A Connection to Yale University

    Elihu Yale was a prominent merchant and trader in the second half of the 17th century. He was

born in Boston in 1649 to David and Ursula Yale. When he was just three years old the Yale family returned to England where he was educated and served the East India Company eventually becoming the first president of the company's post in Chennai (then called Madras), India.
    Elihu became very wealthy and influential during his time as president. In 1718, a founder of the Collegiate School of Connecticut contacted Yale and asked for donation towards a new building. Yale sent 417 books, a variety of goods and a portrait of King George I. The bales of goods were sold and the money was put toward a new building. In a show of gratitude, the building was named Yale. Eventually the college was renamed in his honor.
     In his later years, Yale split his time between his home in London and his family's ancestral home of Plas Grono in Wrexham in the north of Wales.
    Elihu Yale was my first cousin 13x's removed.

Thomas Yale and Anne Lloyd

Thomas II (1616-1683) m. Rebecca Gibbards                 David (1613-1690) m. Ursula  

Thomas Yale  (1679-1750) m.  Mary Benham                 Elihu Yale  (1649-1721)   

Benjamin Yale (1714-1781) m. Ruth Ives                                                                          

Job Yale (1738-1799) m. Elizabeth Hendrick                                   

Ozias Yale (1766-1853) m. Hannah Hotchkiss          

Isabella Yale (1792-1871) m. Ransom Woodruff

Hannah Woodruff (1811-1881) m. Milo Caldwell

Adaline Caldwell (1834-?) m. Noah Wirt

Esther Jane Wirt (1856-?)  m. Newell Birkett Spees

Beulah Mae Spees (1882-1945) m.  W.F. Smith

Oda Zelle Smith (1908-1975) m. Clovis Spearman

My grandfather                            

Sources:

• Encylopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elihu-Yale
• Wikipedia, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elihu-Yale
• Dodd, A. H., (1959). YALE family, of Plâs yn Iâl and Plas Grono Wrexham. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 10 Feb 2020, from https://biography.wales/article/s-YALE-PLA-1500

Known and New Relations

James Murphy Looney was born March 7, 1853 in Jackson County, AL. By 1860, his family was living in Franklin, TN. When he was just 13 his mother, Adeline Hogue Looney,  died, leaving him to help take care of his 5 younger siblings. James married Mary Susan Francis October 29, 1874.

John Calvin Looney was born in or near Hawkins County, TN on October 1, 1821. He married Adaline Hoge on December 18, 1851.

 His father, Michael Looney, Jr served as a private in Capt. James Cummings' Company, Child's Battalion, Mounted Gunmen, East Tennessee Volunteers in War of 1812, from October of 1814 to 2 May 1815. His military enlistment form describes his as 19 years old, height 5 feet 7 inches, complexion dark, dark hair, eyes gray.

Michael Looney Jr. died in 1825 in Jackson Co., Ala., "on Crow Creek near Anderson Station", presumably reasonably soon after the birth of his son, Carroll C. Looney in 1824. 

Michael's widow, Susan Matthews, then married Stephen Sutton in 1827, but they soon divorced. Stephen Sutton with wife and three Looney boys can be found in the 1830 census for Jackson Co, Ala. After their divorce, Michael's widow then married #3 Jesse Rogers, 1839 in Franklin Co, TN. 

The 26 Sept 1825 probate of Michael's estate is recorded in Jackson Co, Ala Probate Records 1820-1830, pages 130-133.

Susan's father, James Matthews, was born in 1764 in Lunenburg County, VA. James married Elizabeth Hardy in December of 1788. He served as a private in Georgia's 2nd Militia under Captain James Merriwethers during the War of 1812. He eventually moved to Jackson Countty, AL where on August 1, 1839 He registered land in his name. He died just eight years later. 

James's father, William Matthews was a land owner in Lunenburg County, VA. He was married to Susannah Read on December 31, 1763. (This family loved Christmas weddings apparently!) William is documented as having purchased and sold land in Lunenburg County several times before he died in 1804.  Susannah Read is listed in the Will of her father, William Read, in 1764 with her mother, Elizabeth, and her siblings. 

Thomas Reade was born in 1649 in Ware Parish, Gloucester County, VA, USA. He was the son of Col. (Gov) George Esq. Reade (1608-1674) and Elizabeth Martiau Reade (1625-1696).

Thomas married Lucy Bernard Gwyn in Dec. 1694 at Albington Parish, Gloucester, Virginia.  Lucy was the daughter of Dr. Edmund Gwyn (1635-1683) and Lucy Bernard (1647-1675).
Thomas died in 1716 in Gloucester County, Virginia, USA. He was 67 years old. 

Colonel George Reade was born at Linkenholt Manor, Hampshire, England in 1608 into a very prominent family. He immigrated to Virginia in 1636 with Governor John Harvey. George worked as Harvey's secretary and resided with him at the governor's mansion for sometime after his arrival. He was eventually made the Secretary of the Colony and Acting Governor of Virginia (1638-39); member of the Council of Virginia; member of the House of Burgesses from James City Co.,VA in 1649 and frequently thereafer. He became a member of the Governor's Council on 13 Mar 1657-58, which office he held until his death in 1671. 
He married Elizabeth Martiau in 1641 in York County, VA. 

His daughter, Mildred Reade, was born October 2, 1643, at Warner Hall Plantation in York County, VA. She married Colonel Augustine Warner II, son of Captain Augustine Warner and Mary Towneley, in 1670. 

Mildred Warner was the daughter of Mildred Reade and Augustine Warner. She was born in Virginia about 1671. She married Lawrence Washington in 1686. They had three children: John, Augustine, and Mildred. After Lawrence's death, Mildred married George Gale. 

Augustine Washington was born on November 12, 1694 in Westmoreland, VA to Mildred Warner and Lawrence Washington. When Augustine came of age, he married Jane Butler, an orphan with considerable wealth of her own. The couple settled on his inherited property and quickly constructed a new house called "Wakefield." They had two sons, Lawrence and Augustine before Jane passed away in 1728. Three years later, Augustine remarried to Mary Ball. Their first born son was George Washington, First President of the United States of America

                           George Reade - Elizabeth Martiau

Thomas Reade - Lucy Gwyn                    Mildred Reade - Augustine Warner              Siblings

William Reade - Elizabeth                      Mildred Warner - Lawrence Washington      1st Cousins

Susannah Read -William Matthews          Augustine Washington- Mary  Ball               2nd Cousins

James Matthews -Elizabeth Hardy           George Washington                                   3rd Cousins

Susan Matthews -Michael Looney                                                       3rd Cousin, Once removed to G.W.

John Calvin Looney - Adaline Hoge                                                    3rd Cousin, Twice removed to G.W.
James Murphy Looney -  Mary Susan Francis                                       3rd Cousin, 3xs removed to G.W.

Susan Irene Looney                                                                           3rd Cousin, 4xs removed to G.W.

W.T.                                                                                                3rd Cousin, 5xs removed to G.W.

Famous Relative - Winston Churchill

Ancestry has an app called We're Related that I use. It uses your Ancestry family tree and finds famous people that you are related to. It is purely for fun and not always accurate. It often makes the assumption that if many people have an individual being the parent of your ancestor then it must be true. I do get a good kick out of it even if most of the people I am related to are pop stars that I have no interest in share genes with. A few interesting ones have popped up like Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, and Walt Disney. I am still working on proving these, however. I will keep you updated. Today I had one pop up that was easy to verify- Sir Winston Churchill. He is my 9th cousin 1x removed. This means my dad and Mr. Churchill are 9th cousins.

                                          M.A. Watson             (9th cousins)              Winston Churchill

                                          W.T. Watson              (8th cousins)               Jeanette Jerome

                                        Irene Looney                (7th cousins)              Leonard Walter Jerome

                               Mary Susan Francis              (6th cousins)              Isaac Jerome

                         William Ragland Francis            (5th cousins)                Aaron Jerome

                                        Sally Ragland              (4th cousins)               Samuel Jerome

                        John Ragland (1761-1842)          (3rd cousins)               Abigail Rich

                        John Ragland (1710-1791)          (2nd cousins)              Abigail Green     

                                    Hannah Walker                (1st cousins)                 Mary Warren

                                Elizabeth Warren                    (siblings)                   Abraham Warren
                                                         
                                                             John Warren (1585-1667)

• By BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives - https://www.flickr.com/photos/28853433@N02/19086236948/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41991931