So it turns out that I’m related to President George Washington.
If you look at the family tree below, Pres. Washington is underlined. His great-aunt, Anne Washington married one Francis Wright. The Wright family line wends its way down to Jesse Woodrow Naff, my maternal grandfather.
A genealogy of Pres. Washington. Original available at http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/washington-the-writings-of-george-washington-vol-xiv-1798-1799
You can read about in the book The Washingtons. Volume 9: The Presidential Branch: Six Wright Lines by Justin Glenn. My granddad is on page 443. I guess that makes me and Pres. Washington distant cousins.
Jessie Woodrow Naff, my maternal grandfather
Anyway, this all started because I watched the movie Hacksaw Ridge — the story of Desmond Doss, the conscientious objector who won the Medal of Honor for saving 75 men — without even touching a gun.
Doss’s story reminded me of my granddad’s. He was a paratrooper medic who carried a gun but, because of of Brethren beliefs, refused to fire a shot. And he didn’t. For his entire five years of service. Here’s another excerpt from Glenn’s book — my mom is Betty Naff Mitchell.
When I googled Grandfather Naff, one thing led to another and I found out he was in Glenn’s book.
If you you share an interest in old-time history and martial arts you might like my Bobcat Martial Arts program. It’s Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the colonial and indigenous fighting methods and associated lifeways as practiced in North America during the Frontier period from 1607 to 1912. Learn more by clicking here.
We are related! Abel Makepeace was my 10th great uncle!!! Hi cousin!
Caroline Rothenberg
Well howdy Caroline — thanks for stopping by!
My pleasure!
Hi Robert,
I was wondering if you had any information on the Naff’s of Hazleton (Luzerne County), Pennsylvania? Thanks!
Tim
Howdy Tim! Well, let me look at my Mom’s old geneology stuff and see what I can find for you. Have you looked in the book “Naff and Related Families, Swiss Ancestors of Naffs & Neffs in the USA and Descendants of Jacob & Eva Catherine (Flora) Naff and of Sebastian and Mary (Saylor) Naff,” by John Wesley Boitnott (View Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia 1979)? My Mom was friends with Dr. Boitnott, and I know I have that book around here somewhere…in the meantime, please check the links on Mom’s old website (http://naff.bravepages.com/index.html). It loads slowly but it still works!
Oh, Wow… thank so very much, Robert!!
Hey Robert,
Just checking in with you to see if you came across any information from your mom’s records on the Naff’s of Hazleton (Luzerne Co.), PA. Thanks!
Tim
I took a quick look at the easiest sources to index and didn’t see anything. I will look through the other binders tomorrow and post again. Stay tuned.
OK, I didn’t find anything directly relating to the specific branch of Naffs you’re looking for, but there is some material in my mother’s book that you might find interesting and that could lead to what you’re looking for. I’m going to scan the book up and save a link to the blog here. Watch this space!
Hey Tim! As promised, here is some really interesting information about our mutual ancestor (most likely) one Adam Naf…https://wp.me/ppc1y-1MT
Thanks so much! What a labor of love in this book your mom wrote. God bless you.
You’re welcome sir, and thank YOU for this fun endeavor and great conversation!
I am also related to George Washinton. Hes is my 2nd cousin 9x removed through Anne Pope Washington (Pope was given to her as a middle name by her mother I found out) and Francis Wright. It is through the Battle and Wright line I am related to him. For a long time I though we were related through marriage but it turned out it was through blood.
Isn’t it funny how you stumble on things like this? I never understood the whole “removed” thingy, and I’m not into genealogy — like I said in my post, I just sort of stumbled onto my relation to G.W. Are you a genealogist?