French Family Association
The Official Website of the Surname French
Courthouse in Brownstown, Jackson Co., Indiana
Chart #161, Cassandra (Keziah)
French, 1796
Logan, Dearborn Co., IN;
Brownstown, Jackson Co., IN;
Franklin Co., IN
Also Toledo and Koszta, Tama
Co., IA
Wayne, Montgomery Co., OH
This chart updated by Mara French on 1/8/10. Numbers in brackets [ ] refer to the bibliography at the end of this chart. An asterisk (*) shows continuation of that line. Send any corrections or additions to this chart to marafrench@mindspring.com. Revisions: 2008, 2009.
Contents
Close Connections but No Cigar
Children of Cassandra French and William Davis
Children of Cassandra Davis and Moses Brannan
Introduction
When I first started numbering FFA charts, I included both male and female lines; hence, this female line of a former FFA member. IÕve decided to keep these female lines in place so as not to confuse the numbering system.
As soon as the FFA finds the parents of Cassandra, this chart will no longer be maintained, but continue with her parentÕs chart. Hopefully, it will connect into another male chart. Cassandra FrenchÕs parents seem not to be found anywhere. If you find more data, please email marafrench@mindspring.com.
Cassandra French
Cassandra (also called Keziah or Kissie) French was b. 23 or 25 Jun 1796 in VA according to the 1850 census of Wayne, Montgomery Co., OH, d. 9 May 1890 (95 years old) in Toledo, Tama Co., IA, buried in Koszta, Iowa Co., IA (sometimes spelled Kozsta). Keziah (or Cassandra) lived in Dearborn Co., IN, until ca. 1829 or 1830 when her last child was born.
Cassandra was in Marengo, Iowa Co., in the Iowa State census 1850 with Moses and several of their married children. Also in the 1850 census, she is listed with several of her children in Wayne, Montgomery Co., OH [6]. She is in Tama Co., IA at a later date after Moses died in 1871.
Dorothy Freeze (Ref. [6] ) did further research on Cassandra in Nov 2009:
In the 1850 census, Moses
Brannan and son Thomas Jefferson Brannan were in Grassy Fork Twp, Jackson
County, Indiana, in the household of James "Jonson." James
Johnson's wife Jerusha is a daughter of Moses Brannan,
so that's easily explainable. I searched for sometime before I located Casandra in the census of 1850. I finally found her
in Wayne, Montgomery County, Ohio, family #1474, to wit:
Casandra Branner (It's indexed Branner, but hard to tell if the last letter is an r or an
n), age 55, born Virginia, with children James Branner,
age 25, laborer; B.F. Branner, age 17, laborer;
Elizabeth Branner, age 15; and Mary Branner, age 12 -- it says all the children were born in
Ireland!!!
I can't explain why she was in
Montgomery County, Ohio, but found it interesting that next door to her lived:
Jas
French, age 50, farmer
Diana
French, age 57
Susannah
French, age 23
James
French, age 17
Lewis
French, age 12
all born Pennsylvania.
I have not been able to find
out much about James French Sr., except that he is buried in Poplar
Hill Cemetery, Vandalia, Montgomery Co., Ohio, with dates of 1800-1883. No
other French is buried at this cemetery.
Mara FrenchÕs reply: I found Lewis in the 1870 census of Wayne, Montgomery Co., OH with wife Mary and children George C., Sarah J., and Hattie. It states that Lewis and all children were born in Ohio. In the 1880 census in NY is a James French b. 1835 in Ireland, married to Jane A. with 5 children. It could be that the 50-year old Jas French was CasandraÕs brother – at least they were contemporaries. Then looking at the Branner children, I find a James Brenner in Winona, Minnesota, age 35 in the 1860 census, b. 1825 in Ireland. He m. Ellen (33) and has 4 children: Bridget, Patrick, Mary N., and William. The name Brannen is an Irish name.
Close Connections but No Cigar
A close tie to this line is Keziah
French who was b. in 1804 in VA, FFA Chart #14,
website:
http://www.frenchfamilyassoc.com/FFA/CHARTS/Chart014/,
as there are several women in this line named Keziah,
as well as several men named James.
Also, on FFA Chart #10,
website:
http://www.frenchfamilyassoc.com/FFA/CHARTS/Chart010/
there are some members from the Brannon family in Washington and Greene Co.,
TN. Henry French, Jr. who was b. ca. 1778/79 in Wilkes Co., NC, which is now
Washington and Greene Co., TN, show a Rhody Brannon,
age 14 in the 1850 Greene Co., TN census, living in this household along with
Mary A. 30, Nancy A. 28, and Rody 72. This seems like
a very close fit, but we donÕt have the answer yet.
William French and Elizabeth Bundy of Rhode Island and North Carolina had a daughter named Cassandra French. It is true that this family existed; however, William was b. 5 Dec 1802, therefore this is not a match.
William Davis, 1st Husband
Cassandra French m1. William Davis in 1812 in Dearborn, Jackson Co., IN, and had 2 children. These children were not in the home with Cassandra and Moses Brannan (CassandraÕs second marriage) on the 1820 census. It is unknown what happened to these sons between 1814 and 1818 when Cassandra married Moses Brannan. Their two sons were John Davis and Joshua Davis. William Davis may have had two sisters named Elizabeth and Charity.
Children of Cassandra French and William Davis
John Davis
John Davis was b. Jun 1813 in Maryland according to the 1850 census of Clifty, Bartholomew Co., IN when John Davis was 39, and it gives his wife as Elizabeth. There is a John Davis in 1862 marrying a widow named Mary Christy [1]. He d. after 1880 in Labette, KS and is buried in the Vance Cemetery [11]. There are very few stones still in existence. He m. Mary Corner Christy who was b. ca. 1813 in Ross, Butler Co., OH. They were m. 15 Oct 1866 in Floris, Davis Co., IA [11]. He is in the 1870 census of Iowa, Wayne Co., and in Davis Co., IA. ÒAÓ William and Mary Cromer Christy were in Clifty, Bartholomew Co., IN from 1833 until about 1855 when they moved to Davis Co., IA [1]. In Labette Co., KS, John DavisÕs homesite is described as being on the northeast quarter of section 18 in 1869 when a land dispute was in question [16].
Joshua Davis
Joshua Davis was b. Dec 1814. Ref [1] says he was b. ca. 1811/12. Joshua Davis was given to a male guardian with the last name of Guard or Gerard or Gerrard or Guared or Girard by the Dearborn Court as it was said that he was an orphan in 1824 to 1826, when he would have been about 10 years old. In reality, he was not an orphan [1]. In this timeframe, a mother was not considered capable of managing affairs for her young children; hence, when the father died, the children were declared orphans and some male (usually family or close friends) were appointed guardians [13]. William Davis had probably died before 1818 [13]. Later in the mid-1830Õs, there is a Joshua Davis getting married in Jackson Co., IN, where Cassandra and her family also had moved in late 1829, and before Mar 1830.
Moses Brannan, 2nd Husband
Cassandra, married for a second time to Moses Brannan or Brannan in 1818 in Franklin Co., which is next to Dearborn Co., IN. She used the name Keziah instead of Cassandra. It is unknown whether or not her first husband, William Davis, had died. Moses was the last son born in Greene Co., TN to William Brannon and his wife Jerusha Pitcock. Jerusha died in 1814 and is buried on the family farm cemetery in Winchester. William m2. Sally and had more children born in Green Co., TN [1]. Ref. [1] believes that with both these French and Brannan families being in the same place at the same time, it might be where we can find CassandraÕs parents, although the Greene Co. TN records were destroyed prior to 1800.
Moses Brannan was b. 11 Mar 1797 in TN and d. 3 Nov 1871 in Marengo, Iowa Co., IA and is buried in Koszta, Iowa City, IA. Cassandra French m2. Moses Brannan 19 Jun 1818 in Franklin Co., IN. Cassandra used the name ÒKeziahÓ instead of Cassandra when she married. Both Moses and Cassandra are buried in Koszta. Moses owned some lots there. Moses was a laborer according to the 1850 census of Grassy Fork, Jackson Co., IN.
There is a Moses Brannon along with a William Brannon listed in the 1820 census of Logan, Dearborn Co., IN. There is also a George French on Ancestry.com as being in the militia in Dearborn Co., IN, in 1812, possibly a father or brother to Cassandra [18].
In the 1840 census of Jackson City, Indiana, Moses Brannan is listed with a male between 5-10, 3 males between 10-15, 1 male between 15-20, 1 male between 40-50, and a male between 80-90. Also a female under 1, 1 between 5-10, 1 between 15-20, 1 between 40-50 in Jackson Co., IN.
Ref. [13] who compiles FFA Chart #188 says she has a Cassinbra / Cassinda / Cadsindra / Keziah in Dandridge, Jefferson Co., TN, but the dates are a bit different.
Moses had a brother named Thomas Jefferson Brannan, and Thomas named a son Thomas Jefferson Brannan. His brother may have been born ca. 1795 in Greene Co., TN and married Elizabeth Shelton on 12 May 1836. This brother was married twice; he married the second time while still married to the first, and he moved to Bartholomew Co., IN [1]. He is on the 1850 census with both wives in IN [1].
In the 1850 census of Grassy Fork, Jackson Co., Indiana, Moses Brannan was 55 born in TN, living with his son Thomas Jefferson Brannan age 20 born in IN. Moses was a laborer and Thomas was a teacher. Cassandra (or Keziah) is not listed; however, Moses and Thomas Brannan were living with an 8-member Tonson family. Ref. [6] states they lived in the household of James ÒJonsonÓ. James Johnson's wife Jerusha is a daughter of Moses Brannan, so that's easily explainable [6]. I searched for sometime before I located Casandra in the census of 1850 [6]. I finally found her in Wayne, Montgomery County, Ohio, family #1474, to wit [6]:
Casandra Branner (It's indexed Branner, but hard to tell if the last letter is an r or an n), age 55, born ca. 1795 in Virginia, with children James Branner, age 25, laborer; B.F. Branner, age 17, laborer; Elizabeth Branner, age 15; and Mary Branner, age 12 -- it says all the children were born in Ireland!!!
I can't explain why she was in Wayne, Montgomery Co., OH, but found it interesting that next door to her lived [6]:
Jas French, age 50, farmer
Diana French, age 57
Susannah French, age 23
James French, age 17
Lewis French, age 12
all born Pennsylvania.
I have not been able to find out much about James French, except that he is buried in Poplar Hill Cemetery, Vandalia, Montgomery Co., OH, with dates of 1800-1883 [6].
Moses predeceased Cassandra on 3 Nov 1871 in Koszta, IA. Cassandra (or Keziah) lived most of her young married life in Dearborn, Jackson Co., IN, and then moved to Grassy Fork township, Brownstown, Jackson Co., IN, in 1828. Cassandra may have changed her name to Keziah Davis at the time she married Moses Brannan in Franklin Co., IN while living in Dearborn.
Also mentioned in a Bible is the town of Hicksite. His father was William Brannan and his grandfather was John Brannan from Stradbally, Ireland, who immigrated to Virginia [4]. John BrannanÕs descendant, Samuel Brannan, was a primary figure in the Gold Rush and in the development of San Francisco, CA [4]. See website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Brannan
Samuel Brannan, b. 2 Mar 1819, d.
14 May 1869.
Children of Cassandra Davis and Moses Brannan
Moses Brannan and Cassandra French Davis had 10 children born between 1819 and 1837:
á Jerusha Brannan, dau., b. 16 May 1819 in Dearborn Co., IN, m. James Johnson 15 Dec 1836 in Jackson Co., IN [6]. James was b. in KY, d. 26 Aug 1887 in Ida Grove, Ida Co., IA. They had 9 children.
á William LeGrande Brannan, b. 10 Feb 1821 in Dearborn, IN, lived in Iowa Co., IA in 1871 when his father died. He m. Minerva S. Umbarger on 26 Dec 1843 in Brownstown, Jackson Co., IN and had 4 children, all in Jackson Co., IN.
á Jeannette Brannan, b. 28 Mar 1823 [12].
á James French Brannan, b. 11 Aug 1825 in Brownstown, IN [11]; however, the 1850 census of Wayne, Montgomery Co., OH, says he was born in Ireland and was a laborer at age 25 [6], d. after 1900 in IA, m. Esther McChesney ca. 1845 in IL. Esther was b. 31 Mar 1836 in PA. They had 7 children, born between 1860-1879 in IA (most likely Polk Co.): Leon, Pyrrhus F., Emory, Rosetta C., Catherine J., James, and Charles Oscar Brannon [11]. See the 1856 Iowa Census in Marengo and the 1880 Iowa Census in Polk Co., Des Moines, District 163 IMG 44 [11].
á Emanuel Elzie ÒMikeÓ H. Brannan, b. 13 Sep 1828 in Brownstown, Jackson Co., IN, (direct descendent of Ref [1]). He had a grandson named Thomas Cecil Brannon (1909-1969) [7]. Emanuel m. Millie Maxine Rooks on 30 Oct 1862 in Susanville, Lassen Co., CA, and had one daughter. Emanuel d. 23 Dec 1913 [12] in Colfax, Whitman Co, WA [11].
á Thomas Jefferson Brannan, b. 8 Apr 1830 in Brownstown, Jackson Co., IN. He was a teacher in Jackson Co in the 1850 census, age 20. He had an illegitimate child who was a school teacher in Jackson Bo., being the first at Grassy Fork School near Brownstown, IN. He later m. Almira Rogers in MO [1]. He is listed in the 1850 census for Jackson Co., IN, Grassy Fork township. Thomas Brannan lived with Caroline Prince in 1850 in Brownstown, Jackson Co., IN, and had 1 daughter. When this daughter married a man named Mace, Caroline Prince lived with her daughter until she died ca. 1914. The daughter had about 10 children. Thomas then m1. Almina Rogers on 1 Aug 1858 in Pike Co., MO, and had 7 children (2 in MO, 4 in OR, 1 in CA) [8]. Thomas J. went with his brother Emanuel ca. 1852 to Iowa Co., IA by wagon, as did his brother William LeGrande, and his sisters Jerusha Brannan Johnson and Mary Brannan [1]. Thomas d. 22 Aug 1924 [12].
á Benjamin Franklin (B.F.) Brannan, b. 8 Aug 1832/3 probably in Brownstown, Jackson Co., IN]; however, the 1850 census of Wayne, Montgomery Co., OH, says he was born in Ireland and was a laborer at age 17 [6], lived in Iowa Co., IA in 1871 when his father died. He d. 1919 [12]. Benjamin m1. Eliza A. Donnalley on 1 Sep 1857 by G. G. Edwards, Book A, page 13 (named spelled Brannen) in Iowa Co., IA [14]. He m2. Melvina J. Shanklin (license 8 Oct 1874), marriage book B, page 267 (name also spelled Brannen) [14].
á Elizabeth Brannan, b. 4 Dec 1834 in Brownstown, Jackson Co., IN]; however, the 1850 census of Wayne, Montgomery Co., OH, says she was born in Ireland [6], m. Gabriel S. Tanner [2], d. 16 Feb 1926 in IA.
á Mary Virginia Brannan, b. 7 Oct 1837 in IL [11]; however, the 1850 census of Wayne, Montgomery Co., OH, says she was born in Ireland [6].
Koszta Cemetery
A Hungarian cemetery, sometimes misspelled as Kozsta instead of Koszta. It is on Hwy 212 Pozzydaz, 5 miles west of Marengo, on the south hillside, above Honey Creek, north town of Koszta. It is one of the earliest in the county with stones dated from 1844. Probably 80% or more of these people are in some form related.
Website: http://www.iagenweb.org/iowa/cem/1975-lillie/p168.htm
Bibliography
[1] Wilma, email: willma@sprynet.com (good in 2006), aka Maxine Baldwin Westerfield, Maxine Baldwin Wilton (2001)
[2] Joann Kane, email: sweetpea@kanokla.net or sweetpea@hotmail.com (2001 – no longer deliverable)
[3] Betty Vickrey, email bvickrey@jps.net (2000 – no longer deliverable)
[4] Donna Brannan, email auntilove@hotmail.com (2000 – no longer deliverable)
[5] Lee Harlin Bahan, gpblhb@compuage.com (2000 – no longer deliverable)
[6] Dottie Freeze, email: dandjfreeze@msn.com (good in 2010). She descends from James and Jerusha (Brannan) Johnson.
[7] Shirley Brannan Magrath, email: jean2211@msn.com (2000)
[8] Ancestry.com (paid website):
http://trees.ancestry.com/owt/person.aspx?pid=175244223&st=1s
[9] Ancestry.com (paid website):
http://trees.ancestry.com/owt/person.aspx?pid=13031900
[10] ÒThe Siege BeginsÓ, p. 161, where it describes Captain
John Davis as a boatman with many years experience on the Mississippi River,
but this was in Dec 1811, website:
http://books.google.com/books?id=v-bfoPtOnW4C&pg=PA161&lpg=PA161&dq=%22John+Davis%22+%2BMississippi+River+boatman&source=web&ots=viUXhckMmT&sig=rzxOQwDVgRjjH2rZKVfAiDhtIiQ&hl=en
[11] Vernon E. Wilson, email: vewenere@hotmail.com or veweaere@hotmail.com, (both emails
undeliverable in 2009) website:
http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=vewcaere&id=I9666
contains about 70 members of the French family; however, Cassandra is the
earliest French.
[12] The Paul, Carr, Brown, and Tompkins Family Tree, email: bpaul8515@yahoo.com
[13] Jeanette S. French, jfrench1@earthlink.net
[14] 1850-1880 Grooms Index to Marriages, Tama Co., IA,
website:
http://files.usgwarchives.org/ia/tama/vitals/grmIb.txt
[15] World Bride Index, Donaldson, Betty to Donovan,
Margaret Gallgher, website:
http://brideindex.info/
[16] History of Labette County, Kansas,
and its Representative Citizens, ed. & comp. by
Hon. Nelson Case. Pub. By Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, IL, 1901,
website:
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/labette/1901/153-165.shtml
[17] Gerhardt Leffler, email: gerhardt_leffler@yahoo.com,
made many contributions to ÒFind A GraveÓ including the inscriptions on
Cassandra and Moses BrannanÕs gravestones.
[18] Deb Skoff, email: skoff@comcast.net (email good in 2009).
[19] Maxine M. Wilton, mnwaw@sprynet.com
(email good in 2001). See Ref. [1].