--- title: Genealogical tangents description: Genealogical tangents image: https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Dorman-cover-201x300-1.jpg --- # [Vita Brevis A resource for family history from AmericanAncestors.org](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # Genealogical tangents [April 15, 2022](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2022/04/genealogical-tangents) [Critical Analysis](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/critical-analysis), [African American Research](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/african-american-research), [African American History](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/african-american-history), [Genealogical Writing](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/genealogical-writing), [American History](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/american-history), [Serendipity](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/serendipity), [Research Methods](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-methods), [Family stories](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/family-stories) [Christopher C. Child](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/cchild) [![](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Dorman-cover-201x300-1.jpg?width=201&height=300&name=Dorman-cover-201x300-1.jpg)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Dorman-cover-1.jpg)A genealogist’s mind can wander infinitely. The inspiration for this post was recent news stories regarding [text messages](https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/24/politics/ginni-thomas-mark-meadows-text-messages/index.html) from the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; an odd place to start for sure. Where did I go from there? Twenty-four years ago, NEHGS published [*Twenty Families of Color in Massachusetts, 1742-1998*](https://library.nehgs.org/record=b1027721) by Franklin A. Dorman. I have written about families treated here before, including the family of civil rights activist [William Monroe Trotter](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2017/02/remembering-william-monroe-trotter/). A friend of mine appears in the section on the Butler family of Boston, which also has a connection to early Native American families of Plymouth, Massachusetts – my friend’s great-great-great-grandfather, [William George Butler (1837-1919)](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124840370/william-g-butler) of West Medford, Massachusetts, received a [pension from Massachusetts](https://books.google.com/books?id=QBaTtGgyWakC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=william+butler+wampanoag+pension&source=bl&ots=Q3YDPj1iRr&sig=ACfU3U3_e4Db4DF_rSR6cVjIB-RR63AEag&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjiwYPxuIL3AhWojIkEHTkrA4gQ6AF6BAgSEAM#v=onepage&q=william%20butler%20wampanoag%20pension&f=false) regarding his Wampanoag heritage. My friend and I were both interviewed by the late Bryan Sykes about our early New England ancestry for his book, [*DNA USA*](https://shop.americanancestors.org/products/dna-usa-a-genetic-portrait-of-america?pass-through=true). All interesting stuff, but what does this have to do with Clarence Thomas? When our publication came out in 1998, I checked the index for various African American families of central Massachusetts that I had researched. While the chapters focused largely on families of the greater Boston area, I found one person in the index who also appeared in my genealogical database: Mary Estella Hazzard, who was born in my grandfather’s hometown of Woodstock, Connecticut in 1915, daughter of Edward Prentice and Maud Lillian (Brown) Hazzard, both of whom were [Nipmuc](https://www.nipmucnation.org/history), and ancestral to a few childhood friends. Maud’s great-great-great-grandparents (in two ways, *see chart below*), Christopher and Roba (Coffee) Vickers, were the subject of an 1810 Massachusetts Supreme Court Case regarding the legality of their interracial marriage. Roba’s parents, Ishmael and Hannah (Gay) Coffee, were also the subject of an 1819 case for similar reasons, all summarized in this [post](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2015/06/massachusetts-court-cases-precedents-marriage-law/) from several years ago. Again, you might wonder, what does this have to do with Justice Thomas? ### Again, you might wonder, what does this have to do with Justice Thomas? Mary Estella Hazzard (1915-2009) is only treated briefly by Dorman. She was the second wife of [Nelson William Ambush](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124896720/nelson-william-ambush) (1915-2012) of Worcester, Massachusetts, who descended from the William Kellogg family that was subject of the tenth chapter of Dorman’s book. Mary and Nelson both had earlier marriages and had no children together. Nelson was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and moved to Worcester with his first wife, Shigao Gladys Sato (1917-1984), who was the daughter of Takayuki Yaokawa Sato, a native of Katsurahama, Japan, and his wife Grace Virginia Woods, a native of Cambridge whose parents were from St. Croix and Virginia. Echoing a recent [post](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2022/02/an-alien-and-an-alias/) on how between 1907 and 1922, when a U.S. citizen woman married an alien, she lost her citizenship, such was the case for Grace after her [1915 marriage](https://www.americanancestors.org/DB192/i/11212/378/21573648) to Takayuki. However, unlike the subjects of that post, Grace was aware that she lost her citizenship, and tried to obtain U.S. citizenship again in [1922](https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2361/images/007778130_01669) on the grounds that she could not acquire any other nationality; she was [apparently successful](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99270463/obituary-for-grace-v-sato-aged-94/) after her husband’s death in 1939. Okay, so how this relates to Thomas: Nelson and Shigao’s daughter, Kathy Grace Ambush (born 1950), was the first wife of Clarence Thomas, and the mother of his only child Jamal Adeen Thomas (born 1973), and the family is treated on pages 263-64 of this NEHGS publication. Mary Estella (Hazzard) (Barden) Ambush ends up being my eleventh cousin in four ways through our respective double descents from John and Joanna (Hooker) Gay of Dedham, Massachusetts. Of course I can’t say that Mary was even Clarence Thomas’s former step-mother-in-law, as Mary did not marry Nelson until 1987, and Clarence Thomas and his first wife divorced in 1984. So, this post really is a series of minimally connected genealogical tangents. Thanks for the indulgence! [![](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/GayHookerChart.jpg?width=870&height=730&name=GayHookerChart.jpg)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/GayHookerChart.jpg) ### Share this: - [mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2022/04/genealogical-tangents](mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2022/04/genealogical-tangents) - - - More - - ![Christopher C. Child](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Chris_Child_Jan25.jpg) ## About Christopher C. Child Chris Child has worked for various departments at American Ancestors since 1997 and became a full-time employee in July 2003. He has been a member of American Ancestors since the age of eleven. He has written several articles in American Ancestors, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, and The Mayflower Descendant. He is the co-editor of The Ancestry of Catherine Middleton (American Ancestors, 2011), co-author of The Descendants of Judge John Lowell of Newburyport, Massachusetts (Newbury Street Press, 2011) and Ancestors and Descendants of George Rufus and Alice Nelson Pratt (Newbury Street Press, 2013), and author of The Nelson Family of Rowley, Massachusetts (Newbury Street Press, 2014). Chris holds a B.A. in history from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Areas of expertise: Southern New England, especially Connecticut; New York; ancestry of notable figures, especially presidents; genetics and genealogy; African-American and Native-American genealogy, 19th and 20th Century research, westward migrations out of New England, and applying to hereditary societies. Chris has lectured on these topics and edits the genetics and genealogy column for American Ancestors.[View all posts by Christopher C. Child →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/cchild) [← The 1950 census: just the beginning](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2022/04/the-1950-census-just-the-beginning) [Land records in Bohemia →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2022/04/land-records-in-bohemia) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ### Recent Posts [Sailor Bill and His Forgotten Wife](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/sailor-bill-and-his-forgotten-wife) [Professor X](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/professor-x) [Part I: Malaga Island, Maine](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/part-i-malaga-island-maine) [The Norwegian folge](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/the-norwegian-folge) [Research…in a Miniskirt? A ‘Style Guide’ to a Genealogist’s Wardrobe](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/research-in-a-miniskirt-a-style-guide-to-a-genealogists-wardrobe) ### Archives - [October 2014 (27)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/10) - [December 2015 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/12) - [July 2020 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2020/07) - [April 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/04) - [July 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/07) - [December 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/12) - [July 2015 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/07) - [March 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/03) - [May 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/05) - [August 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/08) - [January 2018 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2018/01) - [March 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/03) - [August 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/08) - [April 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/04) - [September 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/09) - [October 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/10) - [March 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/03) - [June 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/06) - [August 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/08) - [September 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/09) - [November 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/11) - [December 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/12) - [January 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/01) - [June 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/06) - [November 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/11) ### Categories - [Family stories (1260)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/family-stories) - [American History (1137)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/american-history) - [Critical Analysis (1126)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/critical-analysis) - [Research Methods (881)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-methods) - [Brick Walls (674)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/brick-walls) - [Object Lessons (617)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/object-lessons) - [Spotlight (617)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/spotlight) - [Genealogical Writing (554)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/genealogical-writing) - [Research tips (510)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-tips) - [Serendipity (479)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/serendipity) - [Road Trips (393)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/road-trips) ### Recent Posts [Sailor Bill and His Forgotten Wife](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/sailor-bill-and-his-forgotten-wife) [Professor X](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/professor-x) [Part I: Malaga Island, Maine](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/part-i-malaga-island-maine) [The Norwegian folge](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/the-norwegian-folge) [Research…in a Miniskirt? A ‘Style Guide’ to a Genealogist’s Wardrobe](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/research-in-a-miniskirt-a-style-guide-to-a-genealogists-wardrobe) ### Meta - [Log in](https://vita-brevis.org/wp-login.php) - [Entries RSS](https://vita-brevis.org/feed/) - [Comments RSS](https://vita-brevis.org/comments/feed/) - [WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/) ### Subscribe to Blog via Email Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. ### Archives - [October 2014 (27)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/10) - [December 2015 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/12) - [July 2020 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2020/07) - [April 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/04) - [July 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/07) - [December 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/12) - [July 2015 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/07) - [March 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/03) - [May 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/05) - [August 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/08) - [January 2018 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2018/01) - [March 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/03) - [August 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/08) - [April 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/04) - [September 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/09) - [October 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/10) - [March 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/03) - [June 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/06) - [August 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/08) - [September 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/09) - [November 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/11) - [December 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/12) - [January 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/01) - [June 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/06) - [November 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/11)