During August's FamilySearching meeting, one of our RS sisters shared some of her recent genealogy findings with me, and the stories she’s uncovered are fascinating! From searching in books online, read what interesting information she learned regarding the brother of a 3rd great grandmother: “...the elder Philip left the state in a hurry for Texas, with a $750 reward on his head for murder... to avoid attention or arrest, Philip changed his name to his mother’s maiden name..
In Texas Philip became a ‘colonist of the Empresario Stephen F. Austin and was awarded 4,446 acres of land in Washington County, TX in 1831. He was also a fast-living man... On December 6, 1852, Philip was murdered... Family sources say it was in a poker game, but the local press merely stated that Oliver “inflicted upon him four pistol shots. (Philip) was unarmed and could make no resistance.”
“...(his son) Phil (Jr.) Joined the Confederate Army as a young man, but after only one day of discipline (during which time he struck an officer) he deserted and made his way to Mexico... According to family sources, he was a large man, 6'4" tall and weighed 220-225 pounds. He had black hair which he wore in a pompadour, a mustache, but no sideburns. Men who had seen him said he had the coldest gray eyes they had ever seen. His visits home were infrequent, and the family noted that he was not disposed to make himself sociable, and was known to lock himself away in his room and play the violin for days upon end.” The book continued to describe Phil Jr.’s life, and his death - he was killed in a shootout with Wild Bill Hickock!
If you want to find out how to find some of your family’s stories, come to the FamilySearching interest group in September, and be sure to register for (& attend) the free Great Family Search conference in Plano in October (www.greatfamilysearch.com)!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
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