Daingerfield man speaks at great-great-grandfather’s marker dedication

A Southern Cross Marker Dedication and memorial service was held on Feb. 22 at the Snodgrass and Branan Cemetery near Mount Vernon in Franklin County. Joe Skipper of Daingerfield read the history and memorial honoring his great-great-grandfather, 2nd Lt. Joseph Branan. 2nd Lt. Branan was a member of the 25th Regiment Infantry, Company K, Alabama Volunteers.
Mr. Skippers biography reading was as follows:
“Lieutenant Branan was my great-great-grandfather, as well as my cousin Paul Lindsay of Mount Pleasant, who is present today. We are decedents through the second marriage of Branan’s daughter, Sarah ‘Sallie’ to Patrick Lindsey. Joyce Fountain, who will unveil the Confederate markers today, is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Branan through Sarah’s first marriage to David S. Snodgrass. David was also a Confederate Veteran. The Lindsay family always refers to Sarah as the Widow Snodgrass. I know that Joseph had slaves, some of which took the last name of Branan. Joseph Branan was born on Jan. 18, 1805, in Morgan County, Ga., and died March 25, 1888, in Franklin County. He was the son of James Branan and Sarah Tommey. He married Mary whose last name may have been Tennison. They had nine children and at least four of them were Confederate States of America soldiers. We will honor two of their sons today.
“Joseph Brannon was a farmer and in about 1853, he purchased several hundred acres of land in Titus County. Some of that land is still owned by the Snodgrass grandchildren. Pvt. Luther Branan was a member of Captain Sutton’s Texas Calvary, Graham Rangers. Luther was a son of Joseph Branan and he was born in March 1845, in Georgia. Some records list the spelling of his name as Luther Brannon. Paul Lindsey and I had an uncle named Brannon Lindsey, who may have been named after Luther or some other family member whose names were sometimes given as Brannon and Brannum. Luther died in Franklin County,and was buried in the Snodgrass/Branan Cemetery in about 1905. Luther was married twice and he had two children by his first wife whose name is unknown. He had one child by his second wife, Ida Jane Barnes.

Read more in our e-edition:http://www.etypeservices.com/SWF/LocalUser/Daingerfield1//Magazine47480/...