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Here, gathered in our beloved South Dakota, are a few members of our Williamson / Mattson Clan. Charles and Luella are to be blamed (be kind, they didn't know what they were doing). We're generally a happy bunch and somewhat intelligent (notwithstanding our tenuous grasp on reality). I'm also proud to say that most of us still have our teeth.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Magna Carta, Signed by our 26th Great Grandfather and 27th Great Uncle

A Stained Glass Representation of Gilbert De Clare

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Today we meet our 26th Great Grandfather, Richard De Clare and 27th Great Uncle, Gilbert De Clare, both signers of the Magna Carta (and for those of you that don't know what the Magna Carta is, Google it and learn about one of history's defining document providing the foundation of our freedoms).

We begin with the Relationship Chart.

Relationship Chart

26th Great Grandfather Richard De Clare and Adela Meschines
to
Abeliza De Clare and Lord William de Percy Brother 27th Great Uncle Earl Gilbert De Clare
to
Matilda De Percy and William De Vavasour
to
Robert Le Vavosour and Julian De Ross
to
John De Vavasour and Alice Cockfield
to
Sir William Le Vavasour and Nicholea Walleys
to
Henry Vavasour and Constance Mowbray
to
Henry Le Vavasour and Annabel Fitz Hugh
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William Vavasour and Elizabeth Stapleton
to
Henry Vavasour and Lady Margaret Anne Efame Skipwith
to
Elizabeth Vavasour and William Sewarby
to
Margaret Sewarby and Sir Geoffrey Pigott
to
Thomas Pigott and Isabel Gascoigne
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Margaret Pigott and Sir James Metcalfe
to
Margaret Metcalf and William Hilton
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Mark Roger Hilton married Ellen Manwaring
to
Thomas Roberts married Rebecca Hilton
to
John Harmon Sr. married Sarah Roberts
to
Samual Harmon married Mercy Simpson
to
John Harmon married Mary Hasty
to
Martha Harmon b. 1740 and William Williams B. 1740 Prince George Maryland.
to
Nancy Ann Williams and William Cantwell
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Martha Cantwell and Jacob George
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Frances George and Henry Fiddler
to
Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler Edwin Sherman Pierce
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Walter Edwin Pierce and Vesta Althea Dennis
to
Violet Mae Pierce and Walter Albert Mattson
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Luella Mae Mattson and Charles Ray Williamson
to
US

The De Clare Family Shield

The Magna Carta

In 1215, when King John confirmed Magna Carta with his seal, he was acknowledging the now firmly embedded concept that no man--not even the king--is above the law. That was a milestone in constitutional thought for the 13th century and for centuries to come. In 1779 John Adams expressed it this way: "A government of laws, and not of men." Further, the charter established important individual rights that have a direct legacy in the American Bill of Rights. And during the United States' history, these rights have been expanded. The U.S. Constitution is not a static document.

King John Signing the Magna Carta

Like Magna Carta, it has been interpreted and reinterpreted throughout the years. This has allowed the Constitution to become the longest-lasting constitution in the world and a model for those penned by other nations. Through judicial review and amendment, it has evolved so that today Americans--regardless of gender, race, or creed--can enjoy the liberties and protection it guarantees. Just as Magna Carta stood as a bulwark against tyranny in England, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights today serve similar roles, protecting the individual freedoms of all Americans against arbitrary and capricious rule.