52 Ancestors: Family Legend

This week’s blog prompt is Family Legend.  When I first learned of this prompt, several legends came to mind.  However, after spending some time researching them I am really no farther along than I was when I first started trying to prove (or disprove) these two legends in my husband’s tree.

First – Dave Crockett.  Early on my husband heard that somehow he was related on his mother’s side to Davy Crockett.  And, of course, I’ve heard that for many, many years but have yet to prove it. 

Davy Crockett, photo courtesy of Wikepedia

Years ago I put together a basic family tree for Davy Crockett on Ancestry, hoping that I could somehow link that tree to my husband’s tree and find the connection.  Unfortunately, that never happened – and it still hasn’t.  There are several men in “our” tree with the middle name of Crockett so that makes me suspect that, indeed, it somehow links back to “the” Davy Crockett but I can’t be sure.

My best guess is that somehow it links back to his 2x great grandmother, Mildred Elizabeth Ballard (1842-1902).  She married James Mace (1831-1905) in about 1856.  They had many children, one of which was my husband’s great grandmother, Mildred Elizabeth Mace.  Another was David Crockett Mace (1865-1933).  While Mildred Elizabeth (Ballard) Mace could be the missing link, she also just might have admired Davy Crockett and gave her son the same name.  Or, maybe her mother’s name was Crockett?  I’m about 99% sure that her mother’s name was Elizabeth and Davy Crockett had a daughter named Elizabeth, but the dates don’t seem to add up.

So I’m at a stalemate for now and will pledge to keep going.

Second – Johann Strauss.  Family legend says that on his father’s side he is related to Johann Strauss (1804-1849), the famous composer.  Again, I’m no farther along proving it than I was when I woke up this morning.

Johann Strauss, photo courtesy of Wikipedia

My husband’s great grandmother’s name was Anna Strauss, so the connection could make sense.  Her father was Jacob Strauss, born 1822, so maybe that’s the connection.  I’m fairly certain that Jacob’s father was Johann Jacob Strauss but I have no record of the year of his birth or death.  So was that the connection?  From what I know, “our” Strausses were born in Baden, Germany while “the” Johann Strauss was born in Leopoldstadt (now Vienna) so somehow I’d have to connect back to that.  I don’t have much experience researching in Europe so I need to add this to my list. 

So I have another pledge to make – find the connection to Johann Strauss.

Okay, I have one family legend in my own family, but it is very distant and no way to ever prove.  Our next door neighbor growing up was Mary K.  We lived next door for many years and were friends all through our school years, even going with each other on family vacations.  Legend had it that Mary was the 6th cousin of Mark Twain (real name Samuel Langhorne Clemens), the beloved author. 

Remember back in the day when you would prick your finger and exchange your blood with a friend in order to become blood sisters or brothers?  Yes, I know we wouldn’t dream of doing that today but those were much different times.  One day Mary and I got brave, pricked our fingers, and exchanged our blood.  So that would make me the 6th blood cousin of Mark Twain!

Mark Twain, photo courtesy of Wikepedia

So those are my family legends.  None of them proven…..but none of them disproven, either.