Monthly Archives: July 2019

Those surviving details of the ancestry of the first two waves of English settlers of Virginia are to be found in early Wills. These are scarce in relation to actual settlers, rather than assumed ones, plucked from the pages of … Continue reading →

THE KNIGHTLY ANCESTRY OF BARTHOLOMEW OWEN 1. Berde (standardised spelling); alias Burd, Byrd, etc. 1.1. Alice Berde, m. Thomas Knight, of Milverton, May 13, 1563, in Wiveliscombe. 1.1.1. William Knight, bapt. Oct. 27 1570. 1.1.1.1. Elizabeth Knight, m. William Owen. … Continue reading →

This article commences with introductory notes that give a brief outline of the familial connections of the Bennett, Berde, Harris, and Knight families of Wiveliscombe, Somerset. They are principally for the benefit of new readers of this blog, as older … Continue reading →

1. Robert Williams (1509-1569, m. (2) Anne, dau, of the said Sir Thomas de la Lynde, sheriff of Dorset. 1.1. Sir John Williams (1545-1616), Sheriff of Dorset, m. Eleanor, dau. of Henry Uvedale, Sheriff of Somerset, and constable of Corfe … Continue reading →

The ancestry oy the Upton family of Devon and Cornwall is as well documented as it is legitimate (a rarity), and deserves a seperate notice than is given hereinafter. Suffice it for now to state the existence of three brothers, … Continue reading →

1. John Williams (d. 1515) Bailiff of Dorchester, 1479. 1.1. John Williams (1473-1549) Bailiff of Dorchester, 1500, m. Margery dau. and co-heir of Thomas Baker, of Lyme, Dorset; (2) Alice dau. of Alexander Cheney of the Isle of Sheppy, Kent, … Continue reading →

It is probably the case that the parentage of Christopher Holman of Virginia can never be ascertained, as the relevant parish register entries are not extant. However, a very reasonable assumption can be made as to his near kin. 1. … Continue reading →

1. Sir Reynold de Grey, of Ruthin, Denbighshire, d. October 18, 1440, m. Margaret, dau. of Thomas de Ros, 4th Baron Ros of Helmsley, and Beatrice, dau. of Ralph, 1st Earl Stafford. 1.1. Sir Edward Grey, 1st Lord of Groby … Continue reading →

1. Joseph Bridger (April 29, 1631 – April 15, 1686), m. a dau. of Robert Pitt, of Bristol, and Hester Stevens (Stephens). He is bur. in St Luke’s Church, 4 miles south of Smithfield, VA., the oldest existing ‘English’ Church … Continue reading →

Bridgewater, Cannington, and Wedmore are all within a 20 mile triangle in south Somerset, and all were the abodes of families of Duke and Hooke, which exhibits a key feature of the English kinship sytem – members of the same … Continue reading →

A part of Virginia, on each side of Seward’s Creek, was populated by those with a long history of relocation. They had moved from the small villages of Somerset and Gloucestershire to seek their fortunes in Bristol, by becoming merchants, … Continue reading →