Hi Carey,

Just came from the GenForum for Braswell and saw that there may be some dispute on lineage from Valentine line and it was suggested to contact you since you are deemed to be the most knowledgeble on this subject. I am a novice at this research so please bear with my lack of "hard copy" facts. This is what info I have so far:

I am researching my husbands family (for my children) and with my father in-law's help have determined that his grandfather from his mothers side was Jacob V. Braswell. I was in the LDS site and found him listed as Jacob V. Bracewell, not Braswell, but he had an extensive pedigree back to England in the 1500's. One of the grandfathers in the pedigree was named Valentine, so I guessed that perhaps the "V" in Jacob's name may have been Valentine as well.

I asked my father in-law about the "V" (and Bracewell vs. Braswell) and he not only confirmed that Valentine was Jacob's middle name, but that he also had Valentine as his middle name which he dropped when he joined the Navy, so his full name was Elmer Valentine Royce Statham. Since it appears that it was common practice, as it is today, to pass down names of relatives to children, it may connect him to Valentine Braswell.

Maybe this is a stretch but I'm wondering if you can confirm. My father in-law comes from Cedartown, Georgia and any documents or paperwork, if any was ever saved or available, is with what remaining family that still lives there (we live in California). They don't appear to be as interested in tracing the family tree as I am.

Can you give me any guidance on this, or confirm the connection.

Thanks!

Laura Statham