The Rambler - J Harry Shannon

[Jim Woodall]

Seeing as I haven't posted in a while, I though I might widen the relatives of interest.  Turns out that The Ramber is a relative.  And for those who have read his remembrances of east of the Anacostia and found his wonderful alleghories skipping of the juicy history in some familiies, espeically those around the fork of Good Hope (my group), he wasn't just doing it out of fondness of the people which I initially thought having seen that he grew up east of the Anacostia and his best friend's family bought the flower gardens that were in the Jenkins/Boiseau's family from Ida Boiseau.

He is descdent of Talberts including Talberts I am related to.  His relationship to my clan of Anderson goes back further to Margaret Riley, sister to Mary Riley who married my 4th great grandfather, Jesse Anderson.  So looks to be that he is cousin to me.  And related to the Talberts associated with the Jenkins line and related to Sarah Talbert who married Richard Neale who raised John Harrison Surratt Sr.

Although he was born in Baltimore, and moved to Anacostia, his family roots were east of the Anacostia.  The people he wrote about, and often skipped into alleghory when talking about the troubles surrounding the folks east of the Anacostia, were kin.  So, he was protecting the secrets.

It is intriguing that he didn't really do a deep dive east of the Anacostia until near the end of his life.  He seemed very protetive of those people.

Oh, the secrets people knew.