Hiram Holladay, my 2nd cousin, 4x removed, loved three Haynie sisters. He married two of them and he might have married a third had her husband not shot and killed him. The fact that Hiram was infatuated with three woman from the same family came as no surprise to me. He probably inherited that trait from his Holladay and Trantham ancestors. Let’s review.… More →
Category: Worst Cousins, Funtimes Removed
He Brought a Gun to a Lawyer Fight
The second entry in my Worst Cousins, Funtimes Removed category comes from the Trantham branch of the tree. In October of 1940, O. A. Kirby, my 3rd cousin, 3x removed, lost a legal battle and then his mind. That’s the defense his lawyers argued during his murder trial. Angered over the outcome of a lawsuit involving land, the defeated Kirby confronted the lawyer for the opposing… More →
Crappy Valentine’s Day
Some of my distant cousins made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. November 27, 1937 was not a good day for Valentine Biesemeyer, my 1st cousin, 4x removed. After his amorous advances were rebuffed by his housekeeper, he struck her in the side of the head with a hatchet. She managed to survive the blow and recounted the horrific tale to the… More →
Unhappy Hollywood Ending
I will admit I was a bit excited when I came across the entry for Lynn F. Reynolds, my 5th cousin, 2x removed, in the History and Genealogy of the American Descendants of John and Ann Chamness of London, England. His entry appears as follows: “2c. Oscar A. now resides at Hollywood, near Los Angeles, Cal; has a son, Lynn F.,… More →