Just Learned Some Family History

I just spent almost a week visiting with my cousin, and it was the most time that we've ever had to visit with each other......and did I learn a bunch of stuff about my families past.

One of the most notable things was that Ben Lilly, the somewhat famed, bear/lion hunter, trapper, ect., was a great, great uncle (by marriage) of mine.

Since I was a child, I'd heard stories about and seen hanging on my uncle's wall, a muzzle loading, black powder, double barreled shotgun.....known as "Ole Spider"! The only thing that I had remembered was that part of the right barrel, near the nipple, was blown out due to a plugged barrel, and that a great, great uncle had nearly lost his hand. I just found out that this shotgun belonged to Ben Lilly and that my great uncle had traded another gun to Ben Lilly for it! My cousin has the paperwork authenticating it's history!

I remember reading a story about Teddy Roosevelt hunting black bear in Louisiana with the famed hunter Ben Lilly. Little did I know that I was related to Ben Lilly! Anyone bored enough to read a little about Lilly, may find it interesting reading! memtb

https://sportingclassicsdaily.com/ben-lilly-the-last-mountain-man/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Lilly


https://www.outdoorlife.com/most-legendary-hunters-ever/

Pretty Cool

Nice

Ben Lilly was an interesting person. Family history can be very surprising sometimes.

I had heard that we had some Lilly's in the family.....just didn't know that he was one of them! memtb