Thomas Jesup Branning was born 19 Aug 1837 in Middleburg, Clay, FL. His parents, George Washington Branning and Mary Ellen Phillips, had made the trip with Andrew Branning and the rest of the family in an oxcart, from NC. The various children of Andrew and Susan(ah) Hollinsworth(Newberry) were born on the road from NC, through SC and GA. Mary Ellen Phillips was born in GA - her family was from Wilkes County, GA, where her grandfather David was one of the first landowners in the county - her father Matthew Phillips fought in the War of 1812. David Phillips' wife, Mary Davis, was the daughter of another of Wilkes County's first landowner, the Rev. Jonathan Davis, a Rev. War patriot.
Anyway, the Brannings AND Phillips families ended up as landowners in Clay county - the Brannings as some of the FIRST, and the Phillips also very early as well. Then, according to a copy of Thomas Jesup Branning's obit. that my father handed down to me, Thomas was the chief engineer of the Florida East Coast Railway bridge across the St. Johns River, after he had moved up to Jacksonville (according to the obit. in 1897), in Duval County. He became somewhat of a local hero, saving numerous people from drowning in the river, and received from the city Council a gold medal for heroism.
Many years later (unknowing of my own family history, as I was only about 8 at the time), history repeated itself. One day my father, my uncle and I were returning from fishing out beyond the mouth of the St. Johns River in the ocean, in my uncle's outboard motorboat, when we passed an inboard/outboard motorboard that was stopped. As we continued on, we heard a very loud "BOOM"...my uncle turned the boat around and headed us back towards that boat. As it turns out, whoever had started the engine had neglected to turn on the fan that pumps the fumes out of the engine box, and, when he turned the starter over, the sparkplug ignited all of the accumulated fumes in the engine, blowing the boat almost apart. there were two adults and two boys, all four of them in bad shape, but one boy was already in shock, as his skin was hanging off of him in sheets - I cannot to this day imagine the pain that he must have been in. We immediately wrapped them up - my dad was a doctor, and sped them directly over to the US Naval base right on the river, where the squids took them immediately in hand. We left without giving anyone our names, but heard about the incident later on that evening on the news, about some saving angels in a boat on the river!
And as for Thomas, according to the obit., he died as his home, in Jacksonville, Duval, FL. He was a member of the Woodmen of the World, and All Saints' Episcopal Church. Funeral through S.A. Kyle Funeral Home, buried in Old Hickory Grove Cemetery (although the obit says that he would be buried at Pythian - that may have been a part of Old Hickory, as it is a large cemetery).
Anyway, the Brannings AND Phillips families ended up as landowners in Clay county - the Brannings as some of the FIRST, and the Phillips also very early as well. Then, according to a copy of Thomas Jesup Branning's obit. that my father handed down to me, Thomas was the chief engineer of the Florida East Coast Railway bridge across the St. Johns River, after he had moved up to Jacksonville (according to the obit. in 1897), in Duval County. He became somewhat of a local hero, saving numerous people from drowning in the river, and received from the city Council a gold medal for heroism.
Many years later (unknowing of my own family history, as I was only about 8 at the time), history repeated itself. One day my father, my uncle and I were returning from fishing out beyond the mouth of the St. Johns River in the ocean, in my uncle's outboard motorboat, when we passed an inboard/outboard motorboard that was stopped. As we continued on, we heard a very loud "BOOM"...my uncle turned the boat around and headed us back towards that boat. As it turns out, whoever had started the engine had neglected to turn on the fan that pumps the fumes out of the engine box, and, when he turned the starter over, the sparkplug ignited all of the accumulated fumes in the engine, blowing the boat almost apart. there were two adults and two boys, all four of them in bad shape, but one boy was already in shock, as his skin was hanging off of him in sheets - I cannot to this day imagine the pain that he must have been in. We immediately wrapped them up - my dad was a doctor, and sped them directly over to the US Naval base right on the river, where the squids took them immediately in hand. We left without giving anyone our names, but heard about the incident later on that evening on the news, about some saving angels in a boat on the river!
And as for Thomas, according to the obit., he died as his home, in Jacksonville, Duval, FL. He was a member of the Woodmen of the World, and All Saints' Episcopal Church. Funeral through S.A. Kyle Funeral Home, buried in Old Hickory Grove Cemetery (although the obit says that he would be buried at Pythian - that may have been a part of Old Hickory, as it is a large cemetery).
Thomas Jesup Branning was born 19 Aug 1837 in Middleburg, Clay, FL. His parents, George Washington Branning and Mary Ellen Phillips, had made the trip with Andrew Branning and the rest of the family in an oxcart, from NC. The various children of Andrew and Susan(ah) Hollinsworth(Newberry) were born on the road from NC, through SC and GA. Mary Ellen Phillips was born in GA - her family was from Wilkes County, GA, where her grandfather David was one of the first landowners in the county - her father Matthew Phillips fought in the War of 1812. David Phillips' wife, Mary Davis, was the daughter of another of Wilkes County's first landowner, the Rev. Jonathan Davis, a Rev. War patriot.
Anyway, the Brannings AND Phillips families ended up as landowners in Clay county - the Brannings as some of the FIRST, and the Phillips also very early as well. Then, according to a copy of Thomas Jesup Branning's obit. that my father handed down to me, Thomas was the chief engineer of the Florida East Coast Railway bridge across the St. Johns River, after he had moved up to Jacksonville (according to the obit. in 1897), in Duval County. He became somewhat of a local hero, saving numerous people from drowning in the river, and received from the city Council a gold medal for heroism.
Many years later (unknowing of my own family history, as I was only about 8 at the time), history repeated itself. One day my father, my uncle and I were returning from fishing out beyond the mouth of the St. Johns River in the ocean, in my uncle's outboard motorboat, when we passed an inboard/outboard motorboard that was stopped. As we continued on, we heard a very loud "BOOM"...my uncle turned the boat around and headed us back towards that boat. As it turns out, whoever had started the engine had neglected to turn on the fan that pumps the fumes out of the engine box, and, when he turned the starter over, the sparkplug ignited all of the accumulated fumes in the engine, blowing the boat almost apart. there were two adults and two boys, all four of them in bad shape, but one boy was already in shock, as his skin was hanging off of him in sheets - I cannot to this day imagine the pain that he must have been in. We immediately wrapped them up - my dad was a doctor, and sped them directly over to the US Naval base right on the river, where the squids took them immediately in hand. We left without giving anyone our names, but heard about the incident later on that evening on the news, about some saving angels in a boat on the river!
And as for Thomas, according to the obit., he died as his home, in Jacksonville, Duval, FL. He was a member of the Woodmen of the World, and All Saints' Episcopal Church. Funeral through S.A. Kyle Funeral Home, buried in Old Hickory Grove Cemetery (although the obit says that he would be buried at Pythian - that may have been a part of Old Hickory, as it is a large cemetery).
Anyway, the Brannings AND Phillips families ended up as landowners in Clay county - the Brannings as some of the FIRST, and the Phillips also very early as well. Then, according to a copy of Thomas Jesup Branning's obit. that my father handed down to me, Thomas was the chief engineer of the Florida East Coast Railway bridge across the St. Johns River, after he had moved up to Jacksonville (according to the obit. in 1897), in Duval County. He became somewhat of a local hero, saving numerous people from drowning in the river, and received from the city Council a gold medal for heroism.
Many years later (unknowing of my own family history, as I was only about 8 at the time), history repeated itself. One day my father, my uncle and I were returning from fishing out beyond the mouth of the St. Johns River in the ocean, in my uncle's outboard motorboat, when we passed an inboard/outboard motorboard that was stopped. As we continued on, we heard a very loud "BOOM"...my uncle turned the boat around and headed us back towards that boat. As it turns out, whoever had started the engine had neglected to turn on the fan that pumps the fumes out of the engine box, and, when he turned the starter over, the sparkplug ignited all of the accumulated fumes in the engine, blowing the boat almost apart. there were two adults and two boys, all four of them in bad shape, but one boy was already in shock, as his skin was hanging off of him in sheets - I cannot to this day imagine the pain that he must have been in. We immediately wrapped them up - my dad was a doctor, and sped them directly over to the US Naval base right on the river, where the squids took them immediately in hand. We left without giving anyone our names, but heard about the incident later on that evening on the news, about some saving angels in a boat on the river!
And as for Thomas, according to the obit., he died as his home, in Jacksonville, Duval, FL. He was a member of the Woodmen of the World, and All Saints' Episcopal Church. Funeral through S.A. Kyle Funeral Home, buried in Old Hickory Grove Cemetery (although the obit says that he would be buried at Pythian - that may have been a part of Old Hickory, as it is a large cemetery).
Gravesite Details
Served in Co B 2nd Fl Cav. Married to Mary Gaines. Son of George Branning and Mary Phillips
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