colonial North Carolina, along the coast.