Jim also sent this:
12 Jan 1849 - N. G. Morris and R. T. Adams, justices of the peace for
Stewart County, attest that colored boy Henry Gray, age 21 and 5'10" tall,
his mother Fanny Gray, and five others are free by decree of the Chancery
Court at Charlotte; Henry has lived in Stewart County from infancy
[Settlements and Bonds, Book G. p. 85]
The Grays are found on the 1870 and 1880 census for Evansville, Indiana.
(Fanny, as Frances, for the last time in 1870.)
Of course, my interests being as they are, I want some DNA! Joseph Gray
might have freed Simon Gray for any number of reasons. But there might be
something here that others may benefit from. I've not been able to track
Joseph Gray's son, Joseph Jr, or his son John Joseph Gray. That would be
needed in order to draw a comparison.
Of course, the Grays are of direct interest to only the WMC descendants,
but I've been very interested since I realized I could use Joseph Gray as
a way to trace WMC. And this story, of course, is really interesting.
> WOW! Amazing!
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ancestr2_at_host187.hostmonster.com
> Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2013 7:24 PM
> To: John Cooley Mailing List
> Subject: An incredible document!
>
> Among other things, it identifies the mysterious A J C Cooley.
>
> I had mentioned this case before--that Richard Cooley was part of a
> supposed plot to kidnap ex-slave Fanny Gray and her children to sell them
> back into slavery. That it didn't happen that way makes a lot of sense.
>
> Fanny's husband, Simon Gray, was freed in the will of WMC's father-in-law,
> Joseph Gray. I wonder whether the relationship was deeper than that. It
> would explain why Richard Cooley was the administrator of Simon's will and
> why he took an interest to this degree.
>
> -Michael
>
> --
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> information.
>
--
Second VP, the Cooley Family Association of America
Administrator, the Akins DNA Project
Administrator, the Ashenhurst DNA Project
Administrator, the Bishop DNA Project
Administrator, the Eldridge DNA Project
Administrator, the alt-McDowell DNA Project
Co-Administrator, the Cooley DNA Project
Co-Administrator, the McDougall DNA Project
Instructor "Genealogy and Family History," the Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute (OLLI)
B.A. Humboldt State University, History
Received on Thu Dec 19 2013 - 18:28:57 MST