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Our grandfather, James William "Will" Branham, was born August 8, 1885, at Leslie, in Searcy County, Arkansas. He was the son of James Lacey Branham and Eliza Jane Osborn. He was called "Will".
The 1900 Searcy County census, Wiley's Cove Township, shows 14-year old Will living at home with his parents and sisters, Tennie, age 12; Frances, age 9; and Viona, age 3 years.
The 1910 Van Buren County, Arkansas, census shows Will, 23, living with his parents in Culpepper Township. He was working as a farm laborer. Also on the census was Will's 14-year old sister Viona.
Will married our grandmother, Gertie Mae Adaline Gloden on October 16, 1911, in Conway County, Arkansas. Gertie and Will were cousins.
Gertie Gloden, was born April 13, 1894, at Covington, Tipton County, Tennessee. She was the daughter of William Franklin Gloden and Etta "Ettie" Lea Melvina Taylor. Will Branham and William Gloden were first cousins. Will's father, James Lacey Branham, and William's mother, Lucinda Adaline Branham Gloden, were brother and sister.
The 1900 Haywood County, Tennessee census shows William Gloden, 31; Ettie L., wife, 24; Girdy M., daughter, born April 1896, 4, born in Tennessee; and Jessie M., son, born June 1898, in Tennessee.
Gertie's parents divorced between 1902 and 1906. Gertie's father, William Gloden, then married his first cousin Mandy Jane (Branham) Daley. (Mandy Jane was a sister to Gertie's husband, Will Branham.)
The 1910 Searcy County census, Wiley's Cove Township, shows William Gloden, 43; Mandy J., wife, 31; Gertie, daughter, 14; Jessie M., son, 11; Grace, daughter 8 months; and John Daily, son, 12 years old.
After their marriage in 1911, Will and Gertie settled in Van Buren County for a few years. Prior to 1920, the family moved to Leslie, in Searcy County.
The 1920 Searcy County census, Wiley's Cove Township, shows Will and Gertie living in the house with Gertie's father and step-mother. The census shows William Gloden, head, 50, a laborer in a barrell factory; Mandy, wife, 41; Jessey, son, 21, a laborer; Lillian, daughter, 10; Frank, son, 5; John Robert Daley, step-son, 34, a railroad laborer; Will Branham, son-in-law, 34, a railroad tie loader; Gertie Branham, daughter, 23; Roy Branham, grandson, 7; Velma Branham, granddaughter, 5; and Della Branham, granddaughter, 2 years and 11 months old.
Will moved his family back to Van Buren County prior to 1930. The 1930 Van Buren County, Arkansas census, Liberty Township, shows William J. Branham, 46, a farmer who rented his farm; Gertie M., 35; Della R., 13; Clyde W., 9; Odious L., 6; and Effie A., 2 years old.
Soon after 1930, Will moved his family to an area near Humphrey, in Arkansas County, Arkansas. They returned to Van Buren County prior to 1940.
The 1940 Van Buren County, Arkansas census shows the family living in Culpepper Township. The census shows Will Branham, 57, farmer; Gertie, wife, 46; Oddis, son, 16; Effie, daughter, 12; Pearlie, daughter, 8; and Jewell, daughter, 2 years old.
Sometime after 1940, Will and Gertie moved their family to Missouri, where they remained.
Will died March 7, 1958, at Kennett, in Dunklin County, Missouri. Gertie died February 12, 1959, at Campbell, in Dunklin County. They are buried in the Tucker Cemetery at Campbell.
Children of Will Branham and Gertie Gloden
1. Leroy "Roy" Branham was born Sept 4, 1912, at Formosa, Van Buren Co, AR. Roy married Mae (Speaks) Keating about 1937, at Kennett, MO. Mae had a son, Donald Keating, from her prior marriage. Mae Speaks was born about 1913, in MO. Roy died Jan 24, 1981, at Louisiana, MO. Children: (1) Mary Frances Branham; (2) Gail Branham; (3) Barbara Jo Branham; (4) Joyce Branham; and (5) Gary "Bosco" Branham
2. Velma Mae Branham was born Mar 20, 1914, at Formosa, Van Buren Co, AR. Velma married Charles William McClure. (our line)
3. Della R. Branham was born Jan 13, 1917, at Formosa, Van Buren Co, AR.
4. Clyde William Branham was born July 9, 1920, at Leslie, Searcy Co, AR.
5. Odious Lee Branham was born Apr 14, 1923, at Leslie, Searcy Co, AR. He died July 11, 2005, at Kennett, Dunklin Co, MO.
6. Effie Mae Branham was born Aug 13, 1927, at Leslie, Searcy Co, AR. Effie married Earl Hefner, then Ray Christopher, then Walley Shawn. Effie died July 14, 1995, at Hardy, AR. One child: Rick Hefner
7. Pearlie Ann Branham was born Apr 4, 1933, in Van Buren Co, AR. Pearlie married Tommy Bates, then Oral Dunlap. Pearlie died Mar 11, 1991, in Poplar Bluff, MO. No children.
8. Jewel Dean Branham was born July 24, 1937, in Van Buren Co, AR. She married D. W. Carpenter, then James Harman Meese, Jr., then Coyus Moore. Children: (1) Johnny Harman Meese; (2) Pat Louis Moore; (3) Coyus Walter Moore; and (4) Ralph Gene Moore