sunflowerstar on Family Tree Circles

My great grandmother (my grandmother Georgia Cooksey Briggs Baughman - yes she was married more than once) was Hester or Hettie Cooksey for as long as I can remember. It was not until I grew up and embraced the family history that I learned so much more about the 'small' family I thought I had. First of all I found out my grandmother was not just Georgia .. she was actually born Georgia Lucille Cooksey (she divorced my grandfather before I was actually born). No one knew she had that middle name. In fact my grandmother's father George Cooksey died about 1914 in Mercer County, Illinois. So even my father was not familiar with any grandparents except his grandfather Francis Albert Briggs who went by the nickname of 'Bert'. Bert and Hettie were probably the only biological grandparents my dad actually got to meet. By the time my dad was born Hettie was married to her second husband William Coultis and had lost her remaining son James A. Cooksey to influenza. I do have his death certificate. Never could locate an obituary. Her other two children Sarah and William Cooksey seem to have faded off the records and I cannot find them beyond 1910. Hettie has to be the source for the legend within our family that we have Native American blood in our veins. Hettie's father Allen Martin may have been the Native American in our lineage. Hettie's mother was easier to find. Her grandfather was from Norway. Hettie's first husband was George Cooksey, born in Kentucky in Cumberland County. His parents were Elizabeth Riddle (her obituary says her full name was Martha Elizabeth Riddle and Samuel Cooksey. By the way there was a twenty-five year difference between George and Hettie. It happened and I've seen even greater differences.

Those that would like help with finding obituaries need to ask me. Obituaries are a good source of genealogical material, although they do sometimes contain errors so they are be taken along with other information. I was able using an obituary, to find the father of one of my closest friends. That did make me feel good about the information contained within them.

Like John and Agnes Briggs, Hugh and Anne Calkins are the head of my Calkins family line in the United States.
I am their 13th to 14th great granddaughter I believe. But more on these two and who is included in my Calkins lineage after I fill out the journal for my Briggs line.

Descendants of John Briggs


First Generation

1. John Briggs, son of Richard Briggs and Agnes Wingod, was born on 1 May 1595 in England and died before 1687 in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, USA.

John married Agnes Thayer on 11 Nov 1633 in Thornbury, Gloucester, England, daughter of Richard Thayer and Ursula Alice Dimery. Agnes was born on 15 Mar 1608 in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England and died on 27 Jun 1630 in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, USA at age 22.

Children from this marriage were:
M i. John Briggs was born on 21 Sep 1634 in England.

F ii. Katherine Briggs was born on 6 Jan 1636 in England.

M iii. Richard Briggs was born about 1640 in Thornbury,
Gloucestershire, England and died in 1692 in Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts about age 52.

M iv. William Briggs was born on 2 Apr 1646 in Taunton,
Bristol County, Massachusetts and died on 3 Jan 1727 in Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts at age 80.

M v. Hugh Briggs was born about 1648 in England and died after 1692 in Massachusetts.