“ e rich are di erent from you and me.” Ç =% J:FKK =@KQ><I8C;

F : rich are di erent. Even genealogically. But if you really want to hit the genealogical jackpot, pick ancestors and kinfolks who were not only rich but also

involved in politics and elected to state or national positions.

All kinds of their triumphs and tragedies made it into newspapers. eir biographies appear in local histories. ey are mentioned in yearbooks and college histories. And sometimes their family letters and records appear in the manuscript collections of archives and historical repositories.

Dr. Elijah Lewis Connally of Georgia was just the right kind of rich man. Born in Floyd County, Georgia, in 1837, he lived to be 92 and died in Atlanta. Not only was he successful as a physician and a businessman, he also served as a surgeon in the Confederate army. He married well, to Mary Virginia Brown, the daughter of Joseph E. Brown, four-time governor of Georgia and a U.S. senator. Wading through thousands of “hits” in Atlanta newspapers about this family took a great deal of time but turned up an embarrassment of riches.

Dr. Connally’s obituary appeared in the local newspaper and in the New York Times. Other family members’

BY MYRA VANDERPOOL GORMLEY, CG

spends her days untangling her illustrious roots and pruning her family’s notorious branches—the latter being a seemingly full-time job. Reach her at myravg@ wamail.net.

obituaries, including those of Connally’s mother and brother, also turned up. Brothers, sisters, in-laws, children, nieces, nephews, and cousins were revealed. ese pearls enabled me to untangle some of the gnarled roots of Connally’s ancestors, including an Atlanta pioneer couple that had 16 children.

When Dr. Connally’s daughters married, their weddings were social events; details, like those of Frances Connally and Hal Fitzgerald Hentz’s wedding, appeared in local papers. Take this example from the Atlanta Constitution:

Preceding the entire bridal party as they entered the parlor was the bride’s mother, wearing her own wedding gown of white satin, retaining the graceful style of 40 years ago and trimmed in rare rose print lace.

News of Connally’s son’s graduation from college was duly noted in the local press, as were the family’s travels abroad.

e rich are di erent. And like the Connallys, their wealth of genealogical jewels provides sparkling treasures for anyone researching a large and many-branched family tree.