The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-08
MARY COBB'S BIRTHDAY
BRYAN'S STEP GREAT-GRANDMOTH
Err NINETY-siX THIS WEEK.
Brief History of the LOng-Lived Fam
lily, One of Whose Members Lived
to BE 1872 Years old.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

/ special 10 the indianapolis Journal.
KOKOMO, Ind, Jan. Next Wednesday
Mrs. Mary Gano Cobb. of New London, this
county, will be ninety-six years old. Mrs
Coob IS one of eight surviving Daughters of
the Revolution, and perhaps the only per-
son living who enjoys the distinction of
having had both father and grandfather in
the revolutionary war. Mrs. Cobb has the
additional honor of being the step-great-
grandmother of Col William jennings
Bryan. Her first husband was Louis II.
Bryan, veteran of the war of 1912 and CT
the Mexican war, Colonel Bryans grand
father being a son of Louis H. Bryan by
previous marriage. Mrs. Cobb's second hus-
band, Elisha Cobb, died in 1S4S, and she has
Deen widow for fifty-one years.
FRANCOIS GerneauX, the original ancestor,
came to America in 1856 from the Isle of
Guernsey, France, being a Huguenot refu-
gee, man of wealth and influence in his ma
tive land. While residents were being put to
death for their religious belief, Gerneaux
evaded the assassins by having himself boxed
up in hogshead and placed aboard a vessel
he had chartered In this manner he came
to America, joining the Huguenot settlement
at New Rochelle, N. Y, where he died at
the age of 1O3. On reaching America he
said: Since they have sequestered my es-
tate and contiscated my property they can
have my name also" and ever after wrote
his name as Francis Gano. His great-grand-
son, John Gano (the grandfather of Mrs.
Cobb, was a well-known character in the
revolutionary struggle. He was born at
Hopewell, N. j., July q, 1927. In 1862 he
was called as pastor of the First Baptist
Church. New York city, where he remained
until the appearance of the British trans
n Nav
Shetering his family at Horseneck. Rev.
Gano accepted the chaplaincy of the con-
tinental army, General Clinton, Colonies
Lamb, Webb, Hale and Debois insisting on
his acceptance of the position. By act of
Continental Congress he was made brigade
chaplain, the brigade consisting of two New
York, one New England and one New Jer-
sey regiment, all being stationed at Fort
Montgomery. He was the last to leave the
tcrt when it was captured. He was known
as the fighting chaplain" of the army
During every battle he was in the 'front.'
engaging in hand-to-hand conflicts with the
enemy instead of remaining in the rear with
the surgeons. AT the close of the war he
returned to New York where he found his
church membership reduced from 250 to
thirty-seven. In 1887 he sold his property
and went to Kentucky, where his children
had located. He was a graduate of Hope |
well Academy and Princeton University in
l765, and member Of r. 1. College, after |
ward Brown University. He died Aug. 10, |
1904, aged seventy-seven. His son, Daniel |
Gano, was captain of an artillery company |
during the revolutionary conflict, being sew
eral times wounded. The latter the father |
of Mrs. Cobb. died at the age of ninety-six. |
The daughter has now attained the same |
age. The family records show that Mrs.
CoDb had more than fifty near relatives who |
distinguished themselves in the revolutionary
Nar, all or these being in three branches of
the original family-the Ganos, the Stiteses
and the Benedicts.
one of Mrs. GanO's ancestors figured in
the capture of Major Andre, the British
spy. Nancy, a daughter of Joseph Gano
nad a lover, David Williams, and in the
fall of 1880 the lovers were holding a tete-a-
tete in secluded spot, and while there the
girl pointed out detachment of armed men
entering the village. Williams Joined the
ceeded to TarrytOwn, where Andre fell into
their hands in sight of the British lines, he
the abandoned boat to the English camp.
Nancy afterward married Williams, and
nVed TO be ninety-two years old. sister
Sarah, was married to John Mckinley a
revolutionary soldier Mrs Cobb had more |
than 400 relatives in the late civil war, all
but one, the Confederate General Gano,
serving on the Union side.
A noted member of the family still liv-
ing is Colonel James Talmadge Benedict
u ~ GdTuen Elace, brooklyn, N. Y. The
family in all its branches is noted for it's
longevity Mr. Benedict and wife celebrated
their golden wedding in 1891; his brother
stephen and wife celebrated theirs in 1883.
Their father and mother lived together
more than sixty years, making three golden
weddings in one family OF the 1853 de-
Scendants of five members, nine died at 100
fifteen at ninety-ffve, twenty at ninety,
1orty-two at eighty-five and seVenty-seven
at eighty. On the Gano side there was
Francis Gano, who died at 103. OF the
Sites branch, John Sites lived to be 122
years old He came from England in Crom-
wells time Mrs. Cobb was born in Frank
fort Ky, Jan II, 1903 She retains the
faith of her distinguished grandfather, the
fighting chaplain of the revolution, hav-
ing been a lifelong Baptist.
From the original stock of Ganos, Bene-
diets and Stiteses that came to America
from England and France comes a large per
cent of the population of the United States
The progeny is in all sections of the Union
perhaps a half million souls par
ttcularly numerous in Ohio, Indiana Ili-
nois, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York and
Rhode Island. They are exceptionally long
lived people, and, like their illustrious an
cestors, are all born fighters. Col. James
Benedict, of Brooklyn, N. Y. to
whom the writer is indebted for much Of
the information in this article, has mar
velousy complete history of the ancient
families. Though past eighty years of age,
Colonel Benedict makes note of every new
limb added to the family tree, and his chro-
nology is up to date in every particular.