As I blogged about two weeks ago, I have been intensely researching my Baines Family lines. I came across some interesting info that I’d like to share, even if this surname isn’t in your family tree.
Did you know that back in the day you could “buy” a porch to a church and when you didn’t want it any longer you could “sell” it? I had no idea. This is a summary of an article by the Reverend R. Percival Brown who explored an inscribed tablet preserved at Kirkby Lonsdale Church in what was then Westmorland (now Cumbria), U.K.
The tablet recorded ownership and repair to the church’s south porch which implied that the porch was of private ownership of a portion of the church, a practice not typically thought of during that period in Great Britain. Brown reminded readers that churches have sold burial plots on church property and that the selling of a porch is not very different, especially since the porch was originally built to cover the burial sites of the family members who were interred there.
The sign, painted with black letters on a whiteboard, had been restored by various owners over the years, and from several sources who had recorded it, the wording was somewhat altered.[1] By 1925, Brown believed that the original wording was thus:
Brown noted that the above was metrically and verbally accurate and fits with an existing armorial shield.[3] I’d like to point out the spelling – remember there were no spelling rules back in the day!
Building, maintaining, and therefore, owning a porch affixed to a church may appear a strange practice in modern times. When one considers that the porch covered the Baines family burial plots the motivation for the original builder makes sense. The church likely needed a second exit, one close to the burial grounds, and the addition of a porch accessible to all would serve that purpose.
Further supporting that narrative was that the burial location for the family was adjacent to the south wall which, in those times, was regarded as a location of importance.[4] It is not surprising that an influential family maintained their status through a donation such as this to their local church while also benefitting through the preservation of their ancestor’s burial sites.
Luckily for descendants of the porch owners over the years, Brown researched the Baines, Wood, and Wilson families. Although the provenance of the porch is not firmly established, it was likely made by one of the earliest Baines family members to the area. What is known was that Adam Baines of Hegholme acquired land in Whinfell in 1428.[5] The estate became known as Hegholme Hall through the 18th century.[6] Adam’s son, William, was known to be living there in 1497.[7]
William likely had a son, Adam, who inherited Hegholme as a portion of the land, known as Gilfoot, was sold before Easter 1546 to John Rigmaden and Anthony Rosse and the remainder was sold off at Michaelmas 1547 to the Bainbrig family.[8]
That Adam’s son was probably John, whose son Thomas Baynes of Hegholme was baptized on 14 December 1544.[9] John was buried on 4 April 1547.[10]
Although no baptism record survives, it was likely that Adam had a second son, Adam [Jr.] who appeared in the church record with baptisms for his children Mable, Thomas, and James.[11] Adam Sr. was buried on 18 May 1564.[12]
Brown places one more child in Adam’s family – William, who was the original builder of the porch.[13] William would have been an heir of Hegholme and therefore, be a part of this lineage. Further support was given through William, who had a known brother named Thomas.
William was first noted in records as being the father of a bastard, who was baptized on 18 January 1593-4.[14] A legitimate child of William’s, Adam, was baptized on 2 February 1599-1600 in the local parish chapel at Killington which became licensed to celebrate the sacraments in 1585.[15] William was buried on 23 August 1603 and at the time of Brown, William’s will existed.[16] William was noted to be “of Hegholm” and the will was witnessed by George Bainbrig.[17] William had named his underage heir, son Adam, leaving him land in Hegholme and Killington.[18] His goods, valued at 12 pounds after removing debts of 20 pounds, to his wife, Jane [Wright], and daughter Isabel who was also underage.[19] It is not known if Isabel was the bastard born in 1593-4 or a legitimate child whose baptism record was not found. Thomas was named as a brother of William, along with a brother-in-law, Oliver Wright.[20] Thomas and Oliver were appointed as supervisors for the children in the event that their mother Jane married second before the children came of age.[21]
Jane did marry second on 19 October 1608 to Richard Walker.[22] Son Adam married on 23 January 1625-6 at Killington to Elinor Bainbrig, the granddaughter of George who witnessed William’s will.[23] The uniting of families by marriage to retain status and land was not unusual for the time. I guess it’s not so unusual in modern times, either.
About 1593, lawyer Christopher Wood sought to purchase property in the area as his brother was already farming within the region.[24] Brown suggested that Wood purchased from William Baines Hegholme Hall as his residence but not the land surrounding the building.[25] This would support the will stating William was of Hegholme and not necessarily of Hegholme Hall.
The genealogy of Christopher Woods family who likely owned the Hall through 1617 was reported; from 1626-1659 records show a Walker family were owners.[26] Church benefactor Henry Wilson of Underley who died in 1639 may also have contributed to financing the maintenance of the porch.[27]
When ownership of the porch transferred was important as the church sign may have had the date modified over the years during restoration which reflected inaccuracy. Brown’s analysis of the work of Machel and close inspection of the stylistic nature of the writing leads one to conclude that the date should have reflected the ownership of Christopher Wood who was also likely the individual who composed the poem and had the sign installed on the church wall.[28] Brown makes a case that the date should have been recorded as either 1596 or 1606.[29]
The porch was removed in 1866 during a church restoration project.[30] It was noted at that time the porch was repaired by Christopher Wood in 1625.[31] If true, the maintenance was short-lived as the following year the Walker family was the new owners.[32]
The intricate history of the Baines family, Hegholme Hall, and the south porch of Kirkby Lonsdale Church serves as a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of family legacy, ecclesiastical tradition, and local history. Through Rev. R. Percival Brown’s meticulous research, we gain a deeper understanding of how land ownership, social status, and familial ties were enmeshed with church patronage during the period. The inscription, though altered over time, remains a testament to the intertwined narratives of the Baines and Wood families, as well as their enduring contributions to Kirkby Lonsdale’s heritage. Though the porch itself is long gone, the stories it sheltered live on through the records, offering a tangible link to the past for historians and descendants alike. Most importantly, the pedigree of former owners of the porch remains for descendants as a valuable record of their ancestral ties, social significance, and historical legacy within the Kirkby Lonsdale community.
[1] Wares cited: Ware, Notes on the Parish Church of Kirkby Lonsdale.
` A descriptive guide to the English lakes ‘ (8th ed. 1849)
History of Westmorland (1847) i. 364. He notes it as in `an ancient chapel.’
Machell MSS. vol. v, p. ais. (I am indebted to the Rev. Christopher Gathorne M.A. for the transcript.) Y
[2] Brown, Rev. R. Percival, The Christopher Wood’s Inscription in Kirkby Lonsdale Church, 1925, p. 321.
[8] ibid, p. 325. George Baynebrig had acquired part of the land as his descendants were found there several generations later. Baynebrig paid a Fine on Easter 1546 for 40 acres of land, 10 acres of meadow, 60 acres of pasture, and 60 acres of juniper and scrub.
Adam Baynes sold to Miles Bainbrig in late September 1547 four closes in Hegholm. Closes are enclosed field or parcels of land.
[9] ibid, p. 324 citing 4 Dec. 1544. Bapt. Thomas Baynes sone of Jo: Banes of hegholme.
[10] ibid, p. 325. Brown provided no source, likely parish records. His wife may have been Elizabeth Mansergh, daughter of Edward. Elizabeth’s brother, George left a widow Margaret who married John Wood, later owner of Hegholme Hall.
[11] ibid, p. 325. Mabel January 1550-1, Thomas February 1553-4, Thomas December 1560.
See Samuelson, Lori. The Lawsuite of Chapel Salary, to be published soon, for further information about the Baines family’s interaction with the chapel.
[24] ibid, p. 326 citing Christopher Woods in parish records as 16 Jan. 1594- 5 Bapt. Margretae woodd filiæ Xpoferi. 8 Feb. 1611-2 Sepult. Xpo: wood gent. z8 Feb. 1611-2 Sepult. vx: Xpo Wood vidu. He married widow Margaret Mansergh. For the Mansergh line Brown cited Edw. Mansergh esq. of 1539 (Records of Kendale i, p. 84). His will dated in April 1543 shows that he left three sons Christopher, George and Alexander, and two daughters Alice and Elizabeth, the latter married to John Baynes (probably of Hegholme). Christopher who died seised of Nether Hall etc., in 1568 had a son Edward (b. 1542) who died in infancy: and at his inquisition of 1591 his heir was found to be Jane (b. 1544). Alexander was buried two months after his father. After 1568 therefore only George was left. In 1571 a daughter (name not registered) of George Mansergh was baptized, and in 1573 a son, registered as Richard: George Mansergh was buried 28 March 1575. On these facts it seems practically certain that Richard is a mistake for Edward and that Margaret Mansergh whom John Wood married in Nov. 1575 was the widow of George Mansergh.
[25] ibid, p. 326 citing Records of Kendale i. Zoo, and ibid. ii, p. 393 for the transition of the property and Chancery Series ii, vol. 675: one of the same year is quoted in the Court of Wards in Records of Kendale i. 293, and a number of others appear in the 2nd vol. including (p. 424) that on William Baynes
[26] ibid, p. 327 citing nq. p.m. of 15 March 15 James I. Chan. Ser. ii, vol. 675, no. 227.
Perhaps it’s just me but I’m having some issues with several situations that have arisen this month that makes me feel the need to share with all of you genealogy enthusiasts.
The weather has been cold, though the snow minimal (not complaining!). Since I’ve been house bound a good deal of the time (I don’t do cold!) I’ve been spending my days researching, writing, consulting, and watching online presentations.
Here is some nonsense that I’ve heard in just the past two weeks:
Regarding an indexed set of school enumeration records, the presenter emphasized there was no need to see the original because the presenter was certain the person who had indexed didn’t make mistake.
No – just NO! Everyone makes mistakes, whether intentional or not. We need to see the original. Indexing is nice and can be a short cut but it’s not the end all be all. Thorough research requires that we search for originals that exist.
2. I suggested to a presenter via the chat box that the organization might want to try to obtain club and society records to add to their list to digitize. The answer took my breath away – the response was, “We don’t THINK those records exist.”
Whoa – you don’t THINK?! I don’t want a THINK I want to KNOW. Do you KNOW if those records exist? If so, how do you KNOW? Who did you ask? Where did you look? When did you look?
Friends, this really hit a nerve with me as I’ve blogged before about trying to find school records for my husband’s grandmother only to be sent from Hobart Township to the city of Gary to the city of Crown Point to the city of Merrillville to Indiana University and then back to Hobart Township. Each person I spoke with in those locations suggested I contact somebody else. Turned out, the records I needed were at IU but in the Calumet Township archive. Why? I have no idea why someone would have filed Hobart Township in Calumet Township but they were there. So, if you are in need of records do not accept I THINK they are blah-blah-blah. Look there but keep looking and one day you will be successful. If you accept that the records don’t exist with no reason given for why they were destroyed you aren’t done looking.
3. I received a pedigree chart from someone that was beautifully done but when I inquired as to SOURCES, and questioned an odd name change, received the response, “I’ve been researching for 40 years and know it to be correct.”
Really? I’ve been researching for years, too, but that doesn’t provide me with some sort of privilege to say that my work is flawless and I should not be questioned. Readers – keep me on my toes, please. If you see something I write you disagree with let me know. We never stop learning and should be able to handle a difference in opinion and to explain our findings.
4. In discussion with a colleague, I mentioned I thought the relationship of a son to his father wasn’t sound. The colleague had asked me to review the information and that was my conclusion. I listed the reasons why I believed more research was needed. The response I got was, “You just don’t want to believe it.”
Umm, no I don’t because of the reasons I gave. If you want to believe it then why did you ask in the first place?
5. If you post on Facebook seeking help and you get a response, thank the person and not kill the messenger. Really, it’s not hard.
A distant family member posted about their frustration with a cell phone and how they got no help at the phone store. I suggested seeking out a tech savy kid as it worked for me. Here was the response – edited to not identify the person (because I’m writing from the heart and they don’t): “My kid is a tech genius… I was not looking for advice (as I have stated previously in this thread).”
Honey, please re-read your initial post because YOU DID NOT state you weren’t looking for advice. Two other posters gave you sound advice as well but you didn’t respond as you did to me.
Reminder to all – treat your family with respect like hopefully, you would your friends and associates.
Do you have Hoosiers in your history? If so, you might want to participate in Indiana State Library’s passport program to commemorate its 200th anniversary. Click here to join. Yep, the system is 200 years young! I’m going to copy the info I received via email exactly so that you, too, can win prizes being offered and have quick and easy access to 170 main libraries and their branches throughout the state from a click on your cell phone:
“As the Indiana State Library prepares to celebrate its 200th anniversary this year, the Indiana Library Passport is offering new prizes and activities. A brand new limited-edition bicentennial celebration mug and a special year-end prize drawing are included in the offerings.
The Indiana Library Passport, a creative digital experience that encourages everyone to visit libraries across the Hoosier state, is open to Indiana residents and outside visitors alike and showcases nearly 170 main libraries and branches.
After users provide their name, email address and mobile phone number, a link will be sent to their mobile phone, which will add a button icon to their home screen. From there, users are free to begin visiting Hoosier libraries. Users access the passport to check in to a participating library using their phone’s location services. When a user checks in to a library, they earn points, which can be redeemed to claim prizes directly through the passport.
In addition to allowing users to earn redeemable points, the passport automatically enters each user into a quarterly prize drawing every time they check in to a library. Passport users are permitted to check in to each library or branch once per week.
In 2025, in addition to the regular quarterly prize drawings, a special year-end prize drawing will take place. Everyone who physically checks into the Indiana State Library – located at 315 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis – between Jan. 1, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2025, will be entered to win a copy of “Laying the Foundation,” a brand new book featuring collection highlights from the Indiana State Library. The book features 100 items from the library’s collection. Items in the book represent only a small fraction of the historic and culturally significant materials held by the Indiana State library. The book is also available for purchase for $20 in the Nook Gift Shop on the first floor of the State Library.
Those who cannot check into the Indiana State Library can still participate. Beginning in January, a special limited-edition bicentennial celebration mug will be available to claim with points earned by checking into libraries all across the state. Each check-in earns a user 100 points. The special mug can be claimed for 1,000 points, but supplies are very limited. Users may also still claim the standard Indiana Library Passport mug, at a different point value.
In 2025, a new batch of prizes will be available for passport users to win via quarterly drawing in addition to favorites, like tickets to tour various historical locations across the state, courtesy of Indiana Landmarks, and annual Indiana state park passes, courtesy of the Indiana DNR; and admission passes to the Indiana State Museum.
The Indiana Library Passport is also offering a new referral program. When a user refers a new user via the passport, they will earn 50 points which can be put toward earning one of the two mug prizes.
Click here to learn more about the Indiana Library Passport. Click here to see a list of past and present prize donors.
Libraries interested in joining the Indiana Library Passport – free of cost – should contact John Wekluk, communications director at the Indiana State Library.”
Grab your favorite hot beverage and get comfy because I’m going to share what I’ve been working on for the past two weeks.
Last July, a distant cousin requested I look into the Baines family. She had heard that the British group originated in Scotland and were descendants of Donald III, who went to Ireland after his father was killed by Macbeth, of Shakespeare fame. He returned to Scotland, took the throne for a time but fled to Yorkshire, England where some of his children remained. The family spread to Westmorland and Lancashire (now Cumbria) over the following centuries.
I was about to travel to Great Britain and told her I’d do my best. My best ended up finding a Bains candy store next to my Edinburgh, Scotland hotel. I blogged earlier about meeting the owner but he had no idea of his genealogy other than his family had been in Scotland forever.
My cousin called me in October and and with voice rising exclaimed, “They all have it wrong! All of them!” She meant online family trees. I had too many other committments and promised I’d look into it. It wasn’t until December 23 that I had the time to do so.
Yes, cuz was indeed correct – there were over 13,000 online trees with the wrong info! How could that many people get it wrong? How did I know they had made a mistake?
Burke, Ashworth P. Burke’s Family Records. Baltimore: Clearfield, 1994, p 58, digital image; Ancestry.com: accessed 23 Dec 2024, image 42 of 117.
Almost everyone cited a Burke’s Family Record found on Ancestry.com that William Baynes was the son of Adam Baynes. EVERYONE missed the ending “d. an infant.” d. stands for died. Adam had no second son named William. William Baynes could not have been the son of the cited Adam Baynes. Undeterred, one copying the other, a pedigree for William was recorded that never happened. Sigh.
Looking into the family opened a can of worms. This was just the beginning of one misunderstanding after another. I’m still not done but what follows is to correct information regarding William’s purported grandchildren. To be honest, I’m not comfortable that the Williams I have in my tree is the right William so while I continue researching, I’ve disconnected that line. What I do know is that corrections need to be put forth regarding someone named William Baynes’s son, Mathew.
No baptism record for Mathew Baynes was found. He was noted in The History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania published in 1905, nearly 250 years after his death, to be of Wyersdale, Lancastershire, England. Notice it did not say he was born in Wyersdale; it said he was “of” Wyersdale. Personally, people could say I was “of Florida” since I lived the majority of my life there but I wasn’t born there and I don’t reside there now. I think the search for Mathew’s birth needs to be broadened to find the birth record.
The book and a non-conformist record was found for Mathew’s marriage to Margaret, daughter of Captain William Hatton of Bradley, Lancastershire. The distance from Bradley, a burb of Nelson to Wyresdale is 28 miles. Mathew was likely baptized into either Catholicism or the Church of England but as he grew, his parents, William and Deborah last name unknown, became associated with George Fox and followed Quakerism.
Only one document places Mathew with William and Deborah, whose nickname was Dorothy. In 1660 in Lancaster, the men were arrested and jailed for attending a Quaker meeting. The women’s names were also recorded.
Two years later, Mathew married in the Quaker faith at the Bradley Meeting.
The History of Bucks County and several works (Colonial Families of Philadelphia, 1911, & Duer Family of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1954) seem to have copied Mathew’s story from Ellwood Roberts Biographical Annal of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (Vol. II, 1904, pp. 534, digital image; usgwarchives.net: accessed 23 December 2024). Over time, the story changed somewhat and the interpretation with it, therefore, misinformation became part of the narrative.
Roberts’ simply wrote, “William Baines, son of Matthew Maines [sic], of Lancashire, England, sailed for Pennsylvania in 1686, but he died at sea. His two children, William and Elinor, landed at Chester, and were taken charge of by Friends.” Short and sweet.
This led to “In 1686 Mathew Baines, with children, Elinor and William, left England for Pennsylvania, the father dying at sea. When the children landed, they were taken charge of by Friends of Chester montly meeting. The father’s dying request, as shown by a letter of Phineas Pemberton to John Walker, 1688, was that his children should be placed in care of James Harrison, but Harrison, having died bedore their arrival, his son-in-law, Pemberton, went to Chester to look after them, and finding them in good hands they were allowed to remain. As the record of the times put it: ‘The boy was put with Joseph Stidman and the girl with one John Simcock, and hath 40 or 50s wates per annum, the boy to be with said Stidman, who is said to be a very honest man, until he comes to ye age of 20 years, which is ye customary way of putting forth orphans in these parts.” (History of Bucks County, PA)
The next work reported “In the autumn of 1686 William and Margaret Baines, and at least two of their children, Eleanor, born October 22, 1677, and William, born July 14, 1681, embarked for America, but both parents died on the voyage, and the children on their arrival at Chester were taken in charge by Friends, of Chester County.” The text goes on to include a transcription of Phineas Pemberton’s letter to John Walker in England dated 1688. (Colonial Families)
The difference arising is that now Eleanor and Williams’ mother also sailed for America but she, too, died at sea. The second difference is that in the letter transcription, the children were the ones who requested to remain in the colony. In other words, it was their idea not to return to England.
The last text does not mention the mother; “In 1686 Mathew Baines, with children Elinor and William, left England for Pennsyvania, the father dying at sea.” (Duer Family of Bucks County).
Although only one work stated with no evidence that Margaret came on board almost every tree had that she died at sea. But there’s more…
Unfortunately, the History of Bucks County recorded Mathew and Margaret’s children as follows:
Thomas, born 11 mo., 11, 1675, married 4 mo., 21, 1718 Elizabeth Ellison;
Elinor, born 8 mo., 22, 1677, married (at Falls) 7 mo. 2 1694, Thomas Duer;
Timothy, born 1 mo. 1678, married 1710 Hannah Low;
William, born 5. 14, 1681, married 1707 Elizabeth ___;
Deborah, born 1, 1, 1683, married 1708 (at Falls), Thomas Ashton.
WHOA! Where were Thomas, Timothy, and Deborah after their parents died? How did they get to Bucks County since no account said they traveled on the ship with their parents? Why were they not deemed orphans as Elinor and William were if they were somehow left behind in England?
There is one more work – A Genealogical and Personal History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Vol II, published in 1975 which was a modified reprint of The History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Clearly, the new editors realized there was a problem with the original work, likely asking the same questions I raised. How they “fixed” the situation was to add “In the year 1687, Mathew Baines sailed for America with his family, but he and his wife and possibly two of their children died at sea.” Notice that the year of emigration is now different from any of the other works!
Which two of the three children died at sea? Why was one child left behind? Who was the child left behind in England? How did that child emigrate alone later and marry?
There are no ships registries for William Penn’s ships so this can’t be solved quickly with a look up. Too many generations back for autosomal assistance. The only way is to research the three children, wife Margaret, and grandfather William who remained in England.
William may have been the William Baines who was buried in Lancashire in September 1687. If so, he would not have been taking care of the remaining children for long. William supposedly had three other sons, the oldest, James, who had bought William’s estate, Joseph, and John. No records show the children with any of their uncles
No record of Margaret is found after the arrest in 1660. She likely died in England before Mathew sailed which would account for the surviving children being named orphans.
Timothy Baines was born in March 1678 in Lancaster to father Mathew.
There was a marriage of a Timothy to Hannah Low, daughter of Hugh Low, on 4 Apr 1710 in Haigh, Lancashire, England.
The couple had the following children:
Mary Bains born 25 Feb 1712 in Harshaw, Lancashire, England.
Then twins were born on 16 Aug 1720 in Haigh, Hartshaw, England. One was Hugh Bains, likely after Hannah’s father and the other was John Bains.
Hannah likely died 18 Aug 1775 in Mellin, Lancashire.
No death record was found for Timothy. He may have been one of the four Timothy Bains/Baynes that died inLancashire between 1726-1772.[1][2][3][4]
The Timothy that married Hannah is not likely to be the son of Mathew and Margaret Hatton Baines for several reasons. He was not named as emigrating with his father and two of his siblings in 1686. If he had somehow stayed behind in England he would have been considered an orphan as siblings Elinor and William were deemed by the Pennsylvania court. There is no record found that he became a ward in England. It is very unlikely that young Timothy would have been writing letters to his siblings in Pennsylvania notifying them of his marriage in Lancashire in 1710, given that the family had been separated as children for at least 24 years. There is no record that the Timothy who married Hannah ever emigrated to Bucks County, Pennsylvania which is implied by his inclusion in History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It is interesting that the text does not list any of his children, likely because they weren’t known to whoever submitted the information. If the family had been close his descendants would have known about his children. Most likely, someone found a marriage of Timothy Baines and decided it was the son of Mathew Baines that had died at sea. Clearly, it wasn’t.
A Thomas Baines was noted to have married an Eliz Ellison on either the 1st or 21st June 1718 in Bicursteth, Lancashire, England. No record for the couple’s parents was recorded.
No children for the couple was found. An Elizabeth Bains, wife of Thomas Bains died 14 August 1723 in Lancashire; she was a Non-Conformist. Another Non-Conformist Elizabeth Bain, wife of Thomas Bains died on 14 June 1723 in Lancashire. It is not known if either or another Elizabeth was the wife of interest who had died.
There were 26 Thomas Baines/Bains who had died in Lancastershire between 1718-1795, none providing a father’s name of Mathew.
It is more likely that Thomas Baines, son of Mathew and Margaret Hatton Baines was not the Thomas who had married Elizabeth Ellison in Lancashire in 1718.
Like sibling Timothy, if the Thomas of interest had stayed behind in England when his father emigrated with two of his younger siblings, Thomas would have been named an orphan after his father’s death but there are not records that he became a ward of England. It is also unlikely that after being separated from his emigrating siblings Elinor and William that he would have begun correspondence with them after 32 years to notify them of his marriage. There is no record that Thomas emigrated to Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He likely died in England, probably before 1686/7 when his father Mathew sailed for America.
Lucky for me, I did not have to research the last missing child, Deborah, as a wonderful blog article had already done so. The Deborah of Bucks County, Pennsylvania was not in the family group of Mathew and Margaret Hatton Baines of Lancaster.
What also does not make sense is why Mathew would have only selected two of his five children to emigrate with. I could understand that perhaps Margaret would remain home with the oldest, Thomas, to help her in Mathew’s absence, and maybe the two youngest, William and Deborah but William, at age 5 was sent. If William was considered old enough to embark why didn’t Mathew also take Timothy, the middle child, who was age 8 or 9? Or take William instead of Mathew? Likely because Timothy was already dead.
Although evidence is lacking, the only logical conclusion was that Mathew left England for a new beginning with his two remaining children, Ellin and William. Unfortunately, he did not survive and from the letter he wrote, his wife had pre-deceased him. We know this because Margaret, alive, would not cause the children to be named orphans. How soon she had died before Mathew wrote the letter on the boat in perhaps, autumn of 1686 we don’t know but she was dead before he requested wards for his unnamed remaining children. Records of orphan court do tell us those children were Ellin and William who went on to grow up and thrive in their new location. Why did the children want to remain in the colony? They had nothing to return to in England. If their mother and siblings were alive they would have wanted to return to them.
And one more problem with the trees who have William of Stangerwaith as Mathew of Wyersdale’s father – Mathew would have been the oldest son. Why did he not buy out the land from his father that had been in the family for hundreds of years? Many trees show that William had married twice and that Mathew was from the first marriage. The 1660 arrest showed that the first wife was still alive so William could not have married a second wife, Sarah, and gone on to have three children with her. Two men named William, both non-conformists, in a close geographic area are being confused.
Although online family trees can be helpful we do need caution in blindly accepting what has been placed there. Furthermore, we also need to use care when consulting published works. Just because information is written in a book does not make it correct. Thoroughly exhaustive research and careful analysis is important in establishing identity and relationship.
The best thing about genealogy is that you are constantly learning and growing. No one can know about every record set, historical period, or nuances of language over the years. Today I’m reflecting on some of the A-Ha moments I had this year:
AI has been the biggest game changer in my life. I use ChatGPT almost daily now and occasionally with Claude and others. It saves time and helps me think outside the box to solve problems.
Realizing that the Viking Pagans held on to their symbolism after converting to Roman Catholicism was amazing to me. Who would have thought the church would have allowed it? Even more surprising is that the pagan baptismal fonts are still used today by the Lutherans.
I also didn’t know that grapes don’t grow in Sweden so the Vikings traveled in the summer to the Mediterranean to buy wine. My family had vineyards there so maybe they bought Zinfadel from them. Always been a small world, right?!
Had no idea when the potato famine hit Ireland it also affected crops in Europe, hence many from the French German Palatine area migrated to the U.S. at that time.
While researching Ohio River pirates for an upcoming presentation, I learned that one of the most notorious, James Mason, got a Spanish passport because President Benjamin Harrison had given him a recommendation. Dear Ben’s sister had married the honorable brother of James Mason. Just goes to show you how different siblings can be even back in the day.
Did you know that identity theft occurred in the 1890s? It did and I’m still working on solving that one!
My husband is constantly kidding me about being a princess (which I’m not) because I’ve now seen the family castles in Croatia, Germany, and Great Britain. People are so worried about being safe today but it’s no different than in the past– we just don’t have a moat around our houses anymore.
I didn’t realize that there were jobs for lawyers regarding keeping a person’s coat of arms protected. Who would have thought that would still be needed today?!
Every time I look at my cats I just can’t get over their ethnicity and I wonder which ancestor in my husband and my past was adopted by my cat’s ancestors. Yeah, it’s weird, I know!
A good reminder that there is someone out there who knows the answer to whatever question you might ask and you just have to be persistent and patient to get the answer. I finally found a knowledgeable person who knew how to read old German script AND understood the cultural heritage. I needed to find someone who had both these skills to understand one little ole word in a 1834 newspaper article written in German in Cincinnati, Ohio. He learned that the custom had been brought over to the US which was also news to him. Collaborating with others helps us get the info we need and in turn, we help them gain insights.
Loved the easy peesy way to do genealogy in French villages – take a walk and look above the doors of the houses. Back then they engraved the date the house was built and who the owners were. I was able to quickly find my ancestral homes.
I am reminded almost weekly of how much our life has changed since the pandemic. Zoom seems to have been around forever but I didn’t use it before 2019. Makes me wonder what’s next on the horizon.
That’s one new thought for each month of 2024. Can’t wait to discover more new and exciting ideas next year.
As usual, I’ll be taking off next week and will be back in January with my top ten blog list from 2024. Have a wonderful holiday and I’ll blog with you soon!
I bet with the approaching holidays you and your loved ones will be taking loads of pictures! Back in the day, it was exciting to get the film developed. Sort of like reliving the same experience over. Now, I take so many photos that I use my cell camera for mundane tasks. What is the name of that weed or is it a native flower? Snap it and check and app. Love that item in a store but aren’t sure the price is right. Click the pic and then look for it elsewhere.
Although these new uses for a camera are wonderful, they aren’t if we are treating the important photos we take carelessly. Do you ever save your phone photos? If so, where?
Here’s what I’ve been doing since Google Photo lost some of my pictures several years ago. I now have my photos saved to a different Cloud. That way, I can remove them from my phone. Why do I do that? Because I’ve had phone accidents where I couldn’t retrieve data, and I don’t want my precious photo memories gone forever.
When my kids were young, I was a scrapbooker and I saved the best of the best by including them with a story of the event. It took a lot of time, but it was fun. I’m not sure it was worth it, though, as I’ve passed them on to my adult kids who have no space for them. One is in boxes in an attic and the other complained about having to move them twice this year while doing renovations. Those, too, ended up in the attic for a while. Sigh.
During the pandemic one of my kids gave me a photo album that can only hold one picture on each page. The idea was to only save a small amount of the very best photos from my overseas travels. I was pining to travel, and this was a way to get me to relive what I had done and plan for what was to come. And oh boy, did travel come! In the past year and a half, I’ve visited Germany twice, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, France, and Canada.
The weather outside is frightfully cold so I’ve ordered two more albums and will spend my time indoors reliving those memories by printing from my printer using photo paper and affixing those special pics into the book. They really are genealogical treasures as on my travels I always make time for family research.
The beauty of these albums is that they don’t take up much space and I’ll be passing on to future generations my findings as I write a sentence or two of what the location is about. Next week I’ll be writing about my most memorable learning experiences this year. It will be my last post of the year.
Do you get out your favorite family recipes during this time of year? Cookie recipes always remind me of my mom who once worked in a bakery. We’d spend the Saturday after Thanksgiving making batches of our favorites to share with family and friends – Mexican Wedding Cookies, Kolaches, Swedish Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Chip, Holiday Many Way (peanut butter/nut/sugar), and my favorite to get creative with – cookie cutter sugar cookies. One year I painted them like stained glass with food coloring. Other times I iced them with different color frosting. Mom would make those first so I’d stay out of the way decorating while she zipped through making the rest.
Perhaps your cookie recipes are getting a tad frayed. Batter stains, greasy fingers, and age aren’t kind to those old recipe cards. About 20 years ago, when my kids were starting to cook on their own in the kitchen, I retyped our favorite recipes into size 12 font so that my older eyes could read them easily. Once done, I made a decorative cover from card stock and took it to Office Depot to have it GBC bound. My kids still rely on that book but we’ve accumulated so many new recipes over the years that I decided it was time for an updated version.
I scanned the old book to my computer and have added new favorites. Instead of printing, I just share Google Docs with my kids. I keep a laptop in my kitchen so it’s easy for me to find the desired recipe and bring it up while I prepare the meal. The recipes have been shared so if one system fails there is a backup. No killing trees or clutter from another book. Since I store in the cloud, I can even look up ingredients needed when I’m at the grocery store. No excuses not to cook up some love!
I honestly never thought I’d be blogging about my pet’s DNA. I laughed when Ancestry.com came out with their DNA test kits for dogs. At the time, I thought it was just a dumb idea.
If you’ve ever attended my lectures you might have heard me say that I’m a mutt. That’s a dog with no definable breed or heritage. Um, that would be me. I’m often dog-tired after spending too much time doing genealogy research and no matter what the ethnicity estimates report about my ancestry, they often get updated as my people were everywhere!
I am leery of people who boast that their heritage is purely from one location. Brings to my mind Nazism, the Ku Klux Klan, and Harry Potter. To be clear, I like Harry Potter; I just don’t like people who think they are superior because of their pure blood lineage.
While my husband and I were in Great Britain one of my adult kids decided to perform DNA swabs of my two elderly cats as a pre-Christmas gift.
Upon my return, when I was informed about the testing, I had a hard time not rolling my eyes. I would not have spent money on that. Both of my cats were found at schools my husband and I used to work at. The oldest, Charlie, was born to feral parents and I only have him because a cold hearted employee ordered one of the clerical staff to snatch him and his two siblings from their mother so her two kids could play with them over summer break. This mean individual was told that they were too young, not yet weaned, and that their mother would reject them if she changed her mind of keeping the cats. She didn’t care and at the end of the day when her husband came to pick up the kids he said he wasn’t taking the flea infested kittens home. Well, duh! They had flea because they were born and reared outside. She told the clerical staff to call the county animal shelter. The shelter employee arrived and announced that all three would be euthanized unless we could also provide the mother since they were not weaned. That was impossible since she was feral and he only gave us an hour. The psychologist and I took the kittens home, I took two and she took one. We always thought Charlie was part Maine coon because like his daddy who used to terrorize the children walking to after care through he woods, he was a big boy. We also thought he might have come from Puerto Rico because he only quieted when we played that type of music and he loved hot sauce. In hindsight, I should have realized he was born in a Hispanic neighborhood and his mom must have eaten a lot of Mr. Empanada’s food during her pregnancy. Unfortunately, Charlie’s sister, Ginger, disappeared when we went to one of our children’s college graduations; a neighbor was supposed to be watching them. Ginger slipped out and was never seen again. She was small and orange, like her mom.
Parker was found in the second floor hallway of the school my husband where my husband worked. Likely a middle school kid had brought him in a backpack and he somehow escaped during the day. As a counselor, my husband was called to do something about the cat. That something was get him milk from the cafeteria since he was emaciated and bring him home. He looks a little like a Siamese but we had no idea of where he had originated.
I was good with what we suspected about their heritage. I love them for who they are and not where their ancestors came from.
I really didn’t expect any big surprises when we got their DNA results but my family and I had the biggest laugh as the cat’s DNA matched regions of the world where our ancestors had once lived. Go figure!
Charlie is mostly Siberian with a touch of Norwegian and Persian. The Siberians are big and poor Charlie was always on a diet as our vets thought he was just too heavy. Nope, he was always in the normal range for his ancestry. (Going to use this during my next annual physical.) Charlie became diabetic earlier this year; that also goes with his majority breed. I was happy to share these results with our current vet.
Parker was primarily Norwegian but also of a California breed and some Egyptian Mau. No Siamese! The Egyptian explains why he had spots in his younger years. The Norwegian explains his quirky personality. If you hold him he drops to dead weight. He also loves to pretend he’s afraid of his shadow and runs from it, then looks at you with sad eyes wanting you to pick him up. Yes, he has us humans trained.
The Californian part, though, really made sense. Parker was probably born in Florida where there was an air force base in close proximity to where he was found. I suspect a military family brought one of his parents with them when they relocated to Florida.
My husband is 75% Swedish, I wouldn’t doubt that his ancestors once had Norwegian cats in their household. My mtDNA does cross through Persia and I have half that is eastern European. Charlie has always been closest to me. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that those cats we saw in my family’s villages in Croatia were very distant cousins of Charlie. Likewise, those Swedish cats we saw in April could also be related distantly to Parker. Very weird in a fun way!