Jack Wood - A Political Force

This recent election cycle and the proximity to my grandfather, Jack Wood's birthday, brought back memories of what a political force my Granddad was.  Jack Wood, was the youngest son of Edwin Wood and Adah Baker, born November 3, 1907 in Marine City, Michigan.  Like most of his generation, he completed the 7th grade, and according to my Uncle, John Wood, he worked on a railway line in the area until someone told him what to do.  Born John Charles Wood, he went by Charles J. or "Jack" when he was an adult.    He was a very smart man, with common sense, and a sense of justice and Midwestern values.  He was very stubborn and my mother and aunt were just like him. 

(Lt to Rt) Wood, Charlotte & Jack & me.

My grandfather was good friends with C. W. Bill Young, a congressman in the St. Petersburg, FL area for years.  He was a die-hard Republican and nothing made him more angry than seeing the waste in government.  He believed in less government, and disagreed vehemently with most of the early governors of Florida, including Lawton Chiles.  My grandmother was his secretary and used to type letters for him on her manual typewriter.  He was always firing off letters to one senator or representative or another on some topic. 



Jack Wood in Uniform

Most of us do get our political leanings from our families.  And, I'm no different.  My grandfather greatly influenced my beliefs.  Terms like "pork barrel spending," I recall from my childhood.  He believed in a strong military, and was a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, obtaining his commission to Warrant Officer in World War II.  He fought in the Pacific, and I have several pictures of him during the war.  When he visited us in the Panama Canal Zone in 1973,  he said it smelled the same as it did in 1942. 

My cousin told me the history of how Granddad went into the Coast Guard.  Seems he was involved with Al Capone's gangsters in Michigan during Prohibition, running whiskey between the US and Canada (right across the lake from where he lived), for work.  The Coast Guard recruited him to help them infiltrate the gang.  He insisted that they relocate him if he agreed or as he said, "they'd kill him."  For his information, they relocated him to Boston, Massachusetts, which is how this Michigander met my grandmother, Charlotte Withycombe.  I always wondered how they met and this story connects the dots.  I never would have figured that this devout Baptist and Deacon would have been involved with running liquor, but back in that time period, it was good money, and my grandfather, like most men were out on their own when they were young.  My cousin Suzanne, says that my grandmother asked why he was sharing this story and he said because it was the truth.  I'm thankful that he shared this with her, or I would never would have known. 

Happy Birthday and Happy Veterans' Day to my Grandfather, Charles J. Wood.  I have you to thank for teaching me about politics and the importance of the voting process and expressing our opinions to those elected to lead our country. 

The Proof is in the DNA

Gen. 1 - Thurston Clayborn

Gen. 2 - James Thurston King

My earlier posts provide a glimpse into my search for my paternal grandfather, Thurston Clayborn in Breakthrough Part I and Part II.   Really the only reason I began my trek into genealogy was to identify my paternal line.  Finding my Aunt, Mae Clayborn Damron, and her family, as well as cousins I've met since then, have created a richness to my life that I can't explain.  With the loss of my parents in the 1990s, there has been a sadness to the loss of close family that only those who've lost loved ones too soon can understand.  

Gen 3. - Scott Alan King

As a now avid geneologist, I struggled with the desire for "proof," that I am a Clayborn.  Although, looking at these pictures of the 3 generations of men, it's hard to deny that they are related.  The need for proof, lead to DNA, is a way to prove a link to my paternal line was through my brother, Scott.  As some of you may know, a father passes on his Y chromosome to his son, and this chromosome is virtually intact with some slight mutations possible, for up to 8 generations.  Well, my brother being the kind-hearted person he is agreed to submit his DNA to satisfy his sister's whim.  Family Tree DNA actually has an established Clayborn Surname project, meaning they have set up four (4) groups of different DNA that are established and verified to belong to the Clayborn surname, including a line that is not part of the Clayborn DNA.  Dr. Alex Waldrop is the researcher in charge of this group, and a documented Clairborne descendant. 

I'll never forget the excitement of June 8, 2012, when the results were in.  I immediately called Alex to interpret a group ID that was posted on the site.  I ran from the car to the house and felt the rush of adrenaline as I called him.  Being a geneologist himself, he said he was just preparing to call me when the phone rang.  The result indicated that my brother belonged to the most documented line known to be descendants of William Claiborne.  And, Alex is descendant from the same line so we were cousins.  Now I had my documentation.   And, I subsequently joined the National Society of Claiborne Family Descendants http://www.claibornesociety.org/home.shtml.  The Clayborns have been a welcoming group, with the invitation to join them in Richmond, Virginia, as their membership chair said she is excited to meet me and thanked me for the story of finding my paternal family.