project-news-4-CalebJr

For many years researchers in the family of Caleb Garrison, Jr (c1789-1862) who died in Conway Co, AR
insisted that he was a son of Jedediah Garrison (c1752-1830) of Franklin (now Banks) Co, GA.
Descendants of Jedediah's other children would not accept that claim. At last, DNA results prove that he
was Jedediah's son and the claims of the late Frankie (Garrison) Followwill Shipman and the late William
Garry Garrison have been vindicated. There is a third member of their team still living but she will not be
named for security reasons.

The member of Garrisons' Compass who descends from Caleb, Jr has a 100% match on all the 67 markers
tested with a member who descends from Jedediah's son Thomas. That proves Thomas and Caleb were
brothers. And those members have similar, but not identical, matches with the other descendants of
Jedediah who are in the Project.

When young Caleb reached adulthood there was an older Caleb Garrison (not his father) who lived in
Franklin (now Banks) Co, GA. It was necessary for the court house clerks to distinguish them in the records
so the older was called Caleb Garrison, Sr and the younger Caleb Garrison, Jr even though they were not
father and son. It was the usual procedure all over the USA before middle names were common.

The only proof Frankie and Garry had was secondary (printed) sources and one of them was faulty. Caleb
Jr moved to Conway Co, Arkansas where he died. A sketch of him that appeared in a local history reported
his father was Hezekiah Garrison of Georgia. Obviously, that was a mistake because no Hekeziah was
found in any Georgia records. A sketch of Caleb's son James reported that he, James, was the grandson of
Jediah Garrison of Georgia. Jediah, of course, is a shortened form of Jedediah. Now, DNA has proven
Frankie and Garry correct.

This result causes a problem because descendants of Jedediah's son James have long claimed that his
name was James Caleb Garrison. It is not likely that Jedediah named two sons Caleb. In the past,
descendants of Jedediah's other children have listed hiss youngest son as Capel or Capius and said that he
"went west". It is my belief that it was James whose middle name was Capel or Caple or something similar,
both names found among Jedediah's descendants. James was a justice-of-the-peace in Franklin Co and
there is not one public record where he used any middle name or initial. The one member of the Project
who descends from James has agreed that he should be called simply James. It would be helpful if other
descendants did the same. Perhaps at sometime research will restore to him a middle name other than
Caleb or at least the initial C.

All the opinions in this paper are solely those of the writer and do not reflect those of any other member of
Garrisons' Compass DNA Project or the Administrators.

C Calder Garrason
Posted 4 July 2007