Biographical sketches and photographs of all the Childress/Childers DNA Project Participants who have been classified as the "James River Viking Clan" will be featured on this page.  Following are examples of the type information that will appear when completed.  NOTE:  the order of the entries on this page is identical to the order on the "complete" and "mutated" spreadsheets from the home page for this project.

GROUP A - CDYb = 37

Joel Patrick "Pat" Childress (Kit #12544) and his fraternal twin Mike were born in 1945 to parents John Franklin Childress, Sr. and Dorothy Mathis in Tyler, Texas and both twins have lived their entire lives in the state.  Pat attended high school in the small east Texas community of New London and graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with an MBA.  After college, he began a career in manufacturing, first working for a division of Colt Industries in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  He later worked for a large, diversified petroleum services corporation in Houston, ultimately acquiring a division of the company.  Pat and his wife Carol Anne retired to the hill country of Texas after selling the manufacturing business to a large, privately held Japanese firm in the 1990's.  Hobbies include outdoor sports of all kinds including motorcycling, fishing, hiking and golf, along with oil painting.  Pat has two daughters, both of whom work in the entertainment business in California and New York.

Terry Childress (Kit #71011) was born in 1949 in Drew, Mississippi and attended school there until he moved to New Orleans where he finished high school.  Terry joined the Air Force after a year of college and worked as a programmer/analyst and Information Technology Manager.  He completed his B.A. degree while in the service, retiring from the Air Force in 1989.  He settled back in Mississippi, working in his “second career” with the State of Mississippi as an I.T. Manager, once again completing requirements for college degree, his MBS.  Terry left Mississippi in 2004 and began work for a consulting firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona where he resides as of 2007.  While not currently married, he is the father of two boys and also is the proud grandparent of two grandchildren.

Jerry K. Childers (Kit #68316) was born in South Carolina (the state in which many of us trace our furthest possible documented ancestor) in 1943.  Jerry has lived in the state his entire life.  His most distant known Childers ancestor is Jacob Childers who was born in Virginia in 1762 and died in South Carolina in 1844.

Jack Childers (Kit #8291) was born in Johnson City, Tennessee in 1927.  He moved around quite a bit in his youth, first to Virginia then later to New Jersey, where he started school in Merchantville.  His family lived with his grandparents, William Benton and Ola Childers during the Great Depression of the early 1930's.  He moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1938 where he got his first real taste for the water, which was to play a significant role all his adult life.  Not wanting to miss out on the WWII action, Jack enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944 even as he was attending Miami High School.  After two years on active duty patrolling the seas on a destroyer escort, Jack received an honorable discharge, subsequently receiving his high school diploma and attending the University of Miami for a few years.  He married his second wife, Helen Lucinda Gaskin, in 1966 and opened a small retail store in Ocean City, Maryland selling shell jewelry and novelties.  After living in both Florida and Maryland for several decades, Jack and Helen permanently moved to Fenwick Island, Delaware in 1984, ultimately reducing their multiple retail businesses down to a thriving internet store and one retail unit, which as of 2007 is operated almost exclusively by their two daughters.

FENWICK ISLAND - James Benton "Jack" Childers, 82, of Fenwick Island died Friday June 19, 2009 of pneumonia at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin.  Born Nov. 24, 1926 in Johnson City, Tennessee, he was the son of the late James Benton Childers, Sr. and Julia Clara McCorkle Childers.  Jack lived for many years in South Florida and the Florida Keys and he attended Miami High School, Fork Union Military Academy and Miami University.  In 1944, he joined the U.S. Navy during WWII and was assigned to the Destroyer Escort U.S. Tweety 532 and he returned to duty during the Korean War.  Among his many accomplishments, Jack served as Dade County deputy sheriff for many years, founded Biscayne Shell Jewelry Co. and worked for Carrib Novelties in Miami, selling shell jewelry and novelties and was an innovator in the souvenir industry and a pioneer in establishing popular gift shows for wholesale trade.  Over the years, he also owned many businesses in Ocean City, including the 64th Street Shell Shop & Laundromat, Souvenir City and Inlet Gifts on the Boardwalk and the Shell Shack at Shanty Town.

Today, the family owns Sea Shell City in Fenwick Island.  While living in the Florida Keys, he owned the charter boat "Cindy-C" and enjoyed fishing, entertaining, family reunions, working in his garden and growing tomatoes.  He also enjoyed genealogy, for which he was very knowledgeable.  However, most important of all, he loved his family and enjoyed family reunions.  He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Helen Lucinda "Cindy" Childers of Fenwick Island; two daughters, Virginia Childers Davidson (Ronald) of Bishopville and Jackie Childers of Selbyville; and two grandsons, James Davidson and William Childers.  

Edward Lee Childress (Kit #25345) was born in Konnarock, Washington County, Virginia, in 1948.  His parents were Edgar and Alice Childress.  In 1949, Edward’s family moved to Gloucester County, Virginia; and that’s where they are buried.  On May 5, 2007 Edward passed away from a massive heart attack at the age of 59 years.  He left behind a wife Gail, five sisters and one brother.  Edward was a professional truck driver for over 35 years and enjoyed performing mechanical work on autos and lawn mowers in his spare time.  <Written by his sister, Irma, who sponsored Edward in this DNA testing program.>  

Albert Walker Dover (Kit #32250) was born in Gassiville, Arkansas in 1942 to Jesse Franklin Dover and Lena Ema Jane Cowart.  "A.W." served in the National Guard from 1960 to 1967 and was employed by Wal-Mart as a Manager for 12 years.  He held a variety of jobs over the years and as of 2007, is semi-retired, doing contract tractor work and tending to a magazine route on occasion.  A.W. has two sons by his first wife and is now married to Carol Dover.  The Dover surname is one of several non-Childers/Childress surnames whose test results placed them in this DNA project.  We are unsure how and where the Dover family intersects with the Childers/Childress name, but A.W.'s DNA markers are a perfect 67/67 match for numerous Childers/Childress participants, meaning that there would be a common ancestor 90% of the time within the past five generations, if the surnames were the same.  Carol, A.W.'s wife, is of the opinion that the connection likely springs from the era of A.W.'s great-grandfather, Thompson Dover.

Benjamin Meek Miller Childers (Kit #43870) was born in Selma, Dallas County, Alabama in 1926 to parents Erasmus Roy Childers and wife Margaret Otis Miller.  He is the second great grandson of Revolutionary War Veteran Richard Childers and Martha Spann of Washington County, Georgia.  Miller attended public schools of Selma, graduating from A.G. Parrish High School in 1944.  He enrolled in the University of Alabama later that same year but soon was called to active duty in the Navy.  He served aboard a tanker in the Pacific and was honorably discharged in the summer of 1946.  Returning to U of A, he earned a BS degree in Commerce and Business Administration in 1949 and an LLB degree from the Law School in 1951.  Miller practiced private law for 17 years after graduation; later he was appointed Judge of the Dallas County Court and was re-elected to this position, serving for 18 years and retiring in 1987.  His first wife, Hallie Milhous Jones (whom he married in 1950), passed away in 2001.  Hallie and Miller have three children and five grandchildren.  In 2004, he married Josephine Brooks (Smith) Ames, a widow with two grown children.  Miller is active in St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Selma and stays busy volunteering in several organizations.  His hobbies include genealogy, reading, gardening, crossword and crypto puzzles, along with trips to the beach.  Miller has one brother, Erasmus Roy Childers, Jr.

William (“Bill”) A. Childress (Kit #8284) was born July 1, 1930, in Kilmichael, Mississippi to parents John Albert and Mary Ethel Hall Childress.  He attended high school at Big Black Consolidated High School, graduating in 1948.  Bill worked for two years in a department store before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in September 1950.  While in the Navy, Bill served aboard the aircraft carriers USS Boxer and the USS Kearseage, attached to aircraft fighter squadrons that were operating off the coast of Korea.  He married Dorothy Stewart and they had a son and a daughter before divorcing in 1973.  After leaving the Navy, Bill worked at several different jobs, all associated with the military establishment. Ultimately, he was promoted to Chief of the Contract Property Control office at the Michaud Assembly Facility office in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he retired in December 1989.  Bill married Elizabeth Pernoll in 1990 and they currently live in Tennessee.  Bill reports that he experienced a heart attack and subsequently underwent a quadruple by-pass in 2000.  

GROUP B - CDYb = 38

Paul Allan Childers (Kit #19389) was born the first of three sons in 1940 in St. Louis, Missouri to Paul Harold and Marjorie Adele Fisher Childers.  He attended school in Maplewood, Ellisville and Eureka, Missouri.  He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1959 and served until 1962.  He went to work for the Burroughs Corporation in 1962 and in 1965 started his banking career.  Paul retired in 2007 capping a 41 year career as a banker.  He now spends his time on genealogy and his collection of federal and state duck stamps.  He also enjoys golf, fishing and hunting.  Paul married his wife Jean in 1962 and they are the parents of three children and six grandchildren.

Daniel Ray (Dan) Childress (Kit #8269) was born the second of five children to William Harold Childress and Jacquelyn LaVonne Jones in April 1950.  The family lived in Vancouver, Washington until 1962 when they moved to Arvada, Colorado.  Dan followed his father into the building trade industry and returned to Washington State with his family in 1968.  While in Colorado he met Evelyn Pauls and they were married in October 1968 in Olympia, Washington.  Dan joined the United States Coast Guard in 1969 and was honorably discharged upon completion of his active duty.  Dan became a general contractor in the Olympia, Washington area until he retired in 1999 due to complications of diabetes.  In 1968 Dan and Lyn had a son that was placed for adoption in the Denver, Colorado area.  Two more children followed, a son and a daughter.

Ronald “Ron” Brent Childress (Kit #13787) was born on October 9, 1936 , the second son of Stanley Childress and the fourth great grandson of Fleming Childress.  Ron entered the Air Force at age 17, ultimately finishing his education while in the military and retired from active duty at the age of 37.  Ron then commenced began his second career, becoming General Manager of Shopping Centers, permanently retiring in 1964.  He has two children and ten grandchildren.  

Basil D. ("Bazz") Childress (Kit #8438) was born in Cleveland, Ohio 1956 to parents Simon Leroy Childress and Geneva Moses Childress, both of whom were from the mountains of eastern Kentucky.  An only child, Bazz is the fourth great grandson of two Revolutionary War veterans, Pleasant Childress and Joshua Moses.  He graduated from Mentor High School in Mentor, Ohio and received his B.A. from the University of Kentucky.  Bazz has built his adult career in the banking business and, as of 2007, is Vice President and Head of Special Assets for Traditional Bank Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.  He married Rachel Helen Smith (whose ancestral roots are in Alabama) in 1978 and they have two daughters.  Bazz is a member of the Central Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky, the John C. Breckinridge Camp 100, Sons of Confederate Veterans and an Associate Member of 1st Cavalry Division Association and 7th Cavalry Regiment, as well as the Association of the US Army (in honor of his uncle, Martin Dean Childress, who was killed in action in Vietnam August 1969 while serving in those units).  He also is a member of the League of the South and the Kentucky Hunting Brotherhood.

Ralph Carl Loyd (Kit #78040) was born Ralph Dewitt Childers in Oakland, CA in 1948 to Alyce Marie Lofton of Broken Arrow, OK.  At age five he was adopted by his stepfather, Clarence L. Loyd.  Ralph was raised in Newman, CA, a small agricultural and dairy community in the San Joaquin Valley.  He joined the Navy at age 20 and served much of his duty in Rota, Spain, where he met his future wife, Angelina Furia, a native of Italy whose family had immigrated to Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in the early 1950's.  Upon discharge from service, Ralph  returned with his wife to California where he graduated from college with a degree in geology.  He has worked over 30 years for the California Geological Survey, first as a staff geologist in the agency's mineral resources mapping program, then as a senior engineering geologist in seismic hazard mapping.  Ralph presently is the State Coordinator of the California Post-Earthquake Information Clearinghouse, which provides federal and state emergency responders with critical geologic and structural engineering information immediately following a disastrous seismic event.  Ralph and Angelina have two daughters and two grandchildren. The older daughter is a Ph.D. candidate in Cultural Anthropology at UCLA, while the younger is an elementary school teacher whose husband is a Naval officer attending flight school in Pensacola, Florida.  Ralph's favorite past time (other than grandchildren) is music.  He's enjoyed being a longtime member of several performing bands over the years, playing standup base, electric base, and keyboards.

Jim McCullough (Kit #99090) was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on July 24, 1928.  He was given up for adoption immediately by his birth parents Janus Hall, born 1908 in Sedalia, MO and Frances Carter Hall, born 1907 in Guthrie, OK.  His father was listed as a musician on the birth certificate recently obtained by a court order.  Nothing else is known about them and searches of census records so far have revealed nothing.  His adopting parents named him James Daugherty McCullough.  At age 13, his family moved to Los Angeles, CA where he grew up, receiving a degree in 1950 in Accounting from UCLA, followed by a Masters Degree in Systems Analysis from USC.  Jim worked for Hughes Aircraft Company for one year before serving in the US Army during the Korean War.  He was Chief Accountant of Litton Industries in its early years.  In 1956 he joined the Rand Corporation as a military systems analyst and worked with them until 1967 when he joined the research staff of a similar defense-related "think tank," the Institute for Defense Analyses.  He moved to Rockville, MD in 1961 and worked in the Pentagon most of his career.  Jim was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and retired from IDA in 1990.  He lives in Olney, MD and enjoys travel, digital photography and yoga.  Jim has two sons and two grandchildren.  He married Yvonne Buchanan in 1990 following the death in 1989 of Mildred, his first wife to whom he was married 37 years.

Mac Warren Childress (Kit #100289) was born in Ashmore, Illinois on November 13, 1919 to Mack Childress (born 1896).  When his mother died in a house fire, Mac and his brother went to live with their paternal grandparents, Richard and Rachel Childress.  Mac graduated from Charleston (Illinois) Teacher's College of Agriculture in 1937.  As a farmer, he raised hogs and beef cattle; he and his wife Meriam continue to live on the same farm where they moved to in 1942.  Mac has served on several boards, including the Ashmore State Bank and the Ashmore Fire Protection District and is a member of the Ashmore Presbyterian Church.  He and Meriam enjoy traveling and have visited virtually every continent.  They have four daughters, three grandsons and one great granddaughter.

Clarence Gilmer Childers (Kit # 98553) was born on the 17^th  of  March, 1916 in Burke County, North Carolina.  His parents were David Elihu Childers born 15 Aug. 1885 and China Cook Childers born 27 May 1887, both in Burke County, North Carolina.  Clarence only made it through the sixth grade but he was well known for his farming in Burke County .  He also financed his farming by digging wells by hand all around the three county area.  He was accomplished at putting a hole straight down in the ground.  Before he quit farming he had over 100 white face beef cattle on the farm that was rented from the Duke Power Company.  He and his wife Faye Lail Childers raised 5 kids while working the farm.  He bought one and one half acres on Decker Road and built a new home before he retired in 1981.  His kids are taking care of him in his home and he is still working in the garden at 91 years old.  (Written by His son Billy G. Childers who sponsored Clarence in the DNA testing program)

If you are one of those classified in this Clan, please submit your information to Patrick Childress at londonwildcat@earthlink.net.