Bill met Joan in England, when he was there in the Air Force. They had a child, but did not marry.
Laveta (Burdett) Mullen told me that William had to be declared a 'bastard', in court, before Joan could receive any aid. In court Bill had to state that he would not marry Joan and would be in no part of William's life, nor offer monetary support for the child. William was found by Bill, before Bill died. The story goes that William told Bill he was sorry about his illness and going to die, but Bill didn't want any part of William's life, before, and it was too late to try to strike up a relationship, now.
"A little about my family history" -- by Pat (Bouldon) Mullen
"My father's uncles were trappers and hunters in the mountains when they were young. His father stayed home to care for the farm and the old folks. Daddy used to tell us about his Uncle Louie who was one of the old time mountain men. One time he was out hunting and had set down on a log to rest. A mother bear with her cubs was behind him and he didn't see them. The mother bear let out a roar; it scared Uncle Louie so bad he pulled the trigger on his gun and almost shot his foot off. The bear took after him and he started running. He fell over a large log and rolled behind it. The bear jumped over it and in her anger didn't see him and that was what saved him. For the rest of his life everyone teased him about being the Great Bear Hunter.
That was only one of the stories Daddy used to tell us. He could tell us stories and when he got to the end or near end, he would stop and pretend he was trying to remember the rest of the story. He nearly drove us wild waiting for the ending.
My mother's family history doesn't go back too far. Daddy's could be traced clear back to the old country.
The story goes that my great-great-grandfather was an Indian baby found by some people in a wagon train going to Oregon. Not wanting to leave an abandoned baby out there even tho it was an Indian baby, they took it to the next town they came to and gave it too some Indians there. Not knowing who it belonged to, since the baby was found at a ford called Swain's ford they named it Henry Swainford. Many years later it was shortened to Swinford.
The only thing they did know was that it was of the Cherokee Tribe."
