Sidney was born in NYC to Jewish immigrant parents. His first crime was stealing bolts of woolen cloth from a train at age 18. He later became a bootlegger and a member of NYC Jewish mobs. He married a dancer and film star from the DC area where he owned several night clubs. He died while being questioned by a congressional committee for racketeering.

Lewis was born in West Virginia and later became an early concrete contractor and prominent man of color in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Sarah had and provided for 11 children, many of whom went on to be distinguished in academia.

In 1854, after her husband passed away, Elizabeth and her 8 children headed to Illinois from New Jersey on a stagecoach that Elizabeth drove. For safekeeping during the journey, she sewed $2,500 worth of gold pieces from the sale of her land into the hems of her daughters' dresses. Upon reaching Illinois, she brought 40 acres of land and built a house. Some of the 40 acres are still in the family.

Nathaniel fought for Alexander Doniphan during the Mexican-American War in 1847. He and his two brothers enlisted on the same day. The Kansas City Times shows he was disabled in Taos, NM, and later, a pension was awarded to him in 1886. He died the next year, in 1887. The Blakely brothers were a pioneering family, preferring outdoor living. Family stories state that Nathaniel’s hands were damaged in a fight with a bear.

Despite her young age, Carrie Elizabeth Jones was a prolific writer and poet. Her work included twenty-six stories and eighty-one poems. According to the book Some Chambersburg Roots—A Black Perspective, Carrie had one or two stories published in True Magazine and had recited poetry on a Harrisburg radio station, making her the first African American to do so.

In 1925, she took her own life just before her senior year of high school.

Eleanor was 23 years old when she saw a chiropractor for a “terrible headache”. According to Dr. Hoffman, she died from “an accidental broken neck” while undergoing treatment. Her body was later exhumed, and it was determined she died during an “illegal operation,” and the chiropractor forcibly broke her neck to cover up the real cause of death. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Supreme Court and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Julia Noel was married to Jesse Akers, a poor farmer and Confederate soldier in Virginia. 300 years prior, Julia descends from Edward Neville (1471 - 1538) of London. Edward Neville was Esquire of the Body and Keeper of Sewer, an official overseeing service to Henry VIII's household. He was beheaded for treason in 1538. As you trace the line back further, she descends from King Henry the 3rd.