Sentimental Sunday

I thought you would enjoy seeing my Family Tree Gallery. This was actually at its first stage. Today it is much larger. As I come across an ancestor (grandparent), I add them to the wall. And there are quite a few now!

This gallery is in a long hall in our home. And it contains photographs of both my ancestors, and my husband's. I always feel great comfort in passing the photographs as I walk by. It's as if they are saying, "I'm so glad you remember us!".

Do you have a place in your home where you hang ancestral photographs?

Sibling Saturday

I thought I would show you a photo of me and my siblings, and our parents for this Sibling Saturday.
Front row, left to right: David Lawrence Beane, Walter M. Beane, Lois V. Dreher Beane, Jeffrey Scott Beane.

Back row, left to right: me, and my sister, Velleda "Eydie" K. Beane.

This photo was taken in 1977, just a couple of weeks before I left for Texas. I was moving to be with my husband, who was in the Army.

I love this photograph. My parents are so young here. (They were only in their 30's.) When I remember my Mother (1938-2015) this is how I remember her. She was always such a pretty woman.

I am the eldest of the four of us siblings. Then my sister, then David, and the baby is Jeff. (I think they were like 8 and 6 at the time. And Eydie would have been 15.

The photograph was taken at the only local photographer's. He still used glass plates that he left in the sun to develop photographs! He hand colored the large photograph, but all of the smaller ones were in black and white. I can remember being so fascinated by the process.

So there you have us for Sibling Saturday. And now you know what we looked like as family when I was a teen!

Follow Friday

If you're like me, you hit a brick wall in your genealogy research now and then. It's just been lately that I discovered the many genealogical ideas, links to websites, and templates available for just a few moments of your searching time.

On several of these searches, I have found a web site that I didn't know existed. I found templates that are for more sophisticated than what I have been using until now (most of my templates are those that came out in the '90's and are so antiquated, and unable to use your computer to fill them in). I have fallen in love with Pinterest.

Here you will find so many helpful articles that you can read for weeks and never read the same article twice! As well as photographs, and ideas for getting young children involved in genealogy!

You are also given the option of following several of those who post on Pinterest. This means you will receive notification when someone you are following puts a new item on the site. And that can mean a breaking through of that nasty brick wall sometimes!

I highly recommend adding Pinterest to one of your genealogy sites bookmarked on your computer. At the very least, you can find some inspiration for either where to look next, or in your filing system!

Pinterest is a free program, and you can download the free app on your smartphone, which means you will be notified of new pins even earlier!

So, sign up today, and in the search function, simply type in genealogy. You'll see what I mean!

I highly recommend adding Pinterest to your genealogy research bookmark.

Those Places Thursday

If you know what this place is called, or where it is, please leave a comment. If you don't know, then check back tomorrow for the answer.

****HINT: Nickname: Underground White House.

Scam Alert For Beane Family Members!

If any of the Beane family members receive an email from a Frank Bradley his email is frankbradley7122@gmail.com, DO NOT engage with this man! He is a bookkeeper who found out some funds in an Equatorial Guinea account are about to revert to that country as a certain man with the last name of Beane has left funds in the bank there and died intestate. I checked and the funds are very real. But when this man contacted me, I did what I do best, genealogy research.

This Beane is NOT, and I repeat, HE WAS NOT, related to our line of Beane's. But this man Frank Bradley will hound you to death! If you receive an email be smart and block him. He likes to mark the email as Urgent, and two of my email accounts let it through.

Again, the deceased man who put the funds in the bank is NOT related to us. He is from another Beane line.

Wordless Wednesday

Found on Pinterest.com No credits given.

Tuesday's Tip

Well, it really isn't a tip. I came across this lovely poem on Pinterest. The best I can find, is that it originated at scrapbookinglife.com which seems to be a non-functioning site. But I couldn't pass it by, because it is so lovely.

My tip is that this would make a lovely first page in your ancestry scrapbook if you are using one.

Amaneunsis Monday

The above is my Grandfather's, John Monroe Bean, Sr.'s, obituary. He passed away on Saturday, April 10, 1954 at 9 p.m. I won't try to transcribe it, as I believe the scan is clear enough to read on its own.

My Grandfather was 87 years of age when he passed.

Born on December 15, 1866 in Ohio (this lists him born near Portsmouth, and I've seen it listed as Cincinnati), he was the youngest son , and the 6th born of 8 children to William M. Bean, Jr., and Margaret Smith Perkins Bean.

His Mother, along with two of her brothers, crossed Union lines in an oxen pulled covered wagon with 3 small children, to meet up with her husband, who was a spy for the northern army. She had two brothers who escorted her and the children on the dangerous journey.

After the war, the family stayed on in Ohio for a short while, and this was when my grandfather was born. When he was but a few weeks old, the family was once again pulled by oxen in their wagon, and made the journey back to the hills of West Virginia. It was the dead of winter. And it was a particularly cold winter. My Grandfather, whom I have been told wasn't of tall stature, as all of his sons were, stated that because he was a newborn, and they travelled through the cold, "the cold weather stunted" his growth. It was so cold, that my Great-Grandmother Margaret, placed the baby inside of the bust of her dress so that he would stay warm from her body heat.

Grandfather was first married to Blanche Uremia CROSIER (1875-1902) on 25 June 1895. Blanche and Grandfather had three children. When the youngest was born, Blanche contracted tuberculosis. Her daughter told the story that her mother was given creosote to treat the ailment. She died soon after, leaving Grandfather with a 6 year old, a 3 year old, and a 4-month old baby.

As my Aunt Rita told it, the baby was given to his brother's family for a while, until she was large enough that Grandfather could take care of her. Aunt Rita stated in her memoir that they "batched it for a time". She stated a neighbor lady came in to braid her hair once a week.

Then in March of 1907, Grandfather left the children for a few days. When he came back home, he was married to Miss Ada L. Burdette, of the Greenbrier Burdette family. (It is said they apologized to the children for having been so long in coming home, as Miss Ada was waiting for her false teeth to be made.) Grandfather and Ada had 9 children between 1908 and 1929. Again Grandfather was left with a newborn when Ada passed away from eclampsia just 5 days after giving birth. So the baby boy was sent to live with one of Ada's sisters. He came home to visit, but he stayed with his aunt until he was grown.

On December 1, 1935, Grandfather married Mary Elizabeth Faudree, my Grandmother. Grandfather by now was getting on in years (he was 69 when he married my Grandfather), and my Grandmother was not so young either, she was 38. They had 3 sons. My Dad came along in 1937, another son in 1939, and the last child in 1943. The last child died in 1946 from a burst appendix.

The final count was 15 children born to my Grandfather.

All in all, Grandfather buried two wives, and four children before he passed.

Grandfather suffered a stroke, and was unable to do much when he passed away in 1954.

During his lifetime, my Grandfather was a Deputy U.S. Marshall, to his father, who was a U.S. Marshall. This was before he ever married. They would travel by horseback from Waiteville, Monroe County, West Virginia, over into Pearisburg, Giles County, Virginia. There they would pick up a train load of convicts. They would march them from Pearisburg all the way to Ronceverte, Greenbrier County, West Virginia. That is roughly 50 miles. This took several days. In Ronceverte, they would all board a train headed to Charleston, WV, where the convicts were loaded onboard a boat and shipped to a federal prison elsewhere. At that point, my Great-Grandfather, and my Grandfather, would head back home.

Grandfather was also a store owner on several occasions. He was a merchant several times. But it seemed he had "itchy feet" as the old folks would say. (Meaning he liked to move around a lot.)

And he was a farmer. He raised beef, bred them, and them sold the calves in the fall for veal.

His final home was in Waiteville. He had purchased a home that was covered in board siding, but beneath was a log structure. The house had two rooms down and two rooms up. There was a small addition off one of the rooms downstairs. Here they put a wood burning cook stove. Later a refrigerator was added, along with a work table, and a couple of cabinets.

Grandfather was laid to rest at Mt. Zion Union Church Cemtery, in Waiteville. My Grandmother was buried beside him.

Sentimental Sunday

Sentimental Sunday

(I am unable to give credit to who took this photograph, I simply saw it on Pinterest, and saw that it had been shared. I was unable to trace its source, but would like to personally thank whoever took it. It brought back a flood of memories!)

When I was a child, I grew up in a home where Mom had to be both Mom and Dad nearly all of the time. Not because my Dad wasn't in the picture. But because my Dad was away serving his country in the US Navy. He was career Navy, and I will ever hold the Navy dear to my heart, as I do the Army (I was an Army wife for 12 years!)

Navy memories grow deep in me. See all of those men and women lined up on the deck? That is how they come into port. Sailors in their dress uniforms. And they were always at parade rest when entering port.

It always amazed me at the accuracy of the timing of the ship's arrival. Mom always made sure we got there early, but almost to the exact minute, you would see the tugs boats come into the harbor guiding those megalithic beasts of ships safely to the pier. And waiting on the pier were the wives and children of the sailor's. There would first be the cry from someone, "Hear they come!" as the tugboat would come into view with the ship. The ship would be slowly guided by tugs and helmsmen safely into its slip at the pier, and the anchor would drop and the ropes tied. You would hear mother's telling their children, "Do you see him? There he is! There's Daddy!"

We would be dressed like we were going to Sunday School! It was a special occasion. Our loved one was coming home from being gone for months at a time. (We once figured out that in my first 16 years of life, my Dad spent all of 18 months at home.) So, I really didn't get to know my dad as a real person (and not just Dad) until after I had married and he retired.

But my Mom, bless her, she never let us go a night without praying for Dad when he was gone. She never let us forget that he was doing his part in the Navy during the Vietnam War. His pictures were placed all about the house. It was as if we knew everything about him, and loved him, but we simply couldn't see him. At that time, letters were the only communication we had with Dad. Yes, there was a time after the pony express when letter writing was still commonly practiced! No cell phones or computers! I know, I'm telling my age!

I wish I could describe, so that you would understand, the excitement that filled the air as we waited for Daddy to disembark from the ship. I don't think a ship ever pulled into port that we weren't able to see Dad standing at the bow.  We would wave and cry out loudly when we saw him. Mom would get all teary-eyed. And when they were finally released for shore leave, Dad would come bounding down the gangplank, and run right to us with arms open wide. "How's my girls?" he would say breathlessly to Mom, my sister and I. And then, just like in the photo above, Dad would suddenly grab Mom, and they would kiss. And I grew up knowing what love looked like. It was that breathless anticipation of waiting for your husband to come home! It was that teary-eyed look when you caught your first glimpse of him! It was that feeling that you have to run to get to your family, because you couldn't stand another moment apart! It was love!

Mommy has passed on now. We weren't ready to let her go, but God knew it was time. And Dad, well, he's surviving. Every now and then he will get teary-eyed and say "Sissy, I miss her so much!", just like Mom would say, "I miss your Daddy so much!" when we were little girls.

And in my mind's eye, I can see Mommy standing on the pier waiting. She isn't alone. She has loved ones all around her, telling her to just be patient, cause the ship will be in shortly! She's waiting for him I know. And for my sister and I, and our brothers, and all the rest of us. She'll be there when the ship arrives with me one day. And I won't be able to hold myself back. When that gangplank drops, I'll come running to her with my arms open wide!  And I'll be home. Where we'll never have to be separated again.

Do you have a sentimental memory which makes you wish you could go back in time and relive? To experience it for the first time all over again? If so, please feel free to share it with us here. We'd love to see your experiences!

Sorting Saturday

Sorting Saturday

This subject has been written on by genealogists around the globe, and many who are far more qualified than I. But I was wondering how many people have downloaded the app for this program, and have actually been using it to locate ancestors?

At first I was skeptical of this program. I could imagine a large input of "You're related to..." and having no real basis for this.

But having used it now for a few months, I am finding more and more honest to goodness ancestors than I ever would have found on my own!

First, don't let me mislead you into saying that just because the app pairs you up with a celebrity or a friend and can "show you" your common ancestor, don't believe for an instant that it is correct! I have come across some "connections" that were totally bogus.

First, let me start by saying this, years ago I put my family tree on Ancestry, and I was quite naïve. I gave permission to family members to add what they knew to it. Suddenly, it grew and grew to such a proportion I couldn't believe my luck! That is, until I started trying to find proof of certain individuals being in our family tree. At least after the first 6 or 8 months, I stopped having anything to do with the tree on Ancestry, except to make myself and my husband the only ones who could add to it. I have never gone in to clean it up. I wouldn't even begin to know where to start! The best that I could do is to delete it completely, and put the present tree there, with myself as sole administrator. However, I am so lazy these days, that I would rather family simply contact me and let me send them a copy of the researched tree.

With all of that being said, there are some matches with the app that simply aren't real. But of the over 150 people in the app, I have found less than a dozen that I have been able to disprove. And the rest, I have been able to PROVE. So, I would count that as a pretty good record!

Those that are proven, I was able to prove my lineage back to the common ancestor, and then follow that ancestor's descendants forward to the person to whom I am allegedly related, according to the app.

So, is the app worth the effort? Amazingly, I have to say yes! But, with the caveat that you don't take the app's word for the connection. Do the research to prove or disprove the common ancestor. And the same to prove that common ancestor's descendant's to the person you are supposed to be related to.

I've found it a wonderful fun way to add more depth to my family tree. And I have been able to go back far, far beyond where I ever dreamed of! (Thankfully for some wonderful records and books that are now found online!)

A few that I found I was supposed to be descended from: Adam (as in Adam and Eve). If the Scripture is correct, and I do believe it is, I'm pretty certain I am related to Adam, as are you, and you, and you, and well you get it. But proving that lineage? Well, where some people get this information is beyond me. I mean do stupid people just sit around and play with genealogy like it's a game and think we are as stupid as they are? Okay, so I'll admit Adam is my ancestor, as is Eve. But the descendant's that run from Adam to me? I'm pretty sure we'll never get those birth and death records to prove or disprove that relationship!

Moses: see Adam above.

Joan of Arc: okay, yes, there is some French ancestry (a very little). However, as I recall Joan of Arc was 14 when she began her crusade, and died a virgin. And so, how is it she is my ancestor exactly? I don't think cloning was available then. (Is it now, for humans?) I think we can discount little Joan as being my ancestor.

Cardinal Wolsey: Yes, as in Cardinal Wolsey who advised dear old Henry VIII, (who is not a legitimate ancestor, but to whom I am related). Okay, whoever chose old Wolsey for an ancestor, just didn't do any homework at all on the man, as they had him living in the wrong century! I discredited that one without evening doing a look-see. (Henry VIII has always fascinated me, I think it's the macabre, but I do know my dates! And if I had put a grain of truth into the connection, Wolsey lived and died about 140 years after his real execution. Not worth a look.)

Alan Bean (yes, the astronaut). As much as I'd like to say we were related, well, DNA has proven otherwise. My particular Bean DNA is considered "orphan" Bean family. We simply don't match up with any of the tested Bean lines thusfar, except within our own little circle of first and second cousins. (Evidently all of the Bean women in our line were faithful and the Bean men couldn't accuse their children of belonging to the milk man. Please, it's a joke! Don't take me seriously and email me about my poor taste in humor. I know how bad it is already!)

Queen Elizabeth I: Really? I mean, who on earth thought I was descended from Queen Elizabeth I? Related to, yes. Very distantly. (I mean very distant.) As in, if I was not descended from her father, how did they think I was descended from a Queen who supposedly never gave birth?

So, you get the idea. There are going to be some real quackers in the mix. But for the most part, using the app can lead you into a whole new arena of searching for ancestors! And if you want to know if you're related to Brad Pitt, simply because your app says so, well, put some time, effort and research into finding out first if you are related to the common ancestor it names. And then, put a little more into finding out if you can follow that ancestors descendant line to Brad Pitt. Or Bill Gates. Or John F. Kennedy. Or Elvis Presley. Or even Donald Trump.

It's worth the effort if you want a fuller, and more interesting tree. And it's been a blast so far. I look forward to the days when my iPhone does it's little "bing!" and let's me know another person I am related to. That means, I need to get done with my work (job) in a hurry that day, cause baby, I'm heading home to do some genealogy!

Friday's Faces From the Past

Colonel John Page

Friday's Faces From the Past

John Page was my 9x Great-Grandfather. And who, might you ask, was John Page?

Here is what Wikipedia can tell us about him:

""Colonel John Page (December 26, 1628 - January 23, 1692), a merchant in Middle Plantation on the Virginia Peninsula, was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Council of the Virginia Colony. A wealthy landowner, Page donated land and funds for the first brick Bruton Parish Church.[1] Col. Page was a prime force behind the small community gaining the site of the new College of William & Mary, founded in 1693, as well as a chief proponent of the village being designated the colony's capital in 1698.

These events resulted in the renaming of Middle Plantation as Williamsburg in 1699, perhaps most well known as the birthplace of democratic governmental principals among the patriots before and during the American Revolution. In the early 21st century, Colonel Page's tiny Middle Plantation is the modern home of the restored colonial city now known as Colonial Williamsburg, one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world.

Biography

Bruton Parish Church, Williamsburg, Virginia. Original church built 1683 on land donated by Colonel John Page. The shaft commemorating Col. Page is at right of the church door.

According to the Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia, published in 1883, "John Page, son of Thomas Page (b. 1597), of Sudbury, County Middlesex, England, seventh son of Richard Page, second son of John Page (b. 1528), first of Henry Page (b. 1500), of Wembley, County Middlesex, England, all of the Parish of Harrow, was born at Sudbury in A.D. 1627. He immigrated to America about 1650 at about 23 years of age, and became the progenitor of the Page-family in Virginia." [2] John Page's niece Mary Whaley (daughter of his brother Matthew and wife of James Whaley of Bruton Parish, York County, Virginia) is buried in the churchyard.[3][4]

John Page became a merchant, and emigrated to the Virginia colony; his sister Elizabeth (wife of Edward Digges) and brother Matthew also emigrated to Virginia. In about 1656, John Page married Alice Lukin,[5] (1625-1698) perhaps the daughter of Edward Lukin, a Virginia Company shareholder.[6] The Pages originally lived in the New Towne section at Jamestown.

The Pages settled in York County in 1655. In 1662, the Pages had a large brick cross-plan house built in nearby Middle Plantation. A wealthy landowner, Page owned 330 acres (1.3 km²) in Middle Plantation, including much of what is now Duke of Gloucester Street, Nicholson Street, and part of Francis Street in the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg. In 1672, Page patented 3600 acres (15 km²) in New Kent County which became Mehixton Plantation.[7] He donated land and £20 for the first brick Bruton Parish Church which was completed in 1683, and was located immediately adjacent to the site of the present larger restored structure.[8] In 1683, he came into possession of a tract of land which originally belonged to his brother Matthew in James City County known as Neck of Land. It is also known that he owned property at Jamestown in New Towne section.

John Page was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses starting in 1665. He played a pivotal role in supporting the efforts of Reverend Doctor James Blair in the founding of the College of William & Mary in 1693, which was located at Middle Plantation. Beginning in 1677, he is believed to have been an early advocate for moving the capitol to Middle Plantation, which eventually occurred in 1699, seven years after his death. (Middle Plantation was renamed Williamsburg in honor of King William III shortly thereafter).

Colonel John Page and his wife Alice Lukin Page are buried at Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Virginia.[5] Their tombstone, originally located within the church graveyard, was later moved to the church vestibule.[9] It reads: "Here lieth in hope of a joyfull resurrection the Body of Colonel JOHN PAGE of Bruton Parish, Esquire. One of their Majesties Council in the Dominion of Virginia. Who departed this life the 23 of January in the year of our Lord 1691/2 Aged 65"[10] The tombstone carries the arms of Page impaling those of Lukin.[11]

Family

The Page family was one of the First Families of Virginia, which later included Mann Page III, his brother U.S. Congressman and Virginia Governor John Page, and later descendants such as U.S. Ambassador to Italy Thomas Nelson Page, and Virginian Railway builder William Nelson Page.
Colonel and Mrs. John Page named their eldest son Francis, and he also built a substantial brick home at Middle Plantation. (Present-day Francis Street in Williamsburg is said to be named for him). Another son, Matthew Page, was born in Virginia in 1659 and became a planter. He was one of the original board of trustees of the College of William and Mary, a member of the Governor's Council, and was active in public affairs. He died on January 9, 1703.

Their grandson, Mann Page I (1691-1730) (son of Matthew Page), also became a planter and wealthy landholder in Virginia, owning nearly 70,000 acres (280 km²) in Frederick County, Prince William County, and Spotsylvania County among other locations. In 1725, Mann Page I began the construction of Rosewell Plantation, the Page mansion on the banks of the York River in Gloucester County. Mann Page I's wife Judith Carter was the daughter of Robert Carter I. Mann Page I son John Page married Jane Byrd, a granddaughter of Colonel William Byrd I. One of John Page's great-grandsons was Confederate General Richard Lucian Page.

Mary Page, the daughter of Col. John Page, married Walter Chiles Jr., son of Col. Walter Chiles of the Virginia Governor's Council.[12] In his will of March 5, 1687, Col. John Page mentions his grandson John Chiles, as well as his "grandsonne John Tyler, sonne of my grand-daughter Elizabeth Tyler."[13] Elizabeth Chiles had married Henry Tyler of Middle Plantation, and thus became the ancestress[14] of President John Tyler.[15]

Because of the propensity of First Families of Virginia (FFV) to marry within their narrow social ranks for many generations, John Page is counted as a progenitor of many other FFV families. These include the families of Byrd, Chiles, Tyler, Pendleton, Burwell, Nelson, Randolph, Walker, Carter, Harrison, Waller and others.[5]
Legacy[edit]

Several sites of the Page family in Virginia and West Virginia have historical and archaeological significance.
The site of their property at Jamestown has been identified by the Jamestown Rediscovery project.
Colonial Williamsburg has an extensive archeological study underway at the John Page home site at Middle Plantation (now Williamsburg).[16] Col. John Page owned much of what is today's Williamsburg, including Duke of Gloucester, Nicholson and part of Francis Street.[17]

The ruins of Rosewell Plantation, the home of early members of the Page family and one of the finest mansions built in the colonies, sit on the northern bank of the York River in Gloucester County. In one of its rooms, which are all of cubic dimensions, Thomas Jefferson, a friend and the college classmate of John Page (Col. John Page's great, great grandson) is said to have drafted the U.S. Declaration of Independence. In 1916, a fire swept the mansion leaving a magnificent shell which is testament to 18th century craftsmanship and dreams, and the site ongoing archeological studies.

The Page-Vawter House, a large Victorian mansion, was built in 1889 in Ansted, West Virginia on a knoll in the middle of town.[18] Industrialist and mining manager William and Emma (née Gilham) Page raised their four children there, attended by a staff of 8 servants.[19] In the 21st century, it still stands as evidence of the once-thriving coal business and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

See also

John Page (Virginia politician), Mann Page, Rosewell (plantation)
References[edit]
Jump up
^ "A Brief Guide to Bruton Parish Church"
Jump up
^ Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia, published in 1883, pp14-15,
Jump up
^ Tyler, Lyon G., "Grammar and Mattey Practice and Model School", William and Mary Quarterly, July 1895
Jump up
^ In 1887 Henry Burke, the Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary, concluded that John Page was related to the Page family of Harrow on the Hill.[1][2]
^

a b c Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia, Richard Channing Moore Page, M.D., New York, 1893 [3]

^ Dorman, John Frederick, Adventurers of Purse and Person, 4th ed., Vol. 2, pp494-495. Dorman states: "The longstanding identification of Alice Page ... as daughter of Edward Lukin has not been confirmed." After discussing the differences between the arms carved on the Page tomb, and the arms borne by known Lukin families, Dorman concludes: "There are other extant American gravestones engraved with arms differing from the actual arms of the individual, mistakes apparently having been made because the stone cutter referred to an armory or other collection of published arms when precise descriptions were not provided, or perhaps not even known, by the family of the deceased."

^ Hobbs, Tom. "Summer Hill: History of the Summer Hill Site". VirginiaDigs. Retrieved 2011-06-16.

Jump up
^ A Brief History of Bruton Parish Church, brutonparish.org
Jump up
^ Photograph of the headstone of Col. John Page, vestibule, Bruton Parish Church, Williamsburg, Va., findagrave.com
Jump up
^ [4] Some Colonial Mansions and Those Who Lived in Them, Thomas Allen Glenn, Henry T. Coates & Co., Philadelphia, 1899]
Jump up
^ Virginia Heraldica: Being a Registry of Virginia Gentry Entitled to Coat Armor, William Crozier, The Genealogical Association, New York, 1908
Jump up
^ A Timeline for Structures at Jamestown Relating to the Chiles Family, Historic Jamestowne, National Park Service
Jump up
^ Lieut. Col. Walter Chiles, Lyon G. Tyler, William and Mary Quarterly Historical Papers, Vol. I, pp. 75-78, USGenWebArchives
Jump up
^ Elizabeth (Chiles) Tyler was the great-great-grandmother of President John Tyler.
Jump up
^ Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Vol. I, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York, 1915
Jump up
^ Photograph of John Page House Foundations, Middle Plantation in 1699, Colonial Williamsburg, Jennifer Jones, history.org
Jump up
^ Muraca, David F. "The John Page Site:Excavation of a Major House Site on the Bruton Heights Property". Williamsburg: Colonial Williamsburg. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
Jump up
^ http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=38468
Jump up
^ http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/624294/historic_ansted_house_goes_on_the_market/index.html

Sources
Virtual American Biographies
Colonial Williamsburg
USGenealogy.net

External link
The John Page Site: Excavation of a Major House Site on the Bruton Heights Property by Colonial Williamsburg"

And so, just how does John Page fit into my ancestry?

Let's take a short, quick look:

John Page (1628-1692) m:Alice LUKIN; father of

  Mary Page (b: d:) m: Walter CHILES, Jr.; mother of

    Agatha Chiles (1714-1800) m: David TERRELL; mother of

      Mildred Terrell (1741-1800) m: Christopher CLARK; mother of

        Judith Clark (1759-1812) m: Lewis ATKISSON, mother of

          Martha Patsey Atkisson (1788-1860) m: Joseph FAUDREE, mother of

            Lewis Faudree (b:1807) m: Mahalia HALL, father of

              Richard C. Faudree (1834-1902) m: Mary Margaret Wickline, father of

                Stephen Ledford Faudree (1856-1929) m: Elizabeth Carnefix, father of

                  Mary Elizabeth Faudree (1897-1975) m: John M. BEAN, SR., mother of

                    Walter M. Beane (b. 1937) m: Lois Velleda DREHER, father of

                      Cynthia A. Beane (you didn't think I'd really tell you did you?)

And so the descendants straight to me.

I have been to Bruton Parish Church many times when I was younger, but was not appreciative of my ancestry then. And I hope to make a venture out again this summer, perhaps towards fall when the easterly winds begin to cool the temperature a bit, and visit the church once again. And to see the plaque that commemorates my 9x Great-Grandfather. Perhaps his is the siren that has always called me to Williamsburg and to Jamestown. Knowing how deeply my roots run in this country, makes me proud to call myself an American (as if I would ever say I wasn't proud!), and so perhaps I should say, makes me prouder still to call myself an American!

*****Did you guess where the place was in Those Places Thursday yesterday? It is the old Rehoboth Church, located in Keenan, Monroe County, West Virginia. It is the oldest church WEST of the Alleghany Divide. At the northwest corner of the church (at the back right hand corner) are buried my great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother, and his parents as well. Both he and his father fought in the American Revolution both in Pennsylvania and in North Carolina. And they were both elders in the church. The church is constructed of logs, as are the pews. There once were holes in the walls for rifles to shoot from, as when the church was first founded West Virginia was still wild Indian territory, and several skirmishes happened. These are my Wiseman ancestor's. I like to go and talk to them a few times every year.  They are very good listeners.

Those Places Thursday

Those Places Thursday

Can you identify the place shown above? It is within the United States. It is considered the oldest of this kind. And I have ancestors residing here.

Can you guess where it is?

If you think you know, please leave us a comment with your guess.

I will tell you, that I visit here at least one or two times a year. And I always leave excited about doing genealogy after every visit, even though it remains unchanged on each visit.

Be sure to come back tomorrow and see the answer of Those Places Thursday!

Wishful Wednesday

Wishful Wednesday

(Photo taken from Travelization.net on Google Images)

Have you ever wished on a star? On blown the small seed heads from a dandelion and made a wish? Perhaps pulled apart the wishbone of a chicken or turkey with a sibling? Or simply wished when you blew out a birthday candle?

We have all engaged in making wishes at some point or other in our lives.

Today I would like for you to tell me what your "genealogy wish" would be. It could be something really big and stupendous. Or something trivial. Let us know what your Genealogy Wish is!

As for me, if I could make one genealogy wish come true, it would be to complete the trilogy I am working on of our family's history to give to my Dad now while he can enjoy it. Dad will turn 80 this year, and time keeps slipping away for so many of our family elders. I don't want to get it done too late.

Well, that is my wish, plus.....find out where in the heck the Bean family tree goes prior to my great-great-grandfather William! Oh and....well, I did say just one wish, and I've only begun with the two I've put here!

Tell us what your one genealogy wish would be!

Travel Tuesday

Travel Tuesday

There are a few places in this world I would still like to visit before I give up on traveling altogether. And London is one of those places. The photo above is taken from The Royal Portfolio, and depicts the Queen's Guards standing in front of the palace.

I would love to be able to see the Tower of London, as, believe it or not, I have ancestors who were sent there to await execution by orders of other ancestors! (Try saying that three times without getting tongue tied!)

And, of all things, I'd love to visit some of the homes, or sites of the homes, where some of my ancestors once lived. (We are talking about many hundreds of years ago with those!) However, some of their remains (the buildings and castles) still have old stones from the castles present.

I would hope one day, before I leave this life to be able to go where my great-great-grandfather was really from. Of course, I would first have to discover where that place is actually! And therein lies the rub. It is like he was plopped down on this earth at the age of 12, as there has been no definitive proof of his birth prior to that time! And DNA has not matched us up with a recent (within 500 years) relative. A bit of a conundrum since there really aren't that many families with our ancestral name! Bean. Or its derivative. Well, we are plentiful in the sense that there are many Bean's, and some with very long histories. But our DNA has not matched up with any of them! Not a single one! Except for second cousins. Which, is of course, expected. But it is almost as if the Bean line just magically appeared with great-great-grandfather!

But it is the women that our Bean men married that can give us our long, and varied, histories. Three lines, of which, have led us into royal ancestry. All of the English kind. And so, I would one day like to visit London. Perhaps when England's WDYTYA is taping an episode they might invite a certain American cousin (mwah!) to come and visit the ancestral places of her heritage!  Well, who knows, a gal can dream big can't she?

Where would you travel to if given the option of visiting a location that is tied to your ancestors? And why?

Madness Monday

MADNESS MONDAY

Well it's been a VERY LONG WEEK. And yet, the week has only begun! As I write this, we are in the wee small hours of the morning, and I have to be up in a few short hours and head off to work.

I usually set up my Mountain Genealogy posts a week in advance, so that I can sit back and not have to post them myself, merely let the blog post them at the time I pre-set it to. However, this past week, I was in bed with influenza Type A. It's a nasty bug. Leaves you sick at your stomach, and yet I couldn't throw up. (Wish I had, I probably would have felt better!) Even ginger ale made me sick. Yeck. The only thing that didn't turn my stomach into a raging cauldron was of all things, farina (Cream of Wheat to those of you who don't buy generics!)  Or plain Ramen noodles. (No seasoning pack added.)

As I finished up tonight's dinner dishes, very late, because I fell asleep in my recliner before getting them done), I realized I had not written a single post for this week! So, here I am, at the last minute trying to get them done for the upcoming week.

I want to thank everyone who has expressed their kindness when reading my droll little tales of my family ancestry. I rather find the stories of my ancestry quite interesting. And I try to put them out there for posterity. I feel like, 'If I don't tell the stories, then who will?' I would like to think one of my five children would be bitten by the genealogy bug, but not so far. So, for the sake my grandchildren and future great-grandchildren, they will find them here, and at our local historical society, who will receive all of my files when I leave this earth.

So, while you are, perhaps, snug in your beds and dreaming of whatever it is you are dreaming of tonight, I will scampering here at the last minute, getting this week's blog posts out there for you!

Here's wishing you all sweet dreams and a happy tomorrow!

Sentimental Sunday

Easter 1964

With Easter fast approaching, I thought it would be fun to take a look at my favorite Easter picture that my Mother took of me.

For those of you too young to know, I was miserable in the double layered can-can slip beneath the dress. They were stiff and held your skirts out into that ever so cute bell shape. The dress was a satiny material with pale baby blue bodice and lace at the neckline. The skirt was of the same material but striped in baby blues, baby pinks and white. My white gloves were bunched in my hands. And my parasol handbag hung on my right at,. You can't see the white lace socks, and white patent leather shoes. You can see the white lace fascinator on my head. (Yes, that's really what they were called. And no decent young lady went to church without something covering her head back in those days!)

I also carried my little Bible with me, which isn't in the photo. It was a hardback Bible with a painting of Jesus and the little children on the cover. My Mother taught me to read with that Bible. And Bible memorization was a HUGE part of my upbringing.

Each Sunday we were dressed in our very best dresses, shoes gloves. If I did not wear a fascinator, I wore a small kerchief looking cloth that was pinned to my hair (we were very strict old school Baptists.) In just a few short years (before 1970 I'm sure) we stopped covering our heads, and went without hats or fascinators or scarves. Times were a'changing.

Mother always got us ready when we were small, and we would have to sit and wait for her to finish getting ready. Ever try to keep a 3 year old and 5 year old sitting still? Well, she would turn on the television. And in those days there were Gospel Singers on television before time for church. We would sit and sing along to the songs we knew. See, it really wasn't that hard to keep us entertained!

When Mother came out dressed, I always thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. And she was stunning. Tall and slender. I didn't realize back then that we didn't have enough money to buy our dresses, and that Mother made them. I just know how much we were always told how pretty our dresses were. Mother had this uncanny ability to look at a catalog picture of a dress, and make it herself to look exactly like the photograph! When I was in high school, I wanted a particular dress for the school prom. It was way out of our budget (I think it was like $50 back then!) Mother told me not to worry. She'd see I had it. And I did! When I arrived at the prom with my date, all of the girls came running. "Oh my goodness! I saw that same dress in the catalog, but my mother said it was too expensive! How'd you get your Mother to buy it for you? Your parents must be made out of gold!" No one ever knew that Mother made that beautiful dress simply by looking at the photograph in the catalog! (Give me a sewing pattern and I can do a good job. But throw down some material and tell me to make a dress, and it's going to come out looking like a potato sack! Ha ha.)

I look at this picture, and I can see my eldest son. I didn't realize how much like me he looked when he was little! Of course he is no longer little (He turns 38 this year!)

Easter was always a fun time with my Mother. Daddy was usually gone (he was full time, career Navy, and was at sea more than he was ever home!). But Mother made it a special time for us. She always made up for Daddy not being there.

Some of my fondest memories of my Mother when I was this age, was playing with Barbie dolls. Still a relatively new doll, my Mother would sit in the floor with my sister and I and play Barbie dolls with us. We didn't have Barbie cars and jeeps and houses back then. So, my sister and I took cereal boxes, and cracker boxes and made Barbie cars (I was favorable to her Cadillac, which a cornflake box made such a nice one!) My sister had Barbie drive a van. Her van was made from a saltine cracker box. Barbie sometimes had a pull camper, which we fashioned from a large oatmeal can. Tins from vegetables were washed and turned upside down, and Barbie had chairs. Mom bought a bag of Barbie shoes for us once. And then sat for days cutting out and sewing together whole wardrobes for Barbie! She even made Barbie handbags to match her outfits! She once took an apple crate, and divided it up into "rooms", and papered every room with a different fabric for wallpaper. And then handmade Barbie furniture! Yep, we had a Barbie house well before Mattel ever thought of it!

And my Mother loved to play jacks with us. Did you ever play jacks? I have such short fat hands, even today, that I am lousy at the game. But I have tried. I don't think I ever could get past fivesies. Mother on the other hand had long slender fingers, and she could scoop up 12 or more jacks at a time! She was the best at it!

I did get to be pretty good with pick-up-sticks. Do you remember those? They were great for hand/eye coordination!

Oh, I wish I had pictures of my Mother doing all these things with us!

I remember one Easter Sunday that started out warm and beautiful. And after church, Mother had made a picnic lunch and we were going to go to the Azalea Gardens and have a picnic and walk the miles of trails. Azaleas were already in bloom, and this had become our yearly thing to do. Well, as we were driving the short couple of miles to the garden, the wind began to pick up. And by the time we arrived, it wasn't only windy, but raining cats and dogs as well! Mother turned from the front seat and looked back at me,'Scoot over Sissy, we're all climbing in the back seat for our picnic!' Without missing a beat, my Mother climbed over the front seat, spread out the picnic blanket and began to open up our lunch basket. We played 'I Spy" and sang songs until the windows were completely fogged up! It was the best picnic I can remember as a child!

I later had a picnic with my husband which was just as exciting. It was Father's Day and I wanted to do something fun. So we were going to go on a hike and then eat a picnic lunch in the state park. It could have been a disaster except for his quick wits, and fun loving self. We decided to eat first. Every picnic table in the park was in use! So, we climbed down the embankment and sat on the river bank and ate. It was all very romantic and sweet! Then he carried our belongings back to car, and we started out on a hike. Just a short 4 mile hike. We were almost a quarter of the way through a long climb, and I was in front, when the ground suddenly fell away from beneath my feet. It was nearly 100-feet to the rocky bottom below us. Somehow I managed to get turned toward the face of the cliff, and got my toes and fingers dug into the shale enough to prevent me from falling any farther than I had. I was about 10-feet below the path. I was scared to death! But he was Mr. Cool. He was on his belly, and was leaning way over the edge and holding onto the back of my pants at the waist! 'Climb!' he commanded. 'Come on and climb! You can do it!' And I did. Because of him I was shaken, but I was unhurt. (You would think in a park as crowded as it had been, there would have been someone who would have come around about then! But nope, we were totally isolated there!) Still, it is one of my favorite picnics with my hubby! Maybe because he was/is my hero!

And my Mother was my hero! Always there to help me. Always there to make me smile. To make me laugh. And to love me.

This Easter will be my second without her. She went to Heaven in July 2015. I look forward to it. But it will never be the same without her there. I still miss her Easter Bunny baskets. And her Easter ham.

And I miss hearing her tell why we celebrate Easter every year. She would read the crucifixion with such sorrow. And then she would read the Resurrection. Her voice became 'jubilant'. That's the only way to describe it! And she loved to hear me sing the Jamie Wilson version of 'Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down'.

Getting closer and closer to that Trumpet Sound Mama! I miss you!

Surname Saturday

In following my Great-Grandmother's family I am taken back to a particular woman in the 12th-13th centuries.

For lack of surname she is known as Isabella of Angouleme.

Isabella of Angouleme

Her portrait here is very deceiving. It appears Queen Isabella had quite the naughty and mean streak to her. Wikipedia states this of the lady:

"Isabella of Angoulême (French: Isabelle d'Angoulême, IPA: [izab?l d?~gul?m]; c. 1188 - 4 June 1246) was queen consort of England as the second wife of King John from 1200 until John's death in 1216. She was also suo jure Countess of Angoulême from 1202 until 1246.

She had five children by the king, including his heir, later Henry III. In 1220, Isabella married Hugh X of Lusignan, Count of La Marche, by whom she had another nine children.

Some of her contemporaries, as well as later writers, claim that Isabella formed a conspiracy against King Louis IX of France in 1241, after being publicly snubbed by his mother, Blanche of Castile for whom she had a deep-seated hatred.[1] In 1244, after the plot had failed, Isabella was accused of attempting to poison the king. To avoid arrest, she sought refuge in Fontevraud Abbey where she died two years later, but none of this can be confirmed.

Queen of England
She was the only daughter and heir of Aymer Taillefer, Count of Angoulême, by Alice of Courtenay, who was sister of Peter II of Courtenay, Latin Emperor of Constantinople and granddaughter of King Louis VI of France.

Isabella became Countess of Angoulême in her own right on 16 June 1202, by which time she was already queen of England. Her marriage to King John took place on 24 August 1200, in Angoulême,[2] a year after he annulled his first marriage to Isabel of Gloucester. She was crowned queen in an elaborate ceremony on 8 October at Westminster Abbey in London.[3] Isabella was originally betrothed to Hugh IX le Brun, Count of Lusignan,[4] son of the then Count of La Marche. As a result of John's temerity in taking her as his second wife, King Philip II of France confiscated all of their French lands, and armed conflict ensued.

At the time of her marriage to John, the blonde and blue-eyed 12-year-old Isabella was already renowned by some for her beauty[5] and has sometimes been called the Helen of the Middle Ages by historians.[6] Isabella was much younger than her husband and possessed a volatile temper similar to his own. King John was infatuated with his young, beautiful wife; however, his acquisition of her had as much, if not more, to do with spiting his enemies, than romantic love. She was already engaged to Hugh IX le Brun, when she was taken by John. It had been said that he neglected his state affairs to spend time with Isabella, often remaining in bed with her until noon. However, these were rumors, ignited by John's enemies to discredit him as being a weak and grossly irresponsible ruler. Given that at the time they were made John was engaging in a desperate war with King Phillip of France to hold on to the remaining Plantagenet dukedoms. The common people began to term her a "siren" or "Messalina", which spoke volumes as to common opinion .[7] Her mother-in-law, Eleanor of Aquitaine readily accepted her as John's wife.[8]

On 1 October 1207 at Winchester Castle, Isabella gave birth to a son and heir who was named Henry after the King's father, Henry II. He was quickly followed by another son, Richard, and three daughters, Joan, Isabel, and Eleanor. All five children survived into adulthood, and would make illustrious marriages; all but Joan would produce offspring of their own.

Second marriage
When King John died in October 1216, Isabella's first act was to arrange the speedy coronation of her nine-year-old son at the city of Gloucester on 28 October. As the royal crown had recently been lost in The Wash, along with the rest of King John's treasure, she supplied her own golden circlet to be used in lieu of a crown.[9] The following July, less than a year after his crowning as King Henry III of England, she left him in the care of his regent, William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and returned to France to assume control of her inheritance of Angoulême.

In the spring of 1220, she married Hugh X of Lusignan, "le Brun", Seigneur de Luisignan, Count of La Marche, the son of her former fiancé, Hugh IX, to whom she had been betrothed before her marriage to King John. It had been previously arranged that her eldest daughter Joan should marry Hugh, and the little girl was being brought up at the Lusignan court in preparation for her marriage. Hugh, however, upon seeing Isabella, whose beauty had not diminished,[10] preferred the girl's mother. Princess Joan was provided with another husband, King Alexander II of Scotland, whom she wed in 1221.

Isabella had married Hugh without the consent of the king's council in England, as was required of a queen dowager. That council had the power not only to assign to her any subsequent husband, but to decide whether she should be allowed to remarry at all. That Isabella flouted its authority moved the council to confiscate her dower lands and to stop the payment of her pension.[11] Isabella and her husband retaliated by threatening to keep Princess Joan, who had been promised in marriage to the King of Scotland, in France. The council first responded by sending furious letters to the Pope, signed in the name of young King Henry, urging him to excommunicate Isabella and her husband, but then decided to come to terms with Isabella, to avoid conflict with the Scottish king, who was eager to receive his bride. Isabella was granted the stannaries in Devon, and the revenue of Aylesbury for a period of four years, in compensation for her confiscated dower lands in Normandy, as well as the £3,000 arrears for her pension.[11]

Isabella had nine more children by Hugh X. Their eldest son Hugh XI of Lusignan succeeded his father as Count of La Marche and Count of Angoulême in 1249.

Isabella's children from her royal marriage did not join her in Angoulême, remaining in England with their eldest brother Henry III.

Rebellion and death
Described by some contemporaries as "vain, capricious, and troublesome,"[12] Isabella could not reconcile herself with her less prominent position in France. Though Queen mother of England, Isabella was now mostly regarded as a mere Countess of La Marche and had to give precedence to other women.[13] In 1241, when Isabella and Hugh were summoned to the French court to swear fealty to King Louis IX of France's brother, Alphonse, who had been invested as Count of Poitou, their mother, the Queen Dowager Blanche openly snubbed her. This so infuriated Isabella, who had a deep-seated hatred of Blanche for having fervently supported the French invasion of England during the First Barons' War in May 1216, that she began to actively conspire against King Louis. Isabella and her husband, along with other disgruntled nobles, including her son-in-law Raymond VII of Toulouse, sought to create an English-backed confederacy which united the provinces of the south and west against the French king.[14] She encouraged her son Henry in his invasion of Normandy in 1230, but then did not provide him the support she had promised.[15]

In 1244, after the confederacy had failed and Hugh had made peace with King Louis, two royal cooks were arrested for attempting to poison the King; upon questioning they confessed to having been in Isabella's pay.[12] Before Isabella could be taken into custody, she fled to Fontevraud Abbey, where she died on 4 June 1246.[16]

By her own prior arrangement, she was first buried in the Abbey's churchyard, as an act of repentance for her many misdeeds. On a visit to Fontevraud, her son King Henry III of England was shocked to find her buried outside the Abbey and ordered her immediately moved inside. She was finally placed beside Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Afterwards, most of her many Lusignan children, having few prospects in France, set sail for England and the court of Henry, their half-brother.

Issue
With King John of England: 5 children, all of whom survived into adulthood, including:

King Henry III of England (1 October 1207 - 16 November 1272). Married Eleanor of Provence, by whom he had issue, including his heir, King Edward I of England.

Richard, Earl of Cornwall and King of the Romans (5 January 1209 - 2 April 1272). Married firstly Isabel Marshal, secondly Sanchia of Provence, and thirdly Beatrice of Falkenburg. Had issue.

Joan (22 July 1210 - 1238), the wife of King Alexander II of Scotland. Her marriage was childless.

Isabella (1214-1241), the wife of Emperor Frederick II, by whom she had issue.

Eleanor (1215-1275), who would marry firstly William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke; and secondly Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, by whom she had issue.

With Hugh X of Lusignan, Count of La Marche: nine children, all of whom survived into adulthood, including:

Hugh XI of Lusignan (1221-1250), Count of La Marche and Count of Angoulême. Married Yolande de Dreux, Countess of Penthièvre and of Porhoet, by whom he had issue.

Aymer of Lusignan (1222-1260), Bishop of Winchester

Agnès de Lusignan (1223-1269). Married William II de Chauvigny (d. 1270), and had issue.

Alice of Lusignan (1224 - 9 February 1256). Married John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, by whom she had issue.

Guy of Lusignan (c. 1225 - 1264), killed at the Battle of Lewes. (Tufton Beamish maintains that he escaped to France after the Battle of Lewes and died there in 1269).

Geoffrey of Lusignan (c. 1226 - 1274). Married in 1259 Jeanne, Viscountess of Châtellerault, by whom he had issue.

Isabella of Lusignan (c.1226/1227 - 14 January 1299). Married firstly before 1244 Maurice IV, seigneur de Craon (1224-1250),[17] by whom she had issue; she married secondly, Geoffrey de Rancon.[18]

William of Lusignan (c. 1228 - 1296). 1st Earl of Pembroke. Married Joan de Munchensi, by whom he had issue.

Marguerite de Lusignan (c. 1229 - 1288). Married firstly in 1243 Raymond VII of Toulouse; secondly c. 1246 Aimery IX de Thouars, Viscount of Thouars and had issue

In popular culture
She was played by actress Zena Walker in the TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood episode "Isabella" (1956), before her marriage to John, but not as a 12-year-old.

She was portrayed by actress Victoria Abril in the 1976 film Robin and Marian.

She was played by actress Cory Pulman in the episode "The Pretender" (1986) of the TV series Robin of Sherwood.

She was portrayed by actress Léa Seydoux in the 2010 film Robin Hood."

What you will not read in Wikipedia is that she is my 17th Great-Grandmother.

Friday's Faces From the Past

While not the best copy, it is all that I have been able to locate so far of my 35th great-grandmother, Queen Eadgifu.

This is what Wikipedia had to say about her:

"Eadgifu of Kent (also Edgiva or Ediva) (in or before 903 - in or after 966) was the third wife of Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons.

Eadgifu was the daughter of Sigehelm, Ealdorman of Kent, who died at the Battle of the Holme in 902.[1] She became the mother of two sons, Edmund I of England, later King Edmund I, and Eadred of England, later King Eadred, and two daughters, Saint Eadburh of Winchester and Eadgifu.[2] She survived Edward by many years, dying in the reign of her grandson Edgar.

According to a narrative written in the early 960s, her father had given Cooling in Kent to a man called Goda as security for a loan. She claimed that her father had repaid the loan and left the land to her, but Goda denied receiving payment and refused to surrender the land. She got possession of Cooling six years after her father's death, when her friends persuaded King Edward to threaten to dispossess Goda of his property unless he gave up the estate. Edward later declared Goda's lands forfeit and gave the charters to Eadgifu, but she returned most of the estates to Goda, although retained the charters. Some time after this her marriage to Edward took place. After his death King Æthelstan required Eadgifu to return the charters to Goda, perhaps because the king was on bad terms with his stepmother.[3]

She disappeared from court during the reign of her step-son, King Æthelstan, but she was prominent and influential during the reign of her two sons.[2] As queen dowager, her position seem to have been higher than that of her daughter-in-law; In a Kentish charter datable between 942 and 944, her daughter-in-law Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury subscribes herself as the king's concubine (concubina regis), with a place assigned to her between the bishops and ealdormen. By comparison, Eadgifu subscribes higher up in the witness list as mater regis, after her sons Edmund and Eadred but before the archbishops and bishops.[4]

Following the death of her younger son Eadred in 955, she was deprived of her lands by her eldest grandson, King Eadwig, perhaps because she took the side of his younger brother, Edgar, in the struggle between them. When Edgar succeeded on Eadwig's death in 959 she recovered some lands and received generous gifts from her grandson, but she never returned to her prominent position at court. She is last recorded as a witness to a charter in 966.[2]

She was known as a supporter of saintly churchmen and a benefactor of churches.[2]"

She must have been made of stern stuff! No back seat driving for her! She took the wheel and drove like a mad woman!

I am descended through her son, Edward the Elder, who became King of England, and his wife, Aelfgifu.

****DID YOU GUESS THE ANSWER FROM THOSE PLACES THURSDAY?

If you guess the Jamestown Settlement Church, you are correct!

Located in Jamestown, Virginia, the settlement was born in 1607. It was the first permanent surviving English colony. The first actually preceding it in August of 1585, by nearly twenty years. The settlers there disappeared, but if you follow the historical and archaeological studies being done today, they are very close in discovering what actually happened to those colonists. (It is currently theorized that only 7 of the colonists survived a harsh winter, and the rest were taken and assimilated into an Indian tribe, possibly from Ohio.)

You can visit the reconstructed church today. It was built in 1907, re-using the original bell tower of the first brick church which was erected in the 1640's.

Those Places Thursday

This photograph was taken from an old postcard I had purchased back in the 1960's.

The photograph was taken probably 40 years before that! And before this place was rebuilt.

There are several graves inside this building, including two of my 8x great grandparents.

Can you guess where this is located?

Be sure to come back tomorrow and see if you were correct!