Readers, This is the project I mentioned sometime ago and promised to share with you.
Best wishes, Earl Cagle
GEN DNA MIA
In mid-July, 2007 I received an e-mail reminding me of the Cagle Reunion on the first
Sunday of August, an attachment from Barbara Loyd carried a message of interest and
urgency.
The essence of Barbaras attachment dealt with the Department of Defense and its efforts
to locate a female descendant of Mollie Mariah Cagle Akins. Mollie was Barbaras
grandmother, my grandfathers sister and the mother of SFC William T. Akins, Jr., missing
in action in Korea since November, 1950.
I learned later that W. T., Jr. was Mollies youngest child, that he was a medic in the
Medical Company of the 8th Cavalry Regiment, First Cavalry Division, listed as MIA while
tending his wounded comrades near Unsan, North Korea on November 2, 1950 and
presumed dead December 31, 1953. Further information I received from DOD was the forward
units of First Cavalry were overrun by the Chinese. W. T., two more medics and a Chaplain
had stayed with the wounded.
In April, 2007 a group led by Governor Richardson negotiated the return of six boxes of
remains from North Korea, a dog tag with W. T.s name was among the remains.
When I read Barbaras attachment I didnt see a problem until I pulled out my copy of The
Cagle Families of Cherokee and Pickens Counties Georgia by the Rev. Dr. Charles O.
Walker. The extent of recorded data was Mollie Mariah Cagle married William Akins. They
live in Decatur, Ga.. I immediately contacted Barbara for any information she might have
on Mollie and W. T., Sr.s children and their descendants. With Barbaras response I
became acutely aware of what DOD had been faced with. Mollie had one daughter, Lillian,
who had one son.....back to square one.
Dr. Walkers Cagle book verified that Mollie only had two sisters, Annie who married John
Dowda, never had children and Sally, who never married.
I backed up a generation to my great grandmother Mary Owen, daughter of Elisha and Rebecca
McGee Owen and Mollie Mariahs mother. I pulled some old information that an Owen
relative had provided many years ago. I found that Mary had two sisters Annie and
Elizabeth and surprise/surprise, they had married Cornelison brothers, Calvin and James
respectively. I started researching for Annies daughters and found Laura. Laura had
five daughters, things were looking up.
I went on the internet and did what frustrated researchers do, started putting in names
and combinations of names. Eventually, I found a researcher that had Laura, one of her
daughters and an indication that there was a living female in the line. I called the
researcher and found that he was in Cumming. I related my situation and he responded by
keeping me on his landline and using his cell phone reached someone and ask for the name
of her former sister-in-laws daughter. He asked if she knew the husbands name and where
they lived. With that information I was able to contact that person that night. She
seemed to be aware of DODs efforts. I asked if she would be willing to participate and
she agreed. I contacted DOD and requested a test kit be sent. In about a month I
contacted DOD and was told the kit had not been returned. I contacted my contributor
and ask if she had received any word from DOD. Her response was, she would send the kit
in on Monday I contac!
ted DOD
and told them I would locate another source.
I went back to Lauras other daughters and started my search again. I found additional
information on one daughter, Emma, who had married Walter Howard. The data also showed
their children and whom they had married. I looked over the listing, there was a daughter
named Mary that had married Coy Free. That rang a bell...Mary Free. I know Mary Free,
but through my Cagle line. I knew I had my DNA donor. It took two weeks to make contact,
Mary had been on vacation. When we talked she assured me that she would participate. I
contacted DOD with name and address of W. T.s DNA donor. A couple of weeks later Mary
called, Just wanted to let you know I mailed the kit this morning.
I was invited to a regional meeting of DOD in Marietta on February 9, 2008. While there
was no positive information to be had I was highly impressed to learn of the effort that
is put forth to locate our MIAs.
Back to my knowledge of being related to Mary Free through the Cagle line. My shortcoming
was the lack of knowledge that the Cornelison brothers had married my great grandmothers
sisters. Here is my lineage and our relations:
Peter Cagle - Rachel Boling
Martha Patsy Cagle John Cagle Martin Cagle
Caterana Cagle
m. Garrett Cornelison m. Mary OBrien
Calvin Cornelison John Cagle
m. Annie Owen m. Mary Owen
Laura Mollie Mariah
m. Andrew Stoner m. W. T. Akins
(W. T., Jrs
parents
Emma and Barbaras
grandparents)
m. Walter Howard
(Marys parents) Freeman Cagle
(my
grandfather)
This document was prepared for handout at the Family History Workshop held at the Funk
Heritage Center, Reinhardt College, Waleska, Georgia. It relates my efforts to locate a
DNA donor for my second cousin (MIA) and the cooperative spirit of those I contacted along
with setbacks I experienced . Suggested for the researcher is to identify as many of your
family connections as possible, investigate how DNA can assist you in your research and
provide assistance where you can. Thank you for attending.
Earl L. Cagle, Sr.
ecagle1(a)bellsouth.net
February 23, 2008