Emsley Harrison Brasher, Dave’s 2x great grandfather, was born on 9 June 1841 in Christan County, Kentucky. He was the son of Hampton Brasher and Altezara Jane Woodruff. Emsley’s mother died quite young, when she was about 27, and before 1848 when Hampton married (2) Mahala Duncan. Emsley had one brother, Joseph Addison Brasher, and the two boys were only 13 months apart in age, with Joe being the baby. They had nine half siblings through Hampton’s second marriage, but Hampton died about 1864 during the Civil War, leaving a young widow with a house full of children. However, the family’s troubles didn’t end there, as Mahala died on 12 January 1867, leaving a large family of orphaned children.

Sadly, the pattern of orphaned Brasher children was to be repeated in Harrison’s own family.

Emsley, also known as E.H. or Harrison, married Mary Woosley Perkins on 11 July 1867 in Cedar County, Missouri. Harrison stepped up right away and took guardianship of two of his youngest half-siblings, Oliver H. and Margaret, who lived with Harrison and Mary in 1870. By that time, they had migrated about 75 miles southwest of Cedar County to Jasper County, Missouri.

Harrison and Mary had three known children.

1. Marcellus Hampton Brasher was born on 9 August 1870, probably in Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri, where his parents were living that summer, although his death certificate gives Bona, Cedar County, Missouri as his place of birth.

Pearl Brasher Stufflebean, Dave’s grandmother, had a photograph of her Uncle Marcellus that Dave inherited. This picture was probably taken in the mid 1890’s.

Marcellus Hampton Brasher

Marcellus married Lulu J. Snow before 1910, probably in Moniteau County, Missouri. He died on 15 February 1948 in Abilene, Taylor County, Texas.  Marcellus and Lulu had one son, Charles A. Brasher, born 13 April 1908 in New Mexico. Charles became a doctor, married Louise (MNU) and had two children.

FamilySearch had this terrific image of Dr. Charles’ visa to Brazil in 1952. There is even a passport-style photo of him!

Dr. Charles A. Brasher, 1952 Visit to Brazil

Harrison’s and Mary’s second son was:

2. Andrew (Drew) W. Brasher, born on 7 June 1871 in Bona, Cedar County, Missouri. Andrew married Emma Lee Pendleton. He died on 13 September 1950 in San Antonio, Bexar, Texas. Andrew, or “Drew”, and Emma apparently had no children. If any were born to them, they didn’t survive long enough to be enumerated in any census.

Grandmother Pearl also had a couple of photos of Uncle Drew:

Uncle Drew Brasher

Harrison and Mary’s last child was Pearl’s father.

3. Joseph Henry Brasher was born 17 November 1874, in Cumby, Hopkins County, Texas and died on 31 December 1925 in Noble, Cleveland County, Oklahoma.

Jo married Minnie Mae Williams on 12 May 1895 in Hopkins County, Texas. Minnie Mae was 16 and Joe was 21.

In any case, their marriage was short and Pearl was their only child. Although the family hasn’t been found in 1900, by 1910, Minnie had married (2) Charles Horne and they had a newborn son, Aulton.

Joe married (2) Della Benton on 24 February 1904 in Springer, Carter, Oklahoma. Like Minnie Mae, Della was quite young at the time of her marriage. The license gives her age as 15. Joe and Della had three children – John Alsus Brasher, born 1907; Wilmer Louis, born 1909 and Omer Andrew, born in 1912. All three children were born in Oklahoma. John may be the Johnie A. Brasher in the 1930 enumeration of the Central Oklahoma State Hospital in Norman, OK. If so, he may never have married and he has not been found in the 1940 census. Wilmer Louis Brasher died in May 1978 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Omer Andrew Brasher died on 14 January 1989. Omer kept in touch with and visited Pearl Brasher Stufflebean.

Now, back to Harrison and Mary. Mary Woosley Perkins Brasher died at the young age of 35 on 4 March 1882 in Hopkins County, Texas. Harrison married (2) Finette T. (Nettie) Sayles on on 23 November 1882 in Hopkins County, just eight months after Mary died.

They had two children of their own, Bessie Belle, born 6 October 1883 and Omer, born 17 July 1885. Bessie died on 28 May 1889, aged 5 1/2 years. Omer died as a relatively young man on 23 May 1929 at Lake Purdy, Jefferson County, Alabama.

Harrison Brasher died on 23 April 1886 in Cumby, Texas. He had been in “feeble health” as he described himself in his will, dated 15 June 1882. With three young sons at the time, he must have realized with Mary’s passing, that his children needed to be taken care of in the event of his own death. This issue would have been particularly urgent given that he described his own health as feeble.

Harrison owned the local mercantile with a partner and was economically quite well off. His detailed will provided property for each of his sons to have as homesteads of their own when they reached legal age and forbade the sale of the property until each was at least thirty years of age. A codicil dated 30 November 1885 left an inheritance to Bessie and Omer, too.

Marcellus, Drew and Joe likely continued to live in their stepmother’s home with their younger half-siblings until they each made their own way into the adult world. Although Marcellus and Joe have few descendants today, there are some out there. I would love to hear from you if you are one of them.

Oddly, since Harrison was very well off economically, no photos of either him or Mary have been located. Perhaps Finette had possession of them and they descended to a different branch of the family.