My last blog post was about Thomas Noble, an ancestor on our Allen side. In it, I mentioned that his widow, Hannah Warriner, had married Medad Pomeroy. I recognized that name so looked for the blog post I must have written about him, but there was nothing to be found. So, here it is. Medad Pomeroy is an ancestor on our Holbrook side. He was first married to Experience Woodward, from whom we descend. He was later married to Abigail Strong, who would be a sibling of our ancestor Thomas Strong, also on the Holbrook side. And finally, he was married to Hannah Warriner Noble, the Allen connection. We have quite a connection to this man, and it's time that I wrote about him.
Medad Pomeroy was born August 19, 1638 in Windsor, Hartford Connecticut, to Eltweed and Mary Rockett/Rockwood Pomeroy. The elder Pomeroys were with the very first settlers in 1633, when the settlement was first called Dorchester. Eltweed had some prominence in the town, and is noted to be the founding father of the Pomeroy family in America. Medad was one of at least eight children born to the couple. Eltweed was a fuller, but perhaps he provided his children with an apprenticeship, for Medad was a blacksmith and a gunsmith. It's unclear why Medad left Windsor to go to Northampton, Massachusetts (north of Springfield), but once there, he may have been taught by John Webb, who was the first blacksmith in Northampton but not necessarily a businessman. (One source says he arrived in Northampton in 1659 and was welcomed because of his blacksmithing skills. I've used a history of Northampton for most of the information in this post.) Medad eventually took over Webb's shop location, perhaps with Webb's approval. Medad also must have been given a decent education for the time. Although he didn't attend college, the positions he held in the town would have required reading, writing, and arithmetic skills.
As mentioned, Medad married three times. He married Experience Woodward, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Mather Woodward, on March 21, 1661 in Northampton, not long after his arrival in Northampton. (Henry was one of the first settlers of the town.) Medad and Experience had 11 children together, before she died, possibly in childbirth, at the age of 43. Medad next married Abigail Strong, and they had one son together. When Abigail died in 1704, he waited just a few months before marrying Hannah Warriner Noble. By this time, he was about 67 years old and Hannah was also in her 60's, so there were no children from this marriage.
Medad had one of the longest periods of public service to his town of any ancestor I've yet found. He was chosen selectman of the town 28 times, deputy to the general court seven times, treasurer from 1698 onward, and some years held as many as six elected offices at the same time. It was a small town, but he was still one of the prominent men in town. He was also clerk, responsible for keeping town records, for most of the period from 1665 until shortly before his death.
As if that was not enough honor, and work, he was also a deacon in the church, and a member of the militia who was involved in the Falls Fight, serving under Captain Turner. This fight involved the massacre of a native American village so is not necessarily something to be proud of, but it was part of his life and he would have lived with that knowledge for another 40 plus years. I wonder if he ever had nightmares, or whether he felt it was his duty to participate? His son Ebenezer was granted land in 1736 in reward for his father's service during this battle.
Medad wrote his will in 1708 but lived until December 30, 1716. There must have been some kind of prenuptial agreement because he left Hannah her choice of a cow, everything she had brought with her, and instructions that she was to draw from the estate anything that she needed. He left his sons and daughters anywhere from 20 to 80 pounds apiece, except that by the time he died, the estate was not worth nearly as much as he had expected. Perhaps in the interim, he had sold assets and given the proceeds to the children, but it's hard to know. His estate was valued at just 41 pounds, unless there were more pages to the inventory that didn't get filmed.
There is more to be told about Medad than I've included in this brief sketch. He was involved in at least one town controversy, and there were a couple of business ventures that don't seem to have gotten off the ground. But Medad seems to have been well-respected, an extremely hard worker, and an important part of the town he served so well. While recognizing that he had shortcomings, we can still respect this man, part of our past and part of our family.
The line of descent is:
Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Warriner
Joseph Pomeroy-Hannah Seymour
Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Trumbull
Medad Pomeroy-Eunice Southwell
Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stannard
Libbeus Stanard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Seymour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seymour. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2020
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Matthew Woodruff, Immigrant
Matthew Woodruff's beginnings are a mystery. There are at least three candidates for his parents. I am almost positive his parents are NOT Sir David Woodruffe and Lettice Dunscombe, which means I have a lot of deleting to do on my tree. There are, however, two additional candidates. One is David Woodruffe and Anne Rogerson, but I've not found anything to back that up. The other is Matthew Woodruff and Margaret Sanders.
Another problem is that we don't know his birth date. He died in 1682 and is termed then "a very old man". If that is true, the dates we have for his birth of 1612-1616 may not be correct. He may be older than that. The other possibility with the description of "a very old man" is that his health was poor and he appeared to be aged beyond his years. However, he didn't write his will until shortly before his death, which seems to indicate that he was reasonably healthy up to his final illness. So definitely, more research needs to be done about Matthew's origins.
The first we really know about Matthew is that he was generally in the area of Hartford, Connecticut in 1643, when he was a defendant in a law suit, the plaintiff being John Robinson. He was made a freeman at Hartford in 1657, but neither of these items prove that he actually lived in Hartford. He purchased land in Farmington in 1653, but he could have been there practically the whole time he was in America. Although I didn't find an official list of first founders of Farmington, it does appear that Matthew would have been considered one of the earliest settlers, if not a first founder.
Another puzzle about Matthew is the name of his wife. Her first name was Hannah, but her surname is variously given as Flagg, Baldwin, and Lambert. Baldwin seems to have the longest tradition about it, but I've not found evidence of that. Matthew and Hannah were married about 1642, and had six children together. I have conflicting information about Hannah. One source says she died in 1664, but Matthew's will, written in 1682, mentions his loving wife. If he remarried, perhaps that is one possible reason why there are varying names for his wife. Hannah joined the church in November of 1654 but Matthew didn't join until 1672. Presumably he had attended all along, but was not technically a part of the communion of believers until 1672.
Matthew wrote his will in September of 1682 and it was proven December 14, 1682, so he died sometime between those two dates. From his inventory, we can tell that Matthew was a farmer. His tools are described as tools for husbandry, so perhaps his status was that of husbandman. From coming to America as an unknown, perhaps as an indentured servant, he left an estate of about 250 pounds. He had not a lot of land, but his livestock carried a relatively high value, so he may have done more intensive livestock farming than some did. (Incidentally, the spelling used in the inventory is some of the most creative I have seen.) There were no books mentioned in his inventory. Son Samuel got the lion's share of the moveable goods, as well as some land, on the condition that he care for his mother.
Naturally I am not happy with this post. I'm writing it because half a loaf is better than none, but I would really like to determine Matthew's parentage, his age, and his hometown in England. He deserves that much.
The line of descent is:
Matthew Woodruff-Hannah possibly Baldwin
Hannah Woodruff-Richard Seymour
Hannah Seymour-Josepoh Pomeroy
Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Trumbull
Medad Pomeroy-Eunice Southwell
Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Another problem is that we don't know his birth date. He died in 1682 and is termed then "a very old man". If that is true, the dates we have for his birth of 1612-1616 may not be correct. He may be older than that. The other possibility with the description of "a very old man" is that his health was poor and he appeared to be aged beyond his years. However, he didn't write his will until shortly before his death, which seems to indicate that he was reasonably healthy up to his final illness. So definitely, more research needs to be done about Matthew's origins.
The first we really know about Matthew is that he was generally in the area of Hartford, Connecticut in 1643, when he was a defendant in a law suit, the plaintiff being John Robinson. He was made a freeman at Hartford in 1657, but neither of these items prove that he actually lived in Hartford. He purchased land in Farmington in 1653, but he could have been there practically the whole time he was in America. Although I didn't find an official list of first founders of Farmington, it does appear that Matthew would have been considered one of the earliest settlers, if not a first founder.
Another puzzle about Matthew is the name of his wife. Her first name was Hannah, but her surname is variously given as Flagg, Baldwin, and Lambert. Baldwin seems to have the longest tradition about it, but I've not found evidence of that. Matthew and Hannah were married about 1642, and had six children together. I have conflicting information about Hannah. One source says she died in 1664, but Matthew's will, written in 1682, mentions his loving wife. If he remarried, perhaps that is one possible reason why there are varying names for his wife. Hannah joined the church in November of 1654 but Matthew didn't join until 1672. Presumably he had attended all along, but was not technically a part of the communion of believers until 1672.
Matthew wrote his will in September of 1682 and it was proven December 14, 1682, so he died sometime between those two dates. From his inventory, we can tell that Matthew was a farmer. His tools are described as tools for husbandry, so perhaps his status was that of husbandman. From coming to America as an unknown, perhaps as an indentured servant, he left an estate of about 250 pounds. He had not a lot of land, but his livestock carried a relatively high value, so he may have done more intensive livestock farming than some did. (Incidentally, the spelling used in the inventory is some of the most creative I have seen.) There were no books mentioned in his inventory. Son Samuel got the lion's share of the moveable goods, as well as some land, on the condition that he care for his mother.
Naturally I am not happy with this post. I'm writing it because half a loaf is better than none, but I would really like to determine Matthew's parentage, his age, and his hometown in England. He deserves that much.
The line of descent is:
Matthew Woodruff-Hannah possibly Baldwin
Hannah Woodruff-Richard Seymour
Hannah Seymour-Josepoh Pomeroy
Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Trumbull
Medad Pomeroy-Eunice Southwell
Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, August 24, 2018
Holbrook line: Eltweed Pomeroy, Immigrant
I can't believe that I haven't written about Eltweed Pomeroy yet. Just the sound of his name has made me smile since the day I found him on our tree. Plus, there is scads and oodles of information about him, although of course there are still confusing details and missing facts. There is even a Pomeroy Family Association that honors his name, and a book written about Eltweed and his descendants. I've found a wonderful collection of riches while writing this post.
Eltweed Pomeroy was born in Beaminster, Devon, England shortly before he was christened on July 5, 1585. His father was Richard Pomeroy but the name of his mother is not yet known. (It is often given as '"Eleanor Coker" but that name is also attached to an earlier Richard Pomeroy, and I'll believe it only when I find documentation.) At any rate, Richard would have have at least one wife, and perhaps Eltweed is a name in her family.
We don't know anything about Eltweed's early life other than that he was listed as being a :fuller". The town was famous as a manufacturer of both linens and woolens, so Eltweed worked with woolens, in a manufacturing environment. He first married Johanna Keech on May 4, 1617 in Beaminster. They had two daughters, but Johanna and the two young children died of "the plague" by 1621.
He next married on May 7, 1629 in Sherborne, Dorset, England Margery Rockett (Rockwood), daughter of Thomas Rocket. The two towns are 17 miles apart, so one wonders how they met. However, they both must have been good Puritans and that may explain their marriage, as just a few monts later, in February of 1630, they were in attendance at a meeting of Reverend White's group of Puritans in the "New Hospital" at Plymouth. This was 96 miles from Sherborne, so the Pomeroys would have sacrificed much to get there.
We don't know exactly when the family came to New England but they were part of the Great Migration because Eltweed was made a freeman at Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on March 4, 1632. While in Dorchester, he served as selectman, and constable, and on at least two town committees. He was referred to as "Mr. Pomeroy", indicating a degree of respect. The couple had eight children. Two may have been born in England, one possibly in Dorchester, and the rest were born in Windsor, Connecticut, which is where Eltweed took his family in 1636. He readily adhered to the teachings of the Reverend Ephraim Huit (Hewitt), another of our ancestors, when he came to Windsor in 1639. In fact, he built onto his own home a room for Isabel, widow of Ephraim Huit, and then bought it from her estate when she died. Sometime in 1659, there was an Indian raid and Eltweed's mare was stolen. He requested compensation and eventually (5 years later!) received wampum worth ten pounds. This was regarded as an acceptable form of money.
Eltweed owned land in Windsor, including two houses, which he gave to two of his sons.
His background in woolen textiles was valued in Windsor, and he appears to have acted as a sort of consultant, but he was primarily a blacksmith. Margery died in 1655 and after twelve years of widower status, he married Lydia Brown, the widow of Thomas Parsons on November 30, 1667. Eltweed They had no children, Eltweed was old by then, 82 years old when he married for the third time, and nearly blind.
Soon after the marriage, they apparently went to Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, where Eltweed's son, Medad, lived. Eltweed died there on March 4, 1673, when he was 87 years old. I haven't found a will or an inventory yet, but I'll keep looking. It is possible that he owned next to nothing at the time of his death, since he had given much to his children, and was living with a son.
Eltweed is fun because FamousKin.com tells us that he is the ancestor of some pretty famous people-Harriet Beecher Stowe, Franklin D. Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan and son, Gloria Vanderbilt (and hence Anderson Cooper), and Henry Luce, among others. Some of these people were extremely wealthy, but I don't think we'd be welcome in their homes, except as paying guests. Still, it's fun to find connections like these.
Our line of descent is:
Eltweed Pomeroy-Margery Rockett
Medad Pomeroy-Experience Woodward
Joseph Pomeroy-Hannah Seymour
Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Trumbull
Medad Pomeroy-Eunice Southwell
Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stanard
Libbeus Stanard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Eltweed Pomeroy was born in Beaminster, Devon, England shortly before he was christened on July 5, 1585. His father was Richard Pomeroy but the name of his mother is not yet known. (It is often given as '"Eleanor Coker" but that name is also attached to an earlier Richard Pomeroy, and I'll believe it only when I find documentation.) At any rate, Richard would have have at least one wife, and perhaps Eltweed is a name in her family.
We don't know anything about Eltweed's early life other than that he was listed as being a :fuller". The town was famous as a manufacturer of both linens and woolens, so Eltweed worked with woolens, in a manufacturing environment. He first married Johanna Keech on May 4, 1617 in Beaminster. They had two daughters, but Johanna and the two young children died of "the plague" by 1621.
He next married on May 7, 1629 in Sherborne, Dorset, England Margery Rockett (Rockwood), daughter of Thomas Rocket. The two towns are 17 miles apart, so one wonders how they met. However, they both must have been good Puritans and that may explain their marriage, as just a few monts later, in February of 1630, they were in attendance at a meeting of Reverend White's group of Puritans in the "New Hospital" at Plymouth. This was 96 miles from Sherborne, so the Pomeroys would have sacrificed much to get there.
We don't know exactly when the family came to New England but they were part of the Great Migration because Eltweed was made a freeman at Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on March 4, 1632. While in Dorchester, he served as selectman, and constable, and on at least two town committees. He was referred to as "Mr. Pomeroy", indicating a degree of respect. The couple had eight children. Two may have been born in England, one possibly in Dorchester, and the rest were born in Windsor, Connecticut, which is where Eltweed took his family in 1636. He readily adhered to the teachings of the Reverend Ephraim Huit (Hewitt), another of our ancestors, when he came to Windsor in 1639. In fact, he built onto his own home a room for Isabel, widow of Ephraim Huit, and then bought it from her estate when she died. Sometime in 1659, there was an Indian raid and Eltweed's mare was stolen. He requested compensation and eventually (5 years later!) received wampum worth ten pounds. This was regarded as an acceptable form of money.
Eltweed owned land in Windsor, including two houses, which he gave to two of his sons.
His background in woolen textiles was valued in Windsor, and he appears to have acted as a sort of consultant, but he was primarily a blacksmith. Margery died in 1655 and after twelve years of widower status, he married Lydia Brown, the widow of Thomas Parsons on November 30, 1667. Eltweed They had no children, Eltweed was old by then, 82 years old when he married for the third time, and nearly blind.
Soon after the marriage, they apparently went to Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, where Eltweed's son, Medad, lived. Eltweed died there on March 4, 1673, when he was 87 years old. I haven't found a will or an inventory yet, but I'll keep looking. It is possible that he owned next to nothing at the time of his death, since he had given much to his children, and was living with a son.
Eltweed is fun because FamousKin.com tells us that he is the ancestor of some pretty famous people-Harriet Beecher Stowe, Franklin D. Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan and son, Gloria Vanderbilt (and hence Anderson Cooper), and Henry Luce, among others. Some of these people were extremely wealthy, but I don't think we'd be welcome in their homes, except as paying guests. Still, it's fun to find connections like these.
Our line of descent is:
Eltweed Pomeroy-Margery Rockett
Medad Pomeroy-Experience Woodward
Joseph Pomeroy-Hannah Seymour
Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Trumbull
Medad Pomeroy-Eunice Southwell
Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stanard
Libbeus Stanard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, May 26, 2017
Holbrook line: RIchard Seymour 1604-1655 Immigrant
First,the fanciful but probably not true, or at least not proven: Some believe that Richard Seymour was a descendant of the Seymours of Wolf Hall, recently a series on PBS television. Those Seymours were powerful people involved with even more powerful people, and they are fascinating. Our Richard may or may not be descended from them, but his own life is fascinating in its own way. Of course, I say that about all my ancestors!
Richard Seymour was baptized on January 27, 1604/05, the first child of Robert and Elizabeth Waller Seymour, at Sawbridgeworth, county Herts, England. This is right on the border with Essex county, and likely there were friends and relatives of the Seymours who lived just a few miles down the road but were from Essex and not Hertfordshire.
The next thing we know about Richard is that he married Mercy Ruscoe, daughter of Roger and Sarah Ruscoe of Sawbridgeworth, and the marriage occurred there on April 15,1631. Richard and Mercy had three children born at Sawbridgworth, from 1632 to 1636. Although I've not located immigration or transportation records, it seems likely that the Seymours (also spelled Seamer and Semer, among other variations) left England in 1638 and went to Hartford Connecticut, where many of the young town would have been old acquaintances from England. Many Hartford settlers had their origins in Essex County, and if these people had been worshipping together as Puritans, they would surely have known and loved their new/old neighbors.
Richard was not a first settler at Hartford, as his lot number was number 70, but he did receive a land allotment in 1639 so he and his family, which consisted of four sons (two daughters had apparently died in England), settled down in their new home, early in the town's history. His house was near the Ely home, and he also owned land toward West Hartford. He was elected chimney viewer in 1647, which was somewhat analogous to that of fire inspector today. The homes during this time period were built (except our pioneers used wood rather than the stone used in England) like those homes they'd left behind in England, meaning the roofs were thatched and prone to catching fire. It was Richard's job to make sure the families were taking safety precautions and to watch for fires that might start on the roof, especially around the chimney.
The land Richard had was "by the courtesy of the town", which meant in effect that he only had a life lease to the property, and could not pass it on to his sons. Possibly due to this fact, Richard joined a group of settlers who planned to settle a new area, Norwalk, also in what is now Connecticut. He signed an agreement for the settling and planting of Norwalk in 1650 and was settled there by 1652. Here his home was directly opposite the meeting house and Parade Ground, on the highway leading from Stamford to Fairfield. He is considered an original founder of Norwalk. He was elected townsman, or selectman, in 1655 but four months later wrote his will, when he was "very week and sike".
Richard Seymour's estate was inventoried October 10, 1655 and was valued at 255 pounds, 9 shillings, which is not bad for a man 50 years old. Most of the inventory is illegible but one can make out "books" valued at one pound. this would indicate probably several volumes, but maybe not more than 20. It would be intriguing to know what they were. Were they all religious books, or did he have some practical books also? His widow, Mercy, married Thomas Steele, one of the leaders of the Connecticut Colony. He died in 1665 and she outlived him, but records of her death have not been located.
So whether or not there is a connection to the Seymours of Wolf Hall, we certainly have a line to one of the early settlers of our country, and that is a good thing, too.
The line of descent is:
Richard Seymour-Mercy Ruscoe
Richard Seymour-Hannah Woodruff
Hannah Seymour-Joseph Pomeroy
Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Trumbull
Medad Pomeroy-Eunice Southwell
Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stanard
Libbeus Stanard-Euzebia or Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Richard Seymour was baptized on January 27, 1604/05, the first child of Robert and Elizabeth Waller Seymour, at Sawbridgeworth, county Herts, England. This is right on the border with Essex county, and likely there were friends and relatives of the Seymours who lived just a few miles down the road but were from Essex and not Hertfordshire.
The next thing we know about Richard is that he married Mercy Ruscoe, daughter of Roger and Sarah Ruscoe of Sawbridgeworth, and the marriage occurred there on April 15,1631. Richard and Mercy had three children born at Sawbridgworth, from 1632 to 1636. Although I've not located immigration or transportation records, it seems likely that the Seymours (also spelled Seamer and Semer, among other variations) left England in 1638 and went to Hartford Connecticut, where many of the young town would have been old acquaintances from England. Many Hartford settlers had their origins in Essex County, and if these people had been worshipping together as Puritans, they would surely have known and loved their new/old neighbors.
Richard was not a first settler at Hartford, as his lot number was number 70, but he did receive a land allotment in 1639 so he and his family, which consisted of four sons (two daughters had apparently died in England), settled down in their new home, early in the town's history. His house was near the Ely home, and he also owned land toward West Hartford. He was elected chimney viewer in 1647, which was somewhat analogous to that of fire inspector today. The homes during this time period were built (except our pioneers used wood rather than the stone used in England) like those homes they'd left behind in England, meaning the roofs were thatched and prone to catching fire. It was Richard's job to make sure the families were taking safety precautions and to watch for fires that might start on the roof, especially around the chimney.
The land Richard had was "by the courtesy of the town", which meant in effect that he only had a life lease to the property, and could not pass it on to his sons. Possibly due to this fact, Richard joined a group of settlers who planned to settle a new area, Norwalk, also in what is now Connecticut. He signed an agreement for the settling and planting of Norwalk in 1650 and was settled there by 1652. Here his home was directly opposite the meeting house and Parade Ground, on the highway leading from Stamford to Fairfield. He is considered an original founder of Norwalk. He was elected townsman, or selectman, in 1655 but four months later wrote his will, when he was "very week and sike".
Richard Seymour's estate was inventoried October 10, 1655 and was valued at 255 pounds, 9 shillings, which is not bad for a man 50 years old. Most of the inventory is illegible but one can make out "books" valued at one pound. this would indicate probably several volumes, but maybe not more than 20. It would be intriguing to know what they were. Were they all religious books, or did he have some practical books also? His widow, Mercy, married Thomas Steele, one of the leaders of the Connecticut Colony. He died in 1665 and she outlived him, but records of her death have not been located.
So whether or not there is a connection to the Seymours of Wolf Hall, we certainly have a line to one of the early settlers of our country, and that is a good thing, too.
The line of descent is:
Richard Seymour-Mercy Ruscoe
Richard Seymour-Hannah Woodruff
Hannah Seymour-Joseph Pomeroy
Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Trumbull
Medad Pomeroy-Eunice Southwell
Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stanard
Libbeus Stanard-Euzebia or Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, May 30, 2014
Allens and Holbrooks and Tudors, oh my!
Usually I write about people on "this side of the pond", so to speak. I know a lot of the family has trouble imagining people who lived 5 or 6 generations ago, so I try not to confuse the issue by talking about 15 or so generations ago. Except, once in a while, I have to break my self-imposed rules, because it's just too much fun.
I confess it: I am interested in ALL my ancestors, no matter where or when they lived. Some are more easily researched than others, and some are more worth writing about than others. I came across a fun little book on Amazon.com, called "Who's Who at the Tudor Court" by Victoria Evans, and I couldn't resist making up a short list of the people mentioned in the book, who are also our ancestors. These people are fascinating! Here's what I found, subject always to additional information:
Direct ancestors in the Holbrook line:
John Gage, my 15th great grandfather, held numerous posts in the court of Henry VIII, but as a Catholic, fell from favor when the King divorced or had his marriage annulled to Catherine of Aragon. He returned to court upon the accession of Mary I, and held her train at her coronation and at her wedding. He -was married to Philippa Guildford, who was probably at court as a lady in waiting from time to time, but I didn't find reference to that in this book.
Richard Rich, my 13th great grandfather, is known as a torturer and persecutor of Protestants, which is not exactly a high recommendation, but it does show that he had power. He was Lord Chancellor under King Edward VI, and held other various offices during his lifetime. His wife was Elizabeth Jenks, and again, she was probably part of the court, too.
William Sandys, my 12th great grandfather was the father of the Archbishop of York. He may actually be a collateral, and not a direct ancestor, so I'll work on that connection.
Edward Seymour, my 12th great grandfather, was Lord Protector of England during the minority of Edward VI. He was in and out of favor with the court, but generally landed on his feet.
Direct ancestors in the Allen line:
Stephen Gardiner, my 15th great grandfather, perhaps. The evidence on this is somewhat controversial. He was the Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I, and was a Roman Catholic bishop who helped Henry VIII try to obtain an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon from the Pope.
William Parr, Mary Salisbury Parr (his wife) and their daughter, Maud Parr, were appointed to various offices during the reign of Catherine Parr, William's cousin and Henry VIII's last queen. Mary Parr Lane was a lady in waiting to Queen Catherine, so it is likely that her husband, Ralph Lane, was at court, too.
John Russell-my 13th great grandfather, served as Lord Admiral and Lord Privy Seal. He accompanied Henry VII and other Kings on various trips and really led quite a life.
We also have famous collateral relatives, including of course Queen Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife and sister to Edward Seymour, and their father Thomas Seymour.
I think my most interesting discovery was finding that the Thomas Cromwell who is our relative was the same gentleman who was so prominent in helping Henry VIII marry Anne Boleyn, and who then lost his head to the executioner a few years later.
More of each person mentioned here (except for William Sandys, which is why I am suspicious) can be found in Wikipedia articles, and I encourage you to read them. Some even are shown in drawings by famous artists like Hans Holbein. Rather than summarize the articles further, this will at least let you know that our family had a part in history. Of course, the most famous Tudor, Henry VIII, is also likely our ancestor, through an illegitimate daughter.
If you enjoyed this recap, I'm glad. If you didn't, I'll get back to American folks on my next post, I promise!
I confess it: I am interested in ALL my ancestors, no matter where or when they lived. Some are more easily researched than others, and some are more worth writing about than others. I came across a fun little book on Amazon.com, called "Who's Who at the Tudor Court" by Victoria Evans, and I couldn't resist making up a short list of the people mentioned in the book, who are also our ancestors. These people are fascinating! Here's what I found, subject always to additional information:
Direct ancestors in the Holbrook line:
John Gage, my 15th great grandfather, held numerous posts in the court of Henry VIII, but as a Catholic, fell from favor when the King divorced or had his marriage annulled to Catherine of Aragon. He returned to court upon the accession of Mary I, and held her train at her coronation and at her wedding. He -was married to Philippa Guildford, who was probably at court as a lady in waiting from time to time, but I didn't find reference to that in this book.
Richard Rich, my 13th great grandfather, is known as a torturer and persecutor of Protestants, which is not exactly a high recommendation, but it does show that he had power. He was Lord Chancellor under King Edward VI, and held other various offices during his lifetime. His wife was Elizabeth Jenks, and again, she was probably part of the court, too.
William Sandys, my 12th great grandfather was the father of the Archbishop of York. He may actually be a collateral, and not a direct ancestor, so I'll work on that connection.
Edward Seymour, my 12th great grandfather, was Lord Protector of England during the minority of Edward VI. He was in and out of favor with the court, but generally landed on his feet.
Direct ancestors in the Allen line:
Stephen Gardiner, my 15th great grandfather, perhaps. The evidence on this is somewhat controversial. He was the Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I, and was a Roman Catholic bishop who helped Henry VIII try to obtain an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon from the Pope.
William Parr, Mary Salisbury Parr (his wife) and their daughter, Maud Parr, were appointed to various offices during the reign of Catherine Parr, William's cousin and Henry VIII's last queen. Mary Parr Lane was a lady in waiting to Queen Catherine, so it is likely that her husband, Ralph Lane, was at court, too.
John Russell-my 13th great grandfather, served as Lord Admiral and Lord Privy Seal. He accompanied Henry VII and other Kings on various trips and really led quite a life.
We also have famous collateral relatives, including of course Queen Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife and sister to Edward Seymour, and their father Thomas Seymour.
I think my most interesting discovery was finding that the Thomas Cromwell who is our relative was the same gentleman who was so prominent in helping Henry VIII marry Anne Boleyn, and who then lost his head to the executioner a few years later.
More of each person mentioned here (except for William Sandys, which is why I am suspicious) can be found in Wikipedia articles, and I encourage you to read them. Some even are shown in drawings by famous artists like Hans Holbein. Rather than summarize the articles further, this will at least let you know that our family had a part in history. Of course, the most famous Tudor, Henry VIII, is also likely our ancestor, through an illegitimate daughter.
If you enjoyed this recap, I'm glad. If you didn't, I'll get back to American folks on my next post, I promise!
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