This story begins 25 years after the U.S. Civil War. The subject of this post, William “Willis” Craig, lived In the small farming community in Longview in East Texas. Willis was born enslaved in Georgia in 1856 and moved to Longview with his parents Lewis and Easter Craig.

The 1880 Census for Longview, Texas notes that Willis (24) is working as a farm laborer and living with his 16 year-old bride Anna (Richardson) and their 1 year-old son, Devread. Anna just happened to be the daughter of his next door neighbor, Weakly and Sarah (Bryant) Richardson. (Photo R: Anna 1897)

Here is where the story takes an interesting turn.

In the 1900 Census for Rusk, Texas, Willis is a recorded as a prisoner in the East Texas Penitentiary. Below is his “convict record” listing his age, weight, and distinguishing marks (in blue below) and term of sentence. The record notes that in January 1899, Willis was convicted of murder and sentenced to five years. However, Willis was pardoned in February 1901. No additional public records were found regarding the murder conviction and pardon.

Why was Willis pardoned after serving only one year of a 5 year sentence?

In the 1900 Census, Anna is living with Elderville, Rusk County, Texas with six of her children whose ages ranged from 2 to 18 years-old. (Children: Lucy, Louis, Joseph, Ulysses, Addie and Sarah)

In the 1910 Census for Depew, Oklahoma (300 miles north of Longview, TX), Willis and Anna are together with their children Sara, Addison, Ulysses, Joseph and Fannie Mae. Also living with them are the children of eldest daughter, Ida Dixon, whose names were Arthur, Eva, Essie and Ermon. There is no record of where Ida and Frank Dixon where living in 1910.

Note: Willis’ wife Anna died on 18 Aug 1912. After her death, Willis is shown in the 1920/30/40 Census’ living with his daughter Ida Wiggins in Depew.

In the 1920 Census for Depew, Oklahoma, Ida (34) and her husband Matthew (46) are living with their children Rebie (Wiggins) and Arthur, Eva, Essie and Ermon (Dixon). Also in the home was Ida’s father, Willis, and her sister Fannie Mae.

Here is the second turn in the the life of Willis Craig.

On Saturday, October 21, 1911 in Depew, Oklahoma, Willis and his brother Noah became witness to the death of William Bryant during an attempt to arrest of Henry Page who was accused of beating his wife. As reported in the newspapers, white deputies attempted to arrest Page and when unsuccessful, had four “Negroes” deputized by the Justice of the Peace. Willis and Page were deputized along with Bryant. Bryant apparently agreed to “go in and bring the Page boy out” and died when he was shot by one of the “Page boys” while Willis was struggling with Henry Page. It is interesting that that shots were fired from “inside and outside” the house, which seems to indicate that the white deputies outside were also engaged in the shooting.

Bob Bryant and the story of his death are memorialized by the Oklahoma Peace Officers Memorial. The news articles gave his name as William Bryant?

News articles (below) reporting the incident illustrate the nature of racism in 1900’s Oklahoma in their description of the murder. Sadly, I have been unable to uncover a record of the outcome of the case.

In the 1970’s, I lived in the small, suburban town of Moraga, California attending Donald Rheem Elementary, Joaquin Moraga Intermediate, and Campolindo High School. While there may have been times where I failed to listen to my teachers, I am certain there was never any mention of the history of Moraga, beyond it being a Mexican land grant (Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados) made to Joaquin Moraga. Below are two articles that provide a small glimpse into the history of Moraga and explore tales of a squatters war and of ranchers resisting a railroad expansion.

Copyright © 2022. All Rights Reserved by David R. French

Questions, Comments and Corrections are Appreciated

When I started this family history blog, my stated goal was “to tell short stories to open a window on the history of the United States and Canada through the migration of these families.” To date, stories have explored the lives of those who fought in the Pequot War, King Phillip’s War, Revolutionary War, Spanish-American War and Civil War. Tales of those who were the founders of New Amsterdam, Hartford and New Hampshire to those who delivered babies in Nova Scotia or donated lands that became known as Harvard Yard.

Below are a few select stories were the research led to wonderful discoveries. The first section feature short stories and the second section on longer posts that required deeper research.

Short Posts

Dear John from Oliver Cromwell (A letter from 1651)

Memorial Day 2019 – Thanks Pop (A beautiful photograph)

Death-Capture-Ransom (Kidnapped in Maine and held captive in Quebec)

A Hooker Moves William Kelsey (Hartford Founder 1632)

New England Gravestones

Longer Posts

Pvt. George B. French – WW1 (One-in-a-million find in a library in England)

Into the Breach-Promises, Promises (My great grandmother was the talk of Boston)

Walter’s in the House (A single thread that led to the U.S. House of Representatives and a man named Walter)

Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, Bar Nothing (AAA-O) (A great uncle dies in WWI)

Jesse de Forest (A life full of adventure and a quest for religious and economic freedom.)

A great joy is being able to help others develop their family genealogical history and uncover interesting personal stories. Such was the case with my wife’s Irish, Czech and German roots with great stories (with even better titles!) about Czechs and Yeggs and A Sinner, a Hamburger and a Tsarina.

Comments, corrections and and suggestions appreciated.

Copyright © 2020. All Rights Reserved by David R. French.

While scant information is available, history shows us that Effie MacPherson MacLeod was certainly made of sterner stuff.  Effie is my paternal 4th Great Grandmother. In 1803, six-year old Effie came from the Isle of Skye, Scotland to Prince Edward Island, Canada with her family.

Later, with her husband Robert MacLeod, she moved to Lake Ainslie, Pleasant Bay, Cape North and finally Victoria, Nova Scotia. In 1828, she made the trip from Pleasant Bay to Cape North in an 14-foot open boat.  According to family lore, during that perilous voyage, Effie gave birth to her son Angus MacLeod while in Aspy Bay.

Effie was a midwife and was for a time the only doctor in the Cape North area. According to a history of the region, Effie journeyed on horseback and snowshoes to reach those in need of her services.

Marie-Henriette LeJeune Ross (1762-1860)

In researching Effie, I came across another pioneer midwife who lived in north Cape Breton during the same period.  In Nova Scotia, the story of Granny Ross is widely known and she is considered to be a “trail- blazer in the world of women in science.”

During the early years of her adult life, Marie-Henriette became aware of her gifts as a healer and midwife. The legend of Granny Ross began in Little Bras d’Or, where she cared for and saved the lives of many settlers during a smallpox epidemic. Since she had already contracted the disease, she was immune to its effects.

Note: The source for the map at the top of this post (Carte de L’Isle Royale 1744) is the Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University and is being used for personal or non-commercial use.

© David R. French and French in Name Only, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

The following post highlights the skill and longevity of the work done by carvers of gravestones in New England. Below are gravestones of direct ancestors (French, Simonds, Eggleston, Goodwin, Shed, Davis, and Thompson) from my paternal line and Butler from my maternal line.

Must See! The Farber Gravestone Collection includes over 13,500 images documenting the sculpture on more than 9,000 gravestones, most of which were made prior to 1800. This amazing resource for early New England gravestones, sponsored by the American Antiquarian Society, also has a FAQ on the history of gravestones during this period.

It all started, quite innocently while researching a friend’s family history.  I came across the tragic death, by suicide, of Lucey Martelina (Toluca, Illinois). I learned that the means, ingesting rat poison, was a popular and common way to end one’s life.  The product, Rough on Rats, was a poison composed of arsenic and barium, with a little coal or sand added for coloring, designed to kill a variety of vermin.

According to
the Annual Report of Illinois State Board of Health, in 1887, there were 259 suicides by poisoning and the
“poisons most used were morphine and rough on rats.”

Upon further research, it became clear that he use of Rough on Rats was not limited to suicide.  In 1898, Frank Belew (photo right) admitted that he had poisoned his sister Susie and brother Louis. “I poured the drug into the teakettle…I do not know what promoted me to do the deed”

Belew on Trail for His Life – SF Call 6 April 1898

Rough on Rats and Siblings (history.net)