IN MEMORY OF MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER MAMMIE LEE STRICKLAND, - 1884-1903, daughter of Jessie & Sarah A. LEE & her only child - WILLIAM BRASCO STRICKLAND 1903-1986 Re: [NCSAMPSO] LEE-NC1880 Sampson,US1900 JoCo>Cumberland after 1900 Today I have learned that which was concealed from 3 generations of my family for 102 years... THANK YOU ALL ! You cannot imagine the sense of emotion I am experiencing by what all I have just learned. (Due to the circustances this is much different than any of my other lines.) I have spent thousands of hours researching, trying to discover my Ggrandmother MAMMIE LEE's family, and now that I have so many doors have been opened in less than 24hrs. Simply amazing! The US1900 census I located only a few days ago was the first documented source I found showing she ever existed at all. I have been with several lists for years and I have to say that the response I have gotten from Sampson, JoCo and Cumberland -L lists has been enormous for less than 24 hrs. in time.. I have came across some info on Uriah WESTBROOK (LEE>TART>WESTBROOK)connection previously, while searching for the "right" JESSE/Jessie/Jessee LEE, but could not determine which JESSE was her father.(or Grandfather). I had no idea of the ROYAL connection. (Jerome Tew- I will be e-mailing you again on this!) I can't wait to learn more! This means so much to me and my 71 yr old mother who never had the chance to know her grandmother, as she died so young. And moms' step grandmother forbid anyone talking about Mammie. (She was said to be jealous of Mammie and treated my mother and her sister mean as children) so we had no idea of Mammies' life, roots or anything other than her name and her brother Jesse. This is all I started my long journey of research with. This and the fact that my grandfather, WILLIAM BRASCO STRICKLAND, was told his mother Mammie was 1/2 Cherokee. The only thing my mother was given of hers, was a hand drawn portrait of Mammie that hangs in my mothers living room to this day. I plan to scan it onto disk one day soon. It is fragile so I may have to have a professionals advice 1st, before removal from frame. (It had to be drawn before her death in 1903.) I look more like her and her son- my grandfather, - than anyone else in all my lineage. My grandfather STRICKLAND was my closest friend, mentor and hero. I do this to continue his legacy. He grew up without a mother, self educated himself by reading books, ran away as a young teen, lied about his age to serve in the Navy, then joined the Army and worked a second job selling McNess products. He took all of his extra money and put it into real estate, (doing all maintenance on his apartments and houses himself), and became a self made millionare, who never forgot where he came from. Everyone who met him loved his down to earth humor, kind heart and determined spirit. I just wish he was here to know we finally found his mothers' family. And I wish she had lived to see all he overcame and accomplished. I generally don't get so emotional over my research- but this discovery is a fullfillment of the dreams of 3 generations in my family. I will have to post all the data later when I can get over all the tears of joy I have experienced today. I am the granddaughter of WILLIAM BRASCO STRICKLAND 1903-1986 and LAURA ALICE PARKER 1911-1991, through their eldest of two daughters. Their descendants are the only descendants of MAMMIE A. LEE, 1884-1903 and GEORGE WILLIAM STRICKLAND, 1879-1963. (George William does have many other descendants through his second wife, Alda BAREFOOT).. Maybe knowing the family connections will finally enable me to locate Mammies' burial... Her husband, George William STRICKLAND is buried at the V.A. Memorial Cemetary, off Ramsey Street (401N), here in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, NC., a few plots over from my grandparents- William B & Laura STRICKLAND and my mothers sister- ALICE YVONNE STRICKLAND-BELL-VEAHMAN, (1936-2001). Next Question- Does anyone know WHERE the Cherokee came from- and who are the grandparents that the descendants of her brother Jesse-speak of? Now that I know who her family was, I want to learn all I can! Sincerely, Nancy J. Capps IN MEMORY OF MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER MAMMIE LEE - 1884-1903 & her only child - WILLIAM BRASCO STRICKLAND 1903-1986