Britt and Georgia Ann

William ("Britt") was born August 20, 1872 in Arkansas. In adulthood Britt was a big man. He was around 6 '3" tall and weighed about 240 pounds. Britt married Jennie Norvell (1876 - c. 1900) on December 8, 1895. Jennie (or Virginia) Norvell was the daughter of Elijah B. Norvell and Virginia Massey. Elijah was born April 5, 1841 in Bedford, Tennessee. Elijah served in Company B of the 44th Tennessee Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. Virginia Ann Massey was born in 1844 in Tennesse.

Britt was known to most as "Uncle Britt" and was a favorite of the kids as he usually carried some candy with him in his pockets which he would give out to the children [1]. As a strawberry farmer, Britt was an active member of the McRae Fruit and Truck Growers Association during the 1920's. Later in life Britt would serve as the town constable in McRae, Arkansas, whose job was to check all buildings at night to make sure they were locked.

William ("Bob") R. Claiborne, a descendant of Britt, enjoyed a story he often heard of Britt - when Britt bought his first car and took it to church the first Sunday he pulled up to the tree and hollered "whoa!" as if to mimic a horse. Unfortunately the car did not respond like a horse and he ran into the tree [2].

Jennie would die around 1900, but it is not known if Jennie died in childbirth during the labor of her daughter Mary, or if she died for some other reason thereafter.

Following Jennie's death, Britt married Georgia Ann Nichols (February 1879 - February 9, 1947) on December 9, 1900. Nearly 45 years later, on January 11, 1946, Britt died. Because he was such a large man they had to special order a casket for him [3].

Descendants

Britt and Jennie Norvell had two children, Robert Chester and Mary Ann:

1. Robert C. Claiborne during World War I

   Robert Chester Claiborne: Robert was born January 31, 1897 in McRae, Arkansas. Robert ended up in Denver when his car broke down on his way to Oregon with a friend. They knew people that had moved to Denver and stayed with them, but Robert ended up staying in Denver for good. There, while working for Gates Rubber Company, he would meet Goldie Minnie Disney (born December 14, 1901 in Garber, Oklahoma). The couple married on August 14, 1927 in Denver. Goldie was the fifth child of Gilbert Levi Disney and Eliza Roxena Moore.

   Robert was drafted in the Army for World War I and underwent basic training. Sometime thereafter his company was put on a ship for the night and supplies were loaded in preparation to depart for war the next day. But when the next day came they received word that Germany had surrended. They were taken off the ship and a few days later Robert was discharged.

   Goldie's Lineage

   Goldie Minnie Disney

   Goldie's father, Gilbert Levi Disney (September 28, 1868 - November 4, 1952), was the son of James K. Polk Disney and Abbiegail Poston. Abbiegail's spelling of her first name is unusual, but this is the way it was spelled when she applied for a Civil War widow's pension and also how it is spelled on her headstone in Garber, Oklahoma. Gilbert's father James served in Company I of the 26th Iowa Regiment in the Civil War. His enlistment papers, dated August 14, 1862, show him to be 5 feet 4 ½ inches tall, dark complexion with brown eyes and brown hair. He was wounded on May 13, 1864 at the battle of Resaca, Georgia at the hands of Sherman's famous march to Atlanta. He was severely wounded and records show that he lost his left arm near the shoulder joint. He would receive a pension because of the wound. He is listed in the 1883 Ottowa County, Kansas pensioners role as receiving $24.00 per month. He is buried in Pittsburg, Kansas.

   Gilbert, Goldie's father, was present when the Oklahoma Strip was opened in 1893. He was a farmer near Garber, Oklahoma, for a good portion of his life. The family would move to Louivers, Colorado in about 1910 and Gilbert would work for the Dupont dynamite factory there. This would only last a short time and they would move back to Oklahoma. Gilbert contracted the measles and began to put up hay when the weather was bad, causing him to lose his eyesight. The family then moved to Denver, Colorado in the 1920's because of Gilbert's poor eyesight and to be close to Earl, their son, who contracted tuberculosis after being gassed in World War I.

   Goldie's mother, Eliza Roxena Moore (February 5, 1871 - June 15, 1943), was the daughter of Harrison E. Moore and Mary Ann Oakes. Mary Ann's birthdate is unknown but she died July 21, 1884. Harrison was born January 13, 1842 and died on July 22, 1885. Harrison served in the Civil War in Indiana's 43rd Infantry. Harrison and Mary Ann would marry on November 8, 1864 when he returned from the war. Harrison was the son of Eliza Conner and Valentine Moore. William Henry Harrison, who would go on to be elected President of the United States, married Valentine and Eliza in 1832 in Cleves, Ohio. Valentine was the daughter of Kesiah Stewart and Orson Moore. Kesiah's father was John Stewart, who was kidnapped by his uncle in Ireland so he could control the boy's estate.

   Robert and Goldie's life after marriage

   Following Robert and Goldie's marriage Goldie stopped working for Gates, but Bob stayed with the company until he was 65 years old and was forced to retire. Bob and Goldie would spend the majority of their married life in a nice small home at 2338 South Lafayette, in south Denver. Although Robert would suffer a stroke that would disable him later in life, none of that tainted fond memories in the mind of Robert's grandson William ("Bob"), who writes:

   "I still have some great memories of him that will stay with me forever. I can remember walking in the back door of the house and hear him holler 'come here sport' and slap his hands together, and I would come a running. He smoked a pipe and whenever I smell a pipe with the tobacco that he used it reminds me of him. My favorite story that everyone has heard many times is of watching the 'Three Stooges'. He worked the day shift at Gates and was off of work at 3 p.m.; the 'Three Stooges' were on Channel 2 and must have started at 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. I would watch the 'Three Stooges' and soon as it was over the phone would ring. I would run to answer it before my mom could even turn around. It was Grandpa and he always asked 'did you watch those knuckleheads today'. Well of course I did and we would talk and laugh all about the episode we had just watched." [4]

   Bob also notes, "Chester was his middle name but the only way I know was from looking at his death certificate because he hated the name and would be upset that I knew" [5]. Robert died August 28, 1978, in Denver, Colorado. He is buried in Chapel Hill Cemetery. Goldie would die over two decades later on January 10, 1999 in Denver, Colorado. She too is buried in Chapel Hill Cemetery.

   Descendants

   Robert and Goldie had one child:

   1. William Gilbert Claiborne ("Bill"): Bill was born November 10, 1928, and married Geraldine Lou Coates on September 5, 1949 in Denver, Colorado. Geraldine was born February 3, 1930 in Denver, Colorado to the parents of Walter Raymond Coates and Garnet May Thorne. Bill served in the National Guard when the Korea War broke out. His unit from Colorado was frozen into active duty and he spent all of his time state side in Camp Polk, Lousiana. His unit was never deployed to Korea and as soon as the war was over he was discharged.

      Geraldine's lineage

      Geraldine's mother, Garnet (May 10, 1907 - November 10, 1970), was the daughter of Anna Marie Meeves and Eugene Thorne. Anna Marie (1887 - August 6, 1928) would die in a work related accident at the Gates home. She was washing clothes and her scarf became entangled in the ringer of the washing machine, braking her neck. Anna Marie's mother, Sophie Clausen, she was born in 1871 in Germany and died on April 9, 1942 in Superior, Colorado. Anna Marie's father was Jerry Meeves, born in 1864 in Germany and died in 1939 in Superior, Colorado. Jerry and Sophie came from Germany to Iowa, then to Wyoming, and finally settle in Colorado before 1910. Jerry was a miner for most of his life. He was the mayor of Superior, Colorado in 1928 and in 1932. Garnet's father, Eugene Thorne, he was born in 1883. This is all that is known currently about him; he left the family after the children were born and was described as the "black sheep of the family." Garnet's parents divorced in 1915.

      Geraldine's father, Walter Raymond Coates (April 20, 1901 - January 1988 ), was the son of Selina Flavell and Edward Coates. Selina was born on June 17, 1873 in Chesterton, England and died on May 16, 1952 in Denver, Colorado. Selina's father was John Flavell, who came to the U.S. in 1881 and to Colorado in 1882. He worked primarily as a coal miner. Walter's father was Edward Coates, who was born on March 31, 1875 in Wigan, England and died on February 7, 1953 in Denver, Colorado. Edward's mother was Jane Johnson and his father was John Coates. Edward and Selina came to the U.S. but returned to England before 1900. They are documented as arriving on the S.S. Majestic on November 15, 1900 at Ellis Island. Edward would list his profession as a "collier," which means coal miner, and their destination was listed as Weld County, Colorado, to stay with Selina's father.

      Bill and Geraldine's descendants

      Geraldine died November 2, 1986 in Denver and is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery. Bill and Geraldine had three children:

      1. Sandra Louise Claiborne: Sandra was born and died on December 23, 1952. She is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Denver.

      2. William Robert Claiborne ("Bob"): Bob was born May 5, 1955, in Denver, Colorado. Bob married Susan Fay Tucker (born November 28, 1958) in Newtown, Missouri. Bob spent his later teenage years watching the draft on television, as most young men of his era did while the Vietnam War was being waged. The last year the draft was held was in 1973, the year Bob graduated high school. In 1974 Nixon announced he would begin to withdraw troops and end America's involvement in Vietnam. Along with this they ended the draft. Bob turned 19 in 1974, the year that he could have been drafted if he had drawn the right number. "I tell people that no matter what I still like Nixon," he said. Bob and Susan Fay divorced November 2, 1987. They had two children:

         1. William Michael Claiborne: William was born September 6, 1979. He married Kristine Louise Rogers (born October 17, 1978) in 2003. The couple had two children:
            1. Bailey Rae Claiborne, born March 10, 2004
            2. Brooke Ryan Claiborne, born January 27, 2006

         2. Johnathan Ryan Claiborne: Johnathan was born October 11, 1981 and died two days later. He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.

      3. Deborah Ann Claiborne: Deborah was born March 3, 1961 in Denver and married Rae Gilmore. They would later divorce. They had two children:
         1. Steven, born May 11, 1987
         2. Brian, born June 29, 1989

2. Mary Ann Claiborne: Mary Ann was born February 9, 1899 and died March 26, 1967. Mary Ann married John Albert Boyer (March 4, 1864 - August 14, 1930) and the two had one child, John Albert Boyer Jr. (December 4, 1930 - June 25, 2006).

The children of Britt and Georgia Ann were:

1. Sam Claiborne: Sam was born March 25, 1903 and died March 1982 in Denver, Colorado. Sam married a woman named Erma, who was born November 5, 1902 in Mt. Pisgah, Arkansas and died June 20, 2000, in Denver, Colorado, where she is buried. Sam and Erma had three children:
   1. Wilma
   2. JoAnn
   3. Linda

2. Ed Claiborne: Ed was born March 25, 1903. Ed died as a small child but the exact date is unknown. Sam and Ed were twins.

References and Notes