Thornton Lineage
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Hello, I only recently started researching my genealogy, and have found your contributions turn up in a lot of my research. I am the great granddaughter of Essie Graham and Charlie Treolo. I was really excited to see your post about the Graham-Thornton Cemetery, because I remember making the trip there with my grandfather Tony when his father Charlie passed in 1976. I had a chuckle when you mentioned that the cemetery is accessible by a jeep road, because we essentially went four-wheeling up to the interment in a 1976 Cadillac Coupe de Ville!
I notice on your plot map that you have Essie down as being Robert and Eda’s daughter, when in fact she, too, is both a Thornton and Graham descendant. She and her twin sister Effie were the daughters of Asa and Mary Jane Thornton Graham and the granddaughters of Robert and Eda. I’m not 100% sure of this, but relatively confident judging from the dates of their birth as well as the fact I have a photo of Asa and Mary Jane that has been handed down to me with the assertions that they were my great great grandparents.
I am currently researching the Melungeon population that resided in Virginia/NC/TN. According to my DNA reports, I have a several-times great grandparent from around the early to mid 1800s on both sides of my family who was African. I think I may have narrowed it down on my father’s side, but not my mother’s. My father’s great grandfather was from Whitetop, VA, which had a very sizable Melungeon population. I wondered if you had found any African ancestry in the Graham/Thornton lineage? I have a hunch it may be through Charlie Treolo (who was Triolo when he lived in Sicily); however, his lineage is a mystery. Other than his parents and siblings names, I can find no more information about them.
I would love to compare notes to see how far back you’ve been able to trace our shared ancestry. I wish I was able to view your tree on Ancestry.com, but I don’t know if that’s possible. Thanks for your tireless work in tracking all this information!