Jacob Drake, Sr.

Capt. Edward Whaley of Marion Co, MO & Related Families

Entries: 5445 Updated: 2005-02-14 00:51:02 UTC (Mon) Contact: Carolyn Whaley Vosburg

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Most information is documented; some yet to be proven. This is a work in progress!

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ID: I1919

Name: Hannah ROSS

Sex: F

Birth: 1792 in NC (Or AL According To 1880 Census)

Death: 1860

Note:

Subj: Oscar Johnson Drake Family History

Date: Tue, Oct 1, 1996 11:54 PM EDT

From: carhammett@worldnet.att.net (Carole Hammett)

To All: The following was sent me by Richard O. Johnson, see also my own

notes below. I haven't had a chance to peruse it closely myself, but

wanted you all to have ASAP. If anyone spots any obvious errors in it

other than those noted previously, I think we'd all appreciate hearing

from you.

TTYL,

Carole

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Oscar Johnson's Drake Family History

[Note: The following is a typescript of reminiscences about the Drake

family supposedly dictated by Oscar Johnson in 1965. There are many

inaccuracies in the information (particularly in the list of descendants),

but it is presented as I received it and presumably as it reflects

Oscar's recollections, at least on that occasion. I believe this was

sent to me by Ruby Weideman, and there are indications that she is the

one who typed this particular transcript, so it appears not to be the

original. Nevertheless, I have left all spelling, etc., just as it is

on this copy.--Richard O. Johnson, Sep, 1996]

Jacob Drake, the first known head of the Drake family in Arkansas, was

born on the Juniata River in Northeast Pennsylvania. He was married

while quite young, but as to whom, so far as I know and am able to

learn, I have no idea. They had one child, a daughter, Easter, before

the wife died. Following her death he and his little daughter moved to

North Carolina. They settled in or near the Cherokee Indian Reservation.

While residing there Jacob married a Miss Mary Ross, a full blood

Cherokee Indian, and a full sister of Chief John Ross, who for many

years was Chief of the tribe in North Carolina, and for a number of

years after the tribes removed to the Indian Nation in 1836.

Jacob Drake did not remain long in North Carolina, moving to Warren

County, Tennessee, then a frontier area. His family of ten children

were born, and grew to young youths while there. Perhaps his eldest son

Isaac Drake was married there, also his daughter by his last wife

Polly.

In Warren County, Tennessee, Jacob's daughter by his first wife, Easter,

married her husband, Alvin "Josh" Hash. Following their marriage they

moved to Illinois, and settled on the Sagamon River. They were

neighbors of the young, practically unknown Abraham Lincoln. Young

Lincoln did some surveying for them, ate the noon day meal, and while

there Aunt Easter complained about not having a time piece. Young

Lincoln set his surveying instrument on the 12 o'clock noon, and cut a

line in their doorstep. They doubtless little thought they were

entertaining a man destined to become one of the very few great men of

all time.

Perhaps there is no greater history record showing, where with one

stroke of his pen he signed the greatest document of all, The

Emancipation Proclamation. This document liberates and breaks the

shakels on ten million poor downtroden slaves. With no education

allowed by the slave owners, they were half starved, and had barely

enough clothing to hide their nakedness. An overseer was always there

ready to crack the whip over them.

In New Orleans they held auction sales just like cattle and horse

auctions. Subjecting the slaves through indecencies undescrible on these

papers. It is said that Lincoln while on a trip delivering a raft of

logs to New Orleans, witnessed one of the auctions and said if he caught

the --- he would hit him a blow that they would long remember.