A bigger bite of genealogy

I am the son of Blanche Haddix Landrum
She was the daughter of Arthur Haddix
He was the son of Orlena Deaton
She was the daughter of Alexander Deaton
He was the son of Malinda Watts
She was the daughter of Emily "Polly" Noble
She was the daughter of George Noble, Jr
He was the son of Mary Ann Thomas Alexander
She was the daughter of Garrard Alexander
He was the son of Ann Fowke
She was the daughter of Gerard Fowke Jr.
He was the son of Col. Gerard Fowke Sr.
He was the son of Roger Fowke
He was the son of Dorothy Cupper
She was the daughter of Audrey Peto
She was the daughter of John Peto
He was the son of Edward Peto
He was the son of John de Peto
He was the son of Katherine Gresley
She was the daughter of Elizabeth Clarell
She was the daughter of Elizabeth Le Scrope
She was the daughter of Elizabeth Strathbogie
She was the daughter of Elizabeth de Ferrers
She was the daughter of Isabel de Verdon
She was the daughter of Lady Elizabeth de Clare
She was the daughter of Joan "of Acre" Plantagenet
She was the daughter of King Edward I (Plantagenet)
He was the son of King Henry III (Plantagenet)
He was the son of King John (Plantagenet)
(the one forced to sign the Magna Carta!)
And King John was the son of Eleanor of Aquitane
and King Henry II (Plantagenet)
Eleanor was the daughter of William X (Duke of Aquitane)
He was the son of William IX, Duke of Aquitane
He was the son of William VIII, Duke of Aquitane
He was the son of William V, Duke of Aquitane
He was the son of William IV,"Ironman", Duke of Aquitane
He was the son of William III, Count of Poitou, born 915
He was the son of Manzer, Count of Poitou, died 934
He was the son of Ramnulf II of Poitou
He was the son of Ramnulf I, Count of Poitou
And he was the son of Gerard, Count of Auvergne, born in 820.

And that makes this Gerard my 38th great grandparent!
And Eleanor of Aquitane is my 28th great grandmother!

Eleanor's grandfather, William IX of Aquitane was also one
of the first and foremost Troubadors of the Middle Ages. The
following is one of his original compositions:

Under the sun I ride along
And tell this story, in a song:
Ladies there are who do great wrong!
I mean such dames
As turn a cruel and heedless ear
To lovers claims....

So hear me: Silent, and discreet,
Through our Auvergne, mild and sweet,
I rode, and happened there to meet
Sir Guarin's Dame
And Bernard's too; they spoke me fair
And asked my name.

"God save you, Pilgrim, as you fare!"
Thus cried one of the comely pair
"Gentle you seem, and debonair!
(if I may judge!)
Though many Vagabonds and Rogues
Our highways trudge!"

Now, mark the style of my reply:
I spoke no truth...I told no lie
But answered only, with a sigh
(I had my plan...)
"Barbariol, barbariol,
Barbarian!"

Then said Dame Ermesses in glee
To Lady Agnes: "Mute is he!
Let's take him home, and lodge him free!
When we're alone
Such sport as we'll devise with him
Shall ne'er be known!"

So then one cast her mantle o'er
My back, and through her chamber door
Led me... And I could ask no more!
A cozy fire
Burned in the hearth; a man had all
He might desire!

A lordly meal they did prepare
And two fat capons were my share
All hotly spiced; the wine was rare
And all for me!
No steward served, no cook was there
But just us three...

"Sister, this fellow is too shy
To say a word while we stand by!
Lest he be scheming on the sly
Let our cat come!
I'll warrant we shall straightway
If he be dumb!

So Agnes went to fetch the cat
Ne'er have I seen a beast like that!
I fell to trembling where I sat
And with good cause!
Long-whiskered was he, big and fierce
With cruel claws!

Those prudent ladies first undressed
Their mute and unsuspecting guest
Then on his back the cat they pressed!
Keen could I feel
Its' talons ripping down my flank
From haunch to heel!

As Agnes dragged it by the tail
My body's length, I felt each nail,
And with the anguish I turned pale
Yet stood all meek;
By God they could have flayed me there
Ere I would speak!

"Sister," I heard Dame Agnes say,
"He's mute indeed! I think we may
Prepare ourselves for sport and pray
Draw the bath hot!"
More than a week I spent with them
Such was my lot.

Now, hear the tally I'll relate:
A hundred fourscore times, and eight
I laid them ... and a woeful state
They left me in.
With harness torn and broken blade
Aye, t'was a sin!

Good squire ... if I feel no worse
Tomorrow, take this little verse
To those fair ladies, with my purse
And, tit for tat,
Ask them, in memory of me,
TO KILL THAT CAT!

Notable movies on CD to watch

Anne and I tend to limit our CD rentals to PG, but we still enjoy the Indiana Jones, Bruce Willis, James Bond type action flicks in addition to several of the romantic comedies. But we recently watched two that were PG that were just excellent. If you get a chance, we highly recommend Mister Tom and August Rush! And now on 12/28/08, we add The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn starring Sidney Poitier -- excellent!

Recipe of the Week

Our Signature Bourbon Fudge Cake

2 Tsp Unsweetened cocoa

1¾ Cup Water

2 Tsp Instant espresso

¼ Cup Kentucky bourbon (Woodford Reserve)

5 Oz Unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 Stick Unsalted butter, cut into small

pieces and softened

2 Cup Sugar

2 Cup All-purpose flour

1 Tsp Baking soda

Dash of salt

2 Ea Large eggs, room temperature

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 275º. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with the unsweetened cocoa. Remove excess cocoa and set aside.

Combine water, instant espresso, and bourbon in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 3 minutes. Add chocolate and butter; cook over a moderate heat, stirring until the mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Add sugar and stir until well blended. Let cool 3 minutes. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Add flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, to the chocolate mixture using an electric mixer on medium speed. Continue to beat for 1 minute after all the flour has been added. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Bake for 80 to 90 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. (Our oven runs a little warm so we bake for about 66 minutes)

Cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack, remove the pan and cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

Note: Use instant coffee IF instant espresso is unavailable.

This is our absolute favorite chocolate cake! It is so moist. If you like, serve with ice cream, or crème fraiche, whipped cream, a good raspberry sauce, or let it stand alone.

Chocolate Ganache

4 Oz Semisweet chocolate chips

¼ Cup Heavy cream

½ Tsp Instant coffee granules

Melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of cake.

--

November 2008 Roadtrip

During the desperate battle of Point Pleasant, Virginia on October 10, 1774, during what some historians agree was the first battle of the American Revolution, when settlers and soldiers were surrounded in their fort by Shawnee Indians led by Chief Cornstalk, the settlers learned of the Indian plans to also attack Fort Donnelly and the nearby settlements of Greenbrier. The settlements had to be warned to prevent a massacre. During the War some Indians became allies of the settlers and believed it to be to their advantage to support who they considered to be the winning side. For whatever reason, inside the fort at Point Pleasant was another sub-sect Indian chief -- the Grenadier Squaw as she was called by the English because of her size. She was over 6'5" tall and an imposing figure. Although a sister to Chief Cornstalk, she fought on the side of the settlers. Several scouts were sent out to escape and warn the settlements in Greenbrier of the impending attacks, but none were able to get through. It was decided to send two more volunteer scouts and hope that one would get through. The two selected were dressed and painted as Indians by Nonhelema, the Grenadier Squaw. Philip Hamman and John Pryor volunteered to go. Philip was twenty-four years old and originally from the Upper Rhineland area of Germany called The Palatinate and had just arrived in Philadelphia two years before.

After a run of over one hundred sixty miles in just two days, Philip reached the settlement twelve hours before the Indians and warned of the impending attacks. John Pryor never made it. For this heroic feat, he was dubbed "The Savior of Greenbrier" There is a highway historical marker on Route 60 near Greenbrier today relating his exploits. After the war, he returned to Greenbrier and married Christina Cook. (For more about this American hero, read a book titled "The Warrior Woman" by James Alexander Thom and his wife.) A couple of years later, in 1782, they traversed the Wilderness Road into Kentucky and settled in what is now Montgomery County. It was a large extended family that travelled the Wilderness Road. that fall. In addition to the Hammans, there were a large party of Baughmans who were the family of Christina's mother. They were happy and excited about moving to the new land. As the wagon train lumbered happily along near Hazel Patch, on October 17,1782, the Indians struck and very quickly killed most of the Baughmans and scattered the remainder of the party. Days later, Christina Cook Hamman, after wandering in the wilderness, staggered into a nearby store with an arrow in her head and their week old baby dead in her arms. The massacre has forever after been called "Baughman's Defeat."

Over the next forty years, they raised a large family near Mt. Sterling. By 1826, they had moved again to Jackson County, Alabama on a 2000 acre farm shortly after the Cherokees had been forcibly removed to Oklahoma. In 1827, Philip was ordained a pastor in the Friendship Baptist Church near Fackler. He died August 3, 1832 and Christina died January 28, 1842. They were buried on their farm side by side. After many years of neglect, their graves were in danger of being lost so a family association of their descendants moved their graves to a cemetery at Valley Head, Alabama, near Hammondville.

Christina and Philip were the parents of:

Mary "Polly" Hamman, who was the mother of:

William Jackson Cope, who was the father of:

Armina Cope, who was the mother of:

Laura Back, who was the mother of:

Ollie James Landrum, who was the father of James Alan Landrum. Thus Philip and Christina were my 4th great-grandparents! I have known this for thirty years or so but had no idea where Valley Head or Fackler Alabama were.

On Monday, 11/17/08, Anne and I decided to explore nearby Lookout Mountain a little more than what we had already seen. In looking at the map, I noticed it ran south pretty much parallel to I-59 in Alabama and I also saw a little place named Valley Head! And it was only 69 miles away -- sounds like a great little roadtrip! By the time we got to Valley Head, we were both hungry and looking for a place to eat. There was one. A modest but very friendly place -- we were the only customers. I asked if anyone knew of any Hammans in the neighborhood. Over the years, the family name Hamman has been spelled many different ways. They said yes, there were many Hammonds around Valley Head. She had no idea nor had ever heard a story about Philip Hamman which I was happy to relate! The lady said there were several cemeteries around and gave us vague directions to every one of them! We looked around town a little and decided to go back home via Lookout Mountain. BUT, as fate would have it, we said let's look at the one large cemetery we passed on the way into town. I made a loop and on the way out, Anne spotted a new stone with the name Hammond. We walked over and practically stumbled upon the nearby gravestones of Philip and Christina! What a wonderful surprise! So we drove around a little more trying to get a feel for the place where they lived and died. We did return home via Lookout Mountain and Mentone, but that's another story! (Hint: if you ever get close to Mentone, take a peek!) Along the way we saw DeSoto Falls which was the site of the first hydroelectric power plant in northern Alabama. A truly interesting place.

Any descendant of Philip Haman is elgible to join the DAR or SAR.

If you would like to see a couple of pics of our trip, just follow the link at the bottom of this page.

Recipe of the Month

Reuben Casserole    

 

1¾       Cup                              Sauerkraut, canned

¼         Lb                                Deli pastrami, thinly sliced

                                                      (can use corned beef)

1          Cup                              Swiss cheese, shredded

3          Tbsp                             Thousand Island dressing

2          Each                             Tomatoes, medium,

                                                        thinly sliced

4          Tbsp                             Butter or margarine

1          Cup                              Rye crackers, crumbled

¼         Tsp                               Caraway seeds

 

Preheat oven to 425º.  Thinly layer sauerkraut in bottom of buttered 1 ½ quart casserole dish. Top with sliced pastrami, then shredded cheese. Dot dressing on top of cheese and add tomatoes. Dot with 2 tbsp butter.

 

Melt 2 tbsp butter in small saucepan. Sauté crumbled rye crackers and add caraway seeds. Spread on top of ingredients and bake 30 minutes or until bubbly.

 

Yield: 4 large servings

 

Beef pastrami is our preference over regular corned beef, but either works just fine.  If you like Reuben sandwiches, you will like this dish!

Genealogy Bits 'n Pieces

Another historical genealogy line....

Arthur Haddix was my mother's father
Orlena Deaton was his mother
Alexander Deaton was her father
Malinda Watts was his mother
Emily "Millie" Polly was her mother
George Noble, Jr. was her father
Mary Ann Thomas Alexander was his mother
Gerald (or Gerrard) Alexander was her father
Anne Fowke was his mother
Gerrard Fowke was her father
Col. Gerrard Fowke was his father
Roger Fowke was his father
Dorothy Cupper was his mother
Audrey Peto was her mother
John Peto was her father
Edward Peto was his father
John Peto was his father
Katherine Gresley was his mother
Elizabeth Clarell was her mother
Elizabeth Scrope was her mother
Elizabeth Strathbogie was her mother
Elizabeth de Ferrers was her mother (c.1336-1375)
Henry de Ferrers was her father
William de Lord Ferrers of Groby Ferrers was his father
Anne le Despencer was his mother
Anne (Aline) Basset was her mother
Hawise (Helewise) de Louvaine was her mother
Sir Matthew de Louvaine was her father
Sir Godfrey de Louvaine was his father
Godfrey IX, Duke of Lorraine, was his father
Godfrey VIII was his father
Godfrey VII, Duke of Lorraine was his father
Henry II, Count of Louvain, was his father
Lambert II was his father
Lambert I, Count of Louvain, was his father
Raynier III, Count of Hainault, was his father
Raynier II, Count of Hainault, was his father
Raynier I, Count of Hainault, was his father
Ermengarde of Lorraine was his mother
Lothar I, Holy Roman Emperor, was his father
Louis I, Holy Roman Emperor, was his father
Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor (748 - 814)
was his father
Pepin III, King of the Franks was his father
Charles Martel was his father
Pepin II, of Heristol was his father
Ansegisel "Duke Angise" was his father
St. Arnulf, Bishop of Metz, was his father
Duke Baudguise II was his father
St. Gondolfus, Bishop of Tongres, was his father
Munderic was his father
Cloderic, the Parricide, King of Cologne
was his father
Sigebert, King of the Ripuarian Franks,
was his father
Childebert, King of Cologne, was his father
Clovis, the Ripaurian, King of Cologne,
was his father. Clovis was born before
the year 420 A.D.

This makes ole Clovis the King, my 53rd great -grandfather!