Letter from Victoria Bannon Faris - 1971
[Typed from handwritten letter from Victoria Brannon Faris to Lillian Highfield. Original spelling etc. typed as it was handwritten. I have placed references and comments in brackets to clarify who the people are to whom she refers whenever possible- Lamar Ross] Victoria Faris is now deceased.
*********************************
535 Grandview Circle
Jackson, Miss 39212
Thursday, May 20 1971
Dear Lillian:
I spent the afternoon with mama [Mary Agnes Johnson] and daddy [Revis Aaron Brannon, Sr.] and may have a little more information for you.
This is the way she related the story of the inheirantce from the Kennedy who married the King James’ daughter. When Kennedy died (you have the story of the marriage) he left no heirs in England or Scotland and if he did, Uncle Benjamin Kennedy, in America was the nearest relative.
Now, She could not remember if uncle Benjamin Kennedy was Esther Kennedys brother, [he was] but I rather think he was great great grandmothers uncle. He was a doctor or lawyer.
Mama did not remember great great great grandfather’s (Moses W Kennedy’s wifes first name, but She was a Bundle [Esther W. Bunnell].
Moses Kennedy Ross was Esther Kennedy Ross’s eldest child and lived and died in Gadsden. He was the one who was the road contractor. He married a widow Effie Maffey [Mahaffey according to the census data] who had two daughters, Ruth Maffey (McNair) and Lizzie - He was the one who was so mean to great grandmother.
Uncle Jennings, your great great (?) grandfather [actually Lillians’s great grandfather, not great great] lived near White Springs (down Rainbow Drive, Gadsden) and was a farmer. We at one time lived in his log house (after he had sold the land and moved to Kellyville).
Now, to the story of the land in Scotland and I think I have the correct story this time!
Uncle Benjamin Kennedy was notified of the inheitrance of the “Castle Casillias” - “Castle Carolin” - Town of Aires and a small island Elza ) mama remembers seeing the island on a map) all in scotland. He asked his uncle or cousin (not sure which, but was not an heir) to accompany him. When they arrived in New York to sail, uncle Benjamin realized that one of the papers for him to claim the estate was not properly written - something had been left out and he returned (where I do not know) home to have the lawyers correct the paper. He left the other papers with the relaite. When he returned he could not find the relative and sensed that he had sailed with the other papers. - he returned home feeling that he did not have enought proof to claim the estate.
In the mean time the relative had arrived in Scotland and found “usurpers” had taken over the estate. They took him one of the castles and entertained him royally. Each time he mentioned settling the estate they would put him off and entertain for him. He became suspicious that they knew he was an imposter and decided to return home. He pretended he was going to American to return with his lawyer.
The day he left the “usurpers”, as grandmother called them, prepared him a basket of food to take along on the journey. He did not eat any of the food the first day, but the second day ate a small amount and became deathly ill. The ships doctor examined the food and found it to contain enough posion to have killed him had he eaten very much of it.
Why Uncle Benjamin did not go over to try to claim the estate I’ll never know, unless the relative had turned over the papers he possessed to the people in Scotland.
I have called sever members of the family here, who were supposed to have been descentants of the Kennedys that a lawyer contacted about an estate in England or Scotland and they are real old and can’t remember. The one who told me about this has had two strokes, yet is working. I will try to call her tonite.
Love,
Vic
********************
© 2008 by E. Lamar Ross and Infopreneur Publishers, LLC.