From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove
Hello Williamsons!
Beautiful day in Pleasant Grove. Cloudy skies and warm temperatures prevail. Today in our virtual family reunion around our digital campfire we’re going to explore one of our English ancestral families, the Peases. Pull up a log, have a seat, pour yourself something hot to drink and get comfortable. ’m going to tell you the story of one of our family lines.
We start with a brief history of our Pease family.
The Pease family lived in Essex County in the eastern part of England. They were Saxons who came to England in 1000. They first came as raiders, but later stayed and then fiercely resisted the Vikings. The coat of arms was granted to their Saxon ancestor during the reign of Otto II, Emperor of Germany from 972-981.
They lived in the village of Great Baddow, 30 miles NE of London and just 2 miles from the city of Chelmsford. The road continued NE to Ipswich, the nearest seaport. During the Saxon era Great Baddow belonged to Algar, Earl of Mercia, but in 1071 it was seized by William the Conqueror following a Saxon rebellion. There were 3 manor houses in Great Baddow that at one time each belonged to three Pease brothers: Barnes Manor, Cutin Manor, and Pease Manor (at one time consisted of 100 acres). The present Pease Hall was built in the 1500s and across the field from it is St. Mary's Church where many Pease family members were christened, married and buried. The earliest Pease record that survived in the church records are the burial of Joan Pease (daug of Robert) in 1540.
[info from Pease Family History, by Phillip J. Rice, 1982]
OK, here we go with the oldest member of this family line found so far. We start with my generation’s 13th Great Grandfather and Grandmother, Robert and Joan Pease.
St. Mary's Church today in Great Baddow where the Pease family originated. Many Peases are buried here.
13th Great Grandparents
Robert Pease "the smythe", born 1485 in Great Baddow, England (NE of London). He married Joan ? and died in 1547 in Great Baddow, the same year that Henry VIII died. Joan died in 1552.
Robert Pease & Joan had 3 children:
- John Pease, born 1510 (our ancestor)
- Margaret Pease, d 1545
- Joan Pease, died 1540
John & Ann Pease's children were:
- John "the clothier" Pease, born 1540, Great Baddow, England. Married Margaret Hykes
- Lettis Pease, d 1567
- Alice Pease, married John Taft in 1560
- Edward Peasem, d 1580
- Robert Pease, d 1552
- Margaret Pease, married John Byekinir in 1564
- Robert Pease, b 1565. His wife and 2 sons, Robert Jr & John moved to the American colonies.
- Richard Pease, m ? Prott & Susan Wither
- John Pease
- Alice Pease, m John Clark
- Joan Pease
- Thomas Pease, m Sara ?
- Mary Pease, m Benjamin Carter
- Pease, b Dec 10, 1587
- Robert Pease, Jr., b Oct 28, 1589. He came with his brother John to America in 1634.
- William Pease, b 1591; d 1623
- John Pease, b 1593; d 1600
- Mary Pease, b 1600 (Married Henry Willis)
- Elizabeth Pease, b 1602
- Richard Pease, b/d 1607 8. John Pease (see below), b 1608. He came with his brother Robert to America in 1634.
The Rest of the Family line to the present:
to
Henry Willis and Mary Pease my 9th Great Grandparents.
to
John Willis
to
John Willis
to
John Willis
to
John Willis
to
Bennett Willis
to
Jonathan Willis
to
Margaret Ann Willis - George Matthew Williamson
to
William J. Williamson
to
The Nine Williamson Children (our parents and grandparents)
to
Charles Williamson
to
Me.
Henry Willis and Mary Pease my 9th Great Grandparents.
to
John Willis
to
John Willis
to
John Willis
to
John Willis
to
Bennett Willis
to
Jonathan Willis
to
Margaret Ann Willis - George Matthew Williamson
to
William J. Williamson
to
The Nine Williamson Children (our parents and grandparents)
to
Charles Williamson
to
Me.
Whew! That is enough for one day wouldn’t you say. Time to stand a bit and refill you cup. Tracing that line had one serious bump in the road: Mary Pease. Half the records give her a birth as 1600 and the other half as 1632. She is the mystery. A few of the records (very few) have her married to someone other than Henry Willis. This makes me think that somewhere along the line one Mary Pease was swapped with another Mary Pease by someone tracing their own family lines. After a few days and several hours search through everything I could find on Grandmother Mary I feel very confident that what you have before you is correct.
Tracing family lines is detective work. You get a good lead and it fizzles out. You put it aside and move on. Sometimes your conclusions are a mixture of facts that you must put together yourself to draw a conclusion. Have a great day.
Simply,
Victor
In the photo you have posted at the start of this writing, you questioned the identity of the lady in the front row to the far right. That is my mother, Mary Ogden Mikesh. She is Ethel Williamson Ogden's only daughter. Ethel is my grandmother. I am following this history with much interest. Keep up the good work. Lorraine Kupiec
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