They Lived Near: George Washington

Posted on February 21, 2021 by vanbraman

Monday is Washington’s Birthday and I am thinking about an ancestor who lived near him.

I decided this would be a good time for the second entry in my They Lived Near: series.

The first entry in the series was They lived Near: Abraham Lincoln.

Each post in the series features someone or something that my ancestors lived near.

In this case we know that George Washington and my 7th Great Grandfather, Captain Lewis Ellzey knew each other.

Truro Parish Virginia, Pohick church, George WashingtonCaptain Ellzey served with Washington, but perhaps not in the way you may think.

He did not serve with him in the French and Indian War or the Revolutionary War, but rather in the Truro Parish of Virginia in the Pohick Church.

Truro Parish, Pohick church, Washington, EllzeyThe pin in the map above shows the location of the Pohick church near Washington, D.C.

Mount Vernon, Pohick Church, George WashingtonI used Google maps to see how far the Pohick Church was from Mount Vernon. It is only seven miles away.

Captain Ellzey, Vestrymen, Truro ParishHere you see Captain Lewis Ellzey listed as one of the vestrymen of Truro Parish.

The vestrymen were not part of the clergy, but rather took care of the administration of the parish.

Captain Ellzey was a vestryman from 1744-1748 and again for a short time in 1765.

Some well known vestrymen in Truro parish through the years included Augustine Washington, George Mason, George Washington and William Fairfax.

George Washington, Vestryman, Truro ParishGeorge Washington served as a vestryman from 1762 – 1785. There was a very short time in 1765 when Mount Vernon was part of a new Fairfax parish, and it was during that time that Ellzey was again a vestryman in Truro parish.

Truro Parish, Ellzey, Lewis Ellzey, Vestry bookI also found this entry while searching out information for this post. The birth of my 6th Great Grandmother Sarah Ellzey is listed in the vestry book of Truro Parish. She was born on the 24th day of April in 1736.

For any family members that are reading this, here is the surname path back to Captain Ellzey so you can see if you are in this branch of the family:

Braman -> Leeper -> Bunt -> Turner -> Ellzey

It is really cool to have this connection to George Washington. To have an ancestor who went to church with Washington is much more interesting than one who would have served with him in the revolution.

Steven

 

 

 

 

Posted in Culture, Education, Family History, Genealogy, History | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Neighborhood Winter Olympics

Posted on February 20, 2021 by vanbraman

All the bad weather across the country has me thinking of an editorial cartoon from 1960.

Frank Andrea Miller was an editorial cartoonist for the Des Moines Register from 1953 until his death in 1983. He won a Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning a few years after he drew this one.

Frank Andrea Miller, Editorial Cartoon, Des Moines Register, Iowa, Winter, BlizzardOur Own Neighborhood Winter Olympic Events

Miller used the Olympics as a theme for this cartoon as it was in the minds of many people since the 1960 Winter Olympics were held in Squaw Valley.

I really like this cartoon and the events that he put together. Many people this year are going through this, and it is bringing back many memories for me of growing up during hard winters in Iowa and Kansas.

Do you remember cleaning sidewalks and digging out cars?

winter, blizzard, scrapbook, Iowa 1959-1960My Grandma had a note in the scrapbook along with this cartoon. She wrote that “Winter 59-60 was like this —”

The weather history from that time agrees with Grandma.

For me I remember 1988 as being a bad winter in Iowa.

I have shared some other bad winter related Miller cartoons in previous posts. Visit the posts for full size pictures.

Early Winter DrivingFrank Andrea Miller Cartoon - Des Moines Register - Winter Driving - Car Wreck in snowEarly Winter Driving IIFrank Andrea Miller - Editorial Cartoon - Snow Tire - Des Moines Register - SnowstormThe BlizzardFrank Andrea Miller - Editorial Cartoon - Blizzard of '59 - Snowstorm - Des Moines RegisterI hope your weather is getting better!

Steven

Posted in Culture, Memories, Nature, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment