The Mullins family tree contains a juxtaposition of three of the most unlikely individuals:
- Queen Elizabeth II
- Jesse James
- Josiah T. Settle
They have one, and probably only, thing in common: They’re our cousins.
Queen Elizabeth II
First, we should begin with the late Queen; she would certainly expect us to! Queen Elizabeth II (April 21, 1926-September 8, 2022) was the 9th cousin (3 times removed) of Sophia Freyschlag Mullins. Our common ancestor is Jane Finche (?-1644). The age difference between the Queen and our generation of American cousins—about 25 years—is not an accident.
Our European cousins tend to be older because of the traditional English practice of primogeniture (a father’s eldest son inherited the entire estate). Primogeniture ensured the peaceful transfer of land and home but left younger siblings with few assets.
Land was plentiful in the Colonies. So, beginning in the early 1600s, many younger siblings left England for a chance at prosperity in America. In each generation, the oldest family members remained in Europe, and younger ones came to America. Thus, our English cousins of the same generation tend to be older than we are, especially those related through distant ancestors.
Josiah T. Settle
Now the story of how we came to have an African American cousin who was a prominent attorney and political leader in the late 1800s. Josiah T. Settle (1850-1915) was the 2nd cousin of William Madison Mullins (1845-1913).
Our common ancestor is Reverend Thomas Mullins (1736-1816). Josiah T. was a grandson of Rev. Mullins’s daughter Rhoda Mullins. Rhoda’s son, Josiah Sr., was a North Carolina plantation owner who, after his first wife died, started a family with with an enslaved woman, Nancy. Although it was quite common for plantation owners to father children with enslaved women, the practice was not considered socially acceptable. Josiah Sr. and Nancy lived openly with their children as a family and eventually left North Carolina because of social ostracization.
The family first moved to Tennessee, where Josiah T. was born. He was the sixth of the couple’s seven children. In 1850, shortly after he was born, the family moved to Mississippi. Josiah Sr. manumitted Nancy and her children, and in 1858, he and Nancy were married. It may come as a surprise that interracial marriage was legal in Mississippi in 1858, and the fact emphasizes the complexity and variability of racial laws in the various states of that era.
Just before the Civil War, the Settles moved north to a more hospitable culture in Ohio. When he came of age, Josiah T. enrolled at Oberlin, but shortly afterward his father died and he transferred to Howard University in the District of Columbia where he studied law. He had an active career in both law and politics and was said to be a spellbinding orator.
By 1883, Josiah T. moved back to Mississippi where he was elected to the state legislature. Political allies and foes alike admired his leadership abilities. Upon his departure from that body, he was given a gold-headed cane in appreciation. He later moved to Tennessee where he served as the State Attorney General. His verbal skills were so exceptional that defense attorneys complained that they were unable to win acquittal in any case brought by Settle.
The latter part of Josiah’s life was spent in legal practice in Memphis, with occasional political roles, such as serving as a delegate to the 1892 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. His first wife died in 1888. In 1890, he remarried to Miss Fannie A. McCullough, who was head of the music department at the LeMoyne Institute. She was said to be “one of the most beautiful and accomplished ladies in Memphis.”
Josiah T. Settle’s life history was unusual for an African American in 19th century America. Our present-day extended family includes several African Americans, descendants of Josiah T. who live in California and with whom we’ve been in touch. This seems a particularly American story.
Jesse & Frank James
Finally, we move on to our most nefarious cousins, the larcenous and murderous James brothers, Frank and Jesse, to whom, for better or for worse, we are doubly related. Jesse Woodson James (1847-1882) and Alexander Franklin James (1843-1916) are 4th cousins to William Madison Mullins (1885-1954) Our common ancestor is Thomas Mims (1681-1719), father of Benjamin Mims (1710-1788).
They’re also 6th cousins of Lucy Hawkins (1828-1922), with a common ancestor of Robert Woodson (1634-1716).
There’s little positive to be said about Jesse and Frank James. They began their notorious careers as Confederate guerillas who were especially vicious in their treatment of Union soldiers. After the war, their exploits included bank robbery, train robbery, and murder.
Jesse James was famous during his life and became a legend of the Wild West after his death. Two members of his gang—the Ford brothers—killed Jesse James in 1882. The Fords surrendered to authorities and in one day, they were indicted, convicted of the murder, sentenced to hang, and received a full pardon from Governor Crittenden of Missouri.
In what must be called the “Theater of the Absurd,” the Ford brothers later joined a traveling stage show in which they reenacted the shooting of Jesse James.
Frank James surrendered to authorities in Missouri five months after his brother’s death. He spent 17 months in jail awaiting trial on various charges but in the end was acquitted and supposedly never again broke the law. In his later years, he worked various jobs, including shoe salesman and ticket taker at a burlesque theater. The theater advertised, “Come get your ticket punched by the legendary Frank James!” Eventually Frank returned to the James Farm in Missouri where he gave tours for 25 cents. He died of natural causes in 1915.
© 2013 W. Mullins