The trace regions are the most surprising. Orthodox, Jewish, and Catholic? Maybe even Muslim.
It is taking me a very long time to get through my paternal grandmother’s ancestral lines. The last several post have been from one of her lines that now includes, and I hope this is true, Odin, the Scythian King of Asgard (215-306). His descendants include King Frodi the Valiant Friedleifsson; who married Hilda, Princess of the Vandals; Prince of Russia Danvers, King of the Danes; and Alfhild, Queen of Denmark and Norway Gandalfsdottir, who had Ragnar Hairy Britches Sigurdsson. Odin’s grandfather is Freothalaf of Troy. I haven’t even gotten to the end/beginning of this one yet.
Robert Comine (also Robert de Comines, Robert de Comyn) was very briefly earl of Northumbria.
His name suggests that he originally came from Comines, then in the County of Flanders, and entered the following of William the Conqueror. He was sent to the north as earl from 1068 to 1069 after the deposition of Gospatric. He got as far as Durham with his 700 men, where the bishop, Ethelwin, warned him that an army was mobilised against him. He ignored the advice and, on 28 January 1069, the rebels converged on Durham and killed many of his men in the streets, eventually setting fire to the bishop’s house where Robert was staying. He was consumed in the blaze. [1]
After this attack, Ethelwin turned against the Normans and gathered an army in Durham before marching on York, leading to the Harrying of the North in retaliation by King William’s army. [wikipedia]
there’s more to the story:
“from Comines in Flanders. Rodbert or Robert de Comines was named Earl of Northumberland, or, according to Ordericus, Earl of Durham in January, 1069, and at once set forth, with a following of less than one thousand men, to take possession of his new domain:—a perilous errand, for Durham had not as yet submitted to the Conqueror. He marched as through an enemy’s country, slaying some of the tenants or bondmen of St. Cuthbert’s church on the way; and though the city, by the good offices of its friendly Bishop, AEthelwine, opened its gates to him without resistance, “he allowed his men to deal with the town as with a place taken by storm. The spirit of the people was now aroused. The news spread during the night, and towards morning the gates of Durham were burst open by the assembled forces of Northumberland. A general massacre followed. In the houses, in the streets, the Normans were everywhere slaughtered. No serious resistance seems to have been offered except in defence of the Bishop’s house, where the Earl and his immediate companions withstood their assailants so manfully that they were driven to have recourse to fire. The palace was burned; the Earl and his comrades all died, either by the flames or by the sword. One man alone contrived to escape with his life, and he was wounded.”—Freeman.
http://www.1066.co.nz/library/battle_abbey_roll1/subchap128.htm
and the previously mentioned knight’s 2nd GGF (on his grandmother’s side) was “Andrew Moray (Norman French: Andreu de Moray; Latin: Andreas de Moravia), also known as Andrew de Moray, Andrew of Moray, or Andrew Murray, an esquire,[1] was prominent in the Scottish Wars of Independence. He led the rising in north Scotland in the summer of 1297 against the occupation by King Edward I of England, successfully regaining control of the area for King John Balliol. He subsequently merged his forces with those led by William Wallace and jointly led the combined army to victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Moray was mortally wounded in the fighting…
While King Edward marched through the subdued realm, the Scots nobles captured at Dunbar were taken south in chains. The most important prisoners, such as Sir Andrew Moray of Petty, were taken to the Tower of London.[25] Sir Andrew spent the remainder of his life in English imprisonment, dying in the Tower on 8 April 1298.[26] Andrew Moray the younger, a prisoner of less significance, was imprisoned in Chester Castle,[25] the northernmost stronghold to which the Dunbar captives were taken; he would not, however, long remain a captive..” (wikipedia)
One of my ancestors was a knight templar and his son either “died on pilgrimage to the Holy Land” or another source says “died in the Crusades”.
“The Anglican Ministry in Virginia, 1723-1766 A Study of Social Class.by Joan Gunderson’s
David Mossom was born in London, the son of a chandler, educated at Lewisham, came to Virginia to live with relatives, while finishing studies for ministry after Cambridge. He returned to London for ordination. He was a member of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel minister in Massachusetts 1718-1726, He then returned to Virginia to avoid Anglican factionalism in Massachusetts. He was for forty years the rector of St. Peter’s Parish. He had married Elizabeth in England, who died in 1737. Next, he married Mary Claiborne, who died in 1745; finally, he married Elizabeth Sloan Marston who died in 1759.
On a plaque; On the Inside Wall of St. Peter’s Episcopal church; Reverends David Mossom prope Jacet[…] Translation; Reverend David Mossom reposes nearby an alumnus student of ancient Saint John College at Cambridge, Rector of this parish during forty years. He was the first one among the Americans to be admitted into the order of priesthood and to take the rank among all the priests of the Anglican Church; He was second to few (people) in Literature; Finally consumed by old age and worry, caused by varied hard works that he had accomplished. and in view of the day of his death: then being youthful and healthy, he had indicated by testament this place for his sepulcher (burial) and he had chosen that same locality for the sepulcher of his wives Elizabeth and Mary near to his tomb where he reposes until the day he will be resurrected (resuscitated) to the eternal life by Jesus Christ, our Savior. Those words inscribed above not to indicate this stony tomb but to make remembering the man well known who was born in London on the twenty fifth day of March in the year 1690 and who died on the 4th day of January in the year 1767.
On Jan 6, 1759, Reverend David Mosson performed the marriage of Col. George Washington and Martha Dandridge Custis, in New Kent County, VA.
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Article XXXIV.
Nevertheless, from the long continuance of Mossom in this parish, we doubt not that he was a more respectable man than many of his day. He was married four times, and much harassed by his last wife, as Colonel Bassett has often told me, which may account for and somewhat excuse a little peevishness. He came from Newburyport, Massachusetts, and was, according to his epitaph in St. Peter’s Church, the first native American admitted to the office of Presbyter in the Church of England.
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“Virginia Soldiers of 1776″, Compiled from Documents on File in the Virginia Land Office,
David Mossums English ancestry is given on page 206, W. and M. Quar. Vol. V. Rev. David Mossom was Rector of St. Peters Parish for forty years, in spite of his determination to tell the truth, and the reputation he had of being Peevish. He was born in New England, and though he still adhered to the Church of England, he probably had imbibed some of the puritan strict moralities. He came to Virginia at a time when some of the clergy were somewhat to be criticized for their little slips and slides; becoming Rector of Saint Peters 1727, where he remained forty years. He officiated at the nuptial [p.29] of General George Washington, at the White House, a few miles from the church.
Built in 1701, the church is believed to be the location of the marriage between George and Martha Washington on January 6, 1759. One of the oldest churches in the Commonwealth, the site was originally purchased for 146,000 pounds of tobacco. In 1862, Union soldiers marching from Fort Monroe toward Richmond used the building as a stable. The original portion of the church is one of the few Jacobean baroque style structures in America; the 1740s stump tower is also unusual. Located on S.R. 642 (St. Peter’s Lane) off S.R. 609 (Old Church Road) near Talleysville. Church grounds are open to the public every day, but the interior is open only by appointment. Regular worship services are held at 9 and 11 a.m. Sundays. Call (804) 932-4846 for information.
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Rev. David Mossom was born March 25, 1690 and died January 4, 1767. The youngest child above of the first marriage, Elizabeth Mossom {6th GGM}, born in 1722, married Captain William Reynolds, owner of a vessel plying in the tobacco trade. their daughter, Elizabeth {5th GGM}, married Richard Chapman, Jr., and the births of their children are entered in an old prayer book which I have been permitted to see: Jane Chapman was born 29 Feb. 1776. [Mrs. Price, of Hanover, d.s.p.] Reynolds Chapman was born 22 July 1778 [died February 1844. Succeeded George C. Taylor as clerk of Orange in 1802. He married Rebecca Conway Madison, daughter of General William Madison and his wife Frances Throckmorton. One of their children was Judge John Madison Chapman, who married August 3, 1841, Susannah Digges Cole.] Johnson Chapman was born 26 Dec. 1780. [Signed] Sunday mar. 1781, Rich. Chapman {4th GGF}”.
Son of Thomas Mossom, chandler, was born at Greenwich, Kent, England, March 25, 1690, schooled at Lewisham, admitted sizar at St. John’s College, Cambridge, June 5, 1705. He became rector of St. Peter’s Church, New Kent County, Virginia, in 1727, and continued forty years. On January 6, 1759, he performed the marriage of George Washington to Martha Custis, widow of Colonel Daniel Parke Custis, and daughter of Colonel John Dandridge. He died January 4, 1767, leaving issue. Reverend David Mossom occasionally served at Queen Anne’s Chapel
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VIRGINIA VITAL RECORDS BIRTHS 1656-1896 (Ancestry.com CD)
Source: Register of St. Peter’s parish YEAR 1736. page 125
Vital Info: Phebe Negro Girl belonging to David Mossom, born Nov 20, 1736 and baptized Jan 30, 1736.
Source: Register of St. Peter’s parish YEAR 1737. page 132
Vital Info: Greenwich Negro man belonging to the Reverend David Mossom died Feb 17, 1736.
Source: Register of St. Peter’s parish YEAR 1739. page 142
Vital Info: Esther Mulatto girl belonging to Reverend David Mossom, born Sept 17, 1739 and baptized November 11, 1739.
Source: Register of St. Peter’s parish YEAR 1739. page 144
Vital Info: Esther Negro girl belonging to David Mossom born July 3, 1739 baptized Aug 17, 1739.”
“Of the 102 passengers of the Mayflower, 24 males produced children to carry on their surnames. And although approximately half of the Mayflower passengers died at the plantation during the harsh winter of 1620-21 (one passenger had died at sea while another was born before landing), today, a staggering 35 million people claim an ancestral lineage that runs all the way back – sometimes through fifteen generations – to the original 24 males. That number represents 12 percent of the American population.” http://historynewsnetwork.org/blog/
To see if my estimate yesterday works I’ll use yesterday’s table which says that a person has 32,768 potential 13th great grandparents (15 generations), though less given the ancestral repetition that occurs after going back 10 generations. Yesterday I gave a projection that if ancestors average 2 children each, which would give the original couple of that generation 4 children, each person would have the same number of descendants after 15 generations. So then multiply each of the 24 Mayflower males x 2 (because they had mates and it’s easier that way than figuring 4 children because the backwards projection is based on couples) then that by 32,758 (assuming non-repetition) and you get 1,572,864. That means each couple averaged way more than 4 children to get to the claimed 35 million descendants.
Myles Standish and his wives had 7 children and 19 grandchildren. I quit counting at 500 when my scrollbar was in the middle of the page, so in the 5 generations listed, there are at least 1000 Standish descendants. The page links say some of the grandchildren are unknown. It’s all also complicated when you figure in the wives who not only bring in different surnames, but mess up the math because you can’t just divide or multiply by 1 or even 2 as couples make individuals who may or may not get married. Only 3 of Myles’ children got married and only 2 of those had kids, but all 7 count. So even with infant mortality and lack of mates for the Pilgrims, population boomed.
Searching records through ancestry.com is like going to Antiques Roadshow. You find interesting history, the debunking of family myths, migration patterns, and a bit more understanding of past generations, to put it nicely. The myth was that we were descended from Captain Cook. Turns out on genealogy forums, many families have that story, but all of Capt. James Cook’s children are recorded to have died childless before he died. It looks like the James Cook (1740-1778) we are descended from came from Ireland. I heard on the PBS show, Finding Your Roots, that many people also have a myth that they have Indian blood, which story was passed to me too, and that DNA testing usually shows it to be untrue. I’ve seen no record of Native Americans in my family tree either, but unEnglish cultural identities can be erased too.
So far I’ve traced all 8 of my great grandfathers’ and great grandmothers’ paternal lines, to see where the names came from, and one great grandfathers’ maternal line, as the Mississippi house that I visited as a child came from her side. I’ve newly discovered that nearly every line came over from southern (one western) England in the 1600’s sometime after the pilgrims. Better fishing? Religious persecution? English Civil War? And nearly all of them landed in Virginia or Georgia and only went a little south and west from there to North and South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. My parents met in Louisiana and then moved to Texas before my brothers and I were born.
The first of the remaining three exceptions, the first exception being that of the Cooks from my mother’s father’s line, that I found to the ten lines researched so far, are my mother’s grandmother Bankston’s side who came from Sweden in the 1600’s to New Sweden, in the part that became Philidelphia where they changed their name from Bengtsson. They stayed in Philidelphia for about 100 years before moving to Georgia, then to Louisiana.
The second exception was my mother’s father’s ancestor, Philip B__ who came from England to Maine.
“Hog Island, Kittery, took oath of allegiance to Mass. govt. 16 Nov. 1652. Constable for Isles of Shoals except Starr Island, 1652. Signed petition for incorporation of the islands 18 (3) 1653. Was one of the commissioners for settling minor cases there.
He died, and admin. of his estate was granted April 24, 1670-1, to Nathaniel Fryer. His wife died soon and their child Philip, “five years old next Michelmas,” was apprenticed to Joseph Hall June 27, 1676.”
His son moved to Delaware, and his to Virginia, then his to South Carolina for a few generations before they went west.
The last exception is my father’s paternal grandparents who are the only recent immigrants, and who both came from Germany 21 years apart in the late 19th century.
Worst name, “Benoni (Slave Master) C__”.
Best names, “Missouri Amazon F__” and “Bathsheba Hussey”.
Other bad news, another ancestor, a Baptist Reverend, also owned slaves.
I’ve also wondered if any of my ancestors fought in the Revolutionary or Civil Wars and I found one for each. For the south in the latter, of course.
And I have yet to trace the great great grandmothers’ lines.
*edited because I just found that the Tomkyns De Cantelupe connection doesn’t have supported evidence.
“Bad people aren’t born, they’re made.”
“A broken heart can make you do unspeakable things.”
– Once Upon a Time, last night’s episode.
Once your broken heart has somewhat left you alone, then you can start to think about the other people’s hearts you have broken – the children you have let down. Lord have mercy. I think of this in a top down way. Children aren’t responsible for their parents’ hearts, and I don’t think women are responsible for men’s hearts. That doesn’t mean women can’t break men’s hearts and children can’t break their parents’. But the responsibility isn’t theirs. Seems to me parents and men need to look deeper at why it happened backwards like that. Did they do something to cause it? Was there too much unrealistic expectation in the first place? This is also not to say that men and parents shouldn’t expect anything from their wives and children. Nor that if they don’t get from them what is proper that it is always their own fault. I just think it’s safer to assume that it is. Even if it isn’t, if you love your children or your wife, you don’t want them shouldered with the blame.
I was thinking during the Archbishop’s police escorted burial procession that it was fitting that Dallas’ citizens should have their busy day interrupted to mark his passing. Even involuntarily.
Words 