WHAT’S IN A NAME ? EVERYTHING
The original spelling in the UK is Ó Conghalaigh is a Gaelic-Irish surname. It derives from the forename Conghal, meaning "fierce as a hound". It is often anglicised as Connolly, Connally, Connelly and occasionally as Conley. The major sources depicting the lives of European settlers using theses names are patchy and frequently unreliable. Many American families, even the Vanderbilts, Carnegies, Crowninshields, Rockefellers, and Astors, evolved the spelling of their names in a similar ways before settling on the famous spellings we now know. In other cases, like that of Booker T. Washington, a family founder literally selected a name randomly, a created an identity from thin air.
Beginning in 1845, James passed the authority for managing it all to Green Conley, his capable son-in-law. James demanded his sons spell their names consistently in the manner that Green Conley did. Although patriarchal, that is what made the family different - their level of coordination and formal organization was almost unheard of in the era. Those seven sons of James, led by son-in-law Green and James’ daughter Harriet, established small businesses in the Tennessee Valley. They used their access, money, and tenuous privilege to advance their children and grandchildren, and that is what made the difference over 200 years. People across the Tennessee Valley Region whispered about ‘them Conley Boys’ with regards to their shrewd, but fair, business dealings.
Conleys recycled their names aggressively. John, James, Green, Felix, Paschal, and Alexander were often used in the early 1800s. Benjamin Conley was common in the late 1800s. The female names Harriet, Paralee, and Jessie were also passed down aggressively. Nearly a dozen women were named ‘Harriet’ following the birth of the original Harriet in 1818, who became the queen bee of the family until her death in 1893. Charles was recycled after 1900, driven by the prestige of Charles Hamilton Conley’s valor in World War 1. No less than six ‘Charles Conley’ men populated the family in the first half of the century. These names were like ‘assets’ conveying trust, competence, and respect. One ‘Paschal Conley’ followed another for a century.
Many of these names are still found throughout the extended family in modern day 2022. and that tradition continues to this day as another ‘Felix’ was born in 2018, and several ‘Alexanders’ have been born since 2010.
An example of their use of names to extend privileges across the generations is shown below:
FELIX - A name in its 9th generation
FELIX CONLEY 1st (1819-1885) : Felix Conley the first was the son of James Conley, and grandson of John Oldham Connally. He was trained as an artisan painter, and painted much of the signage for the Green Bottom Equestrian Resort from the guest rooms, to the stables, and the directional signs throughout the resort. He would
The land title for Felix Conley 1st, confirming the land he acquired with the help of his father and brothers circa 1859, shortly before the Civil War.
Felix Conley II, grand nephew and namesake of Felix the 1st. Felix Conley II was the grandson of Harriet Conley, sister of Felix Conley the 1st. He died young at 35 at the home of his father Milton.
Lorraine Vannah Gregg, 3x-great-granddaughter of James Conley, holding her great-grandson Felix of the 9th generation of the family.
PASCHAL & SCRUGGS - ENTERNAL NAMES
In the Conley Family, the familiar name ‘Paschal’ and the cognomen ‘Scruggs’ ring through the decades.
THE FIRST PASCHAL - PASCHAL CONLEY I (1822-1883) : Paschal Conley Sr. took over his father’s livery stable clients in Normal, Alabama. Paschal also took his father’s place as prominent figure at St. Bartley’s Baptist Church. He would become a prosperous figure in Huntsville and the first benefactor of the Lincoln School, predecessor to Alabama A&M. His son, Lieutenant Paschal Conley Jr. went on to become a celebrated soldier under General John J. Pershing.
THE SECOND PASCHAL, NEPHEW OF THE FIRST PASCHAL: Paschal Sr’s younger brother, William ‘Bill’ Conley, also named his first born Pachal II, who became known as ‘Pony’ to distinguish him from first cousin Paschal Jr., son of Paschal Sr.
After the deaths of his uncle Paschal and father William, ‘Pony’ ran the livery stable, cotton mill, meat processing, blacksmithing, and ironworks inherited from his uncle Paschal Sr. and father William ‘Bill’ Conley, while Paschal Jr. sought adventure with the Buffalo Soldiers. James Jr., brother of Paschal Sr. and ‘Bill’ Conley, and namesake of their common father, moved west to the border of Mississippi to buy land.
JAMES JR., SON OF PROGENITOR JAMES CONLEY, STABLEMASTER OF THE GREEN BOTTOM EQUESTRIAN SPORTING CENTER: James Conley Jr. Became a prosperous land owner and carriage maker. He tried to exploit the opening of new settlements to the west, along the Mississippi border, with disastrous consequences. Family lore is that he had a shotgun held to his jaw, and was forced to sign over his land. There would be many more James Conleys.
PASCHAL CONLEY the 3rd (1898-1985) : Paschal III, also called ‘Junior’ in his youth, was the son of Paschal ‘Pony’ Conley. He would inherit much of his grandfather William ‘Bill’ Conley’s land where the Colonial Golf Course in Madison County, stands today.
LEVI SCRUGGS (1842-1919), BARBER TO THE RICH IN HUNTSVILLE: Paschal Sr. shown above, helped Levi Scruggs, a former slave trained as a barber, to open his own shop in the center of Huntsville next to the livery stable. The business thrived, serving only wealthy white patrons, and making Paschal and Levi substantial earnings. “By the antebellum period, skilled black barbers . . . controlled the tonsorial market and offered their services to the white elite. Several owned their own shops. Many became successful entrepreneurs and leaders of their communities.” - Cambridge University Press, Law and History Review , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , February 2019 , pp. 89 - 124 . Photo Credit: “Scalp Dressing” engraving (Image courtesy of Jean-Francois Caron/The Graphic vol. XXIV, no. 612)
ZANN SCRUGGS (1876-1954) AND JESSIE CONLEY SCRUGGS, AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE: Stable operator Paschal Conley Sr. and prosperous barber Levi Scruggs had their descendants intermarry. Shown above, Zan Scruggs, the youngest son of Levi Scruggs and his wife Jessie Lee, granddaughter of Paschal Sr. after their move to Vermont.
EDGAR PASCHAL SCRUGGS (1907-1977) : Edgar Paschal Scruggs (on the right) with his brother James Scruggs. Edgar Paschal would be the 5th ‘Pachal’ in the family, all namesakes of Paschal the 1st.
LEVI BURGESS SCRUGGS, SON OF ZAN AND JESSIE SHOWN ABOVE: Burgess Scruggs was the pride and joy of of the Conley Family in Vermont. He reprised the role of Alexander Conley Ist, two generations early, as the handsome, athletic, and extroverted standard bearer. He is shown here with his wife, Yvonne who hailed from one of Vermont’s oldest families.
LEVI BURGESS SCRUGGS (1902-1972) : Levi Burgess Scruggs at University of Vermont in 1922. He carried both his father and cousin’s names to New England. Upon his move to Los Angeles, three of his brothers followed, taking the Scruggs name to the West Coast.