George Scoggin(s):

SCOGGIN FAMILY HISTORY

Chapter I

Line to William A. Scoggin

Chapter I of this publication is intended to outline the Scoggin Family’s descent from our beginnings in England and following down to my father, William A. Scoggin. Our family tree, as best as we know it, can be traced back clearly to a man named, George Scoggin, born in 1630 in England.

George Scoggin(s):

His parents names are unknown. It is speculated that the spelling has changed between the parents of George Scoggin and the name that appears on the documents we have found for this man. This could involve misunderstanding or misspelling when in England. This was common for that time period. Sometimes the spelling of a person’s name would change more than once over their lifetime. The possibilities for the spelling of his name were: Scoggin, Scoggins, Scogin, Scogan, Scoggan, Scoggen and Scogen. Despite these discrepancies, we have sufficient information on George Scoggin to believe that he is the man from whom we descend.

Aside from the spelling of his name, we have learned from relatives in Texas that the earliest reference of “George Scoggins” was when he arrived in Virginia in 1653. He was born in 1630, and came to the United States from England. His passage was paid by a William Tidner, and we don't know why that was. He could have been indentured, we imagine, but that is pure speculation. We have found no evidence of indenturement papers. The source of this information is a book called Pioneers and Cavaliers by Nugent. We received this information from Andy Anderson who wrote a book entitled Wright and Susan Scogins.

The only known child of George Scoggin is Richard George Scoggin, and the name of his mother is unknown as well.

Richard (George) Scoggin:

Richard (George) Scoggin was born in 1665 in Prince George County, Virginia. (Some people say his name was George Richard Scoggin, and we are not sure which is correct.) He lived most of his life, that we can tell, in Prince George County, Virginia.

His wife was Lucy Harney (sometimes spelled Harvey) Scoggin, and they had three sons:

Name of Child	Documented Dates	Spouses
1. Richard Scoggin	Born in 1695 Died in 1770	Mary
2. John Scoggin	Born in 1697 Died in 1760
3. William Scoggin	Born in 1699 Date of Death Unknown	Rebeckah?

Richard Scoggin:

Richard Scoggin (1^st) was born in Bristol Parish, Prince George County, Surry, Virginia, in 1695. He married a woman named Mary in 1720, who was born between 1690 and 1700 in Washington, Virginia. There is conflicting information regarding Mary’s maiden name. It could have been Ray, Webb, Harney or even Harvey. One database shows her as being “Mary Ray? Webb.” This also shows the most likely and logical pattern of descent. According to another, however, she was Mary Harney or Harvey, with her parents being William and Sarah Harney. With regard to her maiden name, pick one, and we’ll descend from it; your guess is as good as mine. Richard and Mary Scoggin started their married life in Prince George, Virginia, and later moved to Washington, Virginia, somewhere between the end of 1721 and the beginning of 1722 when their son Richard was born. They had eight children:

Name of Child	Documented Dates	Spouses
1. John “Jonathan” Scoggin	Born on July 22, 1721 Married in 1744 (about) Died in 1763	Mildred Jonas
2. Richard Thomas Scoggin	Born on February 15, 1722 Died June 1770 – 1780	Mary Jones
3. Francis Scoggin	Born August 22, 1725 Died in Childhood	None
4. Martha Scoggin	Born July 11, 1729 Date of Death Unknown	David Wall
5. Lutita Scoggin	Born July 11, 1729 Date of Death Unknown	Daniel Wall
6. Mary Scoggin	Born July 1, 1732 Date of Death Unknown	Unknown
7. Anna Scoggins	Born May 25, 1734 Date of Death Unknown	Unknown

8. Ruth Scoggin

Born in 1745 (About)

Married in 1765 (About)

Died in 1813 (Or After)

Charles Bostick

We know that Richard left all of his property to his wife, Mary, upon his death in 1770. (We have a copy of each of their wills and of the Indenturement entered into by Mary Scoggin. See Documentation Section.) It would have been nice if they had listed Mary’s maiden name in this document, but we did not catch a break here. We thought we had found the answer to all of our questions when we found a genealogical society who provided us with copies of the family wills and marriage records, but it was not so. At the time of Richard’s death, Mary entered into indenturement papers which transferred to a man named, Stephen Norton, of the County of Orange, in the Province of North Carolina, the sum of $75.00 and transferring to Mary Scoggins a tract of land being 152 acres in size. We speculate whether the river listed in the legal description in these papers (which are very hard to read – they are in old-style cursive) is the Broad River, which was the site of the Scoggin Settlement according to The Maude Horn book.

Upon her death in approximately 1780, in Mary Scoggin’s will, she leaves all of her worldly goods as follows:

John Wilson (Son-in-law): one-half of her land in the State of North Carolina and one negro slave, London;

John Scoggin (Illegitimate son of Ruth Bostick): The other half of her land and two negro salves, Jan and Jockey, one feather bed and furniture and one cow and calf;

Sally Scoggin Bed and furniture, a negro slave named Ely and one cow and calf;

Daniel Wall Next she lends to her son-in-law Daniel Wall, during his natural life, her negro slave Sam and after the decease of the said Daniel to his son John Wall.

Charles Bostick Finally, she remembers her son-in-law Charles Bostick by leaving him a negro woman slave.

Mary closes her will by requesting that the remainder of her estate be sold and distributed, in equal shares, to her four sons-in-law: John Wilson, Daniel Wall, David Wall and Charles Bostick.

We find of interest that twin daughters, Lutita (Lucy) Scoggin and Martha Scoggin, appear to have married brothers. Lutita (Lucy) Scoggin married Daniel Wall and Martha Scoggin married his brother, David Wall. David and Martha Wall, later adopted David Scoggin, renaming him David Wall. David Scoggin is listed below, as he was the natural son of John “Jonathan” Scoggin and his wife, Mildred Jonas. He was orphaned while a minor.

John “Jonathan” Scoggin:

John “Johnathan” Scoggin was born on July 22, 1721, in Bristol Parish, Prince George County, Virginia. He married Mildred Jonas who was born in 1720. They lived out their lives in Virginia. Five children were born of their marriage:

Name of Child	Documented Dates	Spouses
1. Mathew Scoggin	Born December 31, 1741 Died in Childhood	None
2. John Scoggin, Jr.	Born in 1752 Date of Death Unknown	Sarah Walker
3. Francis Scoggin	Born in 1755 Marriage Date Unknown Died on August 23, 1809	Jemima Byrd
4. David Scoggin (Later David Wall)	Born in 1758 Married Before 1777 Died between 1788 and 1790	Lucy Roberts
5. Nathan Scoggin	Born in 1759 Married Before 1775 Died in 1810	Martha Johnston

John Scoggin died in the French and Indian War in 1763. We have not been able to find his military records. As related in the section above, one of the children of John and Mildred Scoggin, David Scoggin, was adopted after the death of his natural parents by his (Uncle) David and (Aunt) Martha Wall, renaming him “David Wall.”

Francis Scoggin:

We believe we have sufficient documentation to establish that our line descends from Francis Scoggin, born in 1755 and Jemima Byrd, born in approximately 1750. They were married somewhere in the years between 1766 and 1780. It is clear that the dates are not solid on when these ancestors were born and later married, which is what leads to the confusion that you run across in several other publications regarding Francis Scoggin and the parentage of his children.

The confusion may stem from the fact that Francis Scoggin had an Uncle, Francis Scoggin, who died in childhood. This could explain why the Mormon database lists our line as descending from Francis Scoggin, born in 1725. They have him confused with his nephew, quite possibly by reading census or church records incorrectly which listed a “Francis Scoggin born in 1725” and later finding another “Francis Scoggin,” quite possibly living on the same family settlement, and presuming they are one and the same.

Also in the book, Maud Horn’s Atchley Family History, Richard (1^st) was said to have been in the Revolutionary War. His probated will shows he died in 1770, and the Revolutionary War didn’t start until 1771. However, Francis Scoggin, his grandson, would have been of the perfect age to carry a rifle.

To further confuse the issue, the Maud Horn’s Atchley Family History shows Richard Scoggin as having been married to Mary Webb and the father of Burgess “Bird” Scoggin (1^st). This would mean that Richard Scoggin (1^st) would have been close to 90 years old when Bird (1^st) was born in 1784, and Mary (Harney? Ray? Webb?) would surely have been in her 80’s at that time. Once again, we know from his probated will, that Richard died in the year 1770 – 14 years before Bird (1^st) was born. This is clear evidence that Richard (1^st) was not the father of Bird (1^st), but his great-grandfather.

There is a section in Maud Horn’s book which refers to a Webb family clock in which Polly hides the clock in a tree while the British and Tories were raiding. This could have been done by the wife of Burgess “Bird” Scoggin, Polly Webb. She would have been a child during the War for Independence while the British and Tories were raiding, and the hiding of a clock could have been a job handed to a child, “Polly go hide the clock.”

Another scenario, would be that Richard’s Wife, if said to be a Webb, as a very elderly woman in the early part of the Revolutionary War, might have wanted to hide the family’s prize possession, the Webb family clock, that she passed down into the Scoggin family – as she was a Scoggin by marriage.

The clock was handed down later to “favored grandson, Andrew Jackson Scoggin.” We find no record which shows which grandparent actually gave him the clock. We once again, do not catch a break here! We can believe one of two paths:

1. If Mary Polly Webb, wife of Burgess, hid the clock in a tree when she was a child during the War for Independence, then her father, William Webb, could have been the grandparent that gave Andrew Jackson Scoggin, favored grandson, this Webb family clock.

2. If Mary, wife of Richard (1^st), was indeed a member of the Webb family as speculated by some, she could have hidden the clock in a tree when she was an elderly woman during the Revolutionary War. If so, she could have passed the clock down into the Scoggin family as she was a Scoggin by marriage, and Francis Scoggin could have given the clock to his favored grandson Andrew Jackson Scoggin.

We do know for sure that this clock exists, and was in the possession of John S. Scoggin of Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1965, a descendant of Andrew Jackson Scoggin.

The children of Francis and Jemima Scoggin were:

Name of Child	Documented Dates	Spouses
1. Lemuel Scoggin	Born About 1774 Date of Marriage Unknown Date of Death Unknown	Sarah Webb
2. Elizabeth Scoggin	Born about 1776 Date of Death Unknown	Unknown
3. Ezekial Scoggin	Born about 1778 Date of Marriage Unknown Date of Death Unknown	Rebbecca Taylor
4. Burgess Bird Scoggin	Born about 1784 Married October 26, 1807 Died in 1831	Mary Polly Webb
5. Jessie Scoggin	Born about 1779 Date of Marriage Unknown Date of Death Unknown	Mary Cochram
6. Sarah Sally Scoggin	Born about 1785 Date of Marriage Unknown Date of Death Unknown	Reburn Washburn
7. John Scoggin	Date of Birth Unknown Date of Death Unknown	Unknown
8. Richard Scoggin	Born in 1790 Date of Death Unknown	Unknown

Francis Scoggin died on August 23, 1809 and his wife, Jemima Byrd Scoggin, survived him, having died between the years of 1810 and 1820.

Burgess Bird Scoggin:

Burgess “Bird” Scoggin (Bird 1^st) was born about 1784 to Francis Scoggin and his wife, Jemima Byrd Scoggin. Jemima’s maiden name being Byrd may explain why Burgess was nick-named “Bird” and why all men named “Burgess” down that line were nick-named “Bird” as well. This could have been a Byrd family nickname. (Not really grasping there are we?)

Burgess (Bird 1^st) married Mary Polly Webb on October 26, 1807, in Rutherford County, North Carolina.

All that is known about Bird Scoggin is that he was born, married, raised his children and died in Rutherford County, North Carolina.

Mary Polly Webb Scoggin, was born in about 1788, the daughter of William Webb and his wife, Ursula Caroline Holt Webb. Concerning her Webb family history, it is said that the Honorable Jay W. Webb, an attorney and former member of Congress of Shelby, North Carolina, is a descendant of Mary Polly Webb Scoggin’s brother.

Among the records that were found of the Webb family, were three calling cards left by John H. Webb, Charles E. Webb and Maud S. Webb. It is believed that these people were cousins.

The children of Burgess Bird Scoggin and Mary Polly Webb Scoggin were:

Name of Child	Documented Dates	Spouses
1. Maria Scoggin	Born in 1810 Date of Marriage Unknown Date of Death Unknown	Spencer Blankenship
2. Richard Scoggin	Born between 1811-1814 Married in 1845 Died in 1852	Mary Doggett
3. Burgess Bird Scoggin (Bird 2^nd)	Born after 1812 Married in about 1839 Died December 11, 1881	Rebecca Gold
4. Andrew Jackson Scoggin	Born in 1815 Marriage Date Unknown Died February 28, 1864	Sarah Scoggins (first wife – kinswoman) Malena Fannie Davis (second wife)
5. Zena Scoggin	Born after 1815 Marriage Date Unknown Date of Death Unknown	Jack Davis
6. Narcissa Scoggin	Born in 1820 Married April 4, 1844 Died in 1879	William Smith
7. Jesse Scoggin	Born after 1821 Date of Death Unknown	Unknown
8. Susan Caroline Scoggin	Born September 30, 1830 Dave of Marriage Unknown Died May 9, 1907	William Riley Long

After Bird’s death in 1831, Mary Polly Webb Scoggin visited for long periods with several of her children. She is remembered by descendants of the Long family as being “a cordial lady who was especially kind to children.” She returned to Rutherford County at age 98, where she died in 1888. It is also said that her mother, who also died in Rutherford County, lived to be 100 years of age as well.

Richard Scoggin:

Richard Scoggin was born between 1811 and 1814. He was married in 1845 to Mary Doggett. By occupation Richard Scoggin (2^nd) was a farmer. Richard and Mary were members of the Baptist Church. Mary Doggett Scoggin was born between 1815 and 1822, the daughter of George Catham Doggett and Amelia Carpenter Doggett.

Richard and Mary had four children:

Name of Child	Documented Dates	Spouses
1. Millie Narcissus Scoggin	Born February 2, 1846 Died October, 1883	Unknown
2. George William Scoggin	Born October 8, 1847 Married September 10, 1868 Died March 10, 1924	Caroline Huff
3. Mary S. Scoggin	Born August 22, 1849 Date of Marriage Unknown Date of Death Unknown	William Longley
4. James Burgess Scoggin (Bird 3^rd)	Born in 1851 Married in about 1868 Died in 1912	Mary Ellen Profitt Leaner F. Haney Mary E. Fox Florence May Ivey

Richard, Mary and family moved from Rutherford County, North Carolina, to Catoosa County, Georgia during the year 1852, when he died. He was buried at Salem Church in Catoosa County, Georgia. During 1868, the widow and children moved to Missouri and later to Texas. Mary Doggett Scoggin died in 1901 in Wise County, Texas.

James Burgess Scoggin:

While we do not descend from James Burgess Scoggin, Bird (3^rd), we have quite a bit of interesting information regarding this member of our family and his many wives. For this reason, we will include Bird (3^rd) in this publication of our family:

Bird (3^rd) first married an Indian woman, Mary Ellen Profitt, who was supposedly a “Seer” and was said to be able to predict the future. She was commonly referred to by the people in their family as “The Prophet.” She was a strong-willed woman and seemed to be the only person who could keep Bird (3^rd) in check. Mary was a full-blooded American Indian from the Chief Black Hawks tribe, the Sioux from Illinois. She died in childbirth at age of 38 and is buried in Arkansas. Since Burgess was listed as a widower on 1900 Census records, she would have died between 1891 (birth of Albert) and 1900. Her name is listed on several deeds as “Mary Scoggins.”

County records also list Bird (3^rd) as married to Leaner F. Haney on Sept 15, 1895.

Per 1900 Census records, Bird (3^rd) lived in Fairview, Independence County, Arkansas, and was listed as a “widower” with two sons: Riley 12 yrs and Albert J. 9 yrs. (We presume this to mean Leaner F. Haney Scoggin died sometime prior to the year 1900.)

County records also show a marriage to Mary E. Fox on April 7, 1901. There is no record to reflect either the divorce from or death of Mary E. Fox Scoggin.

County records also show a marriage to Florence May Ivey on Jan. 5, 1905. While married to Florence May Ivey Scoggin and living in Fairview Township, Arkansas, in 1900 – 1910, Bird (3^rd) was tried for murdering his stepson (son of Florence May) and was found not guilty.

Per 1910 Census records, Bird (3^rd) was listed as James Burgess, Age 58, living in Relief Township in Independence County, Arkansas, with Clyde J. at 4 yrs and Henry F. at 3 years of age.

Per courthouse records, Bird (3^rd) was committed to the poorhouse in Independence County, Arkansas on January 30, 1911 with wife May Scoggins and their two children, Henry Scoggins and James Scoggins for a period of 30 days or until the further orders of the judge. He is said to have died in a poor house outside of Batesville and is buried there.

George William Scoggin: George William Scoggin was born on October 8, 1847, and married Caroline Huff on September 10, 1868. When he was four years old, his parents moved to Catoosa County, Georgia, where they remained until the outbreak of the Civil War. Although, but 14 years of age, George William’s large stature enabled him to pass for the age of 18, and he entered the ranks of the Confederate States Army. He served under General John H. Morgan; at another time he was Orderly for General Buckner; later he was with Patrick Claibourne’s Company.	“Picture of Grandpa Billy” Omitted from E-mail Version Due to File Size
He wore the gray as bravely as did any man who fought at the Stone River or Chattanooga. He was twice wounded, the worst being his left ankle. He kept the bones that were taken from his wound and those bones were buried with him at his death. The wound to his left ankle caused him to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. He was a prisoner of war for 11 months in various Federal Prison Camps, the last ones being at Cloverton, Kentucky and Camp Chase, Ohio. After regaining his liberty, he returned to Georgia. At that time, his entire fortune consisted of his crutch and a .5 piece. He was said to have retained two qualities that served him well throughout his life, these being his fine, noble spirit and his strong courage. In his early years, he drove an oxen team and hauled timber. He cut cord wood and worked with saw mills to get started.
George William Scoggin moved from Georgia to Missouri and settled to Hogan, Missouri, on November 7, 1876. This is when he married Caroline Huff Scoggin.		Picture of Caroline Huff Deleted due to Size for E-Mail Version
Picture of Store Deleted			After his marriage, he became a merchant and owned a stock yard; he had several patents relating to orchards and fruit trees; and he also owned a general store and was the Post Master of Glover, Missouri for 40 years.

On his death he owned 3,000 acres of land in and around Glover, Missouri, in Iron County. He died in a house that he had designed and built himself. His wife, Caroline Huff Scoggin, survived him by 13 years.

This land was passed down in the family and is now the site of the Copper mine in Glover, Missouri. A Scoggin descendant of George and Caroline sold this land for use as a Copper mine during the depression years, hoping to bring employment to the area by relinquishing the family land. There are two creek branches (one of either side of the Copper mine, which bear the names “Scoggins Branch” on the northern end and “Huff Branch” on the southern end where these creek beds cross Highway 49. An amusing family story surrounds the signs posted by the State of Missouri on these creeks. One of these signs, on the northern creek, clearly read “Scroggins Branch” and my Uncle Charlie is said to have fought to have the misspelling of our family name corrected to no avail for years. First Uncle Charlie reported the misspelling to the State of Missouri and after some great period of time, a new sign was erected reading “Scoggins Branch.” At times, Uncle Charlie is said to have actually taken down the State’s sign and replaced it with his own sign (with the name corrected). Eventually, the State of Missouri catches the change and puts back a sign which reads “Scoggins Branch,” and so it read the last time my wife and I traveled through that area in the Summer of 2000.

George William Scoggin and Caroline Huff Scoggin had 12 children:

Name of Child	Documented Dates	Spouses
1. Esterellah Lavenah Scoggin	Born November 17, 1869 Died October 19, 1870	Unknown
2. Theodosia Ernest Scoggin	Born March 9, 1871 Date of Marriage Unknown Died August 9, 1893	John Brooks Hodges
3. George Hansford Scoggin	Born February 9, 1873 Died February 11, 1874	None
4. William Luther Scoggin	Born March 14, 1875 Married May 18, 1896 Died May 18, 1946	Rosa Bella Bruett
5. Lena Elma Scoggin	Born February 26, 1877 Date of Marriage Unknown Died October 20, 1941	Allison Tims
6. Mary Luvina “Lou” Scoggin	Born January 29, 1879 Date of Marriage Unknown Died March 1, 1944	John Goff
7. Myrtie Augustus Scoggin	Born January 1, 1881 Married December 27, 1911 Died May 20, 1950	Grace Lillian Calvert
8. Nancy Caroline “Carrie” Scoggin	Born January 22, 1883 Date of Marriage Unknown Date of Death Unknown	Fred Sumpter
9. (Son) Scoggin	Born January 8, 1885 Died January 8, 1885	None
10. Cura Tena Scoggin	Born June 22, 1886 Date of Marriage Unknown Died June 23, 1963	Albert Duparrett
11. Joseph Huff Scoggin	Born after 1889 Died in Infancy	None
12. Ina Ethel Scoggin	Born November 23, 1889 Died March 21, 1961	Unknown

William Luther Scoggin:

William Luther Scoggin was born March 14, 1875, and married Rosa Bella Bruett on May 18, 1896. Rosa Bella Bruett Scoggin was born January 27, 1877, the daughter of Josiah Bruett and Mary Ellen Carlton Bruett. Our only history of William Luther Scoggin is his marriage to Rosa Bella Bruett Scoggin and the fact that he was a surveyor by trade.

Picture Deleted

William and Rosa had 12 children:

Name of Child	Documented Dates	Spouses
1. George Bruett Scoggin	Born March 2, 1897 Married June 22, 1921 Died May 16, 1955	Mary Ellen Brooks
2. Maude Marzee Scoggin	Born January 8, 1899 Married November 20, 1919 Died March 8, 1949	Glen Evans Walter Bonney
3. Winifred Luther Scoggin	Born March 14, 1901 Date of Marriage Unknown Died January 1, 1979	Beanu Bonney
4. Elizabeth Caroline Scoggin	Born May 16, 1902 Married April 7, 1928 Date of Death Unknown	Jess Bonney
5. Lula Mae Scoggin	Born July 19, 1904 Married April 19, 1925 Date of Death Unknown	Quincy Adams
6. Naomi Scoggin	Born January 24, 1906 Date of Death Unknown	Unknown

7. Joe Bruett Scoggin	Born April 12, 1906 Married November 3, 1931 Died March 7, 1980	Enid Harris
8. Jackson Augustus Scoggin	Born October 26, 1908 Died November 25, 1908	None
9. Alma Ruth Scoggin	Born February 9, 1911 Married in 1948 Died March 24, 1963	Ridley Smith
10. Mary Eleanor Scoggin	Born March 2, 1913 Date of Death Unknown	Unknown
11. Vernon Ross Scoggin	Born May 15, 1918 Died October 11, 1921	Unknown
12. Alphonso Cornelius Scoggin	Born August 23, 1909 Married October 4, 1930 Date of Death Unknown	Olga Lorraine Pinkley

William Luther Scoggin died on May 18, 1946, and his wife, Rosa Bella Bruett Scoggin, survived him by eight years and six months, having died on November 24, 1954.

George Bruett Scoggin:

George Bruett Scoggin was born March 2, 1897. He was married to Mary Ellen Brooks on June 22, 1921. Mary Ellen Brooks Scoggin was born on June 22, 1901, the daughter of Samuel Brooks and M. Nellie Bonney Brooks. Our history of the early years of life of Grandpa George include the fact that he was in the Army and served at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Later history of George Bruett Scoggin is his marriage to Mary Ellen Brooks Scoggin and the fact that there were six children born of their marriage, one of which is William A. Scoggin, my father.

Picture Deleted

George Bruett Scoggin on an Army Wagon

The six children born of the marriage of George and Mary Ellen are:

Name of Child	Documented Dates	Spouses
1. Samuel Scoggin	Born May 15, 1922 Died January 4, 1984	None
2. William A. Scoggin	Born April 24, 1927 Married Died February 15, 1956	Ruth L. Windes
3. Charlie Scoggin	Born January 13, 1930 Married February 4, 1954	Nettie M. Hart
4. George Hansford Scoggin	Born June 28, 1933 Married October 13, 1954	Aurea Marie Selles
5. Donald Scoggin	Born October 14, 1935 Died November 22, 1986	None
6. James Vernon Scoggin	Born April 1, 1944 Married October 27, 1967	Leona Gale Coleman

Picture Deleted

William A. Scoggin:

William A. Scoggin was born April 24, 1927. He was a vo-ag teacher by profession. He married Ruth L. Windes on May 18, 1947, and they had two sons:

Michael William Scoggin, born March 1, 1949, and

Daniel Wayne Scoggin, born July 18, 1953.

Our father died in a car accident on February 15, 1956 on an ice-covered road while driving home from a function at work. At that time, I was a little under three years of age and my older brother, Michael, was just under seven.

Picture of Dad Deleted

Our father was known for his warm spirit and good nature. As a young boy, I frequently urged our mother to consider remarriage. She never considered it. As a young adult, I asked my mother why and she simply laughed and replied, “Danny, after you have had the best, why even consider something less?”