A Brick Wall Tumbled Down This Week

I heard from a "new" Howard cousin this week. (There seems to be a lot of us out there!) It is always nice to meet new cousins - especially when a genealogical brick wall comes tumbling down.  My new cousin shared information on Bruce Douglas.  Bruce was my great great grandfather Suggy Howard's son born out of wedlock. Until now no one (at least on our side of the family) knew who his mother was.  She has now been identified as Mary Dorcas Bradley who later married William Bradley.

 As the generations progressed there are many in the family who did not know about Bruce until I posted on him here in a post about his father Allen Suggs (Suggy) Howard.  My new cousin shared a letter history Bruce wrote when he was in his late 80's.

"This is a letter history of the ______ Bruce Douglas by any one ever heard of him. He was born 1880 July 11 near Broadway NC. My mother maried a man by the name of Bradley and left me with my Uncle and Aunt by the name of Roe Douglas and Aunt Bug Douglas. I dont remember ever seeing my mother. They my Uncle and Aunt brought me to Georgia in a covered wagon drawn by 2 mules. They went back to NC and I stayed on here. I am now 88 years old and have good health for my age. About 2 years ago I sold my Clynch County land 10150 acres for $1,300 000.00. I married Miss Lula Mizell of Woodbine GA in 1905. We had six children. The 1st boy died as an infant. I have 3 boys and 2 girls living. The youngest is 50 years old. My wife died December 26, 1959. I am in good health. I Hunt and fish. My mother lived and died near a place called Ridgeway SC. She died in 1924. I would have given any thing to of seen her. I never herd of her till after she had passed away. God Mary yes on September 2 - 1968 I placed on her grave tomb stone and slab. All so placed one on her husbands grave." 

Bruce looks amazingly like his half-siblings!

Bruce is buried in the Pine Forest Cemetery in  Homerville, GA.