I picked him because his last name was Bragg. He sounded kind of gangster even though he'd been dead for more than 250 years and he was a white plantation owner from Virginia.
I also found his will. What a gem. He probably scrunched up his wrinkly old face and gleefully penned his last words to spite some of his kids.
More specifically, he's Joseph Bragg*, alive for a full century from 1647-1747. Bragg finally got rich/desirable enough to leave behind bachelorhood when he was 42 by marrying Mary Tapp, who was just a blushing 19 year old. Despite actuarial odds, he outlived his wife by 16 years.
This is how I imagined their wedding day.
I was doing family history research for a Church Youth activity and pulled up the family tree that my grandma from my dad's side had lovingly created. We Mormons are obsessed with tracing our ancestry and have a forest worth of family trees because we believe that families are connected forever. So I sat cross-legged on the floor, zoomed in and out throughout the centuries of our family tree and clicked at random census files of my ancestors just to look like I was doing serious genealogical research.
One kid yelled out that according to her genealogy chart she was actually some distant descendent of the King of Franks (a fairytale kingdom as far as I'm concerned but a real person according to Wiki). Huh. I figured that I would google my guy as well just to see if any living Braggs out there work in the rap music industry and sport oversized bling.
And Holy King of Franks, he's online. As in my Joseph Bragg is online.
I looked through quite a few sources, which all differed slightly on dates, to start piecing together his spunky/controlling personality and contentious family life. He owned at least 500 acres of land, five "negroes," and a tobacco plantation. He did not go to Church and was called to court for it.
"On July 7, 1715 at Richmond County, Virginia, it was noted in the court records; "Joseph Bragg of North Farmingham Parish being summoned to answer the presentment of the Grand Jury against him for not going to Church for two months, but not appearing when called. It is ordered that he be fined one hundred pounds of tobacco and that he pay the same to the church wardens of the said parish with costs."
Yeah. Back then, they fined you tobacco for not going to Church. The Catholics should try that sometime.
I also found his will. What a gem. He probably scrunched up his wrinkly old face and gleefully penned his last words to spite some of his kids.
"Joseph Bragg Sr [9648] left a will on January 26, 1746 at Lunenberg Parish, Richmond County, Virginia. "In the name of God Amen I Joseph Bragg Sr of Lunenberg Parish in the County of Richmond being very sick and weak but of perfect sence and memory thanks be to God for the same do make and ordain this to be my Will and Testament in the manner and from the following: that is to say first and principally I bequeath my soul to God and that gave it my body to the earth to be decently buried in a christianlike manner at the descretion of my Executor hereafter named.'
A. I give and bequeath to my son Joseph Bragg my negro girl named Mariah to him and his heirs forever with her increase only the first child of the of the said nego girl shall have that lives to be two years old it is my will and desire my young son Joseph shall have delivered to him at the age of twenty years or without lawful heirs to my son Newman Bragg and his heirs.
B. I give and it is my desire that my son Monroe Bragg shall have the plantationtha he now lives on. Together with my negroe girl Hannah to him and the lawful heirs of his body begotten and if in case this my son dye before he should without such heirs of his body to fall to my son John Bragg and his heirs.
C. I give to my daughter Elizabeth A Bragg on cow and calf.
D. I give and bequeath to my daughter Catherine Bragg one Schilling and noe more.
E. It is my will and desire that my two sons Moore and Newman Bragg should have three years schooling out of my personal estate.
F. If please to God my negro wench Whinney should have anouther child after __________
This will was probated May 4, 1747 (Ref: John Emmett Suttle, 13462 Photo Drive, Woodbridge, Virginia 22193) (Family Search)"
A. I give and bequeath to my son Joseph Bragg my negro girl named Mariah to him and his heirs forever with her increase only the first child of the of the said nego girl shall have that lives to be two years old it is my will and desire my young son Joseph shall have delivered to him at the age of twenty years or without lawful heirs to my son Newman Bragg and his heirs.
B. I give and it is my desire that my son Monroe Bragg shall have the plantationtha he now lives on. Together with my negroe girl Hannah to him and the lawful heirs of his body begotten and if in case this my son dye before he should without such heirs of his body to fall to my son John Bragg and his heirs.
C. I give to my daughter Elizabeth A Bragg on cow and calf.
D. I give and bequeath to my daughter Catherine Bragg one Schilling and noe more.
E. It is my will and desire that my two sons Moore and Newman Bragg should have three years schooling out of my personal estate.
F. If please to God my negro wench Whinney should have anouther child after __________
This will was probated May 4, 1747 (Ref: John Emmett Suttle, 13462 Photo Drive, Woodbridge, Virginia 22193) (Family Search)"
One schilling and noe more. John even left his daughter a pathetic momento to remind her of him. Classic.
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Want to learn more about your own mean-spirited ancestors and figure out where that crazy streak in you comes from?
Just head over to www.familysearch.org for a free and super cool way to search for and create your own family tree now!
----
Want to learn more about your own mean-spirited ancestors and figure out where that crazy streak in you comes from?
Just head over to www.familysearch.org for a free and super cool way to search for and create your own family tree now!
1 comment:
Hi cousin, Joseph Bragg is one of my distant ancesters as well. This is how all wills were made back then-the one shilling and noe more thing made sure the will could not be contested in courts of the time. Otherwise lawyers would argue the person was not in their right mind and did not know even how many children thay had. Usually this inhertance was for a married daughtr who already took her dowry or shamed the family by eloping.
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