Member of "The Wild Bunch" - My 8th cousin once removed

LAURA BULLION
Laura Bullion (1890s) was born in Knickerbocker, Texas near Mertzon in Irion County, in 1876. The actual date of her birth is unknown. Her mother was German, and her father was Native American. Bullion's Certificate of death lists Henry Bullion as her father and Fredy Byler as her mother. Bullion's father had been an outlaw and was acquainted with outlaws William Carver ("News Carver") and Ben Kilpatrick ("The Tall Texan") both of whom Bullion met when she was around 13 years of age. Her aunt, Viana Byler, married Carver in 1891, but she died soon after the marriage from fever.

At age 15, Bullion began a romance with Carver, who for a time after his wife's death had been involved with female outlaw Josie Bassett, sister to Cassidy's girlfriend Ann Bassett. Bullion also worked as a prostitute for a time, until reaching the age of either 16 or 17. She is also believed to have returned to prostitution from time to time, working mostly in Madame Fannie Porters brothel in San Antonio, Texas, a frequent hideaway for the gang. The report of her arrest in St. Louis, Missouri in 1901 states her occupation as prostitute.

Most sources as well as Bullion's grave marker provide 1876 as the year of her birth. The exact day is not known. In an arrest report dated November 6, 1901, her age is mentioned as 28 at the time of the arrest.[1] Provided that the birth year of 1876 is correct, Bullion would have been rather 24 or more likely 25 years of age at that time, if her birthday had been before November 6, the date of the arrest. The Certificate of death states Bullion's age at death 74, and her date of birth as October 4, 1887. Provided that the birth year of 1876 is correct, Bullion would have been rather 84 or more likely 85 years of age at her death, if her birthday had been before December 2, 1961, the recorded date of her death. The certificate is issued under the name Freda Bullion Lincoln, a false identity she assumed when she moved to Memphis, claiming to be the war widow of Maurice Lincoln and making herself about ten years younger than she was.

When Bullion first became involved with Carver, he was riding with the Tom Ketchum ("Black Jack Ketchum") gang, and Bullion wanted to join him. However, he wouldn't allow it at first, and they only saw one another between robberies. While in Utah and on the run from lawmen, Carver became involved with the Wild Bunch gang, led by Butch Cassidy and Elzy Lay.

Members of the Wild Bunch nicknamed Laura Bullion "Della Rose", a name she came by after meeting Kid Curry's girlfriend Della Moore. Often Bullion was also referred to as the "Rose of the Wild Bunch".

In an arrest report dated November 6, 1901, Bullion's name is filed as "Della Rose" and her aliases are stated to be "Clara Hays" and "Laura Casey & [Laura] Bullion". The arrest report lists her profession as prostitute. According to a New York Times article, she was "masquerading as Mrs. Nellie Rose" at the time of her arrest. The same article also mentions a suspicion that Laura Bullion, "disguised as a boy", might have taken part in a train robbery in Montana. The paper cites Chief of Detectives Desmond: "I would'nt think helping to hold up a train was too much for her. She is cool, shows absolutely no fear, and in male attire would readily pass for a boy. She has a masculine face, and that would give her assurance in her disguise."

In the early 1890s, Bullion became involved romantically with Ben Kilpatrick ("The Tall Texan"), after Carver began a relationship with a prostitute named Lillie Davis, whom he had met while at Fannie Porter's brothel in San Antonio, Texas. As the gang robbed trains, Bullion supported them by selling stolen goods, and making connections that could give the gang steady supplies and horses.

By 1901, Bullion was again involved romantically with Carver, as well as occasional involvement with other members of the gang. When Carver was killed by lawmen, on April 1, 1901, Bullion became involved romantically with Kilpatrick again, and the two fled to Knoxville, Tennessee. Della Moore and Kid Curry met up with them there, and the four stayed together for a number of months, until in October, when Della Moore was arrested for passing money linked to one of the gangs robberies.

On November 6, 1901, Bullion was arrested on federal charges for "forgery of signatures to banknotes" at the Laclede Hotel in St. Louis. She had $8,500 worth of robbed banknotes in her possession, stolen in the Great Northern train robbery. On December 12 1901, Kilpatrick was arrested. Curry escaped capture on December 13, 1901, killing two Knoxville policemen in the process. Bullion and Kilpatrick were both convicted of robbery, with Bullion being sentenced to five years in prison, and Kilpatrick receiving a twenty year sentence. She spent three and a half years before being released in 1905. Kilpatrick was not released from prison until 1911.

Kilpatrick stayed in contact with Bullion through letters. By the time of his release from prison in 1911, she had become involved with at least four other men, but they never reconnected nor did they ever see one another again. Kilpatrick was killed robbing a train on March 13, 1912. By that time, all the members of the Wild Bunch gang were either in prison, dead, or had served a prison sentence and moved on to other things in their lives.

When Bullion turned up in Memphis in 1918, she used the names "Freda Lincoln", "Freda Bullion Lincoln" and "Mrs. Maurice Lincoln", claiming to be a war widow and that her late husband had been Maurice Lincoln. She also made herself ten years younger claiming to be born in 1887. On her grave marker at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Bullion's name is inscribed as "Freda Bullion Lincoln" and "Laura Bullion", her birth name. The epitaph, "The Thorny Rose" refers to her nickname in the Wild Bunch.

Laura Bullion's residence in Memphis from 1927-1948. (2007)In 1918, Bullion moved to Memphis, where she spent the remainder of her life working as a householder and seamstress, later as a drapery maker, dress maker and interior designer. Claiming to be the war widow of Maurice Lincoln, she lived in Memphis for 43 years under the assumed names of "Freda Lincoln", "Freda Bullion Lincoln" or "Mrs. Maurice Lincoln". According to her death certificate, she gave October 4, 1887 as her birthday, making her about ten years younger than she was.

In 1920, the Memphis City Directory lists her as seamstress for the Jennings Furniture Co., with rooms at 221 Monroe Ave. From 1927 to 1948 she is listed as "householder" at 1374 Madison Ave. This is the only one of the buildings still in existence in 2007. In the 1930s, Bullion was listed as "drapery maker". Her occupation was upgraded to "interior decorator" in 1940. Her fortunes declined in the late 1940s. In 1950, Bullion moved to 1065 Walker Ave with no profession listed. The following year she moved to 3691 Southern Ave and in 1952 to 733 Decatur St. From 1953 to 1959, Bullion disappears from the telephone book and is not listed in the City Directory.

In 1959, Bullion was listed as living at 278 Cossit Place. She lived there until her death, two years later. Grave marker at the Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis (2007)According to her obituary, Bullion died of heart disease at the Shelby County Hospital at 6:45 p.m. on December 2, 1961. The memorial service was held two days later, at 11:30 a.m. on December 4. She is buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis. Bullion was the last surviving member of the Wild Bunch gang.

Her grave marker reads:

Freda Bullion Lincoln
Laura Bullion
The Thorny Rose
1876 - 1961
Bullion's bronze grave marker has a decoration of embossed rose vines along the edges. The decoration and her epitaph, "The Thorny Rose", refer to Bullion's nickname in the Wild Bunch. Gang members nicknamed her "Della Rose", a name she came by after meeting Kid Curry's girlfriend Della Moore. Often she was also referred to as "Rose of the Wild Bunch" by her fellow gang members. It is unknown who chose the decoration or the epitaph for her grave marker.
 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23400786/laura-bullion

George Whitefield Davis - Half 6th cousin 4 times removed

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Whitefield_Davis

George Whitefield Davis (July 26, 1839 – July 12, 1918) was an engineer and Major General in the United States Army. He also served as a military Governor of Puerto Rico and as the first military Governor of the Panama Canal Zone.

Military career

Civil War

Davis was born in the rural town of Thompson, Connecticut. He first entered the Army during the American Civil War, joining the 11th Connecticut Infantry Regiment in November 1861 as a Company Quartermaster Sergeant (the same position that his grandfather served in during the American Revolution). During the course of the war, he fought in several major battles, including Antietam, and worked his way up in rank in the volunteer force to the rank of Major. He was mustered out in April 1866.

After the war

In January 1867, Davis joined the 14th Infantry Regiment. As a Captain, Davis was an assistant engineer on the construction project to build the Washington Monument, and was among the featured guests at the dedication ceremony in 1885.

“It was Capt. Davis who arranged and perfected all the elevating machinery that carried the stones one after another from the surface of the earth as they went up toward the sky. It was his skill and rare ingenuity that invented the machinery which was so vitally important as a most efficient agent in the rapid and successful prosecution of the work. In the important matter of strengthening and perfecting the foundation of the monument the suggestions and assistance of Capt. Davis were invaluable.”

—Congressman John Waite,

Afterwards, Davis became vice-president of the construction company that was to build the Nicaragua Canal and chairman of the international board of consulting engineers on the Panama Canal. In 1895, he filled on opening on the Antietam Battlefield Board that helped oversee the preservation and monumentation of that historic place, culminating in the establishment of the Antietam National Battlefield.

With the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Davis was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of regulars and Brigadier General of Volunteers. During the period of May 1898 until Mar 1899, he commanded the 2nd Division of the Second Army Corps at Camp Alger and Thoroughfare Gap, Virginia; Camp Meade, Pennsylvania; and Camp Fornance in South Carolina. He was promoted to Major General in July 1902, and retired on his 64th birthday in 1903.

Later work

Davis was a chairman of the central committee of the American Red Cross from 1907 to 1915.

Warren Vanders, 9th Cousin

 

Actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the level-headed Bagby in "Rooster Cogburn" (1975). Born Warren Vanderschuit, after attaining his degree in theatrical arts from Pepperdine University, he began his career appearing as a leading man in stock companies. After being discovered by a talent scout during a stage production of "Our Town", he was brought out to several major studios for screen and voice tests. Upon being reviewed by Irvin Kerschner, he was so impressed by his blonde looks, articulate voice, and slim physique, that he arranged for him to begin a career in the film industry beginning with him appearing under his supervision per a supporting role in "Now is Tomorrow" (1958). From there, he would go on to enjoy a successful career as a notable character actor appearing in over 70 features; often typecast as cowboys, boyfriends, blue-collared guys, fathers, husbands, guards, soldiers, neighbors, landlords, faithful friends, clergymen, retail clerks, businessmen, and, in his later years, patriarchs. He appeared in such feature films as "The Great Imposter" (1960), "Rough Night in Jericho" (1967), "Stay Away, Joe" (1968), "The Price of Power" (1969), "The Revengers" (1972), "Hot Lead and Cold Feet" (1978), and "Touched" (2006). On television, he became an even more familiar face appearing in numerous guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "Bronco," "Stagecoach West," "Tate," "The Barbara Stanwyck Show," "Cain's Hundred," "Empire," "Temple Houston," "Destry," "The Fugitive," "Combat!," "Mission: Impossible," "Iron Horse," "Daniel Boone," "Hawaii Five-O," "Alias Smith and Jones," "Gunsmoke," "The Waltons," "Kung Fu," "The Snoop Sisters," "Mannix," "The Rockford Files," "Little House on the Prairie," "Police Story," "How the West Was Won," "Jessica Novak," "Dallas," "Lime Street," "Cagney & Lacey," "Matlock," "The Trials of Rosie O'Neill," and "Judging Amy". During his career, he was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, had been supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, was a member of the Hollywood Democratic Committee, had been a regular parishioner of the Catholic church, was a certified schoolteacher who taught at the Whittier High School District, served in the United States Navy, had been a professional boxer, had been an chairman for his local charters of the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity, and he was married to actress Dawn Bender from 1953 to 1955 (their union ended in divorce and produced no children). Upon his 2006 retirement, he spent the final years of his life being a regular attendee at autograph conventions, and was involved in charitable and religious causes, until his death from the complications of lung cancer.

Bio by: Lowell Thurgood

Hiram Bingham III, my 6th cousin three times removed, discoverer of Machu Picchu

 

Explorer, US Senator. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father, whom he was named after, was a well-known missionary who instilled a profound sense of adventure in his son. He was educated at Harvard, Yale and the University of California, earning a PhD in South American history. In 1900, he married Alfreda Mitchell, heir to the Tiffany fortune. With his wife's wealth, he was able to subsidize his later explorations. In 1906, he traveled to South America, attempting to retrace the route taken in 1819 by Simon Bolivar from Venezuela to Colombia. Two years later, he followed an old Spanish trade route from Buenos Aires across the Andes Mountains to Lima, Peru. His greatest discovery came in 1911 while leading the Yale Peruvian Expedition. He was determined to find Vilcabamba, the storied "lost city of the Incas." There were few clues regarding the location of the city, and traveling the Andes was very dangerous. However, on July 24, 1911, he and his guide discovered the ruins of Machu Picchu. He returned the following year on behalf of Yale and the National Geographic Society, and spent three years excavating the site. In 1917, he earned his pilot's wings and became chief of the Air Personnel Division of the Air Service in Washington D.C. Rising to Lieutenant Colonel, he commanded the Aviation Instruction Center in France during World War I. He taught history at Harvard and Princeton, but spent most of his teaching career at Yale. In 1922, he was elected lieutenant governor of Connecticut. He became governor in 1924, but served just two days before being chosen to fill a vacant seat in the United States Senate. He was reelected to a full term in the Senate in 1926, but lost reelection in 1932, which ended his political career. After he left the Senate he devoted himself to his business interests. In 1951, President Harry S. Truman appointed him to the Civil Service Loyalty Review Board, which investigated cases of suspected subversion in the state department. He died in Washington D.C.

Bio by: Ugaalltheway

My 8th cousin once removed

 Ray Bradbury, (born Aug. 22, 1920, Waukegan, Ill., U.S.—died June 5, 2012, Los Angeles, Calif.), U.S. author. Bradbury is best known for highly imaginative science-fiction stories and novels that blend social criticism with an awareness of the hazards of runaway technology. The Martian Chronicles (1950; television miniseries, 1980) is considered a science-fiction classic. His other short-story collections include The Illustrated Man (1951; film, 1969), The October Country (1955), I Sing the Body Electric! (1969; teleplay, 1981), and Quicker Than the Eye (1996). Among his novels are Fahrenheit 451 (1953; film, 1966); Dandelion Wine (1957; film, 1997) and its sequel, Farewell Summer (2006); and Death Is a Lonely Business (1985).

https://www.britannica.com/summary/Ray-Bradbury

My classmate's blog

https://runengine.com/blog/

Samuel Clark Spaulding, 4th cousin five times removed

 

Marion Hollins, my 8th cousin twice removed

 Hollins was an elite amateur golfer, winning the US Women's Amateur in 1921 and the Pebble Beach Championship a record seven times.  She also captained the inaugural USA Curtis Cup team in 1932.   On the basis of a shared strategic golf course architectural philosophy , she forged a fruitful and enduring design collaboration with Alister MacKenzie on multiple projects including Pasatiempo, Augusta National and Cypress Point.  MacKenzie extended her full credit for the idea of making Cypress Point's iconic 16th hole  into a dramatic "one-shotter".  This hole endures today as a testament to her capability as a player and her vision as a golf designer/architect.  Yet among her many accomplishments, none exceeds her role in developing the Monterey Peninsula into a golf Mecca.  In particular she will always be remembered as the inspirational driving force behind the founding and formation of the Cypress Point Club.  In 2020, Hollins was elected to the 2021 (now 2022 due to the pandemic) World Golf Hall of Fame, along with Tim Finchem, Susie Maxwell Berning and Tiger Woods.

Charles Winslow Gates, Governor of Vermont, 7th cousin 3 times removed

 Governor of Vermont. He graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy and became a farmer, teacher, and school administrator. He was President of the Franklin County Fair Association and a Director of the Enosburg Falls Savings Bank. Gates founded the Franklin Telephone Company in 1895. He served in the Vermont House from 1899 to 1900, in the state Senate from 1901 to 1902, and as a member of the state highway commission from 1904 to 1914. Recognized as a loyal Republican with progressive ideas, in 1914 he was nominated for Governor in an attempt by Republicans to heal the rift between party activists who supported President Taft's reelection in 1912 and Progressives who supported Theodore Roosevelt. Gates served from 1915 to 1917, and during his term Vermont enacted direct primaries for nominating US House and Senate candidates, worker's compensation, a junior and senior high school system, and a public school vocational education program. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican US Senate nomination in 1916, after which he returned to his Franklin County business interests.

Remembering my relatives who were KIA in the World's wars

 Edwin F. Adams, 1862, Civil War; 2Lt. Arthur Jay Allred, 1943, WWII, Morocco; 1Lt.  John W. Anderson, 1944, WWII, Italy; Cpl. Alvah Ernest Avery, 1918, WWI, France; Captain Kenneth Frank Backus, 1975, Vietnam;  George Eastman Barnes, 1847, Mexican War, Chapultepec;  Captain Oliver Bates, 1775, Westford, Mass; Capt. Paul Jennings Bates, Jr., 1971, Vietnam, Quang Tri; Cpl. Walworth Wade Boynton, 1864, Civil War, Fairfax, Virginia; HM3 Philip Sherwood Bryant, 1968, Vietnam, Quang Tri;  Pvt. Henry J. Butterfield, Civil War, Gettysburg, PA;  Andrew Jackson Clark, 1864 Civil War, Pine Bluff, Arkansas;  Cpl. Henry James Clark, 1864, Civil War, Spotsylvania, Virginia;  Sgt. Vincent Allen Clark, 1968, Vietnam, Vietnam;  Major Allen Joe Conley, 1944, WWII, Italy;  Lt. Joseph Allen Davis, 1863, Chancellorsville, Virginia;  SSgt.  Willis M. DeForest, 1945, WWII, Italy;  Benjamin Franklin Eastman, 1864, Civil War;  Lt. Kenneth Elvin Eaton, 1944, WWII, Italy;  Maj. Virgil Loren Emerson, 1943, WWII;  Charles Ainsworth Etherington, 1864, Civil War, Dallas, Georgia;  Irving Lee Stone Farley, 1944, WWII;  Sgt. Roger Wayne Fellers, 1970, Vietnam, Vietnam;  PFC Raymond L. Fish, 1945, WWII, Germany;  Capt. Herbert Donald Fogg, 1943, WWII, Tunisia;  William Follett, 1864, Civil War, Resaca, Georgia;  Dennis Alan Getty, 1967, Vietnam, Vietnam;  Sgt. Jamie Gray, 2004, Iraq War, Baghdad, Iraq;  Maj. Mason Wilbur Gray, 1918, WWI, France;  James N. Hamilton, 1865, Civil War;  Capt. Abner G. Heald, 1863, Civil War, Chickamauga, Georgia;  Benjamin Franklin Heald, 1864, Civil War, Spotsylvania, Virginia;  Capt. John Avery Heald, 1865, Civil War, Prince Edward County, Virginia;  Capt. Donald B.  Holyoke, 1944, WWII;  Cpl. James Bingham Huntington, 1864, Civil War, Kennesaw, Georgia;  WO Dee Aaron Hyden, 1969, Vietnam, Quang Tri;  Jesse Lynn Johnson, 1944, WWII, France;  Hanford D. Kinney, 1863, Civil War;  Newcomb Kinney, 1864, Civil War, Virginia;  Henry Rudolph Kramer, 1918, WWI, France;  Sgt. Daniel Lamson, 1862, Civil War, Virginia;  LCpl. Rexford Adelbert La Rock, 1966, Vietnam, Quang Tri;  Granville Loring Marean, 1942, WWII;  2Lt. Lindsay LaRue McCall, 1943, WWII;  Asa Heald Melvin, 1864, Civil War, Petersburg, Virginia;  Sgt. Augustus J. Miller, 1863, Civil War,\ Louisville, Kentucky;  1Lt. Willis Bryant Moulton, 1944, WWII, Niedersachsen, Germany;  Lt. Albert Mason Murdock, 1865, Civil War, Petersburg, Virginia;  Theodore Carroll Newcity, Jr., 1967, Vietnam, Vietnam;  SSgt. Gail M. Omholt, 1945, WWII, Manheim, Germany;  PFC Raymond Boardman Parkhurst, Jr., 1945, WWII, Germany;  Pvt. Charles Nevins Parkhurst, 1862, Civil War, Stafford, Virginia;  Dr. Phineas Parkhurst, 1778, Revolutionary War, Boston, Massachusetts;  Ira A. Payne, 1863, Civil War;  Pvt. Shattuck Parker Peck, 1865, Civil War, 1865, Petersburg, Virginia;  Sgt. Edwin Darling Pickett, 1863, Civil War, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania;  Steven S. Pierce, 1862, Civil War, Pittsburg Landing, Virginia;  Corp. William Putnam, 1864, Civil War, Cedar Creek, Virginia;  Pvt. George E. Reed, 1864, Civil War, Reams, Virginia;  Theodore F. Ripley, 1863, Civil War, Memphis, Tennessee;  1Lt. William E. Sharp, Jr. 1945, WWII, Belgium;  Howard Allen Shepardson, 1943, WWII, Papua, New Guinea;  George Loring Sherman, 1864, Civil War, Spotsylvania, Virginia;  PFC. Ralph Everett, Sherwin, 1944, WWII, France;  Waldo Sherwin, 1864, Civil War, Washington, D. C.;  PFC Charles J. Siffrinn, 1944, WWII, Italy;  William Lewis Sisco, 1945, WWII;  Sgt.  Adoniram Judson Slafter, 1863, Civil War, Knoxville, Tennessee;  2Lt. Albert Slafter, 1863, Civil War, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania;  Pvt. Edward Albert Spalding, 1865, Civil War, Memphis, Tennessee;  Homer Spaulding, 1862, Civil War, Shiloh, Tennessee;  Lt. Joseph Spaulding, 1775, Revolutionary War, Boston, Massachusetts;  Oscar Spaulding, 1862, Civil War, Culpeper, Virginia;  Lt. Richard Arnold Storrs, 1918, WWI, France;  Pvt. George Stowell, 1864, Civil War, Vicksburg, Mississippi;  2Lt. Gaines Randall Stuart, 1944, WWII, France;  Leader Ray Thaldorf, 1945, WWII, Luxembourg;  SSgt. Garth G. Thurston, 1945, WWII;  Capt.  John Harvie Underwood, 1945, WWII, Germany;  Corp. Mark Dee Vincent, 1970, Vietnam, Vietnam;  PFC Michael Frederick Walker, 1968, Vietnam, Tay Ninh;  Ruvillo R. Walker, 1865, Civil War, New Orleans, Louisiana;  Pvt. Leland Standford Westover, 1917, WWI, France;  FO  Devoe, Wolf, 1944, WWII, Belgium;  Lt.  Warren Kenneth Wright, 1944, Northern Mariana Islands

John Davis, 4th Cousin 6 times removed

 U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator, Massachusetts Governor. He attended Leicester Academy, graduated from Yale College in 1812, studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced to practice law in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was elected as a open candidate to the Nineteenth Congress and to the next four succeeding Congresses, serving (1825-34), when he was elected the 14th Governor of Massachusetts, serving (1834-35). In 1835, he was elected as an Anti-Jacksonian to the United States Senate, serving until 1841. After his term, he was again the 17th Governor of Massachusetts, serving (1841-43). In 1845, he was elected as a Whig to the United States Senate, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Isaac C. Bates, was reelected in 1847 and served until 1853. Among the founders of the State Mutual Life Assurance Company in 1844, after leaving politics he served as its president of the company until his death at age 67.