A Few Pictures of the Oldest Delgrosso Children

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
I found several pictures of the oldest Delgrosso children taken when they were younger and put them into a short slide show. The pictures were found in a box of old photos in Luella's closet. Luella and Charles have started the long overdue 'decluttering' of their home. It took them a lifetime to accumulate the stuff and I told them that it cannot take another lifetime to get rid of it. My point was simple enough. They are both in their 70's and need to start thinking about living a simpler, less cluttered life.

"When you die, much of this will be thrown away," I told them recently. "How would we know what's important and what isn't? You need to start the sorting process - keeping what is most important and tossing the unnecessary."

Dad's hours have been cut back at Walmart, leaving him extra time to persuade and help mother into what she considers a Herculean task. This new sorting project will keep them busy for the foreseeable future. I'll post the more interesting pictures as they are excavated from the mounds of 'stuff' occupying every nook and corner of their home.

And now, the short slide show made from pictures recently unearthed in the furnace room.

Simply,
Victor

Thoughts From the Fortress

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,

Am I the only one who's noticed the dark clouds of gloom and doom hovering over so many people's heads these days? When I listen to them they remind me of a tune I once heard on the old TV show "Hee Haw". If I remember correctly, it's lyrics were, "Doom despaire and utter poverty, deep dark depression and complete misery. If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all..."

My office desk is located at the crossroads of three of our five simulators at the Space Center, so I get to listen to people from every part of the State, along with my own staff and the staff of Central School, tell me their premonitions of impending doom. They feel the Apocalypse is nigh. They see the writing on the wall.

Much of their concern stems from the gloom and doom news commentary heard on radio and television from commentators who make their living by selling doomsdayism. They drive people into hysterical panics for ratings and the selling of books, pamplets and newsletters.

I remember once talking to someone whom I thought was reasonably intelligent about my plan to get a flu shot later that same day. He urged me not to get it. He'd heard that the government put something into the shot to make us deathly sick. The purpose was to thin the surplus population. How many things like that have you heard? The internet is ripe with them, and it will only get worse as 2012 comes closer.

"There has never been so much unrest in the world," I've heard some say (funny, but they've forgotten both world wars).
"Have you noticed the strange weather, just as foretold," others say (funny, but have they forgotten the dust bowl of the 30's? Just to name one example).

I've lived long enough to see bad times come and go. Just from what I know about history, I guarantee there have been worse times. I challenge anyone to bring me evidence that what we see and hear today is worse than anything that has happened in the past. You'll find it difficult if not impossible to do so. Isn't it a pity students today aren't spending more time studying history? Without that historical foundation, our students lack the mental tools needed to sift through the propaganda to see what's true and relevant.

I bring up this topic for one reason. I fear that Fear Itself may eventually be the agent responsible for the collapse of our free society. And from freedom's ashes would rise a police state, as has happened in the past. When people are frightened, they are more inclined to surrender their personal liberties in return for safety. We see it happening today. We fear terrorism, so we spend billions of dollars on ultra top secret agencies which in turn watch us, listen to us, and track what we say and do. I wonder if the terrorists have won to some degree, through our reactions and overreactions to their threats and deeds.

Our ancestors fled the old world and came to America for the very freedoms we are in danger of losing if we are not careful. They fought in our nation's wars to protect those freedoms. It is up to us to take measured and prudent actions not to lose the very thing they fought and died for, even if it means risk. We cannot let fear run our lives.

Nobody ever said freedom was free.



A Lesson from Growing Up in the Old Days.

The picture above reminds me of the kind of South Dakota parenting that raised me in the 60's and 70's. I remember once telling my mother I hated her. I was an impatient youngster who wanted everything my way. I wanting to go outside and join my friends in a dirt clod fight down at the vacant lot at the end of the street. Mother wanted me to spend my precious play time cleaning my room or something equally as painful. I got a couple good swats on the rear end for saying what I said and got sent to my room. A few minutes later she heard me laughing. It was my way of telling her that the spanking didn't hurt. The event escalated to the point where I told her I wanted to run away and never come back. She agreed, telling me that if I didn't want to be a part of the family I should go and find a family that would let me do anything I wanted - when I wanted. She drove me out of town and deposited me on the side of the road with a small suitcase she'd helped me pack. She told me she loved me and wished me well. She jumped into the Rambler station wagon and drove away.

I was suddenly on my own, on the highway leading to the Reservation. I could see myself getting taken by away by a band of Sioux Indians thinking I was General Custer's great great grandson or something. I burst into tears, and for the first time in my life, was truly frightened of being alone. A moment later the Rambler came back. The 60 seconds or so it took her to make a U turn taught me the lesson she wanted me to learn. It was a hard lesson for me to learn but one I've never forgotten. Would a parent dare try something like that today? I ask that because Utah is about to pass a law forbidding parents from leaving unattended children in parked cars, let alone on the side of a road. It was a different world back then.

Thanks for that lesson Mom.

Simply,
Victor

Williamson Line. Our 6th Great Grandmother, Rebecca Fincher. A Quaker Minister

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello Williamsons,
I'm hoping this post finds you all safe from the wind, snow and ice that seems to be dominating a large section of the country tonight. As for the conditions at the Fortress, the outside temperature tonight will flirt with 0 degrees but shouldn't go below. It was a cold morning, too cold in fact to walk to school. I drove the Battlestar instead.

Relationship Chart

6th Great Grandparents. Joseph Bennett and
Rebecca Fincher b. 1708 PA. .
to
Phebe Bennett b. 1738 married John Willis
to
Bennett Willis 1780-1814 and Catherine Nossaman 1782-1842
to
Jonathan Willis 1807-1889 and Arabella Phelgar 1809-1865
to
Margaret Ann Willis 1835-1921 and George Matthew Williamson 1834-1928
to
William Jonathan Williamson and Effie Helen Victor
to
Vennie, Ima Della, Inez, Lillie Ethel, Josie, Emmett, Walt, Charles, Maurice.
to
US

Tonight I'd like to post something about our 6th Great Grandmother, Rebecca Bennett Fincher. She was a Quaker, like so many of our ancestors who immigrated from England to escape religious persecution. This information on Rebecca was taken from a period source, a Quaker digest. It speaks of her faith in God. What I also find interesting is that it lists her as a minister in the Gospel. The actual words are "she came forth in the ministry.."

To learn more about the ministry of early Quaker women, please read the article below the paragraphs detail the life of Rebecca Bennett.

And now, may I introduce you to our 6th Great Grandmother (of my generation). She is a woman all Williamsons in our family line can be proud of.

Simply,
Victor

REBECCA BENNETT

Rebecca Fincher, daughter of John Fincher, Sr., was born in Uwehlan Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, Ninth mo. 6th, 1708. In the year 1724, she was married to Joseph Bennett, of Kennett, in the same county. In the year 1737, she with her husband and family removed into York county in the same State, on the west side of the Susquehanna River. The next year she came forth in the ministry, a service for which she had without doubt been long preparing. Her labours in this line were " to the edification and comfort of Friends, her conversation adorning her ministry."

She continued faithful to the duty assigned her as long as life was given her. Four days before her death, she walked to the meeting at Newbury, to which she belonged, which was nearly a mile from her residence. She was in that meeting earnestly concerned in the love of the Gospel to entreat all present to prepare for their final change; telling them that when sickness came upon them, they would have enough to do to struggle with the pains of the body. She also exhorted them, that as there were commotions and the noise of war,* in the earth, to trust in the Lord, who is the sure Refuge and Defence of his people.

On her way to her residence after meeting, she was taken ill, " and departed this life the 6th day of the Eleventh month, 1757, in peace with God, as we have reason to think, and in unity with his people." Her age was forty-nine years and two months.

Information on Early Quaker Women Ministers.

What role and influence did Christian women have in 17th and 18th century America? Most people’s answer to this question would be heavily colored by the image of Puritan women, who practiced a religion which idealized female submission to men in both this world and the next. These were not, however, the only Christian women in America — there were also many Quaker women, and they lead dramatically different lives.

Why would unbelievers and skeptics care about the sorts of lives lead by Quaker women several hundred years ago? Rebecca Larson offers readers a picture of how women can live in Christianity which, for some people, is disturbingly radical even today. At the time, it was often cause for scandal and legal action.

Although Quaker women, like Quaker men, had to live by strict rules regarding dress, language and conduct, they both also lived by a radical Protestant theology which taught that all believers had equal access to the Holy Spirit — and, therefore, to the ability to teach and preach God’s message. Because of this, Quaker women had unparalleled freedom and authority in their families, their church, and their own lives:

Although the Puritan model of female submission to male ministerial authority has shaped our views of women in early America, in 1700 Quakerism was one of several religious alternatives for colonial Americans and "possibly the most potent religious movement in the colonies outside Puritan New England." Women's participation in the ministry, traditionally a masculine prerogative, sprang from Quaker belief in both genders' capacity to be guided by the Holy Spirit in inspired preaching.

Larson begins by exploring the early history of Quakerism - George Fox had a revelation that a person could look inward for guidance to God's truth and did not have to rely upon a university or church education for it. According to Fox, the Christian reliance upon "hireling priests" resulted in people losing the gift of preaching through the Holy Spirit.

In theory, this was supposed to be the basis for the entire Protestant Reformation - a priesthood of all believers. In practice, however, professional priests remained the norm and most believers continued to defer to men for that role. Quakers, however, not only put that theory into practice, they also refused to recognize a gender distinction in whom the Holy Spirit might touch. Therefore, women were given the same chances to preach that men were given.

Did any of these women matter? They certainly did - their numbers helped ensure that, with between 1300 and 1500 Quaker women ministers being active in the Anglo-American world during this era. Quakers as a group constituted the third-largest religious denomination in the colonies, holding considerable political and economic power in many places. This was a time when few women wrote and even fewer were actually published — but despite this, these women saw their sermons and tracts reach an eager transatlantic audience.

As Larson shows, preaching women were not simply strange novelties. In fact, they exerted real power over the direction of mid-century Quaker reform efforts. For example, when it seemed that Quakerism might grow soft and complacent in the face of religious toleration and material prosperity, female worked to promote a return to the strict tenets of early Quakerism.

Because of the efforts of these ministers, Quakerism moved toward a commitment to pacifism and universal abolition when such opinions were unfashionable among successful Quakers. But the female reformers won. Thus, largely because of their persistent message, colonial Quakers renounced politics and slave-holding, and settled into their now familiar work for quiet activism and social justice.

Daughters of Light: Quaker Women Preaching and Prophesying in the Colonies and Abroad,

1700-1775, by Rebecca Larson

There was also a great deal of cultural cross-pollination resulting from their efforts — women ministers circulated throughout British North America, bringing their particular perspectives to new areas and they also traveled back and forth across the Atlantic. Some even traveled during pregnancy, leaving small children at home to be cared for by their husbands or the Quaker community:

Quakers created a unique transatlantic culture, embracing both mysticism and rational capitalism, female spiritual leaders and shrewd male merchants, as they attempted to balance, in historian Frederick Tolles' words, the cultivation of the outward plantation and the "inward plantation" of the spirit.

In their unprecedented public role, they reached diverse audiences in courthouses, meeting-houses, and private homes consisting of men and women, members of other faiths as well as to Quakers, Native Americans and even slaves. Over time, even female Quaker preachers became more and more welcome throughout the colonies. People grew accustomed to seeing them and hearing their message, leading to even greater influence in culture and politics.

The story of these women is very important and, unfortunately, it is largely unknown. We can be thankful that Rebecca Larson has brought it to us.

Our 9th Great Grandparent Francis Fincher, a Quaker. His Story of Persecution and Immigration (Williamson / Willis Line)

This is a photograph of Shell Cottage in Himbleton, Worcestershire, England, a home of members of the Fincher family from mid 1500's through 1800. The photograph was taken in November 1988 by Buel Rodgers -- his wife Bonnie Fincher Rodgers, a direct descendant of Francis the Quaker, is pictured in front of the thatched cottage.

Hello Williamsons!
Today we learn about our 9th Great Grandparents, Francis and Alice Fincher of Worcester England. Once again we discover that we descend from good Quaker families that suffered for their religious beliefs and came to America for religious freedom.

Relationship Chart

9th Great Grandparents Francis the Elder b. 1599 Himbleton, Worcester England. and Alice Hart b. 1600

to
Francis Fincher the Immigrant b. 1626 England. and Mary Achelley
to
John Fincher b. 1679 in Worcestershire England and Martha Taylor b. 1680 England.
to
Joseph Bennett and Rebecca Fincher b. 1708 PA. and Joseph Bennett of PA.
to
Phebe Bennett b. 1738 married John Willis
to
Bennett Willis 1780-1814 and Catherine Nossaman 1782-1842
to
Jonathan Willis 1807-1889 and Arabella Phelgar 1809-1865
to
Margaret Ann Willis 1835-1921 and George Matthew Williamson 1834-1928
to
William Jonathan Williamson and Effie Helen Victor
to
Vennie, Ima Della, Inez, Lillie Ethel, Josie, Emmett, Walt, Charles, Maurice.
to
US

Francis Fincher, a Quaker from Worcester, England, arrived at Philadelphia, Pa., 7 mo., 28th day,1683 aboard the ship Bristol Comfort accompanied by his second wife, Mary (Achelley) Fincher, his small children and servants. He was called a glover. He came from Worcester, England, where along with his Quaker friends, he was severely persecuted for his religious beliefs.

In The Collection of the Suffering of the People Called Quakers, by Besse, are several accounts of Francis Fincher's hardships. Under caption 1662, Besse says:

"On the 12th of the month called January, Friends being peaceably met at the House of Robert Smith in Worcester, a marshal with a File of musquetiers (being of those called the Clergy-Band) came, and in an hostile manner forced all the men there met, being eighteen, to go with them. They shewed no Order or Warrant, but guarded them through several streets to their Captain's House, who ordered the Soldiers to carry them to the Marshal's. They were kept about three Days and three Nights, it being the time of a General Sessions there, at which, though they were never called to appear or answer for themselves, an Indictment was found against them, upon the Evidence of but one man, and he an infamous Person, who had been formerly arraigned for Murder, and was afterwards distracted (insane). From the Marshal's they were removed to the Town Gaol and there remained. Their names were ..... Francis Fincher (listed among others)."

After a long account of the trial, this follows:

"In like manner, at the same assizes, John Pike . . . . Francis Fincher (and others) were convicted of being at a meeting and sentenced to pay 5 pounds each, or to be sent to the House of Correction for three months."

Besse tells of another attack on the Quakers in 1670 at Grafton-Flyford coming with a warrant and

"from Francis Fincher was taken all His Goods for a fine of 20 pounds. They said Francis Fincher was taken on his knees in prayer and having heard that he was fined 20 pounds went to Justice Packington at Bowling Green to expostulate the case with him, whether he thought Prayer to God a Breach of the Law. Packington told him he might pray at home, and that he stood convicted on Oath of the informers. Francis, with Christian Boldness, exhorted him to Justice and Equity, which when Sands, the other Justice, who was also at Bowls, heard he threatened Francis, that if he did not hold his tongue, he would send him where he would be loth to go. A short time after, the officers brought three carts to his House and carried away the best of his goods, took possession of the rest, and sold all, and within a few weeks after he was taken from his family (he having a wife and several small children) and committed him to Worcester Gaol where he lay several months."

Again in 1681 Francis Fincher was sent to Worcester Gaol having been taken praying in the street, being kept out of the meeting place by Constables.

Small wonder that Francis Fincher was glad to come to a land where Quakers were welcome. Records show that he was a First Purchaser from William Penn. In May 1682 he had purchased 1,250 acres in the province of Pennsylvania (Samuel Hazard's Annals of Penna. - 1609-1682 - Philadelphia 1850, appendix p. 639; Pennsylvania Archives, Vol. 1, p. 42.)

"First purchasers" were entitled to both land in the country and "liberty" land in the city of Philadelphia. The location of his city land is given in Welsh Settlements of Pennsylvania, by Charles Browning, 1912, p. 438. In describing the early roads of Pennsylvania, it mentions Fincher's land on the Schuylkell River.

"Fincher's land was bounded on the west by a street or road, the one to the ferry, and he also bought land bounded on the south by this road. That is, Fincher had 35 acres on the upper side of Market Street and across the street was the Haverford Friends' Burying Ground."

Francis Fincher only lived one year after coming to America, but during that time he was active in the affairs of Pennsylvania. He was elected a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly from Philadelphia in 1684. At the session of the Assembly held at New Castle, 3rd month, 10, 1684, he was elected Speaker, but declined to serve. The record states

"Francis Fincher, a member of the House, being chosen Speaker by major Votes of the House; he in modest manner was pleased to refuse that Choice, with the humble acknowledgement of his own insufficiency for so great an undertaking." (Pennsylvania Archives, Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives of Province of Pennsylvania, Vol. 1, p. 46). He died three months later, 6 mo., 1684.

In 1953 Evelyn Fincher [co-author of Fincher in the USA, 1683-1900] had a short time in England and visited Chaucer House London, where she saw Dr. Howard Collier's manuscript on the Finchers, and made brief notes. Dr. Collier, a prominent Quaker physician of Worcester, England, has worked on the Finchers there. He said that Francis Fincher was a Worcester skinner and glover who lived in Kingston (Worcester) and belonged to a well-known Puritan family that resided at Shell and Himbleton. At the time that Francis was a widower with small children he was an important man in that part of the County that lies between Pershore and Droctwich and Worcester. He was born 1626 on property called "Tomes" in Himbleton. His mother's name was Alice Hart; father known as Francis the Elder, died in 1649 when Francis, the Quaker, was 23 years old. His first wife was Elizabeth, and that marriage probably took place prior to 1660.

Photos and a Dennis family history from Cousin Diane. Grandma Violet's neice.

Hello All,
Cousin Diane from California sent the following pictures to be included in the blog. She also included corrections to other photographs throughout the blog that she was familiar with. Thank you Diane. The purpose of this blog is to give an accurate history of the family. All corrections are wanted and encouraged.

This is a hand colored picture of Grandma Vesta (Violet's mother) taken when she was 10 or 11 years old. The unsigned writing on the back said: "This was taken when you were about 10 or 12, Myra sent me these two, which were about an inch squareand very dim, had copies made, and then enlarged of course you know who it is Dear."

This photo was taken in the early 1950's. The lady sitting in the occasional chair is Martha Sarah Dennis Turner "Mattie". She was the first child of John Dennis (Violet's grandfather) and Julia Spirlock, born on January 3, 1863. She was therefore Great Grandmother Vesta's half sister. She was visiting her two daughters; Madge and Nancy.

Our Great Great Aunt Martha (Mattie) was Hot Springs, South Dakota's First Bride. Cousin Diane sent the following clipping from he Hot Spring's newspaper celebrating her 96th birthday.
(Click to enlarge and read). This clipping tells the story of our Great Great Grandfather Dennis and the family as they moved throughout the west, finally settling in Cascade, South Dakota. It is a fascinating read.




In this photo (taken in the late 1940's) you have Walter Pierce (Violet's brother), Grandmother Violet and the Josslyn family. Diane remembers running to Vesta (her grandmother) yelling that a strange lady with a suitcase was walking up the drive (a taxi was pulling away) - Vesta dropped what she was doing and ran out to meet her daughter. This was taken in Pomona, CA.


This is a photo of Great Grandmother Vesta with her husband 2nd husband Henry Deaver, taken on their wedding day.


Thanks Diane!


Simply,
Victor

Our Cousin, Samuel Sewall. Magistrate of the Salem Witch Trials

Samuel Sewall

Hello All,
It’s getting late and time to post my evening’s research. Tonight we are privileged to meet Samuel Sewall, our 1st cousin, 12 times removed. He is known for his extensive diary detailing the live of his Puritan family. He attended Harvard University. He was an assistant magistrate in the Salem Witch Trials. In fact, he was the only magistrate that publicly regretted his role. Later in his life he became the Chief Justice of Massachusetts. Also remember from a previous post our 9th great grandparents from another line were accused of being a witch during that trial. So, our great grandparents were judged by our 12th cousin. Isn't it interesting the way our family lines twist and turn and, at times, intercept.

There is much more below in this person’s interesting life.

We begin with the Relationship Chart:

Henry Sewell and Margaret Grazebrook are my 12th Great Grandparents. The chart above takes us to my 7th Great Grandparents John and Harmon and Mary Hasty. From them the family line goes as follows:

to
Martha Harmon b. 1740 and William Williams B. 1740 Prince George Maryland.
to
Nancy Ann Williams and William Cantwell
to
Martha Cantwell and Jacob George
to
Frances George and Henry Fiddler
to
Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler Edwin Sherman Pierce
to
Walter Edwin Pierce and Vesta Althea Dennis
to
Violet Mae Pierce and Walter Albert Mattson
to
Luella Mae Mattson and Charles Ray Williamson
to
US

The information below is taken from Wikipedia on the life of this famous cousin.

Simply,
Victor

The Life of Chief Judge Samuel Sewall.

Sewall was born in Bishopstoke, Hampshire England, on March 28, 1652, the son of Henry and Jane Sewall (née Dummer), and grandson of Henry Sewall, the mayor of Coventry, England. He emigrated with his parents from England to the Massachusetts colony in 1661 where they settled in Newbury, Massachusetts. It is there the young Samuel grew up along the Parker River and Plum Island Sound. Like other local boys he attended school at the James Noyes House, receiving his primary education from the Reverend James Noyes. A devout Puritan, he later moved Boston to attended Harvard University, (graduating in 1671), hoping to study for the ministry, but he eventually left to pursue a career in business. He also entered local politics, and was elevated to the position of assistant magistrate in the judiciary that in 1692 judged the people in Salem accused of witchcraft. Sewall was perhaps most remarkable among the magistrates involved in the trials in that he was the only magistrate who, some years later, publicly regretted his role, going so far as to call for a public day of prayer, fasting, and reparations. In Salem, Sewall's brother Stephen had opened up his home to one of the initially afflicted children, Betty Parris, daughter of Salem Village's Reverend Samuel Parris, and shortly afterward Betty's 'afflictions' appear to have subsided.

Apart from his involvement in the trials, Sewall could be very liberal in his views. In The Selling of Joseph (1700), for instance, he came out strongly against slavery, making him one of the earliest colonial abolitionists. There he argued:

"Liberty is in real value next unto Life: None ought to part with it themselves, or deprive others of it, but upon the most mature Consideration."

He regarded "man-stealing as an atrocious crime which would introduce amongst the English settlers people who would remain forever restive and alien," but he also believed that

"There is such a disparity in their Conditions, Colour, Hair, that they can never embody with us, and grow up into orderly Families, to the Peopling of the Land."

Although holding such segregationist views, he maintained that:

"These Ethiopians, as black as they are; seeing they are the Sons and Daughters of the First Adam, the Brethren and Sisters of the Last ADAM, and the Offspring of God; They ought to be treated with a Respect agreeable."

His 1725 essay "Talitha Cumi" refers to the "right of women." It is republished for the first time since 1725 in the appendix to the most recent biography of Sewall .

His Journal, kept from 1673 to 1729, describes his life as a Puritan against the changing tide of colonial life, as the devoutly religious community of Massachusetts gradually adopted more secular attitudes and emerged as a liberal, cosmopolitan-minded community. As such, the diary is an important work for understanding the transformation of the colony in the days leading to the American Revolution.

In 1717, Sewall was appointed chief justice of Massachusetts.

Our 11th Great Aunt, Tried for Witchcraft.

Mary Bliss Parsons

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Tonight we meet our 11th Great Aunt Mary Bliss Parsons, daughter of our 11th Great Grandfather and his second wife Margaret Hulins. We are descended from this same Thomas and his first wife Dorothy through another daughter with the same name "Mary Martha" who married Nathanial Harmon.

Our Great Aunt had an interesting life, to say the least. Yet once again we have a relative accused of witchcraft, providing another fascinating chapter in America's early history. We begin with the Relationship Chart:

Relationship Chart


Thomas Bliss b. abt. 1590 England married Dorothy Wheatley and 2nd wife Margaret Hulins
to

Mary Martha Bliss married Nathanial Harmon (1/2 sister Mary Bliss Parsons, daughter of 2nd wife Margaret)

to

John Harmon Sr. married Sarah Roberts
to
Sarmal Harmon married Mercy Simpson
to
John Harmon b. 1716 d. 1742 and Mary Hasty b. 1721 d. 1753
to
Martha Harmon b. 1740 and William Williams B. 1740 Prince George Maryland.
to
Nancy Ann Williams and William Cantwell
to
Martha Cantwell and Jacob George
to
Frances George and Henry Fiddler
to
Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler Edwin Sherman Pierce
to
Walter Edwin Pierce and Vesta Althea Dennis
to
Violet Mae Pierce and Walter Albert Mattson
to
Luella Mae Mattson and Charles Ray Williamson
to
US

Mary Bliss Parsons with Daughter

The Mary (Bliss) Parsons Story

ary Parsons is perhaps the most infamous resident of Northampton's early settlement period. She was involved in witchcraft-related trials in 1656 and 1674, and possibly again in 1679. Her story is a fascinating one that sheds light on the workings of the Puritan mind and the complicated social and cultural situation of the period.

The Parsonses were one of the first families of Northampton; Historic Northampton's buildings are located on what was once Parsons family land, where Mary and her husband, Cornet Joseph Parsons, started their family in the newly settled town. The Parsonses moved to Northampton in 1654, where the were very successful. Cornet Joseph Parsons earned his title as a color-bearer in the Hampshire Troop of Horses, and held various positions of merit in the town. In his early career, he earned money and distinction working as a merchant and fur trader for the Pynchon family, and eventually kept the first house of entertainment in Northampton; the Parsonses would eventually become the wealthiest family in Northampton. Their wealth can also be measured in terms of their family size: Mary and Joseph had a total of eleven children, most of whom lived to adulthood.

But soon after the Parsonses moved to Northampton, rumors of witchcraft began to circulate, implying that the family's success came at the expense of other families, and was the result of Mary's dealings with the devil. To head off the allegations, Joseph Parsons initiated a slander case in 1656, which he won. But eighteen years later, Mary was officially accused of and tried for witchcraft in 1674. She was eventually acquitted, but it seemed that the residents of Northampton, despite any court decrees, were convinced that Mary was a witch. Mary may have been the subject of another witchcraft inquiry in 1679; however, no records remain to prove this theory. Joseph and Mary Parsons left Northampton in 1679 or 1680, amid lingering questions and gossip.

The story of Mary's trial in Northampton serves to show how the law courts worked in such complicated cases, and establishes a pattern that can be seen in witchcraft trials across New England, eventually culminating in the Salem Witch Hysteria in 1692.

For more information on our Great Aunt and detailed information on her trials please refer to the following web site:

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sam/bliss/mary.html

Simply,

Victor

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
to
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
to
Margaret Pigott and Sir James Metcalfe
to
Margaret Metcalf and William Hilton
to
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
to
Martha Cantwell and Jacob George
to
Frances George and Henry Fiddler
to
Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler Edwin Sherman Pierce
to
Walter Edwin Pierce and Vesta Althea Dennis
to
Violet Mae Pierce and Walter Albert Mattson
to
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.

Oh What a Tangled Web. Our 16th Great Uncles, the Princes in the Tower

The Princes in the Tower

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
The title of this post is correct. Our family lines form an intricate, dark and tangled web around our newly discovered Great Grandfather Edward IV of England. I shall try to make this brief and to the point so you can understand.

Edward IV, as we learned in the last post (see the Relationship Chart in January 19th's Post) was our 15th Great Grandfather through his daughter Elizabeth, by his mistress Elizabeth Lucy or Waite.

Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England. 16th Great Aunt.

We also know that Edward's wife, Elizabeth Woodville, was our 16th Great Aunt along a different family line.

OK, now that we have that figured out, let me introduce you to Henry Stafford the 2nd Duke of Buckingham (4 September 1455 – 2 November 1483) was Anne Stafford’s father and our 16th Great Grandfather. When he was young he was the ward of Queen Elizabeth Woodville, Consort of Edward IV of England. In May 1465 he married the Queen’s sister Catherine. He spent much of his life plotting to take the throne of England.

When Edward IV died, his son Edward V took the throne. He was 13 at the time. Edward was born in 1470 and died in 1483? His brother was Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (1473 - 1483?). They were the only sons of Edward IV.

In May of 1483 Edward and his brother Richard, arrived in London for his coronation. They lived in the Tower of London, then a royal residence. Richard at that point was with his mother Elizabeth Woodville, our 16th Great Aunt, in sanctuary, but joined his brother in the Tower in June. Both princes were declared illegitimate by an Act of Parliament of 1483 known as Titulus Regius, and their uncle Richard Duke of Gloucester was crowned as Richard III. There are reports of the two princes being seen playing in the Tower grounds shortly after Richard joined his brother, but there are no recorded sightings of either of them after the summer of 1483. Their fate remains disputed, and many historians presume that they either died or were killed in the Tower. There is no record of a funeral.

The Murder of the two Princes, our Great Uncles.

In 1674, the skeletons of two children were discovered under the staircase leading to the chapel, during the course of renovations to the White Tower. At that time, these were believed to have been the remains of the two princes. On the orders of Charles II the remains were reburied in Westminster Abbey. In 1933, the grave was opened to see if modern science could cast any light on the issues, but precise identification of the age and gender was not then possible.

So, our two 16th Great Uncles were most likely murdered while living in the Tower of London.
And now it gets interesting. It is rumored that the two princes were murdered by our 16th Great Grandfather Henry Stafford (a Great Grandfather along a different family line).

Yes, it sets your mind spinning doesn't it?

Henry Stafford, Our 16 Great Grandfather

So to sum up, our two 16th great uncles, children of our 15th Great Grandfather Edward IV of England were murdered as children by our 16th Great Grandfather, Henry Stafford in the Tower of London in 1483.

Got it? Whew.......

Simply,

Victor

Perhaps this short video might help.

Our 15th Great Grandfather, Edward IV King of England.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
A week or so ago I posted the news about an error on our family line to the Stewarts of Scotland found on the LDS Genelogy site. I've since corrected the error and started investigating our new, accurate family lines and found a direct line to Edward IV of England. This is the relationship chart:

Edward's Royal Crest

15th Great Grandfather Edward IV King of England and Mistress Elizabeth Lucy or Waite
to
Elizabeth Plantagent married Sir Thomas Lumley
to
Sybill, Baroness Hilton Lumley married Sir William Hilton
to
William Hilton married Margaret Metcalf
to
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 married William Cantwell
to
Martha Cantwell married Jacob George
to
Frances George married Henry Fiddler
to
Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler married Edwin Sherman Pierce
to
Walter Edwin Pierce married Vesta Althea Dennis
to
Violet Mae Pierce married Walter Albert Mattson
to
Luella Mae Mattson married Charles Ray Williamson
to
Kim, Victor, Kevin, Janice, Jon, Jilane, Lisa, Anette


The Life of our Great Grandfather Edward IV

We begin with a description of Edward IV by Thomas More:

He was a goodly personage and very princely to behold; of heart courageous, politic in counsel, in adversity nothing abashed, in prosperity rather joyful than proud, in peace just and merciful, in war sharp and fierce, in the field bold and hardy, and nevertheless no further than wisdom would, adventurous.

More goes on to add ' He was of visage lovely; of body mighty, strong and clean made; howbeit in his latter days, with over liberal diet, somewhat corpulent and burly but nevertheless noy uncomely. He was in youth greatly given to fleshy wantoness, from which health of body in great prosperity and fortune, without a special grace, hardly refrains.'

The extrovert Edward was popular with the people, especially the Londoners and the ladies. Inclined to be lazy and easy going, he could act with alacrity when necessary and was highly efficient, although possessed of the ruthless streak that was inherent in the House of York.

Facts on Edward IV

Born: 28-Apr-1442
Birthplace: Rouen, France
Died: 9-Apr-1483
Cause of death: unspecified
Remains: Buried, Windsor Castle

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Royalty

Nationality: England
Executive summary: King of England, 1461-83

Edward IV, King of England, son of Richard, Duke of York, by Cicely Neville, was born at Rouen on the 28th of April 1442. As a boy he was styled Earl of March, and spent most of his time at Ludlow. After the Yorkist failure at Ludlow field in October 1459, Edward fled with the earls of Salisbury and Warwick, his uncle and cousin, to Calais. From there in the following July he accompanied them in their successful invasion of England, to be welcomed in London, and to share in the victory over the Lancastrians at Northampton. After the acceptance of Richard of York as heir to the crown, Edward returned to the Welsh marches, where early in the new year he heard of his father's defeat and death at Wakefield. Hastily gathering an army he defeated the earls of Pembroke and Wiltshire at Mortimer's Cross on the 2nd of February 1461, and then marched on London. He was acclaimed by the citizens in an assembly at Clerkenwell, declared king by a Yorkist council, and took possession of the regality on the 4th of March. Soon after the new king and the Earl of Warwick went north, and on the 28th of March won a decisive victory at Towton.

Edward owed his throne to his kinsmen the Nevilles, and he was content for the time to be guided by them. For himself he was young and fond of pleasure. Still he made frequent progresses, and took some part in the fighting that went on in the north during 1462-63. But he was absent from the final victory at Hexham on the 14th of May 1464, and was at the very time engaged in contracting a secret marriage with Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Woodville, Lord Rivers, and widow of Sir John Grey of Groby (d. 1461). The marriage was disclosed at Michaelmas, much to the vexation of Warwick, who in pursuit of his foreign policy had projected a match with a French princess. Edward heaped favors on his new relatives; his father-in-law was made treasurer, and great marriages were found for his wife's sisters and brothers. In foreign affairs also Edward thwarted Warwick's plans by favoring an alliance with Burgundy rather than France. There was, however, no open breach until 1469, when Warwick, taking advantage of the unpopularity of the Woodvilles, and supported by the king's next brother George, Duke of Clarence, appeared in arms. Edward was surprised and made prisoner at Middleham, and Rivers was beheaded. For six months Edward had to submit to Warwick's tutelage; then on the occasion of a rising in Lincolnshire he gathered an army of his own. Sir Robert Welles, the leader of this rebellion, made a confession implicating Warwick, who fled with Clarence to France. The king thought himself secure, but when Warwick and Clarence made terms with the Lancastrian exiles, Edward in his turn had to seek refuge in Holland (September 1470). His brother-in-law, Charles of Burgundy, at first refused him any assistance, but at last furnished him with money, and on the 14th of March 1471 Edward and his brother Richard landed with a small force at Ravenspur near Hull. Marching south he was welcomed at London on the 11th of April, defeated Warwick at Barnet three days later, and the Lancastrians at Tewkesbury on the 4th of May. From that point forward, Edward's possession of the crown was secure. His position was strengthened by the birth of a son (2nd of November 1470, during his exile), and by the wealth which he acquired through the confiscation of the estates of his opponents. Clarence had made his peace with Edward, but was at enmity with his other brother Richard of Gloucester, who now married Warwick's second daughter and claimed a share in the Neville inheritance. Their rivalry and Clarence's continued intrigues furnished Edward with his chief domestic difficulty; the trouble was ended by the judicial murder of Clarence in 1478.

The only serious enterprise of these latter years was the short French war of 1475, from which Edward was bought out by the treaty of Pecquigny. As foreign policy it was inglorious, and involved a departure from Edward's earlier plan of a Burgundian alliance. However, it shows a certain recognition of England's need to concentrate her energies on her own development. The annual subsidy which Louis XI agreed to pay further served Edward's purposes by providing him with money for home government, and enabled him to avoid possible trouble through the necessity for too frequent parliaments and heavy taxation. So Edward's personal rule became in its character autocratic; but it was in the art of courting popularity and concealing despotism that he most shows himself as a type of tyranny. He lacked neither ambition nor capacity, but was indolent and only exerted himself spasmodically. He could be ruthless, but was not habitually cruel. His strongest weapons were the fine presence, the affable manners (even with citizens), and the love of pleasure and entertainments which secured his personal popularity. In his last years he was given to self-indulgence and scandalous excesses, which did not, however, alienate the London citizens, with whose wives he was too familiar. Most of the power at court was in the hands of the Woodvilles, in spite of their unpopularity; the more arduous work of administration in the north was left to Richard of Gloucester. If as a prince of the Renaissance Edward was the first to rule tyrannically in England, he also deserves credit as a patron of the new culture and friend of William Caxton; he further resembles his Italian contemporaries in the commercial purposes to which he applied his wealth in partnership with London merchants.

Edward died at Westminster on the 9th of April 1483, and was buried at Windsor. By Elizabeth Woodville, who died on the 8th of June 1492, he had two sons, King Edward V and Richard of York, who were murdered in the Tower of London; and five daughters, of whom the eldest, Elizabeth, married King Henry VII. Of his numerous mistresses the most notorious was Jane Shore. Before his marriage he had been contracted to Lady Eleanor Butler, and this was alleged by King Richard III to have made his children by Elizabeth Woodville illegitimate.

Father: Richard, Duke of York (d. 1460)
Mother: Cecily Neville
Wife: Lady Eleanor Talbot (d. 1468)
Wife: Elizabeth Woodville
Son: Edward de Wigmore (d. 1468, by Eleanor)
Daughter: Elizabeth of York (b. 11-Feb-1466, d. 11-Feb-1503, by Elizabeth)
Daughter: Mary of York (b. Aug-1467, d. 23-May-1482, by Elizabeth)
Daughter: Cecily of York (b. 20-Mar-1469, d. 24-Aug-1507, by Elizabeth)
Son: King Edward V (4-Nov-1470, d. c. 1483, by Elizabeth)
Daughter: Margaret of York (b. 10-Apr-1472, d. 11-Dec-1472, by Elizabeth)
Son: Richard, Duke of York (b. 17-Aug-1473, d. c. 1483, by Elizabeth)
Daughter: Anne of York (b. 2-Nov-1475, d. 23-Nov-1511, by Elizabeth)
Son: George, Duke of Bedford (b. Mar-1477, d. Mar-1479, by Elizabeth)
Daughter: Catherine of York (b. 14-Aug-1479, d. 15-Nov-1527, by Elizabeth)
Daughter: Bridget of York (b. 10-Nov-1480, d. 1517, by Elizabeth)
Daughter: Elizabeth Plantagenet. (b. c. 1464, by Elizabeth Lucy)
Son: Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle (d. 3-Mar-1542, by Elizabeth Lucy)
Daughter: Grace Plantagenet
Daughter: Mary Plantagenet
Mistress: Elizabeth Lucy