DRAKE FAMILY PAGE
Henry Rogers Drake's family (Lt. to Rt.) Bill, Claude, Lillian Belle wife of James S. Street, Vesta, Inez, Minnie Vesta Luna Drake, and Bill.
Lillian Belle Drake born July 18, 1913 was the daughter of Henry Rogers Drake and Minnie Vesta Luna. Henry was born March 31, 1884 in Knoxville, TN, the son of Charles Caulk Drake and Rachel Susannah "Susan" Baker.
Minnie Luna born August 15, 1892 in Lewisburg, Marshall County, TN was a descendant of Rev. War Veteran Peter Luna of Marshall Co., TN and grand daughter of Confederate Veteran Andrew L. Calahan of Marshall Co., TN. Her parents were William Mitchell Luna and Mary Etta Calahan.
Henry and Minnie ran owned and operated bakeries in AL, FL and NC. They owned Drakes Bakery and a cafe in Wilmington, NC in the 50s and 60's until Henry was too old to work. Minnie was a good business woman and did the special cake decorating for the bakery. Henry died August 14, 1962 and Minnie died July 13, 1968.
HISTORY OF THIS TENNESSEE DRAKE FAMILY
This Drake line can only be traced back to James M. Drake born 1809 in Orange, North Carolina. We don't know his parents. He married Jane Susannnah Childress in Caswell, NC. She was born in Halifax County, Virginia in 1809. Their first six children were born in Nash County, NC. The were the following:
Mary Anne Drake, born 1829.
Susannah J. Drake, born March 7, 1831.
Rebecca Drake, born 1834.
William Hines Drake, born Oct. 26, 1835. (**) (During the Civil War he used a horse team to haul salt from Saltville, VA to Blount County, TN for anyone who needed it regardless of their loyalty to either side. Most of the Bount County and east Tennessee were Northern sympathizers. William if anything was a rebel sympathizer and had to work very hard after the war to retain his right to vote).
James M. Drake Jr., born 1837.
Thomas J. Drake, born 1840.
This family moved to Janesville, Lee County, Virginia between 1840 and 1841 according to the birth records of their children. The following were born in Janesville:
The family moved down to Tennessee around the time of the Civil War. It had to be after Charles C. Drake's birth in VA in 1849. We have not been able to pin down the year since none of their children were born in Tennessee. (**) James M. Drake died Feb. 7, 1874 and was buried in Ellejoy, Blount Co., TN. His wife died July 10, 1875 and was also buried in Ellejoy, Blount Co., TN. I was unable to locate their graves on any of my trips back to Tennessee. I am not sure if we were a the right cemetery if they were in deed buried in a public or church cemetery. Many families had their own small cemeteries on their own land. I did find the grave of William H. Drake and there was a grave marking stating, " Jane Hamilton wife of James Drake". No dates. Some LDS files listed her as James M. Drake's wife, I assume based on this marker. Research indicates this is not true. This may be the wife of James M. Drake Jr. There appears to be some unmarked graves near her marker. It seems most of this Drake family lived in Blount, Seiver, and Knox Counties.
(**) - - - This information is based on the research by William D. Drake of San Diego, CA.
Charles Caulk Drake married Rachel Susannah Baker (better known as Susan Baker) Oct. 10, 1871 in Sevier Co., TN. She was born in Sevier Co. June 7, 1851, the daughter of Henry Tipton Baker b. March 25, 1820 and Mary Minerva Huff b. 1818 (Gatlinburg). Her family is well documented in the book TIP BAKER'S ANCESTORS AND RELATED FAMILY HISTORY by Charles Sutton of Knox Co., TN, 1992. It appears Charles and Rachel lived in or near White's Community just a few miles west of Seiverville, TN. A Baker family historian told me Rachel (Susan) had belonged to the old Antioch Baptist Church in White's Community. After the birth of eight children, Rachel died at the young age of 38. She is buried in back of the Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church next of Charles. The Baptist Church and Methodist Church shared buildings years ago. The Baptist moved up the road and built a new building. The Methodist Church remained near the old cemetery which both churches share. Their children were:
Charles C. Drake married widow Margaret L. (Waters) Martin in 1892. She already had two children with John Waters and she had four more children with Charles. The family was real poor with a lot of mouths to feed. My grandfather Henry Roger Drake use to tell stories of having to go to work in a coal mine when he was about 12 years old. He just missed being killed when the mine exploded. He felt things were good until his mother died. He married Minnie Vista Luna of Marshall Co., TN. They left Tennessee and became bakers. They owned bakeries in AL, FL, and NC. (See above).
INFORMATION ON THE LUNA FAMILY
Henry Rogers Drake in about 1959
Minnie Luna Drake working on a cake.
Henry Drake at work in his bakery with helper. He would often hire poor youth in the community and teach them baking. The bakery was in a poor section of the city and he would make sure the kids who visited the bakery did not go away hungry. Henry was raised very poor. He worked in a coal mine in TN at the age of 12 years old.
The 1950s cafe was next door to the bakery. Henry is pictured with grandson Tom (me).
Mary Etta Calahan Luna, Minnie Vista Luna Drake, Lillian Drake Street, and Doris Jean Street
Henry Rogers Drake's father's tombstone at Pleasant Hill Cemetery near Sevierville, TN
Henry Rogers Drake's mother's tombstone next to Charles C. Drake
Henry's parent's tombstones are the small ones on the right. His brother Newton is buried to the left.
This is an old article out of a TN newspaper about Henry Rogers Drake's brother James Newton "Newt" Drake born January 12, 1886 and died November 30, 1936. He is buried next to his father Charles C. Drake at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Servier Co., TN.