KING GEORGE, Virginia (STPNS) -- King George, Va.  --  A genealogy investigation revealed that the King George Hemingways are not related to Ernest?s famous literary family.  However, they are part of another very famous branch of a Hemingway tree.

According to records from a genealogy study completed in 1980 by Margaret Susan Hemingway Gimbel?s Great Aunt the King George Hemingways are descendents of the renowned architect John Hemenway Duncan.

Rooted in Bedrock

Duncan is perhaps best known for his design of Ulysses S. Grant?s Tomb, the second largest mausoleum in the Western Hemisphere.  Designed in an eclectic neoclassic style, it has Doric columns on the lower level encircling the cupola above. Completed in 1897, the structure rises 150 feet above the ground and more than 280 feet above the banks of the Hudson River in New York City, N.Y.



The family?s genealogy search discovered that Duncan also designed The Defender?s Arch (also known as Soldiers and Sailors Arch) at the entrance to Prospect Park in Brooklyn and the Equitable Building in New York City.

Duncan also designed the Knox Hat Building at the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 42nd St. bordering Bryant Park in New York City.  It is considered one of several noteworthy buildings that define midtown Manhattan as an architectural showplace of the world. Built just after the turn of the century between 1901 and 1902, it was home to one of the country?s best-known manufacturer?s of men?s hats.  As such, it attracted renowned clientele such as Enrico Caruso, Alfred E. Smith, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and John D. Rockefeller.

Duncan?s architectural style and monuments were also erected throughout other parts of the country. One prominent monument also stands as a pillar commemorating the Battle of Trenton in New Jersey.  It is a single 150 ft. tall granite Doric column.  Atop the column is a pedestal with an acanthus leaf upon which George Washington is standing with his right arm outstretched.  This monument is an example of the Beaux Arts style of design popular in America at the time of its dedication in 1893.

A current search of records via the internet has shown that Duncan?s designs dotted the landscape throughout New York City as well as buildings throughout Havana Cuba; most notably in the Miramar area.  His Mendoza Clock Tower in Miramar is one of his most recognized works in that country.

The Wild West

As I studied the genealogy reports I was most intrigued by the family photographer, Erastus Bradley Hemingway.  Born in Binghamton, N.Y. in 1850, he married Mary A. Merwin in Cameron Mo. on Jan. 30, 1872 but returned to New York shortly after their marriage.  According to the report his wife gave birth to twin boys, and they returned to Cameron a few years later.

This is where the story gets really interesting, at least for me.  Now perhaps this is because I was raised in the day when we only had three channels on the television and many of the family oriented shows of the 50?s revolved around the old west.  And when there was nothing to watch on TV, we actually read books about Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok and Jesse James.

It seems Erastus actually took photographs of Bill Cody.  But, he also had the famed showman spend the night in his home.  I can only imagine the tales that were told that evening!

Since we didn?t have virtual reality in my childhood, one had to use their imagination, so as I continued to read the genealogy report, mine was going full blast.

While Erastus? twins George Winthrop and Charles Whitney grew up in the mid west, the notorious James gang would sometimes ride into town.  According to the study, the boys would sometimes sneak out to peek under the swinging doors of the saloon to get a look at the gunslingers.

Although, it?s not written in the study, I can picture Jesse with the dust from a hard day?s ride clouding the floor as the spurs on his boots clinked against the bar rail, and the local men in the town taking a few steps back as he rested his elbows on the bar.

And then I can see these two young boys with eyes as wide as quarters sneaking down a quiet dusty street that is still as the night air, save for an occasional tumbleweed, just to get that one quick peek.  Then they scurry off back home to sneak back into their room, hoping not to be detected by their Ma, knowing they had just earned the ultimate bragging rights among their friends!

According to the study, the twins were quite adventurous.  Although the family had returned to Binghamton, N.Y. when the boys were in their teens, at 19 the two somehow made it out to the opening of the Oklahoma Territory on Sept. 16, 1893.  This was no small feat at the time considering they had to travel nearly 1,000 miles to get there. The report says the two staked a claim in the morning and sold it by afternoon!

Great Minds Think Alike

I could continue to weave tales from the notes of the genealogy study that was so carefully scribed by Gimbel?s Great Aunt Kathryn Hemingway Conroy.  However, without writing a lengthy memoir, I would never be able to do justice to this family and their history.

In late October I had the privilege of attending a presentation by Lynne Cheney at which she discussed her new memoir Blue Skies, No Fences.

As I was reading through the Conroy study, I couldn?t help but draw similarities to some of the statements made by the renowned bestselling author, noted historian, and wife of Vice President Dick Cheney when she discussed her latest literary achievement at the National Press Club.

She described the process of researching her book back to the earliest settlers in this country; that of her great-great grandmother who was a Mormon servant girl from Wales.

After telling many stories of her family?s strife, struggle and perseverance, Cheney said, ?Awe inspiring as these stories are, they are not rare. The American past is filled with heroes and heroines who have no monuments, whose names you won?t find in the history books, but to whom we are most surely indebted.?

According to Cheney, these people exist in all of our families and with access to modern technology it is easier than ever to research our personal history.

It was clear to me as I read the Hemingway history that those people do indeed exist in this King George family?s personal history.

Climbing the Family Tree

Unfortunately when Conroy began her search we did not have the modern amenities we have today.  Her sojourn required a tedious trek throughout the northeast over the course of two years.

During that time, with the assistance of her husband Bart she traced the family heritage back to the 1600?s.  She left no stone unturned as they sifted thorough sheets of yellowed pages in county offices and handwritten files stored away with personal records of local citizens.

She traced the family?s roots back to Ralph Hemenway?s immigration to America during the period known as the great migration around the period of 1630.

He later married Elizabeth Hewes, whose great nephew Joseph was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

There are too many Hemingways of note to be able to honor all of them in this short story as the family has achieved fame on many levels, including serving their country in such historical battles as Bunker Hill, the Siege of Boston, and the War of 1812, to name but a few.

For those that may have noticed a difference in the spelling of the Hemingway name, in her narrative, Conroy stated ?my grandfather Erastus Bradley had the name legally changed to Hemingway in 1876.  As the story goes, there was another Hemenway in town and the mail was constantly getting mixed up.?

Today, I can look up Erastus Bradley Hemingway on the World Wide Web, and immediately find his photographic works, or find the history and lineage of John Hemingway Duncan with the click of a mouse.  

Conroy did not have that luxury and it took several painstaking years to gather the data.  ?Also, we were just plain lucky that so many people helped us fit the pieces together,? she said. ?I do hope the work that went into this project will be appreciated, taken care of and handed down for prosperity.?

Gimbel and her siblings are the progeny of the 12th generation of Ralph Hemenway. She along with sisters Donna Hemingway Cannon and Deborah Hemingway Dortch, and brothers William Merwin Hemingway III and John Lee Hemingway are the children of William Merwin the II and Frances Etta Hemingway.

Gimbel has carefully preserved the folder of hand typed notes and copied handwritten documents dating back at least a century.  She will ensure that Conroy?s work survives the generations.