Francis Scott Key (1779 - 1843), great-nephew to Mary Key, wife of Matthias Chitwood, was a lawyer who wrote verse as a hobby, penned the words that became "The Star Spangled Banner" after a battle in the War of 1812. The words were sung to the tune of the English drinking song "To Anacreon in Heaven."

Francis Scott Key was born in Terra Rubra, his family's estate in western Maryland, on August 1, 1779. Until he was 10 he was educated at home. After attending preparatory school at Annapolis, he entered St. John's College and then prepared for a legal career in the office of Judge Jeremiah Chase. He opened a successful law practice in Georgetown and served as attorney for the District of Columbia from 1833. He died in Baltimore, Maryland on January 11, 1843.

After the burning of Washington by the British in the War of 1812, Key was sent to the British fleet anchored in Chesapeake Bay to secure the release of a friend. He was detained aboard ship overnight on September 13, 1814, during the bombardment of Ft. McHenry. When he saw the United States flag still flying over the fortress the next morning, he wrote the words to what was later called "The Star Spangled Banner" but was first printed under the title "Defence of Ft. M'Henry." The song quickly became popular and was adopted by the Army and Navy as the national anthem, but it was not until 1931 that it became officially recognized as such by an act of Congress.

The novels and short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 - 1940), 4th great-nephew of Mary Key, wife of Matthias Chitwood, are famous for portraying the "lost generation" of the post-World War I era. They depict the rich disenchanted youth of what he called the Jazz Age.

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 24, 1896, the only son of Edward and Mary Fitzgerald. F. Scott was a relative of Francis Scott Key, author of "The Star Spangled Banner." Fitzgerald attended St. Paul Academy and the Newman School, in New Jersey. After entering Princeton University in 1913 he wrote for student publications. In November 1917 Fitzgerald left college to enlist in the Army. While stationed in Montgomery, Alabama he fell in love with Zelda Sayre.

Following his release from the Army in 1919, Fitzgerald worked for an advertising agency in New York City for several months. After Zelda broke their engagement, he returned to St. Paul to rewrite a novel he had worked on when he was in the Army. The novel--"This Side of Paradise"--was published in 1920. The first chronicle of flaming youth, it brought Fitzgerald fame, money, and marriage to Zelda.

To maintain the luxurious life he and his wife liked to lead, Fitzgerald wrote at a furious pace. In 1920 he published "Flappers and Philosophers", a volume of short stories. His second novel, "The Beautiful and Damned", and "Tales of the Jazz Age" appeared in 1922. In 1924 the Fitzgeralds moved to Europe, where Fitzgerald wrote his masterpiece, "The Great Gatsby." Typical of his work, it glorified romance and disillusionment, and the dialogue was flawless.

In 1930 Zelda suffered a breakdown, a step on the way to her insanity. The family returned to the United States in 1930. Fitzgerald's novel "Tender Is the Night" was published in 1934. It failed to sell and Fitzgerald felt defeated. In 1936 he wrote about his emotional state in "The Crack-up."

Fitzgerald went to Hollywood in 1937 to write scenarios for motion pictures. On December 20, 1940, he suffered a fatal heart attack. He had begun a novel about Hollywood, called "The Last Tycoon." The unfinished work, published in 1941, was another attempt to create his dream of the promises of American life and of a man who could realize them.

Capt. James Chitwood, son of Matthias and Mary (Key) Chitwood and brother to Richard Chitwood, was a Loyalist who was taken prisoner at the battle of King's Mountain in late September,1780. The victorious patriots were itching for revenge, and decided to stop and hold what was termed a "drum head trial" the first night the prisoners were being marched from the battle site. A score of local folks who had taken the loyalists side were convicted and sentenced to die. Nine were indeed hung, when high officers interrupted the proceedings and put a halt to the executions. Eight were buried in shallow graves by the side of the road immediately after the executions were stopped. The body of James Chitwood was carried by some local sympathizers to the crown to their own family burial ground about a mile away and given a real grave. His sons were arrested by patriot forces and given several choices - take their father's political side and face exile or take the Oath of Allegiance to the patriot cause and be on their way. They chose to take the Oath, and left North Carolina for less and settled lands further west."........sent to me in e-mail by Jane Dresser

Capt. James Chitwood, son of Matthias and Mary (Key) Chitwood and brother to Richard Chitwood, was a Tory during the Revolutionary War and was captured and hung after the battle of King's Mountain NC. "The names of the condemned Tories were --- Colonel Ambrose Mills, Capt. James Chitwood, Capt. Wilson, Capt. Walter Gilkey, Capt. Grimes, Lieutenant Lafferty, John McFall, John Bibby, and Augustine Hobbs. They were swung off the Gallows Oak, three at a time, and left suspended at the place of execution. According to Lieutenant Allaire's acocunt, they died like soldiers --- like martyrs, in their own and friends' estimation. "These brave but unfortunate Loyalists', says Allaire, 'with their latest breath expressed their unutterable detestation of the Rebels, and of their base and infamous proceedings; and, as they were being turned off, extolled thier King and the British Government, Mills, Wilson, and Chitwood died like Romans.....The poor Loyalist leaders had been left swinging from the sturdy oak upon which they had been executed. No sooner had the Whigs moved off, than Mrs. Martha Bickerstaff, the wife of Capt. Aaron Bickerstaff who had served under Ferguson, and been mortally wounded at King's Mountain, with the assistance of an old man who worked on the farm, cut down the nine dead bodies. Eight of them were buried in a shallow trench, some two feet deep; while the remains of Capt. Chitwood were conveyed by some of his friends, on a plank, half a mile away to Benjamin Bickerstaff's, where they were interred on a hill still used as a grave-yard." Taken from the book "Kings Mountain and it's Heroes", by Lyman C. Draper.......from the website of the Ancestors of Billy Ray Chitwood located at http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/c/h/i/Billy-R-Chitwood/GENE4-0016.html by Julie Chitwood.

Ty Cobb, 4th great-grandson of Matthias and Mary (Key) Chitwood through their son Richard Chitwood, is said to be the greatest baseball player of all time. Many great players have surfaced on the diamond, but none out-hit, out-played, or out-hustled the man they called "The Georgia Peach". Over 24 seasons, most with the Detroit Tigers and a couple with the Philadelphia Athletics, Cobb compiled a .366 batting average, the highest in the history of the game. He is the leader in runs scored with 2,245, and was the all-time hit leader until the mid-1980s when Pete Rose eclipsed him. In 1936, Ty Cobb became the first inductee of baseball’s Hall of Fame, earning 222 out of a possible 226 votes, a 98.23% and the highest in the history of baseball.

The eldest of three children, he grew up in Royston, Georgia, under the watchful eyes of his father, William; a schoolteacher, principal, newspaper publisher, state senator, and county school commissioner who urged Ty to study. When Ty went off to play professionals baseball, his father sternly warned him "Don't come home a failure." It is unlikely that any one can beat his life time batting average.

On Aug. 8, 1905, Cobb was batting .320 with 40 stolen bases, most in the South Atlantic League. Then came the news that his mother had accidentally shot his father.

Eight days after the funeral, with his life turned upside down, Cobb was called up to the Detroit Tigers. His major-league debut came on Aug. 30.

In his 24 seasons of playing baseball he topped the .300 barrier 23 times. Cobb's first great season came in 1907, and the Tigers rode success all the way to the World Series. That season the centerfield's batting average was .350. Other league best include 212 hits, 119 RBI's, and 49 stolen bases. Cobb did not stop there. He won nine connective batting tittles starting in 1907. Cobb might be remembered best for his intimidating and harsh playing style. He was never afraid to go to extremes to win a game. He could take pain, as well as hand it out. "I recall when Cobb played a series with each leg a mass of raw flesh," Grantland Rice wrote. "He had a temperature of 103 and the doctors ordered him to bed for several days, but he got three hits, stole three bases, and won the game. Afterward he collapsed at the bench." Cobb looked for every possible way to win. He used his great speed and precision hitting as the best weapons available in the dead-ball, strong-pitching era. Cobb studied pitchers and took advantage of their weaknesses. Against Walter Johnson, the great Washington right-hander who was afraid of hitting batters with fastballs, Cobb crowded the plate. Johnson worked him outside, fell behind in the count, and finally threw slow pitches over the plate. Cobb clobbered ball after ball.

But Cobb's ties to Augusta were just beginning. In August 1908 he married Charlotte "Charlie" Marion Lombard, the daughter of prominent Augustan Roswell Lombard.

In the off season, they lived at The Oaks, Roswell Lombard’s estate south of town. A reception there in 1909 to honor Cobb's third straight batting championship drew 200 friends, family and officials.

In November 1913, Ty and Charlie and their two children - Ty Jr. and Shirley - moved to a house on Williams Street, on "the Hill" not far from where Augusta College is today. A second son, Herschel, was born in 1916.

Cobb's hobbies included shooting game, playing golf at Augusta Country Club, raising bird dogs and investing his money. He was briefly president and owner of Ty Cobb Tire Co. and bought parcels of land around town. Cobb appreciated the value of a dollar and engaged in annual haggles with Detroit executives before signing his contract. Cobb's earnings were invested wisely, mostly in General Motors and Coca-Cola stock, which made him very wealthy and probably baseball's first millionaire. Visitors to his home included the golfer Bobby Jones, football coach Knute Rockne, John Philip Sousa and Atlanta sportswriter Grantland Rice.

The family moved to northern California in 1932, as Cobb had fallen in love with the town of Atherton, but not before Charlie filed for divorce and then withdrew her suit. Cobb continued to own his Summerville house until 1943.

By the time his 24-year major-league career ended in 1928, Cobb had amassed 4,191 hits, 892 stolen bases and batted .367. His base hits record lasted until 1985 and his steals total was unsurpassed until 1990.

"He did everything except steal first base," said Rube Bressler, a contemporary player. "And I think he even did that in the dead of night."

Ty paid the price for success. He would practice sliding until his legs were raw. He would place blankets along the base and practice bunting a ball on the basket. During the winter he hunted through daylight hours in weighted boots so that his legs would be strong for the upcoming campaign. He over-looked no opportunity to gain an edge over his opponents, most of whom admired his drive to succeed.

Cobb died at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta in 1961 at the age of 74 from prostate cancer.

For nine days in July 1553, Lady Jane Grey (1537-54), sister of Mary Grey whom was married to Thomas Key, the grandson of Nicholas Key, was the queen of England when she was only 15. Beautiful and intelligent, she was beheaded seven months later. She was the innocent victim of conspiracies by her father and other nobles to secure power for themselves by putting her on the throne.

Lady Jane Grey was born in Bradgate, Leicestershire, in October 1537. She was the daughter of Henry Grey, duke of Suffolk, and Frances Brandon, neice of Henry VIII. When she was 9 years old she entered the household of Henry VIII as an attendant on Queen Catherine Parr. Henry died in January 1547. A few months later Catherine married Lord Seymour. After Catherine’s death in September, Lord Seymour and Jane’s father tried to arrange a marriage between Jane and King Edward VI, son of Henry VIII. Edward, like Jane, was then 11. This first scheme to make Lady Jane the queen failed, and she returned to her father’s home. Her tutor there was John Aylmer, who later became bishop of London. Jane proved an apt pupil. When she was 13 years old she could read and write greek. By the time she was 15 she also knew Latin, Italian, and French and was learning Hebrew.

The second plot to put Jane on the throne developed early in 1553. Young King Edward had shown signs of fatal tuberculosis. In May Lady Jane was married to Guildford Dudley, the son of John Dudley, the duke of Northumberland. Northumberland induced King Edward to name Jane his successor in place of Edward’s sister Mary. Edward died on July 6. On July 9 Northumberland took Jane before the Privy Council and had her proclaimed queen on July 10. The scheme collapsed nine days later when the rest of the country proclaimed Mary the queen.

Jane was imprisoned in the Tower of London and convicted of high treason. That winter her father joined an uprising against Queen Mary. This led the queen to sign Jane’s death warrant. Jane and her husband were beheaded on February 12, 1554. On the scaffold Jane declared that she had not wanted the crown and died "a true Christian woman."

Joe Diffie, descendant of William Diffee, Sr., was born December 28, 1958 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a bouncing baby boy to proud parents Joe Riley and Flora (Lowrance) Diffie. Joe has loved country music since he was a child. His mom sang and his dad played guitar, banjo and piano. The family would sing songs driving around in their pickup truck. Favorites were "You Are My Sunshine", "Peace In The Valley", and "Amazing Grace". Sisters Meg and Monica and mother, Flora, all sang together in their church choir.

Joe graduated from Velma-Alma High School, the same alma mater as his parents and two sisters. His Mom and Dad say that he brought a lot of pleasure growing up. They enjoyed watching him play baseball, basketball, football, golf and track. His Mom and Dad were both coaches and appreciated his effort and talent as a player. He was voted "All Sportsman" and "Running Back of the Year" his senior year in school. He was always very competitive in sports and continues to be competitive in his musical career. He loved being in school plays, church choir and the school chorus. In high school he was a member of the rock group "Blitz", the gospel group "Genesis II" and another gospel group "Higher Purpose" and later a bluegrass group "Special Edition".

The former Oklahoma iron foundry worker moved to Music City in 1986. His bluegrass and country roots ran deep; and his "quick study" abilities rapidly attracted attention in the songwriting and publishing community. In between shifts at the Gibson Guitar factory warehouse, Diffie sang "I've Cried My Last Tear For You" (later a hit for Ricky van Shelton), "Born Country" (likewise Alabama), "You Don't Count The Cost" (Billy Dean), and dozens of other tunes.

His own compositions were recorded by Charley Pride, Hank Thompson, The Forrester Sisters, Tracy Lawrence, Doug Stone and Clinton Gregory, among others. Diffie's cowritten "There Goes My Heart Again" became a chart-topper for Holly Dunn in 1989. He sang harmony vocals with the then-unknown Tim McGraw at yet another demo session. The tape earned Tim his recording contract and Diffie penned "Memory Lane" as the future star's second single.

Joe Diffie landed his own contract when Epic Records signed him in 1990. He immediately rewarded the company's faith in him by taking five of his first six singles straight to No. 1. Diffie cowrote two of those smashes, "If You Want Me To" and "New Way To Light Up An Old Flame." The other three - "Home," "If The Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets)" and "Ships That Don't Come In" - remain among the most memorable country performances of 1990-91.

He finished his debut year as a recording artist by being named Cash Box magazine's Male Vocalist of the Year and Billboard magazine's Top Singles Artist of the Year. His first two albums, A Thousand Winding Roads and Regular Joe, were both certified Gold Records. His 1992 duet with Mary-Chapin Carpenter, "Not Too Much To Ask," was nominated for a Grammy and he picked up a CMA Award for his work with George Jones on "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair."

In 1993 Diffie began to reveal the "fun" side of his recording personality with the Platinum CD Honky Tonk Attitude and continued his successful song writing streak by penning the title cut. That same year Joe was offered one of country music's highest accolades, cast membership in the Grand Ole Opry. Two years later he was starring in his own TNN television special.

Diffie was made a national commercial star in 1996 when the Ford Motor Company selected "Pickup Man" as a national jingle. That same year, Joe provided "She Ain't Comin' Back" to the soundtrack of the blockbuster hit movie Twister and made his acting debut opposite Johnny Cash in a TV production.

By 1997 Joe Diffie's horizons seemed limitless. He formed his own show-business company Third Rock Entertainment.

"I was feeling a bit of staleness, both in my career and my everyday life," he reports. "I felt like it was time to make some kind of move. People thought I wouldn't stick with running my own business. But it's been so good for me; man, I enjoy it. I'm at the office every day. It's been so refreshing and has helped me in so many ways. I feel like I've got my finger on my own pulse."

Diffie's business sense is not all that drives him. Since 1992 he has spearheaded the annual First Steps concert and golf tournament which benefits disabled children. (Diffie's son Tyler was born with Down Syndrome in 1989.) His efforts have raised more than $500,000 for First Steps and Joe says he will continue to do charity work as long as he lives. That will always be a constant in his life.

In recognition of his contributions, Country Radio Broadcasters presented Diffie with its Humanitarian Award during the 1997 Country Radio Seminar convention. It is, he says, the highest honor he has ever received.

Another incredible honor was bestowed upon Joe Diffie when he won his first Grammy in 1999 for his performance on "Same Old Train," a Marty Stuart song from Sony's Tribute To Tradition album.

But even with awards and accolades surrounding him, Joe Diffie was in the midst of change and evolution. Around the time that he formed Third Rock Entertainment, he also quit smoking and has found new vocal power in his performance as a result. The former high school athlete is now working out again everyday. Diffie has dropped 40 pounds and has more stage energy than ever before.

A Night To Remember shows another growth stage for Joe and confirms he has no intention of resting on his laurels. He is constantly striving for improvement, challenges and innovation in his music.

"With A Night To Remember I'm trying to do something unique, and on this album I wanted a completely new feeling," Diffie says. "Don Cook, Lonnie Wilson and I adapted different instrumentation to compliment the vocals, which strengthened the presentation. And the songs speak for themselves."

And the music on Joe Diffie's masterpiece A Night To Remember speaks for an artist comfortable with himself at the peak of his artistry.

Alonzo Braziel, descendant of William Braziel, rode with Frank and Jesse James with the Quantrill riders. It seems that Alonzo liked these two desperados so well that after the war ended, he decided to ride with them for a while since he had nothing better to do.

Alonzo Derastus Braziel was about sixteen years old when he joined the Confederate States Army in 1862. He joined the States Guards but ended up riding with the Quantrill Riders. Alonzo rode with the James brothers for about two years. It appears that Jesse, Frank, Alonzo, and probably Cole younger spent the night at the house of a widow whose husband had been killed in the war. She knew who they were, and she told them that the tax collector was coming the next day and that she did not have the money to pay him, and he was going to repossess her house and land. Well, the story goes that Alonzo came up with the idea that they should rob the tax collector and give the money to the lady, who then paid her taxes. Then Alonzo got the idea to rob the same tax collector again and give the money back to the women. They did this and left the lady with a small bag of gold.

No ones sure whether Alonzo killed anyone while riding with the James gang. The law never caught up with Alonzo, therefore he is still a wanted man.

On Christmas Eve in 1884, two years after Jesse James was supposedly shot, a stranger stayed the night with Alonzo and his family. William Tommas Braziel, son of Alonzo, recognized a scar on the man's face as that of Jesse James. He asked Alonzo about it and Alonzo confirmed it, but told him to keep quiet about it. Jesse James moved to Emory for a while and finally died in Longview, Texas, under the name of one of the Daltons.

(the above information came from the book Headen, Braziel, and Related Families)

John Keye, son of Nicholas Keye, (b. 1471 in Littlewood, Lancashire, England) was Poet Laureate of King Edward IV.

MEANING OF POET LAUREATE..........In ancient Greek the laurel tree was considered sacred to the god Apollo. He decreed that laurel would be the emblem for poets and victors. Hence, ancient poets who won distinction were crowned with a wreath of laurel, as were athletes who won contests at the Olympic Games. In Medieval Universities, students awarded academic degrees were crowned with laurel. Later the "poet laureate" was a special degree awarded to students skilled in Latin grammar and versification. In time the word laureate, which originally meant "crowned with laurel," came to mean "honored" or "eminent."

For centuries it was the custom of rulers to have court poets as part of the royal household. Their duty was to compose works for court and national occasions. In England a poet attached to the royal household received a pension from the reigning monarch, instead of being crowned with laurel. In the 14th century Edward VIII gave such a pension, together with a daily pitcher of wine, to Geoffrey Chaucer. Queen Elizabeth I honored Edmund Spenser in a similar manner. James I created the office of court poet for Ben Jonson in 1616. Sir William Davenant succeeded Jonson in 1638 and held the office until his death in 1668. John Dryden was the first to receive the official title of poet laureate in 1668. The line has gone unbroken ever since, except for a four-year gap after the death of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, in 1892.

In the United States the official position of poet laureate was created much later. In 1985 Congress expanded the title of poetry consultant of the Library of Congress into that of poet laureate. Robert Penn Warren became the first to hold the post. The poet laureate receives a modest stipend and is expected to prepare one major poetic work during his or her tenure.

O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming!
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:
Oh say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towing steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now is catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In fully glory reflected now shines on the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangles banner! O long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and country should leave us no more?
Their blood was washing out their foul footsteps’ pollution
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh’ thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the Heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made the preserved us a nation
The conquer we must, for our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "in God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the braves!