From Colonial Captains to the Oval Office and the Montana Range

 

The stories we carry in our bones often trace back to the same early American soil. When you dig deep into the colonial records of the 17th century, we find that the trail winding toward the White House and the trail riding out toward the Western frontier start at the exact same camp.

Our 10th great-grandfather, Captain William Daniel (1625–1678), stood at the head of that early American stream. Through his children, his legacy split into two remarkably different chapters of the American story.

Two Paths From Captain William Daniel

• The Presidential Branch (Via Mary Daniel): Mary Daniel’s line remained firmly anchored in the Eastern establishment. Down through the Wood, Holbrook, Goodale, Waters, and Torrey lines, this branch cultivated generations of New England leadership. It eventually produced Louisa Maria Torrey, mother of William Howard Taft (1857–1930)—our 27th U.S. President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
• The Frontier Branch (Via John Daniels): Mary’s brother, John Daniels (1648–1718), carried our direct bloodline forward through Connecticut. His descendants—the Brainerd and Smith families—eventually bound their fate to the Bailey name. This was the pioneer branch that saddled up: Smith Bailey fought in the War of 1812, David Solomon Bailey rode with Co. G of the 3rd Iowa Cavalry in the Civil War, and Franklin Jackson Bailey staked out a home on the harsh Montana homestead frontier.

The Kinship Trail

                     Captain William Daniel (1625–1678)

                                   [Common Ancestor]

                                    |

         +-----------------------------------+--------------------------+

         |                                                             |

  Mary Daniel                                             John Daniels (1648–1718)

         |                                                            |

  Silence Wood                                          Sarah Daniels (1679–1770)

         |                                                            |

  John Holbrook                                         Heber Brainerd (1725–1803)

         |                                                             |

  Silence Holbrook                                     Esther Brainerd (1747–1816)

         |                                                            |

  Sarah Goodale                                        Esther Smith DNA match (1768–1810)

         |                                                              |

  Asa Waters                                             Smith Bailey [War of 1812] (1789–1862)

         |                                                             |

  Susan Holman Waters                           Orange Bailey (1811–1905)

         |                                                             |

  Louisa Maria Torrey                               David Solomon Bailey [3rd IA Cav] (1837–1915)

         |                                                             |

WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT (1857–1930) David Jackson Bailey (1865–1949)

  [27th U.S. President]                                           |

  [8th Cousin 3x Removed]                      Franklin Jackson Bailey [MT Homesteader] (1886–1968)

                                                                       |

                                                               Velma Veda Bailey (1914–2004)

                                                                       |

                                                          DRIFTING COWBOY

The Western Frontier

President Taft served the country in the high marble halls of Washington, D.C., but his 8th cousin 3x removed was out on the open range building the West with horse sweat, homestead grit, and cavalry iron. Both legacies sprang from the very same 17th-century seed planted by Captain William Daniel.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy

The Voyage of 1630: How a Puritan Pioneer Linked Our Family to Buffalo Bill

 

When we look back into our family trees, we often expect to find names, dates, and quiet gravestones. Every now and then, though, a single line connects us directly to the vivid tapestry of American history.

For years, I knew there was a distant connection between our family and the legendary frontier scout William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846–1917). However, old tree calculations routed the relationship through complex in-law marriages involving President William Howard Taft’s maternal line. I was convinced there was a direct blood bridge waiting to be found—and as it turns out, that bridge leads all the way back to the spring of 1630 aboard a 400-ton wooden ship named the Mary and John.

The Pioneer: John Greenaway (1576–1652)

On March 20, 1630, a devout company of West Country Puritans boarded the Mary and John in Plymouth, England. Among them was John Greenaway, a skilled millwright seeking religious freedom and a new start in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. After a 70-day Atlantic crossing, the passengers dropped anchor off Nantasket and established the settlement of Dorchester, Massachusetts.

John Greenaway became a prominent figure in early Dorchester—building essential grain mills, serving as an early Freeman, and raising a family that would send roots deep into American soil. Through his two daughters, Ursula and Catherine, John Greenaway became the common ancestor linking our maternal Bailey line directly to Buffalo Bill Cody.

The Two Branches: From New England to the Great Plains

• The Cody Branch (Via Ursula Greenaway): Ursula's line merged into the Emerson family, traveling through James Emerson down to Abigail Emerson, who married Philip Cody. Their grandson, Isaac Cody, migrated west to the Iowa Territory, where his son William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was born in 1846.
• Our Lineage (Via Catherine Greenaway): Catherine married Captain William Daniels of Connecticut. Her descendants—the Daniels, Brainerd, and Smith families—eventually married into the Bailey family. Our ancestors carried this pioneer blood through the War of 1812, across Iowa with the 3rd Iowa Cavalry during the Civil War, and onto the Montana homesteads of the early 20th century.

The Lineage Chart: From 1630 to Today

                     John Greenaway (1576–1652)

                   [Immigrant on the "Mary and John", 1630]

                                         |

         +------------------------------+---------------------------------+

         |                                                               |

  Ursula Greenaway (1603–1682)            Catherine Greenaway (1622–1680)

  m. Batten / Emerson line                 m. Capt. William Daniels

         |                                                        |

  Joseph Emerson (1620–1680)              John Daniels (1648–1725)

         |                                                        |

  James Emerson (1649–1756)               Sarah Daniels (1679–1770)

         |                                                        |

  James Emerson Jr. (1692–)               Heber Brainerd (1725–1803)

         |                                                        |

  Abigail Emerson (1732–)               Esther Brainerd (1747–1816)

         |                                                        |

  Philip Cody (1770–1850)                 Esther Smith (1768–1810)

         |                                                        |

  Isaac Cody (1811–1857)               Smith Bailey (1789–1862) [War of 1812]

         |                                                        |

  BUFFALO BILL CODY (1846–1917)            Orange Bailey (1811–1905)

  [7th Cousin 5x Removed]                                |

                                               David Solomon Bailey (1837–1915) [Civil War]

                                                                        |

                                                  David Jackson Bailey (1865–1949)

                                                                        |

                                               Franklin Jackson Bailey (1886–1968) [MT Homesteader]

                                                                  |

                                                  Velma Veda Bailey (1914–2004)

                                                                  |

                                                Drifting Cowboy

A Shared Heritage

Discovering that Buffalo Bill Cody is our 7th cousin 5x removed through direct blood descent—without needing in-law jumps—brings a whole new perspective to our family story. From a 17th-century millwright in Dorchester to an Iowa cavalryman and a Montana homesteader, the same spirit of movement and grit ran through both branches of the Greenaway tree.

Happy Trails 

Thank you to Gemini AI for helping me find the genealogy connection.

Slideshow — FAMOUS COWBOY KIN: Buffalo Bill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01TEZFUQTxA

John Greenaway: The Voyage of the Mary and John (1630)

 

Before the famed Winthrop Fleet set sail in the summer of 1630, a devout congregation of roughly 140 English West Country Puritans gathered in Plymouth, England. Organized largely under the guidance of the Reverend John White of Dorchester, Dorset, this company chartered the 400-ton vessel Mary and John.

• Departure: March 20, 1630, from Plymouth, England.
• The Crossing: The 70-day voyage across the North Atlantic was remarkable for its peacefulness and strict religious discipline. Passengers engaged in daily prayer, sermon expounding, and fasting led by their chosen ministers, Rev. John Warham and Rev. John Maverick.
• Arrival: On May 30, 1630, the ship made landfall at Nantasket Point (now Hull, Massachusetts). Captain Thomas Squibb refused to navigate the unfamiliar channels of Boston Harbor, forcing the passengers and their livestock—cows, goats, pigs, and poultry—to unload onto the shore.
• Establishing Dorchester: The passengers hauled their provisions up the Neponset River and established a settlement at "Clapp's Point" (now Columbia Point), naming their new town Dorchester in honor of the Dorset market town where many originated.

The Greenaway Family on Board

At roughly 67 years old, John Greenaway (our 11th great-grandfather) was considerably older than the average immigrant, making his decision to cross the Atlantic an act of profound religious devotion and enterprise.

Family Passengers:

• John Greenaway (c. 1563–1659): A skilled millwright originally from Wiltshire.
• Mary Greenaway (c. 1568–1658): His wife.
• Daughters: He brought four or five daughters on the voyage, including Ursula Greenaway (who married Hugh Batten) and Catherine Greenaway (our ancestor, who later married Captain William Daniels of New London, CT).

Life and Legacy in Dorchester

John Greenaway was held in high regard by the early New England authorities due to his essential technical skills and deep piety.

• "Millwright of Much Esteem": As a millwright, Greenaway built and maintained the water-driven timber and grain mills critical to the colony's survival.
• Early Freeman: On October 19, 1630, he applied to become a Freeman of the colony—a status granted on May 18, 1631, which required church membership and gave him voting rights in local government affairs.
• Landholdings: He received extensive land grants in Dorchester, including acreage at Rock Hill, Pine Neck, and the "Calves Pasture" near Old Harbor.
• Church Leadership: John and Mary were among the earliest members admitted to the Second Church of Dorchester (the 10th man and woman added after its 1636 re-organization). He was known as an uncompromising Puritan, even signing a 1646 petition to prevent Anabaptists from settling in the colony.

John Greenaway lived to be nearly 100 years old, passing away in Dorchester around 1659. Through his daughter Catherine, his line moved south into Connecticut, establishing the Daniels lineage that bridges our family tree directly into colonial American history.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy

Union Artillery: Defending Virginia’s Tidewater Regions

 George Stillman Brown (1844–1864) was our 2nd great-granduncle—a young farm boy from upstate New York who stepped up to serve during the final, grueling year of the Civil War. His military career was short, tragic, and reflective of the harsh realities faced by Union soldiers defending the tidewater regions of Virginia.

Military & Unit Service Summary

• Unit: Company B, 13th New York Heavy Artillery (1st Battalion) 
• Enlistment: Enlisted on February 26, 1864, in Philadelphia, Jefferson County, NY, at the age of 19.
• Mustered In: March 4, 1864, into Company B. 
• Theater of Operations: Defenses of Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia (Department of Virginia and North Carolina). 
• Muster Out / Death: October 31, 1864, at age 20.

Biographical Context: His Civil War Service

1. Joining the 13th New York Heavy Artillery

When George enlisted in late winter 1864, the Union Army was building up forces for General Grant's major spring offensives. He joined Company B of the 13th New York Heavy Artillery, a unit that had been organized in late 1863 and deployed down to coastal Virginia.

Heavy artillery regiments were originally trained to man heavy guns in coastal forts and siege lines, though many served as infantry garrison troops. Company B was stationed around the tidewater defenses near Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia, guarding supply lines, waterways, and coastal fortifications in the Department of Virginia and North Carolina.

2. Service in Tidewater Virginia

During George’s eight months of service, his battalion maintained garrison duties, fortified gun positions, and guarded the key coastal shipping lanes surrounding Chesapeake Bay and the James River. While the 13th NY Heavy Artillery lost very few men to actual battlefield fire (losing only 4 men killed or mortally wounded regiment-wide), they faced a far more dangerous enemy: disease.

3. The Silent Enemy and His Final Days

The swampy, low-lying coastal terrain around Portsmouth and Norfolk was notoriously rife with typhoid, dysentery, malaria, and yellow fever—especially during the long, humid summer and early autumn of 1864.

The regimental statistics for the 13th New York Heavy Artillery tell George's exact story: the regiment lost 144 enlisted men to disease during the war compared to just 4 in combat. George succumbed to disease on October 31, 1864, while stationed in the Portsmouth/Hampton military sector. He died in a Union military general hospital in the area at just 20 years old.

Final Resting Place

• Cemetery: Hampton National Cemetery, Hampton, Virginia.
• Significance: Hampton National Cemetery was established during the war near Fort Monroe and Balfour U.S. General Hospital. George lies among thousands of Union comrades who gave their lives in defense of the Tidewater region.

Family Connection & Backtrail Context

George was the son of Samuel R. Brown (1798–1877)—our 3rd great-grandfather who served in Ball's Squadron of Light Dragoons during the War of 1812—and Maria Weeks (1810–1890).

George grew up on the family farm in Philadelphia, Jefferson County, New York, alongside his siblings. Being unmarried and having no children, George's memory lived on through his surviving brothers and sisters, including our direct line ancestor.

Genealogical Summary

George Stillman Brown — Civil War Vet.

Birth: 2 Oct 1844 • Philadelphia, Jefferson, New York, USA

Death: 31 October 1864 • Hampton City, Virginia, USA

2nd great-granduncle

Parents:

Samuel R Brown War of 1812 Dragoon 1798–1877

Maria (Mariah) Weeks 1810–1890

No spouse or children

U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profile

Name George S Brown

Enlistment Age 19

Birth Date 2 Oct 1844 • Philadelphia, Jefferson, New York

Enlistment Date 26 Feb 1864

Enlistment Place Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Enlistment Rank Private

Muster Date 4 Mar 1864

Muster Place New York

Muster Company B

Muster Regiment 13th Heavy Artillery

Muster Regiment Type Artillery

Muster Information Enlisted

Muster Out Date 31 Oct 1864

Muster Out Place Portsmouth, Virginia

Muster Out Information died

Side of War Union

Survived War? No

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy

This story hits pretty close to home, and reminds me of my time at Fort Ord, California when I spent a week in the hospital with pneumonia. I was 19.