Clinton "Ross" Brannon

Birth: Born around 1882 in Iowa.  

Family Information: Son of Charles and Sarah Brannon.

Brother of Dick Brannon.  

Description: On his WWI Draft Registration dated Sept. 12, ?? he was living in Fremont, Colorado where he worked as a farm laborer, though he was unemployed at the time. He was described as being of medium height and build, with gray eyes and brown hair.  

Pre-Colony History: In 1900 and 1905 he was living with his parents and siblings in Kansas. In 1910 he still lived in Kansas with his parents and brother while he worked as a boilermaker for the railroad.

In 1915 he and his parents remained in Kansas, but by 1920 they had moved to Colorado where Charles worked as a farmer and Ross as a farm laborer.  

Home in Colony: Living with his parents in a colony home in 1930.  

Job in Colony: In December 1928 Waters, McClurg, Ross Brannon and Hopkins, with three teams and wagons, started hauling peanuts to the dairy where the thresher was located. Roe and Enfield got the thresher and Fordson tuned up and as soon as the nut supply began to arrive Com. Gregson started to feed the machine and the work was on. They stayed with the job until almost six o'clock and finished up. Of course, Van Nuland, our dairy man, and some of the boys did their bit in completing that job which had been slated to take two days.

In 1930 he was listed as a carpenter in the colony.

In September 1931 Ed Hiatt and his nephew, Jimmie Skinner, went to Hot Springs to recuperate and in his absence, Ross Brannon, assisted by Bill Tuber were cultivating the orchard. In January 1933 he was reported as being "on the go always with his team on the lookout for wood he may salvage and haul to the cut-off for stove wood." In March he was hauling ashes and soil to the hot beds.

In 1937 one colonist noted that when he first came to the colony he had seen Ross Brannon driving a team around, but then Brannon went to Gila when arrangements were made to purchase that property; after the deal fell through, Brannon returned to the colony and picked up right where he'd left off, driving a team around the colony.  

Other Info: In 1932 he, along with many other colonists, signed a protest against colonists E.G. Webb and Walter Groth remaining in the colony "to save them".

In 1933 Ida Ann Bartlett began a series of "musical treats" for the elderly shut-ins of the colony featuring music from her Victrola. The first afternoon she visited the home of the Brannons. In the party were: Ross Brannon, Mrs. Banta, Mrs. Collins, Mother Pickett, Mrs. Lucas, Mrs. Condon and Mr. Bartlett.  

Post-Colony History: In 1940 he was living in a home in the unincorporated New Llano, Louisiana (site of the old colony) with his mother and working as a teamster doing local hauling and plowing.  

Death: He died in 1941 and was buried in the O'Banion Cemetery at New Llano, Louisiana.  

Sources: US Census: 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940; Kansas State Census: 1905, 1915; US Draft Registration: WWI; "Llano Colonist": December 15, 1928, September 5, 1931, August 6, 1932, January 7, 1933, March 11, 1933, May 20, 1933, May 29, 1937; "Leesville Leader": December 26, 1940; FindAGrave.com