Charles Briant Drake

“Briant”

(1893 – 1973)

WORKING DRAFT

Last Change: 25 September 2018

Special Note: According to his oldest daughter, Ruth Helen (Drake)(Rowell) Dailey, "Briant" Drake was actually named Charles Briant Drake at birth in honor of his great uncle, Charles Briant, who lived nearby and did not die until 1913, when "Briant" was about 20 years old. However, to avoid confusion with this favorite uncle, the younger Charles was forever known, formally and informally, as Briant C. Drake, and that’s how he signed his name.

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Ancestors:

John Drake I of Windsor, Connecticut

John Drake II - Gen 2

Enoch Drake - Gen 3

Nathanial Drake - Gen 4

Josiah Drake I - Gen 5

Josiah Drake II - Gen 6

Josiah Drake III - Gen 7

Ziba Drake - Gen 8

Almond Drake - Gen 9

George Edgar Drake I - Gen 10

Charles Briant Drake

Drake Generation 11 in America

Gay #1253 *

1. Briant’s parents: George Edgar and Mary Arvilla (Briant) Drake

Drake Generation #10 in America

2. Briant’s birth: 24 September 1893 (12 ½ lbs) on the family farm between LeRaysville and Evans Mills, Jefferson County, New York.

Briant’s death: 19/17 May 1973 (age 79) at home in Evans Mills, Jefferson County, New York; interred beside his wives in the George Edgar Drake plot in the (new) Evans Mills, New York Cemetery.

3. Briant’s formal education:

From	To	School Name, Location, Diploma/Degree
		LeRaysville Elementary School, LeRaysville, Jefferson County, New York.
		Evans Mills High School, Evans Mills, Jefferson County, New York.

4a. Briant’s 1^st marriage:

a. To whom: Elnora E. Clintsman (photos) (more info)

(also seen: Eleanora)

(1) Elnora’s parents: Charles Henry and Emogene (Perkins) Clintsman

(2) Elnora’s birth: 4 May 1893 in Rutland Township, Jefferson County, New York.

Elnora’s death: 22 September 1916, age 23, from complications of what was diagnosed as typhoid fever (just 5 weeks after the birth of her daughter, Ruth); interred in the George Edgar Drake plot in the (new) Evans Mills, New York Cemetery. Elnora, reportedly, was near Briant, perhaps nursing Ruth and helping where she could, while Briant cleaned out the Drake family septic tank. Soon afterwards Elnora presented symptoms of typhoid fever and did not recover. For the remainder of her life, Elnora's mother felt Briant had been negligent in letting Elnora participate, no matter how little, in that project, linking the incident to the tragedy that followed.

Note: typhoid fever is most commonly contracted by ingesting water or food that is contaminated with the Salmonella typhi bacterium, which is often found in fecal matter. That's the reason potable water wells must be sited "up stream" (relative to ground water flow) and be well-separated from septic systems

(3) Elnora’s formal education:

From	To	School Name, Location, Diploma/Degree
		LeRaysville Grammar School

(4) Elnora’s addresses before marriage:

From	To	Address
		Great Bend & LeRaysville, Jefferson County, New York

(5) Other biographical notes on Elnora:

(a) Was a Sunday school teacher and possessed “rare musical ability.” She routinely played the organ during activities in the LeRaysville United Methodist-Episcopal Church.

b. Marriage #1 date & location: 30 December 1913 at the Charles Henry Clintsman residence, LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York.

c. Child:

(1) Ruth Helen Drake: Born 18 August 1916. Died 10 September 2003.

4b. Briant’s 2^nd marriage:

a. To whom: Edna Matilda Wolcott (photos) (more info)

(1) Edna’s parents: George Henry and Celestia Margaret (Gardner) Wolcott of Black River, Jefferson County, New York.

(2) Edna’s birth: 22 October 1888 at Black River, Jefferson County, New York.

Edna’s death: Sunday, 8 June 1975 (age 86) at home on Main Street in Evans Mills, Jefferson County, New York, after nearly 5 years of failing health; interred with Briant in the (new) Evans Mills Cemetery; funeral at Evans Mills United Methodist Church.

(3) Edna’s formal education:

From	To	School Name, Location, Diploma/Degree
	1906	Black River High School, Evans Mills, Jefferson County, New York; State diploma.
1906	1907	Watertown Training School, Watertown, Jefferson County, New York.

(4) Edna’s employment history:

From

To

Employer, location, job title

(5) Edna’s addresses before marriage to Ruth:

From	To	Address
		LeRay Township Tax Collector.
		LeRay Township School Tax Collector.

(6) Edna’s organizational affiliations:

From	To	Address
	1975	First United Methodist Church, Evans Mills, Jefferson County, New York.
	1975	Pisgah Order of Eastern Stars, Evans Mills, Jefferson County, New York.
	1975	Kamargo Association of Black River, Jefferson County, New York.
	1975	Great Bend Grange, Great Bend, Jefferson County, New York.

b. Marriage #2 date & location: 14 February 1918 at the George Wolcott home in Black River, Jefferson County, New York with Reverend J. C. Barber, Pastor of the Black River Baptist Church, officiating.

c. Children:

(1. Wolcott Edgar Drake: Born 7 January 1920.

(2. Mary Celestia Drake: Born 20 June 1923.

5. Briant’s employment history:

From	To	Employer, location, job
	1941	Farming (dairy and poultry).
1941	1957	St Regis Paper Company, Deferiet, Jefferson County, New York; worked in stock room as a bookkeeper. Despite his protest, St Regis retired him 6 months before he became eligible for retirement benefits claiming he could not adequately perform his duties. He eventually got some level of retirement from St Regis, but it took quite a while.
		LeRay Township Tax Collector, 2 terms.
		LeRay Township School Tax Collector, 1 term.

6. Briant’s addresses:

From	To	Address
1893	1941	Resided with his parents on the family farm between Evans Mills and LeRaysville.
1941	1973	Main Street, Evans Mills, Jefferson County, New York.

7. Briant’s organizational affiliations:

From	To	Organization, offices held
	1973	First Methodist Church, Evans Mills, Jefferson County, New York.
	1973	Great Bend (Jefferson Co., N.Y.) Grange; 60-year member.
	1973	Pisgah Lodge #720 of Free and Accepted Masons, Evans Mills, New York; initiated 2 Feb 1949; passed 16 Feb 1949; raised 2 Mar 1949.
	1973	Lodge of Odd Fellows, Evans Mills, New York.

8. Other biographical notes on Briant:

Briant and Edna lived at and operated George E. Drake's farm until Briant was diagnosed with polio on 24 September 1923. For a period of time Briant was totally incapacitated by the paralysis. However, in time he was able to move around on crutches and bought a Holstein dairy farm on the Slocumville Road, not far from his father's farm. Because of his condition, Briant hired a man to help run the farm for him. Several years later Briant switched from dairy to chicken farming and sold eggs door-to-door in Watertown, New York.

In 1941, just prior to the U.S. involvement in World War II, Briant's farm (and that of his father and brother, Almond) were expropriated by the U.S. Government to expand Pine Camp, which subsequently became Camp Drum (and much later, Fort Drum). In 1941 Briant and Edna purchased from Delos Biche a home on Main Street in the village of Evans Mills, New York. In retirement from farming Briant was employed until 1957/58 at the St. Regis Paper Company, Deferiet, New York. Both he and Edna served several terms as Tax Collector for the Town of LeRay (she as late as 1962) and as School Tax Collector.

Briant and Edna (Wolcott) Drake also helped raise several (perhaps 30) foster children. All but one stayed with them for relatively short periods of time. That one exception follows:

· Aroberta “Roberta” Joyce Clyde: (photos) (more info)

Born 20 July 1935. Died 19 October 2003. Roberta resided with Briant and Edna from the time she was a baby until she was age 18; thus, they were the only parents she ever knew. Had a speech impediment. Taught Sunday School and played the piano. Jane Marie Dougall, granddaughter of Briant and Edna, referred to her as “Aunt Roberta” and remembered that Roberta would sing to her.

Roberta married Wesley Robert Heater, Jr. (photos) of Middletown, Orange County, New York (SW of Poughkeepsie) on 12 September 1954 at the Briant Drake residence, Evans Mills, New York and had the following children:

· Briant Robert Heater: Born 7 December 1955. Died 31 January 2011.

· John William Heater: Born 1957.

· Edna Ann Heater: Born 1958.

· Kathleen "Kathy" Marie Heater: Born 1961.

· Wesley Lewis Heater: Born 1965.

· Kevin James Heater: Born 1966.

After Wesley’s death Roberta resided with a friend, Mr. Jesse Conklin for the remainder of her life.

9. Census records:

1900 U.S. Census: Briant, age 5, was born in September 1884. He was living with his parents outside LeRaysville, New York.

1910 U.S. Census: Briant, age 16, was single and living with his parents on LeRaysville Road outside Evans Mills, New York.

1920 U.S. Census: Briant, age 26, was head of a household on Slocumville Road in the Town of LeRay. He was employed as a dairy farmer. He rented the farm. Other members of the household included his wife, Edna (age 31); daughter, Ruth (age 3 yrs, 3 months); and father, George E. Drake (age 63 and widowed).

1930 U.S. Census: Briant, age 36, was head of a farming household in LeRay Township. He was married 1^st at age 20. Other members of his household included his wife, Edna M. (age 41, m. 1^st age 29); daughter, Ruth H. (age 13); son, Wolcott E. (age 10); daughter, Mary C. (age 6); father, George E. (age 73, widowed, m. 1^st age 30); and father-in-law, Charles H. Clintsman (age 78, widowed, m. 1^st age 30).

1940 U.S. Census: Bryant Drake, age 46 (b. NYS) and employed as a farmer, was heading a household on the LeRaysville to Evans Mills Road, LeRay Township, Jefferson County, New York. Bryant had completed 8^th grade. The household also included his wife, Edna Drake, age 57 (b. NYS), who had completed 4 years of high school; daughter, Mary Drake, age 16 (b. NYS) and single, who had completed 4 years of high school; father, George Drake, age 85 (b. NYS) and a widower, who had completed 3^rd grade; and the following boarders (foster children): Mary Ann Byer, age 15 (b. NYS) and single, who had completed 1 year of high school; Cecelia Lambert, age 13 (b. NYS), who had completed 2^nd grade; Frederick Lambert, age 8 (b. NYS), who had completed 2^nd grade; George Lambert, age 5; and Roberta Clyde, age 4.

* Note: Reference is to numbers assigned to people by Alice M. Gay in The Descendants of John Drake of Windsor Connecticut, published in 1933.

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