John William “Will” McCauley was born Thomas Jefferson “Jeff” Lanier. He was the son of Joseph Smith Lanier and Nancy Jane Bennett of Chambers and Randolph Counties in Alabama.
Yes, there is a story there, but I’m not ready to tell it yet.
Will’s ancestors lived in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. His father’s line includes the surnames Cooke, Eaves, Jackson, Jordan, Lanier, Malone, Smith, and Washington. His mother’s line includes the surnames Bennett, Ewing, Finney, Gamble, and Munford.
View Ancestry.com tree starting with Will.
Photo on right: John, Will holding David, Katie, and Verda
