Legends - Family History & Genealogy Message Board

strange tails from Yorkshire - coiners hung drwan and quartered

rachelrowe1 — 26 Sep 2008 4:49:51 GMT

Hi, I am busy researching my family tree and whilst i am looking for facts it would be great to verify a couple of the family myths.
1) on my Fathers side (D B Rowe, Lancs UK) he used to mention a family connection to David Hartley who was a "coiner" who was famously excecuted in Tyburn Yorks in 1700's. However unable to prove anything yet, does anyone else have any other links to this famous man?
2) On my Mothers side - her mothers family name is Ritcher and they come from Thetford and her Fathers family name is Pain - and we would love to find a link to Thomas Pain ( Rights of Man)

Cherokee Ancestor?

fhughes72 — 6 Sep 2008 2:21:34 GMT

I'd like some suggestions on where I can either verify or debunk this bit of family oral history. It comes down from my grandmother, who's father was Wiley Bryant (b.1875 Wolfe County, KY) son of Hiram Bryant (b. 1842 Breathitt Co., KY) and Elizabeth Hollon (b.1845 Wolfe Co., KY). Wiley's wife was Susan Perdue (b. 1879 Lee Co., KY) and I have no idea who her parents were.

The story goes that somewhere back in the family, there was a Cherokee woman who fell in love with a white man and had a child. When the baby was born, they knew they couldn't take it with them, but they didn't want to woman's father to find it. [the reason for this is unclear, but it seems the woman's father was very disapproving of the relationship and would have killed the baby]. At any rate, knowing this the young couple fled into the forest and tied the baby, in a bag, to a tree knowing that someone would find it and it would be cared for.

Years later, the baby grew up and bought a house next door to a Cherokee woman. Being half Cherokee herself, the two began talking and comparing stories, eventually realizing that they were mother and daughter.

Now, this story is pretty unbelievable, but my grandmother told it as truth. If you knew her, you'd know she just wasn't creative to come up with something like this, and she never would have told a story that identified her family as being anything other than white. I'm not proud of that, but she was old and appalachian. Unfortunately my grandmother's gone now and one cousin and I only remember this much detail of the story.

Is anyone familiar with a story like this? Have you found any Cherokee in Bryant, Hollon, or Perdue lines?

Tex Beneke - My Cousin??

tanyalang — 22 Jul 2008 5:25:26 GMT

There's a story in my mother's family that we're related to Tex Beneke the famous American saxophonist. The story goes that one brother emigrated from Germany to Australia, and the other to America, the ancestor of Tex (born Gorden Lee) Beneke.

I've traced my Beneke ancestors back to Germany: my great great grandmother Karl Heinrich Nicholaus (later anglicised to Charles Henry Nicholaus) Beneke was born on 6 June 1835 in Neumuenster, Holstein, Germany, the son of Hans Nicholaus Beneke and Wiebke Christina Henrietta Fels. If the story is true (and I have my doubts), his brother would probably be the great grandfather of Tex Beneke who was born in 1914.

The problem I'm having is that I have no idea of how to trace the ancestry of Tex Beneke, just in case the story does turn out to be true. I have never done any family history research using American records (all my ancestry comes from Australia and, earlier, England, France, and Germany), and nowhere have I found a single mention of any of the members of Tex Beneke's famiy.

I would appreciate any help or advice.

keene family mystery or maybe just foolishness

enosrayjr — 20 Aug 2008 12:01:37 GMT

when i was 3 and old enough to comprehend ,my grandfather, whose name was elwood ray keene and i called 'pop'told me a story about his grandfather(it could have been his father,but i don't think so.anyway,he must have told it all through my life.it was of how a black man had stolen chickens and as he ran away pop's ''pop''shot and i guess killed him as he was crossing the fence. and when at this part i'd ask,''then what happened?'' pop said,''he went back to bed and called the sheriff in the morning.i know the story's true cause a lie he would'nt say.he had two rulesthat could'nt be broken ,that,and ''carryin tales''he never mentioned church and did'nt make me go,but he was a tough character and never took a backstep to anyone and if he had something bad to say,he'd say it to your face.a capton in,ww1 camouflage unit, i have articles of admiration by his men and comanders.this thing has bugged me all my life and this year i had a very largeshowing atthe nye gallery in oak bluffs and i believe the best painting was that of a black man lying through a white fence with an old bearded man on one side with his side by side open and two lawmen on the other looking down on the sad sceen of a little black girl washing the blood away with a rag and bucket;a small black boy looks at the frame withfear and anger .the painting is the saddest ive ever seen.it just about painted itself one night. there is alot more to this mystery that i'll leave for another time involving aclipping from a newspaper of an old rundown estate with the name of Glasgow and owners ''tubman and keene families''that pop said was theold family house'' but not where this other took place.

Tall Tale or Truth?

cairns65 — 14 Jan 2003 4:21:02 GMT

In my family we have a legend about an ancestor named either John or Jack Thompson. He supposedly helped to bury Custer's men after the battle of Little Bighorn in Montana. He also was suppose to have rescued a white child from a flour barrel after an Indian massacre along the Oregon Trail and kept the boy as his own. He may have also been an outlaw wanted in the South for killing his wife and her lover. There is suppose to be a book written about him that I have yet to locate named "White Horse Jack." Has anyone come across this before and if so, where? I would greatly appreciate any help at all. Thank you.

Is john Courts from YOrkshire, England or from Castle Mabry, Scotland

k_courts — 27 Jun 2007 5:46:31 GMT

The legend in the Courts family states that John Courts, who came to Maryland in 1639 from Stoke Gregorey Somerset, England and was descended from the Earl of Aerendale. The legend also states that John Courts grew up or was raised at Loch Mabean Castle in Scotland near Dumfries, Scotland. The legend also states that the surname of Courtis or Courts was originally spelled Coates and this Coates family was descended from the Earls of Aerendale. The Earldom of Aerendale and Loch Mabean Castle was the traditional domain of the Bruces, and Robert the Bruce 1200-1250. The surname of Courts and the Courts family connects to the Earls of Aerendale and the surname of Coates/Courts is a sept fo the Farguharison/McDonald clan of Scotland.
It is a fact that John Courts, the immigrant, was married at Oxley Register, Yorkshire, England to Margaret Robinson, who was a daughter of Anthony Robinson, and this wedding occurred circa 1640's.
Also, it is a fact that John Courts ppurchased an indentured servant, Angus McDermont, a Jacobite who was captured at Preston and transported from Liverpool, England on the Godsped with ship master, ARthur Smith, for Virginia on the date of July 28, 1716. In fact, John Courts bought two more indentured servants, who all sailed on the Godsped that transported rebel prisoners into Maryland from Liverpool, England. These were Scotish rebels, called Jacobites, who wanted to restore the Catholic King to the throne of England. The other two men purchased by John Courts were Patrick Mackay, and Daniel Kennedy.
Any information concerning the authenticy of this Courts family legend that the Courts family descends from the Earls of Aerendale would be greatly appreciated, thank you very much
kitty

french royalty?

anorton1 — 23 Mar 2002 11:56:18 GMT

im not sure if its true but my grand mothers grand mother told her that we are descended from french royalty. supposidly one of the princes was disowned just before the whole bloody mess over there happened, and he went to canada and got married and in the end there was me. can anyone help me find out if this story is true? even just info on whether there really was a prince who was disowned back then would be wonderful to start off with. thanks!

Looking for a lost inheritance in London, England

k_courts — 27 Jun 2007 5:18:03 GMT

On my maternal side of the family there persisted this family legend for years and years, my mother always said that her grandmother, Suzanne Appollnaire Borel, who was the only daughter of Benjamin Borel and his wife, Rosela Clark Andres Borel, of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States, was left an inheritance by her godmother, Anne Ransford, who lived in London, England. In the years of the early 1920's, my mother always said that she remembered my maternal grandmother, Lelia Hebert Deslatte and her sister, Elmina Hebert Haydel, going to see a lawyer in New Iberia, La., because Neville Chamberlin, who was then serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer of England, had come to the State of Louisiana in the United States to search for either Appollnaire Suzanne Borel, who was the wife of Nicolas Mathurin Hebert, Junior, or her heirs, and the reason for the trip of Neville Chamberlin from England to the United States was due to the fact that the estate left by Anne Ransford to her godchild, Appollnaire Suzanne Borel was about to prescribe and the government of England was about to reclaim all the land, money, and other properties. This was the same Neville Chamberlin who served as Prime Minister of England during World War II. My mother always said that in the estate of Anne Ransford my maternal grandmother, Appollnaire Suzanne Borel, had been left money in the bank in England, property on Fleet Street in London, and other valuable things. My mother always concluded that her mother, Lelia, and her aunt, Elmina, always said that they did not have the money to go to England to see about the matter and then the plantation home where all the birth/baptisimal papers, marriage papers, and death records or last wills and testaments were stored had burned and all the vital legal papers were destroyed to prove the idenity that they were the true and legal heirs and representatives of the late, Appollnaire Suzanne Bore, who was the wife of Nicolas Mathurin Hebert. Suzanne Borel was born on August 31, 1835 and she was baptized in the year of 1835 at the Catholic Church in Opelousas, Louisiana or St. Landry Parish.
Then a few years later, a relative shows up with some old papers, in these papes was an old letter that was written to Lelia Hebert Deslatte, from a Camille Gary in Jennings, Louisiana, stating that news from London, England, that a reward will be paid for authentic information concerning the wedding of Anne Ransford (Rainsford) to GEorge Sharpe that occurred 1770-1780 circa or 142 yeas from the date of February 27, 1922, as attorneys in London, England, are attempting to find the heir to millions left by Frank Sharpe Batchelor of London.
Does anyone know anything about this? As like my deceased mother, I have always wondered what is the root of this legend and it would be interesting to find the will of Anne Ransford just to see what exactly her estate consisted of.
Any information would be greatly appreciated, thank you very much
kitty

wild west weekly no.294 june 5,1908-young wild west after"white horse jack"

billycraigjr1961 — 16 Jun 2007 4:51:43 GMT

found at the university of missouri librarie "special colections"-dime novels
wild west weekly no.294 june 5,1908
young wild west after "white horse jack"
http:/www.mulibraries.missuouri.edu

GRIFFIN TIPSWORD

tj — 16 Nov 2006 1:34:35 GMT

unsolved mysteries

majsica — 10 Jan 2003 4:15:49 GMT

Haunted Muncie

Jessica — 8 Oct 2005 1:33:30 GMT

Hello.
I know this might be a little off subject but I thought since most of you live in Delaware county, you could help me out with this one.
I am a Ball State Anthropology student who is doing research on haunting and fokelore in Muncie, IN. My group of "ghost hunters" and I are looking for people who want to tell their true stories. We want to conduct interviews with people and try to understand haunting.
In perticular does anyone know about the Elliott Hall ghost. As a student I have heard the story...We want to know if there is truth to it. By interviewing people we hope to find that truth. We are trying to find any record of the person who was killed. His name, any information we can find.....if he was really a student here and if their are records of his death. Anyone who might know were the story came from or truth to it would be very helpful.
In additon to that...any places and or home, buisness etc. that might also be haunted and would be willing to give interviews would also be of great help.
I promise you that this is a real research project being done through the anthropology deparment. For comframation you can contact Colleen Boyd at ceboyd@bsu.edu or myself
Thank you.

Hugging Molly

jan page — 19 Mar 2003 11:06:13 GMT

I am looking for information on something or someone my Grandmother used to talk about when I was a little girl. My Grandmother was born in 1906 and grew up in Mobile, Alabama.She mentioned, more than once a story about a woman who walked the streets at night and killed men. She was called the hugging Molly. My Grandmother said she killed the men by hugging them. This story creeped me out as a child and I never forgot it. Has any one else ever heard of this? I would greatly appreciate any info.

Tall Tale or Truth?

theedede — 19 Sep 2005 9:10:28 GMT

DOWSING SPRING HILL - DVD

gnatskinner — 19 Jun 2005 11:10:12 GMT

Greetings,

My name is Rex Jones. I am a resident of Austin, TX, who has produced a documentary film entitled "Dowsing Spring Hill" that may be of interest to members of this forum. The synopsis is as follows:

Dowsing Spring Hill is a supernatural mystery and story of ongoing
racial divide. As the proud owner of his ancestral Civil-War era
abandoned church and cemetery in rural Mississippi, documentarian
Rex Jones invites a dowser to his property to locate unmarked graves.
As the proceedings unfold, it becomes clear that people are segregated
in death as in life.

Please visit www.gnatskinner.com for more information.

Thank you.

Rex Jones

Family Legends

Alice Luckhardt — 20 May 2005 7:14:53 GMT

Everyone over their life hears during family reunions or at Thanksgiving dinner gatherings the family “legends“, those stories of ancestors who either met a famous person, accomplished some great feat, was a war hero, invented a time saving device or somehow brought honor and glory to the family name. There are also those stories of ancestors known as the “black sheep” of the family with a bit of a shady past or reputation. For the most part these accounts were handed down over the generations by word of mouth and so can be unintentional twisted, changed, or modified by the time the current generation listens to the story.
If you have such a misconstrued family story and have either found the complete or partial truth behind the events, I would like to hear what you have. I’m collecting such family legends, stories, myths, along with what the true story is. Hopefully I can gather enough to put them into a collection and have a book published, titled, “Legends - Family Stories and Myths”.
Share with me what you know on such a story.
Contact: Alice L. Luckhardt (allgel@bellsouth.net)

Red Hand of Ulster - one account of its origins

J. Storey — 4 Jan 2004 7:23:44 GMT

The O'Neills are credited with the origin of the Red Hand of Ulster and County Tyrone is the O'Nell County.
Apparently there was a succession dispute as to which of three sons of the O'Nell would inherit the Chieftain's
seat. It is claimed by some members that a boat race was arranged where the first son to touch the land would inherit from his father. Cathal Brugha is alleged to have been losing the race but hit on a brainwave so drew his sword, cut off his right hand and threw it onto the shore, thus winning the race. Since then the Red Hand is the sign of all Ulster people.

Native American Heritage

Ameha72 — 2 Feb 2005 6:32:57 GMT

Bill i would like to discuss a story with you about a movie i watched on my wall as a child ( with no camera or projector). Could you please e-mail me.

nightskies_dreamer@yahoo.com

Thanks,
Emily

American Folk Tale - Joe Magarac - who worked like a mule !

RobertJerin — 31 May 2004 3:51:33 GMT

Joe Magarac is a an Amerian folk hero similar to Paul Bunyan of the north woods. Joe Magarac belongs to the Pittsburgh steel heritage. Legend has it that Joe was born in an ore mountain and died when he melted himself down in a Bessemer Converter. Joe had super-human strength and could twist iron ingots with his bare hands and make rails by squeezing steel through his fingers. Joe would suddenly appear out of nowhere and save the day and disappear just as quickly as he arrived. Some say Joe was the creation of writer Owen Francis in the 1930's others suggest an his origin grew out of local tradtions in the early 20th century. And that origin is from the Croatian (and perhaps other Slavic) steelworkers who settled the region in the late 1890s and early 1900s.

And his name MAGARAC is appropriate, for in Croatian a magarac is a mule ! And we know that Joe MAGARAC worked like a mule!

Robert Jerin
Croatian Heritage Museum
Cleveland Ohio

folklore

tre — 23 Sep 2001 6:46:47 GMT

Please someone help shed light on these questions or reference sources and websites that can help with answers?

What are the characterisitcs that distinguish Black American folklores from other cultures? Discuss the origin of Black American folklore. How is Black American folklore similar and different from White American folklore? Why do blacks hold on to folktales and legends? What timeframe did folklore begin in the black culture? What are black people ideas and feelings about folklores in 2001?

Pierced in the Arm by a British sword

LysaNinAZ — 27 Jul 2003 5:56:21 GMT

The story goes that my ancestor immigrating to the US left Ireland soon after Waterloo. He fought under William of Orange but was captured by the British and pierced in the arm by a sword for refusing to blacken a Brit's boot.
This story has so many things wrong with it. But who does it really belong to?????

Family legend/ owned a castle?

ac55celtic — 23 Dec 2002 6:25:28 GMT

Family legend is that our family 'owned a castle on the Rhine'. How do I go about finding out if this is fact or fiction?"The Rhine" is a large undefined area. I have no further information go to on. Other than my relatives names.

Wharton Gypsy curse?

juvel53 — 20 Dec 2006 4:57:24 GMT

hi i would really like to know about the wharton curse,i am researching my family of wharton's sincerely charla

legends of the Pfitzer clan.

majsica — 10 Jan 2003 4:11:20 GMT

According to old legends,there were many infamous people in my lineage. Montague John Druitt,Vlad the Impailer,Eric the Red, the McMillain clan,Adolf Hitler,all are rumored to be related to my family tree. I was wondering how I could obtain more information on these infamous characters,to determine if these legends have any ring of truth to them. It is also rumored we have castles that still stand,that belong to our clan. If this is true,I would want to see pictures. Thanks.

Secret Royal Marriages

Glen Atwell — 5 Oct 2002 9:18:18 GMT

There were actually Hundreds of Secret Royal Marriages that lead to many Pretenders to thrones.
Many ended up in America.
Here is a site that describes the process.

http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/morganat.htm

spring heel jack?

keith hammond — 13 Sep 2002 6:35:09 GMT

Can anyone please tell me if such a person as spring heel jack ever terrorised liverpool area? a legand says my g.grandmother was chased by him not sure if she made the story up but did he exist?

thanks a million.