Isn't genealogy interesting!!

[Lynette Smith]

I've been spending extensive hours this week working on genealogy this week, when I came across my ancestor Thomas Briggs. I remembered that my aunt told me he was executed after being convicted on flimsy evidence of the murder of his mother Rebecca Briggs Cornell. Thomas's widow, who was pregnant at the time of the events, named her daughter Innocent. Innocent went on to marry her cousin, Richard Borden.

While in paralegal school a class required a paper on a noteworthy historical crime where the innocent or guilt of the accused was in serious doubt. I chose as my subject the Lizzie Borden murder trial. I read at least five books about the case propounding various theories which ranged to Lizzie did it in cold blood, Lizzie committed the murder's while suffering from P.M.S., Lizzie did it during an epileptic seizure, Lizzie's sister did it, Lizzie's uncle did it, to a stranger committed the murders, when I stumbled across a book with a fascinating solution.

The book told of the author discussing the Borden murders with a friend one day at the beach. The friend told him the case was no mystery. His great etc. grandfather was on the police force at the time of the murders and that the true murder was known, and that their existed a conspiracy to have Lizzie found not guilty without divulging the true murderer and details shocking to Victorian sensibilities.

Andrew Borden had an illegitimate son William Borden, who was committed to an insane asylum. Prior to his commitment to the asylum, William's professions was slaughtering horses expertly with an axe. He was resentful of the fact that upon the death of his wife (mother to Lizzie and her sister), Andrew Borden chose to marry a socially acceptable wife rather than marry his mother, Andrew's mistress. William escaped from the asylum and was trying (unsuccessfully) to extort money from Andrew Borden with threats to publicize Andrew's scandalous affair. Another murder nearby occurred at this time; a farm wife was murdered by axe blows numbering almost identically that sustained by Andrew's second wife. After the murders of Andrew Borden and his wife, William was captured and sent back to the asylum.

Shortly after the murders, a neighbor woman who was visiting Lizzie and her sister. Lizzie burned a dress in the kitchen stove, saying it had rust stains. At the inquest into the murders, the neighbor suddenly remembered the incident with the dress, causing Lizzie's indictment for murder. Authorities did not wish to divulge the existence of the illegitimate son, details offensive to Victorian sensibilities, and that a conspiracy by town fathers, police, and judicial figures involved the trial to have Lizzie found not guilty. Measures taken included the unprecedented instructions to the jury by the judge taking over an hour which pretty much directed them to find Lizzie not guilty.

William Borden was discharged from the asylum some twenty years later and was soon discovered hanged in a tree in a manner suggesting that he could not have done so alone, and that the town authorities had done so in belated justice.

Lizzie was the 7nth great grand daughter of Innocent Cornell as well as her 7nth cousin, 5 times removed. Lizzie is my 1st cousin, 11 times removed. I find the fact that her direct ancestor was Innocent!

Another infamous cousin (unrelated to Lizzie) is my 8th cousin, once removed, Richard Milhouse Nixon! :welcome:

[Just One More]

That is really interesting. I've always wondered about my family tree but great grandparents on both sides are from Ireland. My maternal grandmother married an Englishman from Pennsylvania but everyone else married Irish immigrants so most records are in Ireland. Just knowing that much explains a lot of why I am like I am. One day I'll have to look into it.

[jujurodgers]

wow!!! that is just awesomely interesting!!! I rarely get to do my genealogy but LOVE it! I am planning on making a pitstop (when i drive to philly to sell in the show in nov) in Boalsburg PA which was named after my mother's side of the family...they have a huge museum dedicated to the military (all the wars in early america) and have long wanted to go there! have the Christopher Colombus family chapel there as a distant cousin married into the Colombus family and bought the chapel LOL

[grazhina]

It is so cool that you can trace this stuff. I would love to be able to learn more about my family, but all I've ever been able to find was a snippet here, a snippet there. They didn't keep a whole lot of records in small European villages that got burned out every now and then.

[bookmarm]

interesting stuff! Closest I get is a distant cousin who murdered his BIL sometime around 1880. Seems the victim was a wife beater, and the murdered didn't care for his sister being battered. He took law into his own hands and decided the BIL needed killin'. Supposedly not convicted and later went on to be a State Representative. He wasn't known for his sweet temper and manners, despite the honorable intention to protect his sister. I have a photo of him somewhere that was taken in the early 1900s.

I read alot about Lizzie back when I was a teen and really liked studying historical murders.

[Lynette Smith]

I read alot about Lizzie back when I was a teen and really liked studying historical murders.

Me too. Another case came up while I was at the emergency room with my niece in a show on hauntings in the London subway system. One time a lady riding the tube took a photograph of the opposite wall of the subway car while riding got her film developed and discovered the disturbing image of a man being electrocuted. She turned the picture over to someone who studies the supernatural, and he discovered that the image is the same as a photo taken during the execution of Bruno Hauptmann, convicted of the kidnapping and murder of the son of famed aviator Charles Lindburgh. Hauptmann was indisputably trying to extort ransom money, but there was great doubt at the time that he was involved in the kidnapping and murder, so much so that the then governor of New Jersey ruined his career by granting a temporary stay of execution. A recent book puts forth the theory that Ann Murrow Lindburgh's sister killed her nephew. Murrow's sister had a history of doing things, such as dangling the tot over the stairwell and puting him in the garbage can for servants to find later, and was jealous that her one time suitor, Linbergh chose to marry her sister. At the time, the servants were under orders not to allow the aunt to left alone with the baby. Lindburgh took over the investigation headed by Norman Schwartzkoff, Sr., misdirecting authorities.

Another noteworthy and notorious family member is Cardinal Thomas Wolsey of Henry VIII fame. Wolsey failed to get the divorce after a half-hearted effort, and was taking action internationally favorable to Katherine of Aragon, arrested on the charge of treason, and died of natural causes on the way to London to stand trial. Wolsey is my 13nth great grandfather.

[havanaholly]

DH is interested in geneology. The joke is that all GA families try to trace their ancestry back to King Alfred the Great...

[lmgervais]

Over the years, I have done a lot of research into my DH's and my family lines. Seeing that he is French Canadian and I am half French Canadian, there are many places where the lines criss-cross, although they are many generations back. We go back pretty much as far as history does in Canada! (French-Canadian Roman Catholics kept decent records!) I have been able to trace some lines back to the 1500's in France and part of the British line on my side, if it is to be believed, to connections to the British Royal family.

[Lynette Smith]

I have lines crossing each other a lot! Both of my parents descend from early colonial stock and there weren't as many families to choose from. These families followed a similar migratory path west over generations. Consequently I am my own cousin in various ways 16 different ways, and my aunt recently discovered a link between her parents, so there maybe even more cousinship going on.

No wonder I have so much trouble fitting in my 1100 square foot home! At least my niece has moved from my house to the granny house next door - then there was a total of 34 different relations under one roof!

[kellee]

I love Genealogy !! I have been tracing my MOthers Family for several years.! as well as my Husbands Family!! I have not found any interesting stories yet.. so far all I have done is add people to the tree but I have no clue where to go to find stories about them.

kellee

[rackey]

I don't understand this "once removed," "twice removed," etc. stuff, but I find this extremely interesting. The way the town simultaneously took care of justice and dignity is also interesting. If Lizzie is innocent, however, justice to her reputation was not served. I confess to enjoying true crime stories because I find that fact is almost always stranger than fiction. - Thanks for sharing this.

[butlerestates]

I think it's interesting too. My family has tried to trace our geneaology many times because of the fact that my grandmother was Full blood Indian and we could get Indian benefits if we had the paper trail to show it. But she always said that there were too many outlaws in the family is why they wouldn't register. Others have said it was probably just because they were scared to back then because they didn't know what was gonna happen to them if they did. SO Oklahoma is full of people that have a trace of Indian heritage getting benefits and ones who are almost full and get nothing. Oh well what can you do? On my grandfather's side he claims we originated from Wales and I have found the Williams family crest from Wales. My husbands family the Butlers came from Ireland. We have the family crest from there as well. His parents said that years ago they received a invitation to visit a Butler Family Castle in Ireland. I guess someone sent out these to all the Butlers around. THey wanted to go because it would be so cool but they could not afford to back then. I think if we ever make it to Ireland we will have to look for it. It's probably a hoax. Someone sells tours to a castle and what ever your family name is they change the sign before you come in LOL

[lmgervais]

The one removed, twice removed stuff can be very confusing, but it is actually quite simple.

For example, take a couple and call them generation 1.

Their children, generation 2, are siblings.

Their children, generation 3, are first cousins (same grandparents).

Their children, generation 4, are second cousins because you have to go to their great-grandparents to have an ancestor in common.

Their children. generation 5, are third cousins because you are another step away from the common ancestor.

Now, a cousin from generation 4 is related to someone from generation 3 'once removed' because of the different in relationship to the common ancestor (great-grandparent vs grandparent). In a similar way, generation 5 is 'twice removed' compared to generation 3.

However, the more generations you go, the more confusing it can get. And, when there are several marriages within the family tree (e.g. two sisters marry two brothers, and their great-grandchildren end up married, joining the two lines), that is how that you can end up being your own ? cousin x times removed.

Hope this helps clear things up.

[CheckMouse]

Don't you wish you could step back in time and visit with these folks? We've got a lot of genealogy material on our family, back to Royalty in France. Soldiers in the Revolutionary War, on both sides of the Civil War, moving westward all the way across the country . . . I would love to step back in time and visit with them!

[jujurodgers]

Getting to hang out with ancient ancestors is one of my all time fantasies! I want to know WHO these people were that survived things like the Black Plague and because of that one of the results was me!

[bookmarm]

my brother has done most of our research, but hubby and I have done the graveyard searches. John would send us info (he lives in another state, and we live in the state our families have lived in for several hundred years) on a graveyard with possible family members buried in it, and Jim and I would take 'field days' over to scout out the place/take photos/rubbings/record names and dates to send to him. We've really found some interesting stuff and made family reconnections with living distant relatives. I found my GGGG grandfather's grave in the middle of woods about 35 miles from our home. He was a Scotch-Irish immigrant who served in the Rev War. Stones were still somewhat readable despite age. The place has about 20 family members buried, but the saddest was the grave of a 16 year old girl who died just a few days after her young brother, so they are buried together. Another adult was buried close by and just a few weeks apart in death dates. Probably one of those horrible illnesses that swept through in the early 1800's.

Another surprise we found was a GG grandmother who bore 9 children. She had 3 sets of twins and 3 single births. This in the mid 1800's! All lived, though one little boy died as a toddler. This grandmother lived to be into her 80's. Sturdy lady! Her daughter who was my G granny died giving birth to her second child. I had trouble delivering both my boys and ended up with c-sections, despite modern medicine!

[jujurodgers]

I found my GGGG grandfather's grave in the middle of woods about 35 miles from our home. He was a Scotch-Irish immigrant who served in the Rev War. Stones were still somewhat readable despite age.

What an incredible find!!!! I was invited, years ago, to go to scotland with my brother...all the brothers (3) went as they are avid golfers...me I did genealogy and found the grave of my GGG grandfather (no headstone but the grounds keeper checked it out and it was him) who was a cotton weaver in scotland...so magical a find!

[lmgervais]

I found out several years ago that there is a cemetary named after my father's family, now under the jurisdiction of the province. It is a small family cemetary away from the road on land that my father's family (his gg-father, then g-father) used to own. There are several headstones from infants/babies that died, plus the one of my father's gg-father; however, his body was moved to the town cemetary at some point in time, where his wife and other family members are buried. Unfortunately, these are the ancestors that are 'dead' ends as no leads to their parents can be found (protestants in Ontario born before registration of birth was required - male Irish, female German).

[Lynette Smith]

There is a family cemetery in Ohio which looks like something out of the Blair Witch film. A four wheel drive is needed to pass the road, and the last mile or so is only reachable on foot. It is believed that there are more graves further out, which haven't been reclaimed from the overgrowth. My distant cousins have made it a project to go tend to it after nearly a century of neglect. Another family cemetery is somewhere believed to be on farmland, undiscovered yet.

Another family cemetery was supposed to have been washed away in a flood on the Missouri river in the 50's. Word was that only one stone remained, but my aunt made a trip there a year ago and said there are more graves.

The most amusing genealogy story is my Grandpa telling me about a convicted witch in the family tree. I wondered who it was, and one time while visiting in 1986, my Grandpa was taking me to get my car from my mechanic. I asked him en route who the witch was. He mused a moment and said it must have been one of his tall tales. An hour later he was dead of a heart attack! If I hadn't asked, I'd forever be trying to identify the witch!

[jujurodgers]

My father used to tell me a tale of how we had a great grandmother (on and on) who lived in wales and died at the age of 92 or something with a pipe and a glass of whiskey...i grew up thinking what a wonderful image...then in my 30s my aunt, dads sister, told me it was a crock! we never had women who drank or smoked LOL sighhhh

[KathieB]

In Lloyd's family there was one aunt who moved away from New Orleans to Wisconsin, and claimed that she was part Ojibwa princess, that her grandmother had been purchased with some horses. In truth, the family was passant blanc and it helped to explain her dark coloring. Since the grandmother's father was a sail maker in New Orleans, it wasn't a very plausible story but that branch of the family believed it until one of the descendants came up with sickle cell disease. You don't get that in native American DNA, folks! The descendants have all come to embrace their Creole heritage.

[NotKateHepburn]

Lol Kathie, not to mention there are no such things as Indian princess's, no kings, hence no royalty.

I recently touched base with sorta family I had no clue I had. My 8th great grandfather had a mistress. She had been brought up on charges of larceny in England but was granted royal mercy for transportation to America for a term of 14 years and sailed on the Patapscoe Merchant. Tobias paid her bond so she then owed him for the full cost of transportation and servitude of her sentence. They eventually had two children together. Both were servants to his legal children and were not educated at all. I've spoken to a couple of folks from that line and hoping we get a chance to meet in person one day.

Tobias was the first of our Phillips family born on American soil in 1686, his father being from Wales. He had a large tobacco plantation in VA. From all accounts he was a stand up guy. Times sure were different in more ways than one back then.

It is also on this side of my family that I am connected to the Dalton gang. Though trying to untangle myth from truth is mind bending sometimes. I'm grateful for all those folks who do that work so I can trace lines.

We've gone as far as we can on the Native side, 7 generations. Maybe one day we can find out more.

I get confused on the how many cousins times removed as well. Add in that I have Smiths on both sides and they just seemed to marry each other and name all their sons Robert or John and I easily become lost.

[havanaholly]

...not to mention there are no such things as Indian princess's, no kings, hence no royalty....

Escept, of course, there were the Suns, the priest-kings of most farming Native American cultures...

[NotKateHepburn]

True that to most agrarian societies the sun was important but Natives have never worshiped nature. He worshiped the Creator, the force that created the sun, we may call him/her by many different names but there is only the One. Priest is not the same as King, they did not rule a nation or most often, even a whole tribe. Natives have no inherited royalty, that is a European concept. Priest is also a word not used by us. We had no concept of rank in religious order. Medicine Man/Woman or Healer yes, but priest was a rank given by others who watched and described their duties, not from themselves.

And when these so called Kings were discovered there were more than 1,000 different tribes. And back then anyone could be a Chief too because they were given that title by whoever happened to be wanting a treaty, or land, even though most tribes have never had one ruler alone. In a culture that has societies or clans, each one had a governing body that ruled and that ruling could go against any other clan or society, they weren't often a mutual thing. Most tribes were nothing like the despotism of the Mayans, Aztecs, Toltecs, and Incas.

In modern history there def is not a king history. As with most stereotypes like we all wear feathers, whoop, live in tipi's and have dreamcatchers hanging in our houses some are hard to get away from. Esp since our history is not taught from our perspective but from the 'victors.' Of course I'm speaking from the view of American Indians from which you hear the princess label most often. I've rarely heard anyone say they were kin to an Aztec princess, but I sure nuff do hear Cherokee princess a lot. lol

Whoa, went into teacher mode lol. It's a subject near and dear to my heart so forgive the novel. I'm also no where near as serious as this makes me sound lol.

[havanaholly]

I appreciate the correction, Dena; in FL the Native history is very tainted by the early Spanish explorers' records. DH & I are constantly amazed by the "new" things we're learning about the First People.