Moonshiner in the family

 Dave's cousin Melissa Morgan Kline asked if I'd heard the story of Dave's grand uncle Willard Morgan.  Here's what she wrote me:

Here are the articles that I found detailing the arrest of our Morgan Moonshiner. Shepherdstown Register, Jefferson County, Friday 9/29/1893 Willard Morgan, the notorious moonshiner, who has defied and defeated the revenue officers in the mountains of Wyoming County for fully twenty years has been captured by Marshal Dan Haunon. The New Dominion, Morgantown, West Virginia, October 7, 1893 A Morgan Criminal in Wyoming County Welch, W. Va., Sept. 29. - Wednesday morning Deputy United States Marshal D. H. Harmon, Jr., captured on Indian Creek, in Wyoming County, Willard Morgan, one of the most noted and desperate moonshiners in all this section of the country. The arrest was accomplished by Harmon and his deputies slipping upon him unawares and getting the drop on him before Morgan could even cock his trusty Winchester which he has kept constantly with him for years. Morgan is about fifty-five years of age, tall and muscular, wears a heavy beard and is remarkably intelligent, considering the backwoods life he has always led. He has been extensively engaged in the moonshine business for over twenty years, and for over twenty years, he has successfully evaded or defied all attempts upon the part of the county and State authorities to arrest him. Armed to the teeth he and his gang have made more than one United States Marshall leave the neighborhood, and it was only last fall that he alone made Deputy Marshall Cunningham lay down his arms and make a hurried departure. About six years ago the State Legislature issued an order that the militia be sent into Wyoming to arrest Morgan and his gang, but for some reason this order was never executed. The prisoner was brought here last night and this morning gave bond in the sum of $200 for his appearance before the United States court at Charleston, whereupon he got gloriously full and left for home. Harmon says Morgan submitted to arrest very calmly, but that his wife raised Cain and gave vent to language of sulphureous kind in great profusion giving the officers a very thorough and elaborate "cussing" out.

Foster Care

 My grandmother, Vennie Watson Wicker, grew up in foster care.  The Cates family who had employed her mother as a housekeeper, took her under their wing when her mother (Mattie) was taken to a mental institution.  The photo is my grandmother and Dollie Cates taken about 1916 when Grandma was only about 12 years old. At some point Vennie also went to live with the Williams family which is where she was living when she married my grandfather.

Oddly when she and Grandpa married, she had a court appointed guardian whom my mother had never heard of. Grandma was the only surviving child and had to depend on neighbors and "church 'folks" to take her in since there was no family around.

But she's not the only one of my ancestors in foster care.  My great-great grandfather Milton Long also was taken in my another family.

Milton's father Thomas Long died in 1837 leaving Susannah Long with many children to care for.  One or two of her daughters had married:  Susannah to Charles Mothershead (1832) and Eavline to Whitaker Mothershead (1834).  That left James, Samuel, Elizabeth, Milton, and Sarah.  I imagine life was not easy for a widow in the 1830s who had a farm to manage but also had children to "manage".

In 1839, James (16) had John Murrell as a guardian (with his brother-in-law Whitaker Mothershead) followed by his brother Samuel (14) in April of 1840 who had Whitaker for a guardian along with John Murrell.  I'm guessing their mother Susannah Baker Long was not well since she died in 1840.

Upon her death, the other children were put in foster care July 1840.  Sarah (7), Milton (11) and Elzabeth (13) to James Pounds (with James Evans and Whitaker Mothershead)

But, there were many more children left as orphans taken in by these same men (and families) with the Bakers (Orson and Milton) in the early 1840s.  Among them were Susannah Long and Charles Mothershead's children in 1840-41:  John (9), Thomas (11), Charles (4) and Willis (6).  And then 4 years later they were all assigned new guardians. And then in 1848, they had all new guardians again.  I don't know the reason for the constantly changing guarianships but I can just imagine what the instability was like for those children.

Frontier life was not for the faint of heart.

Providence Baptist Church

 Cousin Dwight and I have been working on genealogy together for many years now.  We are double related through the Longs and the Grahams.

Several years ago cousin Richard Gannon and I photographed and transcribed many pages from the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Jefferson County Missouri.  Although we found many relatives and ancestors we did not find William Graham, Margaret Graham, Thomas Long and Susannah Baker who were early settlers of Jefferson County.  Because of the number of descendants who attended that church  and the Ware Baptist, we thought maybe they were early members and the records had been lost.

Dwight decided to look further down the Big River into Washington County Mo which was settled early because of the abundance of lead and other minerals important in the  early 1800s.  Providence Church interested Dwight because other Long family members attended that church when first coming to Missouri.  Possibly even our 4th grreat grandmother Elizabeth Mitchell Long ("old Grandmother Long" in the document below)  who had livedwith her son Samuel, our Thomas's brother.

Marg. Ann Grahaam is very faded and at the bottom

While looking at the records, Dwight found a "Margaret Ann Graham" and a "Susan Long" along with the Bakers.   We'd known from the McCarrell family Bible that Margaret's middle name was "Ann" but this was confirmation that we had the right woman.

Susan Long Wallace, daughter of Milton Long
granddaughter of Susannah Baker and Thomas Long

It had never occurred to me that Susannah's name might have been shortened to "Susan" and yet, she had three granddaughters named "Susan".  One born 1850 was the daughter of son Samuel, one born in 1848 was the daughter of her daughter Sarah Elizabeth and one born in 1858 was the daughter of Milton Long.

Many years ago, I tried to find Susannah Baker Long's family.  I was pretty sure she was a daughter of Elijah Baker, sister of Orson and Milton Baker because she named one of her children "Milton" which was a name that had never been in the Long family.  But, members of the famuly told me she was NOT from their family.  This might have been during my early days of research when I believed others knew better than I did.  She might have thought I was asking if she was the daughter of Milton.  Dwight found pretty convincing evidence whe was inded the daughter of Elijah Baker since their names were group together:  

Brian Boru, High King of Ireland

 Dear Silas,

Two used books for your birthday?  This year each grandchild has received a book about one of our ancestors.  I chose Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland, for you.  You may notice both books are by the same author—Morgan Llewelyn.  One is fictional and the other non-fiction but both are about Brian Boru.  I suggest you read the old one with the man on the cover first to introduce you to Brian and Ireland of a thousand years ago.

The 1014 book is non-fiction so is a little more difficult to read but I’m finding it very interesting.  The first chapter is about Ireland at that time and the tribes of Ireland during an earlier period.  If you skip that chapter, the second chapter begins the story of Brian Boru.  You may need a little help reading this book so I’m writing notes in it that may help. it is very detailed about the battle of Clontarf which shaped Ireland today.

Brian was brilliant at tactical battles and his enemy was primarily the Norse who had settled in ireland.  We probably descend from Brian, but we also descend from Vikings, Norsemen and Normans who were the primary invaders of all of the countries in the North Sea area.  Try to admire Brian without taking sides since we also descend from the Vikings. Roman’s books were about the Vikings.

The Battle of Clontarf might have been sparked by a chess game but Gormlaith (Gorma) , Brian Boru’s wife, Malemora’s sister and Sitrich Silkbeard’s mother played a part: thus the comparison to Helen of Troy.  We desecend from both Brian and Gormlaith through their son Donnchad.

The battle consisted of Brian Buordu with his son Murrough defending the seat of High King with many neighboring kingdoms joining forces.

 They were fighting a coalition of tribes led by Malemora, Sitric Silkbeard who was the viking king of Dublin, with Sigrud the Stout and Brodir, the pirate king (both Vikings)

The Battle conclude with 7,000-10,000 killed including the leaders on boths sides—-in one day April 23 1104.  More important than who won the batlle is the question who lost—-the leaders of both sides.  Ireland was so defeated with no leaders that the natives (Gael) and the vikings  (Norsemen) learned to live together peacefully and just call themselves “Irish”.

You are Irish from your Granddaddy’s family and mine. Brian was the youngest of about 10 children as you are also the youngest.  I think you will enjoy his story.

If you get together with your siblings and cousins, you will discover we descend from almost every king and queen ruling western Europe in the dark ages.  The Dark Ages were a time of plagues, disease and death in battle.  For example,the black plague in the 1200’s killed half of the European poputlation. The ruling class survived and had children.  So, millions of people have royal roots. What is unusual is we can trace our ancestry on paper to those rulers and most people can’t.

I enjoyed reading these books since I’d been to some of the places mentioned when Grandpa and I went to Ireland.  I wish I’d known this history before we went.  I never thought I’d enjoy reading a book about one battle, but I have enjoyed the books very much.

Love and Happy Birthday!

Grandma (and Grandpa)

The Dark Ages

 Dear Eli, July 2025

This is one of Grandpa’s and my favorite books about “The Dark Ages”. Sorry it’s a little “well-read”. It tells the stories of some of my favorite legendary Brits—-Bodecia and King Arthur (I checked and we probably are not related to either of them to my dismay).  Beginning with chapter 5, there are  other stories which are also very interesting and are indeed relatives or ancestors:  King Alfred the Great, Ethelred the Unready, William the Conqueror. Athelstan and Eric Bloodaxe are “great uncles”: they are siblings of our ancestors so we are related to  them but don’t descend from them.

I’ve tried not to burden any one of my grandchildren with the royal extent of our family but rather wanted each one to focus on an individual because the full array is even hard for me to digest. But, this book is brimming with ancestors—-Sam had a story about King Alfred the Great in his book (and my grandmother’s family in Williamsburg, Va).  So, that leaves you with Ethelred the Unready and William the Conqueror.  William the Conqueror changed England and the English language forever, so if you are to read one story, read about William the Conqueror who etched the year 1066 forever in English history.

This is a particularly good person for you to read about since you probably descend from Normans on your father’s side also.  Although I haven’t researched the details, “Warren” is considered a Norman name. William the Conqueror is not some gorgeous knight in shining armor with sparkling teeth and a confident smile but a warrior king of Viking heritage.  Many are unaware that “Norman” is short for “Norsemen”.  So, William and his vast invasion was a combination of French military organization and Viking fierceness and naval prowess.

While reading the story of the invasion, try not to take sides because you descend from both sides.  There’s a family tree on page 210 of the Saxon and Norman family trees. I have a check mark by all of the people you descend from.  I discovered this when researching Lbby’s person St. Margaret of Scotland. Her granddaughter Matilda was also William the Conqueror’s grandchild.. Those family holiday dinners must have been interesting! The Plantagenet family (William’s family) is one of my favorites with Eleanor of Aquitaine (Anna’s person) and Richard the Lionheart (who had no children that we know of). 

I saved this book for you with all of the other royals in the two lines because you’re interested in history. if you have any trouble understanding anything, let me know.  It’s not as unusual as you might think that we are descend from  so many “royals:  Princes tend to marry Princesses.  

These charts are to show you my direct lineage from them.   Again, millions of people descend from these famous kings and queens but they don’t know it and don’t have a chart showing the lineage.

Love,

“Princess” Grandma

PS If you are ever “into” any of the Viking or Medieval  TV series/movies, there will be lot of family history to watch.