Raymond S. Miller
Sunday, September 14, 2025
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
The Parentage of Johnson Riley Cannon
This is a subject which has plagued family researchers for years, and it is one that frankly has also bewildered me. However, knowing that the Cannons originated in North Carolina and eventually ended up in Lincoln County, Tennessee supplies us with enough information to make an intelligent guess at who his father was. In both the 1820 and 1830 Census of Lincoln County, Tennessee, it appears that William Cannon was the only Cannon with a household which included a young male corresponding to the appropriate age of Johnson Riley Cannon. Moreover, in the 1850 Census of Lincoln County, Tennessee, we find a "William Cannon" age 70 living with "Laura" 19, and "Christianna" 16 (This age corresponds to the person of the same name in the 1820/1830 Censuses. He was also living in close proximity to someone named "Elsworth Cannon" age 37. Our Riley was also living with his wife and children in Lincoln County in the 1850 Census.
This also corresponds to information from four different family genealogies posted at the FamilySearch website. One of the entries identified Laura and Christianna as children of this William. Another of the entries identified Johnson R. as his son, and the same one identified a Charles Cannon (1800) as an older brother of his. This would make sense of the naming of our Riley and Nancy Carter Cannon's sons: Charles (after his big brother), William (after his father), Eli (after Nancy's father), and John (after Johnson himself). Three of these genealogies list a Martin/Marton/Martina BARTON as his wife, while the remaining entry lists Nancy Little as his wife. Finally, we do find a William Cannon in the 1800 Census of Salisbury, Guilford County, North Carolina who corresponds to the age of our William. Hence, I believe it is safe to conclude that this carries our Cannon ancestry back one more generation into the 18th Century.
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Ancestral Places of Worship: Westminster Abbey
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Famous Kin of Nicholas Knapp
Our ancestor, Nicholas Knapp, came to the American colonies as part of the Puritan Migration. We share him with a number of other descendants (some of them famous):
Juliette Gordon Low, Founder of the Girl Scouts, 6th great-granddaughter
Howard Hughes, American Business Tycoon, 8th great-grandson
Endicott Peabody, 62nd Governor of Massachusetts, 8th great-grandson
Glenn Close, Movie, Television, and Stage Actress, 9th great-granddaughter
Taylor Swift, Singer and Songwriter, 9th great-granddaughter
Mike Huckabee, 44th Governor of Arkansas, 9th great-grandson
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, 47th and current Governor of Arkansas, 10th great-grandaughter
Bill Belichick, NFL Head Coach, 10th great-grandson
Jason Kelce, NFL Center, 10th great-grandson
Travis Kelce, NFL Tight End, 10th great-grandson
Famous Kin of William Tuttle (1607-1673)
Our immigrant ancestor (through the Westlake family) had a number of famous descendants (our cousins):
Aaron Burr, Killed Alexander Hamilton, 3rd great-grandson
Edith (Carow) Roosevelt, First Lady of President Theodore Roosevelt, 6th great-granddaughter
Charles Warren Fairbanks, 26th U.S. Vice-President, 7th great-grandson
Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 8th great-grandson
Ernest Hemingway, Author of The Sun Also Rises, 8th great-grandson
Cecil B. DeMille, American Film Director, 8th great-grandson
Thurman Munson, MLB Catcher - NY Yankees, 8th great-grandson
Felicity Huffman, TV & Movie Actress, 9th great-granddaughter
Burt Reynolds, Movie Actor, 9th great-grandson
Ted Danson, TV Actor - “Cheers”, “CSI”, 10th great-grandson
Chevy Chase, Comedian, Actor and Writer, 10th great-grandson
Billie Eilish, Singer and Songwriter, 10th great-granddaughter
Ancestral Homes: Tarpley Store
Ancestral Homes: Sir Robert Cann's House (Stoke House)
The house is now part of Trinity College, Bristol, England. There is a dark side to the story of Trinity. The college’s main building, Stoke House, was completed in 1669 for Sir Robert Cann, who was a prominent merchant and was, at various times, mayor of Bristol and a Member of Parliament.
Research into the history of Stoke House carried out in 2020 by our Director of Postgraduate Research, Dr Jamie Davies, revealed links between the Cann family and the transatlantic trade in enslaved peoples. It is, he concluded, “beyond reasonable doubt” that Stoke House exists because of profits from this trade. The Cann family, he discovered, was not only passively complicit in this trade, but was itself actively involved through the kidnapping, purchase, and sale of slaves, and was involved in promoting and defending the practice of transatlantic slavery from its inception.
Ancestral Homes: The Dickey-Sherer House
The Dickey-Sherer log cabin was built ca. 1771 for John Dickey on his 170 acres. In 1844, Richard Sherer bought the house and 76 acres from the descendants of Martha McNeely Dickey. In 1988, the cabin was moved from its original location to the Kings Mountain State Park where you can step inside the building, which now serves as the park office.
Location: Kings Mountain State Park, Clover, South Carolina
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Mt. Zion on Sugar Creek
Several years ago, a Country duo named "The Civil Wars" filmed a music video for their hit "Barton Hollow" at the place where many of my McMasters ancestors are buried. The Mt. Zion Church and Cemetery, on the banks of Sugar Creek, along with the old swinging bridge that is suspended over the creek appear prominently in the video. My fourth Great Grandfather William David McMasters dropped dead in that Church in 1894! Anyway, I'm posting a link to the video - enjoy!
Saturday, May 17, 2025
100 Years: Edna Miller Hendrix Jones
She was born May 17, 1925, to John Clifford Miller and Mittie Camilla Favors McMullen Miller near Brown's Ferry, Limestone County, Alabama. Her parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, and husband called her "Doodle Bug" or simply "Doodle." I knew her as "Nanny," the grandmother who raised me and my brother (the children of her only son, Wayne).
Now, the descriptor "larger than life" belonged to Nanny/Doodle for every day that she drew breath on this earth. Her care and concern for those whom she loved was fierce, and it was not a good idea for anyone to attempt to hurt or interfere with her family (she could be just as fierce in defending them). She had true grit, or what Rooster Cogburn called "sand." Nanny/Doodle endured two miscarriages, and the early onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis (which twisted her hands and fingers and caused her much pain).
She drove a big, black Cadillac and smoked like a chimney (Philip Morris cigarettes). She liked her mink stole and diamonds and wore a nightgown around the house. Nanny/Doodle loved filet mignon and drank at least one can of beer every day. When younger, she could out-jitterbug her contemporaries without breaking a sweat. Nanny/Doodle loved country music (her favorite was Loretta Lynn), and she loved watching a good movie (her favorite was Gone with the Wind). She could cuss like a sailor, but she NEVER took God's name in vain or used the F-word or the N-word (and she wouldn't tolerate their use in her presence).
She was an unparalleled storyteller. Nanny/Doodle had a memory like an elephant, and she could hold an audience spellbound with her ability to paint a verbal picture of some past event. Indeed, she had that rare ability to be both a romantic and a realist when recalling the past and had an absolute passion for the truth (even if it was not always flattering). In short, she could conjure the ghosts of the past at will and parade them before you as if they were still alive. To be sure, she was the source of my own interest in family lore, and the larger story of my family.
In August of 1985, I sat down with Nanny/Doodle in the living room of our house overlooking the Elk River in Rogersville, Alabama. I asked her to tell some of the stories that I had heard out of her own mouth over the years and recorded them on a cassette tape. What follows is a brief example of her storytelling abilities.
I prissed around into the backyard and fell into the well. Momma had to come and put her feet in the steps on each side of the well, get down into the water and wait till I came up. Then she got me and held me above the water and screamed until one of my aunts came to the rescue and got somebody to help her get out with me. I remember that very, very plainly!
Another time, it might have been the same day (if you could crowd all of that into one day), I was going across the pasture; and Daddy had a bull corralled into that pasture that was pretty ferocious. He had warned us not to go near the pasture. Anyway, I was the only one that ever went across the pasture.
I went across it, and the bull got after me. I hid behind a big oak tree. Daddy just seemed to appear out of thin air and had a big stick (like a 2x4 or 2x6). He hit that bull across the nose, and the bull's legs just crumpled, and he fell. Daddy grabbed me up on his shoulders and ran and jumped a fence with me. I thought he was just the biggest, bravest, strongest person in the world.
She went on to recount her experiences of the Great Depression and World War II - the great defining events of her generation. Nanny's/Doodle's stories give us a window into her life, and the lives of her parents, grandparents, siblings, and cousins that we otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity to know about.
At any rate, Happy Birthday Nanny - it happened one hundred years ago today!
Sunday, April 27, 2025
Some Notes on the Parentage of Lillian Mae Barker Reynolds
Barker Genealogy
"United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6KS1-2HV7 : Tue Feb 25 10:22:16 UTC 2025), Entry for Lillie Mae Barker and Frank Barker.
Lillie Mae Barker Reynolds
Born: 9 Apr 1876, Owensboro, Daviess, Kentucky
Parents: Frank Barker, Elizabeth McLay
"United States, Census, 1880", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCCG-CXH : Mon Jan 13 12:30:54 UTC 2025), Entry for Francis Barker and Elizabeth Barker, 1880.
Francis Barker 30
Elizabeth 31
Alice 9
Lulu 5
Alfred 3
Baby 0
"United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K3M-PMDW : Tue Feb 25 10:31:10 UTC 2025), Entry for Mae Barker and Marion F Barker.
Name Mae Reynolds
Alias Mae Barker
Sex Female
Birth Date 9 Apr 1876
Birthplace Owensburg Da*, Kentucky, United States
Social Program Application Date Apr 1948
Race White
Father's Name Marion F Barker
Father's Sex Male
Mother's Name Elizabeth Malay
Mother's Sex Female
Event Type Social Program Correspondence
"United States, Census, 1870", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX7B-4DB : Thu Jan 16 08:26:19 UTC 2025), Entry for Elias Barker and Martha A Barker, 1870.
Elias Barker 45
Martha A 40
Francis M 21
Martha A 14
James R 11
Hiram J 8
Susan M 3
"United States, Census, 1900", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9W1-74J : Sat Jan 18 18:06:39 UTC 2025), Entry for Francis M Barker and Emma Barker, 1900.
Francis M 51 (Jun 1849)
Emma 32
Alfred 23
Martha 12
Mary 13
"United States, Census, 1850", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M65M-JVF : Mon Jan 13 03:05:51 UTC 2025), Entry for Elias Barker and Martha Barker, 1850.
Elias 25
Martha 20
Francis M 1
Lucinda 12
"Kentucky, Births and Christenings, 1839-1960", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWNR-KM9 : 4 March 2021), James R. Barker, 1859.
Name James R. Barker
Sex Male
Father's Name Elias Barker
Father's Sex Male
Mother's Name Martha A. Lambert
Mother's Sex Female
Event Type Birth
Event Date 21 May 1859
Event Place Daviess, Kentucky, United States
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/31063308/james-r-barker
James R. Barker
Birth
24 May 1859
Death
25 Jun 1889 (aged 30)
Burial
Lamar Cemetery
Hancock County, Kentucky, USA
Memorial ID
31063308 · View Source
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/90196426/elias-c-barker
Elias C. Barker Veteran
Birth
1826
Death
unknown
Burial
Union Baptist Church Cemetery
Hancock County, Kentucky, USA
Memorial ID
90196426 · View Source
Company E 12 KY Cavalry
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/90196643/martha_a-barker
Martha A Barker
Birth
9 Jun 1830
Death
13 Mar 1891 (aged 60)
Burial
Union Baptist Church Cemetery
Hancock County, Kentucky, USA
Memorial ID
90196643 · View Source
"United States, Census, 1880", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCCG-CX9 : Sun Jan 05 15:23:49 UTC 2025), Entry for Elias Barker and Martha A. Barker, 1880.
Name Elias Barker
Sex Male
Age 55 years
Birth Year (Estimated) 1825
Birthplace Indiana, United States
Marital Status Married
Race White
Relationship to Head of Household
Self
Father's Birthplace Kentucky, United States
Mother's Birthplace Kentucky, United States
Event Type Census
Event Date 1880
Event Place Pellville, Hancock, Kentucky, United States
Event Place (Original) Pellville, ED 119, Hancock, KY, United States
Elias Barker's Spouses and Children
Open All
Susan M. Barker
Daughter
F
13 years
Kentucky, United States
Martha A. Barker
Wife
F
49 years
Kentucky, United States
James R. Barker
Son
M
21 years
Kentucky, United States
Jessie Barker
Son
M
9 years
Kentucky, United States
Famous Descendants of William Swift
The following people share our ancestor William Swift (About 1593-1643) and are consequently our distant cousins:
William Rufus Day, U.S. Secretary of State
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, U.S. President
Willis Carrier, air conditioning
Ruth Gordon, actress
Richard M. Nixon, U.S. President
Taylor Swift, singer/songwriter
Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts and Utah Senator
Johnny Carson, Tonight Show host
Dr. Jill Biden, Former U.S. First Lady
Jon Meacham, historian and author
Saturday, April 19, 2025
Famous Descendants of Henry Howland (1565-1635)
The following famous people share our ancestor with us:
John Howland (Mayflower passenger)
Nathaniel Gorham (Signer of the U.S. Constitution)
U.S. Vice President Hannibal Hamlin
Governor Jonathan Worth of North Carolina
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (poet)
Ralph Waldo Emerson (poet)
Governor Henry Crapo of Michigan
U.S. Vice President Levi P. Morton
Governor James Y. Smith of Rhode Island
Horace Gray (U.S. Supreme Court Justice)
Henry H. Rogers (oil tycoon)
Mark Hopkins Jr. (Central Pacific Railroad)
Governor Adelbert Ames of Mississippi
Governor Henry H. Sibley of Minnesota
U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
O. Henry (author)
Governor Chase Clark of Idaho
Alonzo Clark (Smithsonian)
U.S. President Richard M. Nixon
Humphrey Bogart (actor)
U.S. First Lady Edith Roosevelt
Bing Crosby (singer/actor)
William Durant (General Motors and Frigidaire)
U.S. Vice President James Sherman
Governor Samuel Goddard of Arizona
Governor Eugene Foss of Massachusetts
Governor Owen Brewster of Maine
Governor Curtis Guild of Massachusetts
Sir Winston Churchill (UK Prime Minister)
Marilyn Monroe (actress)
John Steinbeck (author)
Johnny Carson (television host)
Meryl Streep (actress)
Cecil B. DeMille (film director)
Governor Leverett Saltonstall of Massachusetts
U.S. Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan
Ezra Pound (poet/critic)
Governor George H. Earle of Pennsylvania
Governor Thomas Kean of New Jersey
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Harry Hopkins
U.S. President Gerald R. Ford
John Carradine (actor)
Norman Rockwell (artist)
Chevy Chase (comedian)
John Lithgow (actor)
Harry Chapin (singer/songwriter)
Governor Bill Weld of Massachusetts
John Paul Stevens (U.S. Supreme Court Justice)
Governor Gary Herbert of Utah
Geena Davis (actress)
U.S. Senator Henry J. Heinz of Pennsylvania
Hal Holbrook (actor)
Richard Chamberlain (actor)
Governor Meldrim Thomson Jr. of New Hampshire
U.S. C.I.A. Director Porter Goss
Glenn Close (actress)
Alec Baldwin (actor)
David Carradine (actor)
Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska
Thomas J. Watson (IBM)
James Taylor (singer/songwriter)
Matt Bomer (actor)
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois
U.S. First Lady Jill Biden
Penn Jillette (magician)
Jon Meacham (historian)
Governor Jim Douglas of Vermont
U.S. President George H. W. Bush
U.S. President George W. Bush
John Stamos (actor)
Timothy Hutton (actor)
Ben Jealous (NAACP)
Taylor Lautner (actor)
Bill Gates (Microsoft)
Governor Jeb Bush of Florida
Governor Kate Brown of Oregon
Source: Famous Kin of Henry Howland
Sunday, April 13, 2025
Famous Kin of Lonnie Wayne Hendrix
The following people are kin to me through my father's line:
Sir Robert Cann, Bristol Merchant and MP
Rev John Cann, Protestant English Minister
Opechancanough, Native American Chief
James Tarpley, Williamsburg Store Owner/Bruton Parish Church contributor
James Vann, Native American Chief
John Marshall, U.S. Chief Justice Supreme Court
William Tecumseh Sherman, Union General American Civil War
George C. Marshall, U.S. General WWII and Secretary of State
Walt Whitman, poet
Joseph Smith, Founder of the Mormon Church
John McCain, U.S. Senator and Vietnam POW
Barak Obama, U.S. President
John Lithgow, Actor
Glenn Close, Actress
Kevin Bacon, Actor
Ethan Hawke, Actor
David McCullough, historian/author
Mary Chapin Carpenter, country singer/songwriter
Warren Buffett, Chair/CEO Berkshire Hathaway
Brenda Lee, singer
Famous Descendants of Sir Henry Greene, Chief Justice of King's Bench 1361-1365
We share our ancestor with the following distant cousins:
Robert Catesby, Gunpowder Plot
Abigail Smith Adams, wife of Pres. John Adams
John Quincy Adams, U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. President
Horace Gray, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
T.S. Eliot, poet/playwright
Sir Winston Churchill, U.K. Prime Minister
Guy Ritchie, British filmmaker
Hugh Grant, actor
Ted Danson, actor
Story Musgrave, astronaut
Angela Davis, civil rights leader
Famous Descendants of Sir Warin Trussell 1310-1365
Through our shared ancestor, Warin Trussell, we are distant cousins of the following:
Meriwether Lewis, explorer
James Madison, U.S. President
Zachary Taylor, U.S. President
Julia Ward Howe, Battle Hymn of the Republic
Alice Lee Roosevelt, first wife of Teddy Roosevelt
General Douglas MacArthur, U.S. WWII Pacific
Marilyn Monroe, actress
Jack London, Call of the Wild
Barbara Bush, wife of George H.W. Bush
Richard M. Nixon, U.S. President
Jimmy Carter, U.S. President
Sir Winston Churchill, U.K. Prime Minister
Mitt Romney, Governor of Mass. and U.S. Senator
Warren G. Harding, U.S. President
Robert Frost, poet
Randolph Scott, actor
John Kerry, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State
George W. Bush, U.S. President
Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of U.K.
King Charles III, monarch of U.K.
General George S. Patton, U.S. WWII, Europe
Camilla Parker Bowles, Queen Consort U.K.
Raquel Welch, actress
Kyra Sedgwick, actress
General George C. Marshall, U.S. WWII
George H.W. Bush, U.S. President
Princess Diana of Wales, mother of heir to U.K. throne
Warren Buffett, Chair/CEO Berkshire Hathaway
Alec Baldwin, actor
Sally Ride, astronaut
Kit Harrington, actor
James Taylor, singer/songwriter
Geena Davis, actress
Hal Holbrook, actor
Glenn Close, actress
Billie Eilish, singer/songwriter
Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senator
Source: FamousKin.com/Warin Trussell
Friday, March 28, 2025
Reverend William Dickey (1774-1857)
My great grand uncle who worked tirelessly on the Underground Railroad - facilitating the northward movement of slaves.
My Mother's European Royal Ancestors
Henry Howland Famous Descendants
In addition to being my mother's ancestor, Henry Howland (1565-1635) was also the forefather of the following people of note (making them distant cousins of ours and each other):
John Howland (Mayflower Passenger)
Nathaniel Gorham (Signer U.S. Constitution)
Hannibal Hamlin (U.S. Vice-President)
Joseph Wharton (Wharton School of Business)
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Poet)
Ralph Waldo Emerson (Poet)
Joseph Smith (Founder of Mormons)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (U.S. President)
O. Henry (Author)
Richard M. Nixon (U.S. President)
Humphrey Bogart (Actor)
Bing Crosby (Actor/Singer)
Sir Winston Churchill (U.K. Prime Minister)
Marilyn Monroe (Actress)
John Steinbeck (Author)
Christopher Lloyd (Actor)
Johnny Carson (Comedian, TV Host)
Meryl Streep (Actress)
Cecil B. DeMille (Director)
William Jennings Bryan (Sec. of State, Politician)
Gerald R. Ford (U.S. President)
Norman Rockwell (Artist)
Dr. Benjamin Spock (Child Care)
Chevy Chase (Comedian, Actor)
John Ritter (Actor)
John Lithgow (Actor)
John Paul Stevens (U.S. Justice)
Geena Davis (Actress)
Hal Holbrook (Actor)
Richard Chamberlain (Actor)
Glenn Close (Actress)
Alec Baldwin (Actor)
Mary Chapin Carpenter (Singer/Songwriter)
James Taylor (Singer/Songwriter)
Dr. Jill Biden (First Lady)
Jon Meacham (Historian)
George H.W. Bush (U.S. President)
George W. Bush (U.S. President)
Kate Upton (Model)
Timothy Hutton (Actor)
Taylor Lautner (Actor)
Bill Gates (Microsoft and Philanthropist)
Source: Henry Howland Famous Kin
Saturday, March 22, 2025
A Famous Cousin: Brenda Lee
James Tarpley=Mary Anne Camp
Nancy Tarpley=Thomas Camp Thomas Tarpley
Burrell Camp Hosea Tarpley
Louis Camp Joel Tarpley
Wm Hendrix=Mary Camp William H Tarpley
Virgil Hendrix Joel Tarpley
Samuel Hendrix Richard A Tarpley
Buford Hendrix Ruben L Tarpley
Wayne Hendrix Brenda Tarpley aka Brenda Lee
Seventh Cousins
Friday, March 14, 2025
Seventh Cousins, Once Removed
John Beals = Sarah Bowater
|-------------------------------|------------------------|
John Beals = Margaret Hunt Prudence Beals = Richard Williams
|-------| |-------------|
John Beals = Susannah Johnson Silas Williams = Mary Hunt
|---------| |----------|
John Carter = Sarah Beals Rebecca Williams = Garland Wade
|----------| |----------------|
Eli Carter = Emily Arrington Delila Wade = Thomas Miller
| |
Nancy Jane Carter = Riley Cannon Margaret Miller = Caleb Haines
|-------------| |---------|
Mary F Cannon = William Preston Miller Josephine Haines = Clarence Westlake
|----------| |
John “Clip” Miller = Mittie Favors Caleb Otto Westlake = Eunice Reynolds
|----------------| |
| |
Edna Miller = Lonnie Buford Hendrix |
| |
Lonnie Wayne Hendrix ====================== Linda Louise Westlake
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
An Early Photo of One of Our Vann Matriarchs?
The above picture was downloaded from FamilySearch.com and was attached to the person Anne Hare Vann, the wife of Thomas B. Vann of Madison County, Alabama.
Now, while my own research and DNA testing makes this connection to my branch of the Hendrix Family Tree, I doubt that this is a picture of Anne. Why? Because our Anne died in 1831 (before the age of photography began in the United States). There are a few pictures extant of important individuals from the 1840s, but I doubt a Native American woman from Alabama would have elicited much interest from photographers even during that decade. Nevertheless, it is plausible that this could be a very early family photograph from our group of the Vann Family. Could it be a daughter, granddaughter, or daughter-in-law of Anne's? This is entirely plausible. Maybe a picture of Dempsey's wife, Ruth Reed (the daughter of a Native American Chieftan)?