Family Legends

My wife's ancestor, Nathan Futrell, was, at eight years old, the youngest drummer boy in the Revolutionary War.

Another of her ancestors was Henry Hudson, the explorer.

Still another of her ancestors was a Plantagenet, which links her to King Richard the Lion-Hearted, King John, and King Henry Longshanks.

My great-grandfather was once considered the strongest man in Tennessee, according to a cousin. He also did not cut his hair for the last 35 or so years of his life. He was saved from drowning when someone pulled him out of a rain-swollen creek by his hair. Never cut it again.

 

My mums side of the family emigrated from old Prussia to Australia along with most of the village and their Lutheran pastor. Our family was so poor the family would go to the woods and collect wet leaves to mould into briquets for the fire. The dad didn't because he worked 12 hour shifts as a miner.

The community ended up at Baffle Creek which was virgin bush and named the area Gossen and built their church almost immediately. We have a strong presence there 100 odd years later.

Dad's side emigrated from Scotland to New Zealand and the story goes that they were amongst the first to plough the Canterbury Plain.

 

My paternal grandmother's maiden name is Williams. She is a descendant of Roger Williams of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation. My paternal grandfather claimed to be personally responsible for bobcats having short tails. He would gather us on his lap and tell how he tried to pull a cat (tehy weren't called bobcats yet because the still had full length tails) out of a tree in the wild Adirondack Mountains. Grandpa claimed he had the cat by the tail and with Grandpa pulling one way and the cat pulling the other.... Well, he claims the tail popped right off leaving a bobbed tail. Grandma's claim is well documented. Grandpa's on the other hand....

 

My Grandfather's grandad served in John T Wilder's brigade in the Civil War. In Munfordville, KY the entire brigade was surrounded and surrendered to a superior Confederate force commanded by Simon Bolivar Buckner.

My Grandpa fought in the Pacific in WWII under his son, Simon Bolivar Buckner jr on Okinawa.

Not really a legend, but maybe a little ironic.