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On my mother's side we're supposed to have a German "von" that was dropped along the way. I have no idea if that's even true, or what it would mean if it was true. Besides, we're Swedish and Danish on that side and nobody can explain where the Germans fit in.
On my father's side there's an Irish castle, still standing, that was built by people with our last name. But it's such a common name on both sides of the pond I can't seem to get excited about any possible connection.
In any case I've got those European royals beat, because I am an American.
It seems kind of cheeky though that when asked to name themselves way back when, people would just say "call me King" if they were servants.
I heard an explanation once that some names like King or Lord or Knight or maybe a saint name (St.Denis or some such) were sometimes the result of the person playing that part in a medieval morality play.
My head was spinning with all the various positions and honorary jobs associated with the Queen and the royal household...
Allegedly, I'm descended from the famous Cromwell family through one of my great-great-grandmothers. (The Cromwells almost became the royal family in the mid-1600s. The Parliament offered Oliver Cromwell the crown, but he refused it.)
The claim is controversial, though. Professional genealogists have been trying for more than 150 years to trace the connection between my American Cromwell family and the famous British Cromwell family. There's about 99% chance that my family was a distant cousin of the famous Oliver Cromwell. Some of the key lynchpin genealogical records are missing that show just how exactly we fit into the Cromwell family tree. For now it's believed that we are descended from Cromwell's uncle, who was also named Oliver and was a Knight of Bath. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Oliver_Cromwell )
Going up my tree on the American side I have Cromwells who settled in Maryland in the 1670s. The existing 400-year-old property records in Baltimore show that my Cromwells were very wealthy and very well-connected. They were not exactly peasants; they apparently had friends in very high places. Almost as soon as they stepped off the boat they were buying thousands of acres of land and building large homes. Their wills also show a lot of valuable personal property. They were living like aristocrats in Maryland by 1700. That's why everyones believes the American Cromwells were connected the famous British Cromwells.
On my mother's side we're supposed to have a German "von" that was dropped along the way. I have no idea if that's even true, or what it would mean if it was true. Besides, we're Swedish and Danish on that side and nobody can explain where the Germans fit in.
On my father's side there's an Irish castle, still standing, that was built by people with our last name. But it's such a common name on both sides of the pond I can't seem to get excited about any possible connection.
In any case I've got those European royals beat, because I am an American.
My son's third great grandfather was the head grounds keeper at Ashford castle in the 1800's. Many of his plantings still stand today from what I've read. He is buried in the grave yard at the castle which has seen better days. It's badly neglected from the photos I've seen. His first wife and their child are also buried there, I have not found where his second wife is buried.
Of course I wonder how he got the job. I have not researched his father yet to see if he worked there too. His son also worked there.
He is a Spencer, so I do wonder if he is related to Princess Diana's line. One of these days I'll get back into doing my tree. Been taking a break.
I think that is a good way to put it: allegedly. I'm not 100% certain of a lot of these connections but sometimes the evidence weighs pretty heavy -- and sometimes there is room for doubt.
My Irish grandma would tell us kids that we were descended from Sir Francis Drake on my grandpa's side (so he must have told her that). She said we must never tell anyone because Drake was a "pirate". I told everyone who would listen -- what kid wouldn't spread the word that he had a pirate ancestor? That was probably the seed that sprouted into an interest in genealogy. The problem, of course, is that Drake was childless. So, the truth is that "our" Drakes were rich cousins of the pirate. A let down -- until you look into them. They were the hoity-toity Drakes, part of the court of Elizabeth I and connected to a half dozen noble lines.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roselvr
He is a Spencer, so I do wonder if he is related to Princess Diana's line. One of these days I'll get back into doing my tree. Been taking a break
That same Drake line spawned the 1st Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, (Gentleman of the King's Bedchamber) the ancestor of Sir Winston Churchill -- on into the Spencers (his son-in-law, 3rd Duke of M) and then, through the Spencers, to Princess Diana and finally the future King William (Cousin Billy). My last "Drake" died in 1887.
The "pirate" was a no-account cousin to that same Drake line, until he sailed around the world and fought off the Spanish Armada. Then he got his place in history and is remembered for his deeds and not his family tree. I think I'd rather like to be connected to him, but we can't choose our ancestors.
Thanks for writing "piqued" instead of "peaked," which is happening way too often these days.
Quote:
On my mother's side we're supposed to have a German "von" that was dropped along the way. I have no idea if that's even true, or what it would mean if it was true. Besides, we're Swedish and Danish on that side and nobody can explain where the Germans fit in.
Fellow (former) von here but on the Austrian side. It's my understanding that von wasn't terribly uncommon in Sweden at one time.
If you start with the Saxon kings, the monarchy has been around for ~1,200 years,
and contained multiple houses. Given that, isn't it actually quite likely that someone
with English ancestry has a royal somewhere in their past (even if too far back to be
verifiable), especially if the ancestors lived in or near London?
If you start with the Saxon kings, the monarchy has been around for ~1,200 years,
and contained multiple houses. Given that, isn't it actually quite likely that someone
with English ancestry has a royal somewhere in their past (even if too far back to be
verifiable), especially if the ancestors lived in or near London?
I think it would be reasonably common in much of Europe but getting back that far is hard unless you tie in with a documented family.
I have heard various times that more than likely everybody is related to Charlemagne. Mainly because he apparently had boatloads of kids. And beyond that adopted people constantly. And there appeared to be no way to discern whether the Charlemagne‘s kid you were looking at was adopted or biological so the assumption was they were all biological. But he can’t rule the country and have 42 million children — at some point, you’re actually gonna have to sign some stuff.
So add to that the fact that if you go back, I think it’s 15 generations, which I’ve actually managed to do on one line, but I don’t believe it because there’s no real source material. If you go back about 15 generations, because each level of grandparents goes up exponentially, you actually have more grandparents than there are people in the world. So you’ve got to have multiple people in your ancestry that you are related to in multiples of ways.
Nope. I am 100% sure I come from long-time peasant stock.
jMe too..Only bit of maybe .I have is that my fathers middle name was Ruiz and his mother lived back to back with another famous Ruiz ..Picasso in Malaga... related ..I dont know and not really sure if I want to be related.. not Royal right enough...
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Solly says — Be nice!
