A Story of Captains and Kings

Dr. Linda Craine Grynkewich is the Great, Great, Great Granddaughter of Joseph Caswell Haddock and Mildred “Milbry” Barnes of Haddock Plantation, later Haddock Station, between Gray and Milledgeville.  Although Linda was born in Macon, she spent every weekend and every summer in Jones County visiting her Grandmother Louise Craine.  In fact, Linda’s early passion for genealogy was fueled by the presence of dozens of centenarians within a family that loved to share stories.  She was also greatly influenced by the words of her mother’s dear friend, Carolyn White Williams, the author of “The History of Jones County, Georgia 1807 - 1907.”
In the preface of her book, Mrs. Williams began with a Rev. Gannon quotation stating, “All true civilization is ninety per cent heirlooms and memories- an accumulation of small but precious deposits left by countless generations that have gone before us.”
Mrs. Williams then goes on to say that, “These words have meaning for all of us who want to help make the world a better place.  They remind us that in every field- art, industry, science or religion- we have a legacy reaching back thousands of centuries.  Each of us is a trustee of the past, we have the important task of living up to our heritage- and adding something to it.”
Linda adds, “I truly grew up in the oral tradition of the Deep South, then spent my early adulthood synthesizing it all.  Now I am ready to share it! I also wish to express my sincere appreciation to Donna Haddock Cooper of Missouri, who has spent much of her life conducting groundbreaking research into this extraordinary family.  I have always been told that all a family needs is one serious genealogist each generation, but the Haddock family has been blessed to have several.”
After living away for nearly two decades, Linda returned to middle Georgia to raise her own children.  The mother of six, and an internationally acclaimed educator, she has a strong sense of commitment to improving the present and the future, which she believes can be maximized by understanding the past.  Linda now invites her readers to retrace that journey into the past that she began with her grandmother so many years ago.  Excerpts from her recently written novel, “Haddock: A Story of Captains and Kings,” are intriguing tales woven around research documenting centuries of true events.”  
“My grandmother would be thrilled to know that the people of Jones County would be learning about the Haddock family of which she was so proud.  She and I would spend long afternoons traveling about the county walking through old cemeteries and making photos of old abandoned farmhouses of which only her generation knew the historical significance. I lingered on her every word as she shared all that she knew.  Now, if you please, linger with me for a while as I tell you of captains and kings who made Jones County, Georgia their home.”

In the Beginning

            “You have all your things ready, sugar?” the kind woman with the wispy gray bun and deep blue eyes asked her eight-year-old granddaughter.

            “Yes, Ma’m. I’ve got my Bible, my black pen, my pencils and my pencil sharpener. ”

            “That‘s good,” the grandmother spoke encouragingly as she placed two tall glasses of ice-cold coca-cola on table.  “So let’s just see where we left off last time.  Let’s look at what you have so far.”

            The little girl opened her black leather-bound Bible to the center, where the Family Tree Pages divided the Old Testament from the New.   She ran her long, olive-toned index finger down through the names she had last recorded. When her grandmother observed that the tracing had stopped, she began the discussion.

            “Okay, now beginning with yourself, go all the way back in time ‘til you get to the last name you recorded.”

            “Beginning with me, I know my father’s name and my father’s mother’s name because that is you, Grandma!  So Ida Louise Craine nee Vincent is the name of my paternal grandmother.  Paternal means my daddy’s family.  Nee means maiden name.”

            Gazing down at a recently recorded date of death, the little girl looked up with misty eyes.  “I am sorry that your mother just died, Grandma.  I know you loved her.  I loved her, too.”

            “I know, sweetie.  It’s all right.  That’s why it is so important to remember as much as we can about our loved ones, so that they still live on in hearts and minds forever.  Now, do you have her whole name written down?”

            “Yes, Ma’m.  Her name was Lena Victoria Vincent nee Batchelor, but her husband called her Doll.”

            “Now who was that sweet lady’s mother and father?”

            “My great, great-grandmother was Matilda Bluford Haddock who married James Early Batchelor.   Joseph Caswell Haddock was Bluford’s father. His wife was Mildred “Milbry” Barnes Haddock.  That’s as far as I know.”

            “Well, that’s pretty good note taking!  Make another line for the next level.  Take a sip of your drink, too.  It’s easy to see why they call August the dog days of summer, ’cause it sure is hot.  Now, let’s see where were we?  Oh, yeah, Bluford’s grandfather was called Adnil, but his real name was Admiral.”

            “Grandma, did you say, Admiral?  You mean he was an admiral?”

            “No, sugar, his name was Admiral.”

            “Grandma, why would somebody name a baby Admiral? That‘s like a title or something, right?  It just doesn’t sound like a baby‘s name.”

            “Sometimes, Sugar, people name a baby to send a message.  Like your mama and daddy named your little brother, James, after my husband.  They wanted to honor James Otis Craine.  In World War II, some people came home and named their babies after friends they had met in the army.  What do you think the Haddocks were trying to say by naming a baby Admiral?  What do you think they wanted you and me to remember?”

            “Something about the oceans or ships?”

            “Well, that’s what I’ve always thought.  And that is precisely what you and I are going to find out.  ‘Cause when we find out things like that we learn the real history of our family, but that means we also learn who we really are. What I want you to know is that Haddock is not just an old railroad station between Gray and Milledgeville; it was the plantation home of a great family.  And that family had something to do with the oceans!”

           

           

Domesday Book Entry

When her grandmother asked her why she thought someone would name a baby “Admiral,” the little girl responded that it must have something to do with oceans or ships.
The grandmother agreed saying, “Well, that’s what I’ve always thought.  And that is precisely what you and I are going to find out.  ‘Cause when we find out things like that we learn the real history of our family, but that means we also learn who we really are. What I want you to know is that Haddock is not just an old railroad station between Gray and Milledgeville; it was the plantation home of a great family.”
The documented story of Haddock begins a very long time ago, across the Atlantic Ocean in an area not too far from London.  There were people near the Prittle Brook on the northern bank of the Thames River in England, thousands of years ago. Originally hunter-gathers, they eventually settled down in the area.  There is also much archeological evidence of Roman occupation with a central villa near the brook.  Following the fall of the Roman Empire, Saxons raided, thus making it part of the East Saxon kingdom during the 5th and 6th centuries C.E. (stands for “common era,” previously referred to as A.D.).  Prittleuuella became the Saxon town’s name.  Eventually, the word “Essex” emerged as a shortening of the “East Saxon” kingdom.
In 1086 C.E., the Domesday Books of William of Normandy, also known as William the Conqueror, were completed as the first census since Roman times.  William was descended from earlier Vikings who had reached a peace agreement with France that had allowed them to reside in Normandy.
The Haddock family is listed among the inhabitants of Essex in the district of Legra, later to become Leigh-by-the-Sea in Southend.  Southend refers to the south end of Prittleuuella, or Prittlewell as it was called by then.
“Nay, we have no choice Goodlad, but to comply with the conqueror’s request.” “Tell, me then, Haddock, why does such a man want to survey each and ev’ry one of us? It makes me cold to think what a Viking might do with such knowledge.  He already says that all land is held by him, the King!  No king has been so bold.”
“He has fewer than 10,000 Normans trying to hold onto all Saxon lands. He won‘t make the same error as the Danes by accepting mere taxes.  He will grant lands to as many Normans as he pleases.  I tell ye I don’t think he means harm to us. Folk and family have been here thousands of years, Goodlad.  What can William do to Essex that the Saxons did not already do to the Romans who’d settled here at Prittle Brook?  Alas, e’en the conqueror of the Saxons, the Danish Sweyne, has hastily switched his allegiance to William to secure title as Lord of the Manor here.”
“Yes, but what have we to gain, Haddock?  You can hardly travel a mile without gazing upon one of William’s castles or forts.”
“We gain the right to remain free men fishing and farming and taking care of our families here.  I’ll have an heir to keep the Conqueror and his Normans at bay; and I will record that I’m a free man having 1 horse, 5 cows, 5 calves and 100 sheep.  You follow your own conscience.  King William will do with men like us as he wishes, whether we record or not.”
Therefore, it falls into the Domesday Book exactly as Haddock spoke.

Pork Chops and Purses

            Regardless of the time of day, the grandmother would cook for the little girl when she visited.  Generally, it was pork chops and some form of potatoes.  The food always tasted delicious because it was lovingly prepared. 

            These meals were special in other ways, too. Grandmother’s youngest son, Franklin Akin Craine had served in the U.S. Navy in Japan.  He had brought his mother a magnificent set of fine china upon which the pork chops were always served. 

            As she placed the white dishes with the rich hand-painted, purple orchids on them on the table, the grandmother inquired. “Did you bring your boots?”

            “Yes, Ma’m.  They’re on the front porch.”

            “Good, ’cause after we eat I want you and me to ride over to the Haddock Cemetery with Uncle Pearson.  If you’re goin’ to be serious about all this, then you’ve got to know everything about the cemeteries.  You can take your Bible and check on some of your facts while we’re there.”

            By now, the child had learned to always bring her Bible with her to Grandmother’s.   The little girl’s mother had even found an old purse that could be used to tuck the Bible down inside for protection against the elements.  For more than once, the young adventurer and her grandmother had been caught out in the rain on one of their treks across the Jones County countryside.

            Uncle Pearson was the oldest of “the boys,” as Grandma referred to her brothers.  “Pearson is the oldest and Gordon acts like the youngest, but the real baby boy, Bennett, lives in Gray. Gordon had what some people use to call “wanderlust” and moved to California. I think it must have been in his blood, so to speak.  You know the Haddocks traveled a lot.  They came all the way from across the ocean to Maryland, then to North Carolina, and eventually to Jones County, Georgia. Some even left here and went west.”

            She continued as the child chewed the crispy pork chops, savoring the wonderful taste lingering in her mouth.  “There’s something else pretty important about the Haddock genes. Haddocks live long.  Look at some of those dates you have as we’re riding in the car today.”

            Gazing at her Bible pages again, she began the subtraction necessary to calculate some of the Haddock lifespans.  Just then, Uncle Pearson knocked on the screen door calling out, “Louise, are you ready to go?”

            “Hold on, Pearson, we’re ready.  Just grabbing my coat.”  Leading the child by the hand, she spoke quietly, “Come on, sugar.”

            In just a few minutes the three of them were settled in the big blue car, and heading for Haddock.  Now there’s not much distance between Gray and Haddock, so the little girl spent most of the time putting all her supplies into the purse holding the Bible. Her Kodak Brownie camera and journal would allow her to document everything.  

Reminiscing in the Cemetery

            The little girl liked being on trips with more than one adult because she could gather information just by listening to their conversations.  They would say things to one another that either they thought she already knew, or didn’t especially mind her knowing.  She was all ears!  Of course, they knew she was listening because she was standing right there beside them. 

            When they arrived at the Haddock Family Cemetery, the high metal gate wouldn’t budge, but that didn’t stop long-legged Uncle Hugh Pearson Vincent.  Right on over he went.  Once on the other side he called back to his sister, “Come on, Louise.” But noticing the confused look on her face he added, “Just kidding, I’m goin’ to try to open the gate from the inside.”  Uncle Pearson had a wonderful sense of humor.  Some people think that that alone will add years to one’s life. It certainly seemed to working in his particular case.  The man didn’t look a day over 40, but in truth, he was pushing 60.

            Once inside the fence, Uncle Pearson and Grandma Louise began reminiscing.  They talked about their grandmother, Bluford Haddock, just like they were children.  “Remember that time Grandma made all those big fat biscuits for company coming?” Louise asked laughingly.

            “Yeah, but then they didn’t show up, so we got to eat all those fluffy biscuits.  I punched a hole in the top of mine, and poured syrup inside.  That biscuit was so big I thought it was goin’ to take the whole jug of syrup to fill it up!”  Pearson was practically rolling in the grass as he giggled about how the sticky syrup had dripped all over his little shirt that day.

            Pretending not to listen, the little girl began to compare her dates with those on the headstones. 

            Milbra J. Barnes Haddock, born May 30, 1816 and died August 21, 1885

            Joseph Caswell Haddock, born August 1, 1812 and died September 13, 1883.

            Matilda Bluford Haddock Batchelor, born 1846 and died June 18, 1916.

            James J. Early Batchelor, born 1835 (?) and died February 14, 1887.

            She read her notes, “Early Batchelor was one of six brothers to enlist in the Confederate States of America, Putnam Light Infantry, Company G, 11^th (?) GA Regiment.” The little girl even knew what Early Batchelor looked like because of a tintype picture shown to her by her grandmother on every single visit for as long as she could remember.  “Now, that’s my sweet, sweet Grandpa.  My Grandmother Bluford knew how close he and my mama (Lena Victoria) were, so she gave her this picture to remember him by.  Mama passed it on to me.  One day when I’m gone, I want you to have it.”

            It bothered the child whenever her grandmother would talk like that because she could not imagine Grandma Louise ever not being around.  It was better hearing her laugh like she was with Uncle Pearson just now.

            She tried not to think about the picture and her grandmother’s allusion to her own mortality, but that was hard to do in a cemetery.

           

           

           

 

What's in a Name?

            The grandmother taught the little girl that names often repeat themselves in families.  For example, Joseph Caswell Haddock named a daughter Bluford who married Early Batchelor.  In turn, Bluford Batchelor (nee Haddock) named one daughter, Lena Victoria after her older sister Francis Victoria Haddock.

            Suddenly, all that Bible genealogy began to make sense.  So I have a list of names just like Jesus does in the Bible, the little girl thought, feeling pretty special.  So where does mine begin? 

            The general consensus among Haddock genealogists is to begin with the Domesday Books’ entry.  However, there was no additional documentation until more than two centuries thereafter in a document that reads as follows:

            “Then in 1309, John Haddock and William Haddock were living in Leigh-by-the Sea in England where there were nine free tenants renting land from the Lord of the Manor.  William rented nearly four acres which he called Heyronesland-Tenement.  He paid his rent in the form of attendance at the manor Court and two shillings at Michaelmas.” 

            It is important to remember that England was still a Catholic country in 1309.  Michaelmas Day was observed on the 29^th of September, properly named the day of St. Michael and All Angels.  In old England, it was one of the four quarterly terms, or quarter-days, on which rents were paid.   In 1752, Britain decided to abandon the Julian calendar in favor of the Gregorian.  Interestingly, 3 September instantly became 14 September.  As a result nothing whatsoever happened in British history between 3 and 13 September 1752, and “Old Michaelmas” became the 10^th of October that year and every year following.

            Names within the Haddock family remained consistent, however.  Richard and John were repeated over centuries.  In fact, those two names are the only male first names (with the exception of one Robert and one William) in the little girl’s direct line for nearly 400 years.  Leaving out all the “begots” the Haddock, Georgia direct lineage flows very nicely as follows: “Richard, Richard, Robert, Richard, Richard, William, Richard, John, John, John.” 

            By 1453, the first Richard Haddock, his wife Christine and their 10 children had already been honored with a brass monument at St. Clement’s Church in Leigh.  According to Leigh history, the family of Richard Haddock continued in its public service by providing ten captains, two admirals, knights, and even Controllers of the Navy at the height of British Naval supremacy.        

           

           

 

            

Home Sweet Home

            Grandmother Ida Louise Craine (nee Vincent) had taught her granddaughter to take notes even regarding directions to the places they visited.  “That’s so these places won’t be lost in the future.  Now, go ahead and read me what you have so far, sugar.”

            “When you’re leaving Gray, go straight over the railroad tracks on Highway 22 toward Milledgeville.  You’ll pass

Morton Road

on the left, and Pine Ridge Church and Cemetery on the right. Some people call it Mt. Zion Cemetery.  Keep on going until the signs start saying to slow down.”

            The little girl shifted a bit, trying to remember another sign she’d seen.  “Oh, yeah.  There’s also a sign that says Haddock Unincorporated. Grandma, what exactly does unincorporated mean?”

            “Well, I think it means that Haddock does not have a city government, and of course, no one can be hanged there.”

             Fully accepting her grandmother’s explanation, the child continued. Then when you get to the crossroads, you’ll see Cousin John Haddock’s store on the right corner and a gas station on the left. Turn left onto that road.  Turn again at the second road on the right onto

Haddock Drive

.”

            That was as far as she had written as they pulled into the gas station for a co-cola and a pack of salted peanuts.  Dropping peanuts into a cold coke, then drinking the nuts and coke together was a real treat.  Funny how different the coke made the nuts taste.

            Uncle Pearson’s heavy car turned easily onto

Haddock Drive

, cruising quietly.  Grandma Louise smiled and waved to an elderly woman rocking on a porch.  The little girl liked how her grandma seemed to know everyone around here.

            Slowly they drove past the newer houses and farms, then weaving through groves of huge trees on both sides of the road.  “Whose house is that, Grandma?”

            “That’s a Haddock house, too.  It’s real pretty how it sits at the edge of the pecan grove, don’t you think?”

            “It’s beautiful, Grandma.”

            “Just a little ways on down the road and around a curve, then we’ll be there.”

            Two big rocks alerted the grandmother to the upcoming driveway.  Suddenly, there were two more distinct granite outcroppings with a few trees at the end of the drive just off the main road.  Grandma was practically holding her breath now.  She was so excited!  The big car pulled barely into the driveway and stopped.

            “See, child, at the top of that long driveway!  See it sitting cradled by those huge old trees?  That’s where Maggie, Ammie, Pearson and I were all born.  That’s where some of Grandma Bluford’s grandchildren lived, at least us Vincent ones!”

            The little girl could make out a house of notable size amongst the trees.  The porch seemed to go around at least three sides.  However, the chain across the drive meant they would have to be contented with gazing from afar, but they were fine with that.  Grandma was home.