There are so many tools available to help with finding your roots today.  One that is gaining popularity is Ancestry's DNA test.  It started slow but has gained so much steam.  Almost every day we find new family members.  Is today the day that you find out you have a new niece?  Happened not long ago. 

Start today to find your history, you will never find the end of your family.  A simple $59.00 test and it could open a huge world to you.

Male Models

As we get older we tend to think more about those that shaped our lives.  From male models, oops, male role models, mentors, good friends that just brought us along for the ride, to those that stayed by us even through the bad stuff.

I was blessed to have many to look up to.  In past posts I even identified those that I considered hero's in the family.  So take the time to consider those that gave you faith like my Uncle Henry Whetsel, or showed you how to survive outside like my first scoutmaster Jack Fourie, or that guy that took you under his wing like the great avionics supervisor Parke Anderson, or even the life long friend that carried you all over the world like Vernie Rose.  All along the way their was someone lending a hand and lifting you up. Hopefully you have had as many in your life.

There is always one that just stands out, not just in your eyes but, one that has a country in his debt. This guy was a leader, trainer, a guy that lifted you up to be a better person.  I can not imagine how many mechanics on the United Airlines 747 line owe their training to Ben Reed.  He had very high standards and passed that on to all of us.  Benjamin Franklin Reed IV devoted his life to his country. He started in high school in ROTC and never stopped.  All the way through the ranks in the Air Force up until he passed away working at the Travis Air Force Base Museum as a volunteer.  Ben was my Father-in-law, my dad, my best man, and my friend, we will miss him.  We put a few pictures together to honor his life.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/g9s02cik7u0bs6m/Benjamin%20Franklin%20Reed%20IV.wmv?dl=0

The Smartest Smart Phone Tool For Travelers

One of the most challenging things to do is find a grave.  The first time I went looking for an ancestor (my sister and  I were stopping at every grave yard in Maine that we passed) I realized there is no way to find a grave.  After you find out your ancestor is buried there, you walk thru the gates and see 1,000 grave markers.  Some very hard to read.  Double check www.findagrave.com, yes you are in the correct cemetery but how do you find the actual spot?  Findagrave may tell you the grave site location but where is the map that shows you what aisle or row?  The best resource is www.billiongraves.com.  They have thousands of volunteers taking pictures of grave markers with their smartphones.  The GPS data is attached to the photo when it is uploaded to billiongraves.  Sooooo...?  You can search for a grave marker by name.  If a picture has been taken it will show you the picture.  Now the good part.  It will show you on a map where the marker is and even better it will show you where you are in the cemetery.  As you walk toward the marker it will show you are getting closer.

10K Giveaway

This is the place to find the 10K Giveaway.

http://www.stoneandsonsworkshop.net/10kgiveaway.html

http://www.stoneandsonsworkshop.net/blog

Good Luck

The "Tradition" of Mary Dyer & Lady Arabella Stuart

The "Tradition" of Mary Dyer & Lady Arabella Stuart

There is no proof to this legend.  It is still fun to think you are related to royalty.

Mary was supposedly the daughter of Lady Arabella Stuart, first cousin of King James, by her 3rd cousin, William Seymour. When Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, she left no heirs and the crown shifted to other descendants of Henry VII. James I was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, a great granddaughter of Henry VII. King James felt threatened by the equal eligibility of his cousin Arabella, daughter of Elizabeth Cavendish and Charles Stuart, James' uncle. (Charles was also a great grandson of Henry VII.)

Arabella had no desire to be Queen, but aggressive political suitors from England and France hoped that, by marrying her, they would capture the throne and restore Catholicism to England. King James, made rather anxious by this prospect, prohitited his cousin from marrying anyone. But Arabella fell in love with Sir William Seymour, also a descendant of Henry VII and they were secretly wed in 1610. Within a year, they had a daughter [unsubstantiated], which disturbed King James further, as this marriage doubled Arabella's qualifications to the throne. He order Arabella sent to Highgate and William Seymour imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Arabella tried to flee Highgate, dressed as a man, but although she escaped from prison she was recaptured on board a ship headed to Calais and sent to the Tower of London where she spent the remaining four years of her life. William Seymour escaped to France and when he eventually returned to England after the death of King James, he became tutor to the eleven-year-old Prince of Wales, the future King Charles II.

The infant daughter was left in the care of Arabella's lady-in-waiting, Mistress Mary Dyer, who gave her own name to her adopted child and brought her up quietly and reclusively in the country. King James sent out scouts searching for the child, but was denied information by anyone who was questioned. When Mary was twenty-two years old, she married her foster mother's first cousin William Dye

LADY ARABELLA STUART As a descendant of Henry VIII's older sister Margaret, Queen of Scotland (from her second marriage), Arabella was a claimant to the throne. In the reign of James I, she was imprisoned in the Tower for marriage to William Seymour (who also had a claim to the throne through the Suffolk line) without the monarch's consent. She died in the Tower and was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey near her Stuart relations.

Arbella's father died in 1576 when she was still an infant. She was raised by her mother Elizabeth Cavendish until 1581. The death of her mother left six-year-old Arbella an orphan, whereupon she became the ward of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley.

During most of her childhood she lived in the protective isolation of Hardwick Hallwith her maternal grandmother, the redoubtable Bess of Hardwick, who had been married in 1568 to George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury. There were, apparently, periodic visits to the court of Elizabeth I of England and to London, including one that lasted for a few years, from September 1589 to July 1592. Historian David Durant has suggested that, during this period, "In effect Bess was moving the operational centre of her business empire from Derbyshire to London".^[2]

An extant note in French, written to Lord Burghley in Arbella's Italic hand and addressed on the eve of the Spanish Armada battles, was dated 13 July 1588 and "postmarked" from the Talbots' Coleman Street Residence in London. It is certain proof of the London visits.^[3]

About 1589, one "Morley" became Arbella's "attendant" and "reader," as reported in a dispatch from Bess of Hardwick to Lord Burghley, dated 21 September 1592.^[4]Bess recounts "Morley's" service to Arbella over "the space of three years and a half." She also notes he requested a lifetime stipend from Arbella based on the fact he had "been much damnified by leaving the University"; this has led to speculation that 'Morley' was the poet Christopher Marlowe.^[5]

Heiress to the English throne

For some time before 1592, Arbella was considered one of the natural candidates for succession to the English crown, after her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I (Marshall, 601). However, between the end of 1592 and the spring of 1593, the influential Cecils, Elizabeth's Secretaries of State Lord Burghley and his son Sir Robert Cecil) turned their attention away from Arbella towards James VI of Scotland, regarding him as a preferable successor.^[6] Burghley wrote "If my hand were free from pain I would not commit this much to any other man's hand".^{[citation needed]}

In 1603, after James's ascension to the English throne, there was a plot (in which SirWalter Raleigh was alleged to being involved) to overthrow him and put Arbella on the throne; but when she was invited to participate by agreeing in writing to Philip III of Spain, she reported the plan to James.^{[citation needed]}

Owing to Arbella's status as a possible heir to the throne, there was discussion of an appropriate marriage for her throughout her childhood. It would have suited theRoman Catholic Church for her to marry a member of the House of Savoy and then take the English throne. A marriage was also mooted with Ranuccio, eldest son ofAlexander Farnese, Duke of Parma and Maria of Portugal. According to theCuriosities of Literature by Isaac D'Israeli, this scheme originated with the Pope, who eventually settled on his own brother, a cardinal, as a suitable husband for Arbella; the Pope defrocked his brother, freeing him to marry "Arbelle" (as the Italians spelled her name) and thus claim the Kingdom of England. Nothing came of this plan, and in fact there is no direct evidence that Arbella was either a believing Catholic or aProtestant.

In the closing months of Elizabeth's reign, Arbella fell into trouble via reports that she intended to marry Edward Seymour, a member of the prominent Seymour family.[citation needed] This was reported to the Queen by the supposed groom's grandfather, Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford. Arbella denied having any intention of marrying without the Queen's permission, which she would have required for any marriage to be legal.

In 1588, it was proposed to James VI of Scotland that Esmé Stuart, 2nd Duke of Lennox should be married to Arbella, but nothing seems to have come of this suggestion.[7] In 1604, Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland sent an ambassador to England to ask for Arbella to be his queen. This offer was rejected.[citation needed]

There are some indications that Arbella tried to elope in about 1604 and that she fell out of favour with King James I as a result; she was certainly out of sight until 1608, when she was restored to the King's good graces.[citation needed]

Marriage to William Seymour

William Seymour The 2nd Duke of Somerset.

In 1610, Arbella, who was fourth in line to the English throne, was in trouble again for planning to marry William Seymour, sixth in line, grandson of Lady Catherine Grey, a younger sister of Lady Jane Grey and a granddaughter of Mary Tudor, younger sister of King Henry VIII and Arbella's ancestress, Margaret Tudor. Although the couple at first denied that any arrangement existed between them, they later married in secret on 22 June 1610 at Greenwich Palace. For marrying without his permission, King James imprisoned them: Arbella in Sir Thomas Perry's house in Lambeth and Seymour in the Tower of London. The couple had some liberty within those buildings, and some of Arbella's letters to Seymour and to the King during this period survive. When the King learned of her letters to Seymour, however, he ordered Arbella's transfer to the custody of William James, Bishop of Durham. Arbella claimed to be ill, so her departure for Durham was delayed.

The couple used that delay to plan their escape. Arbella dressed as a man and escaped to Lee (in Kent), but Seymour did not meet her there before their getaway ship was to sail for France. Sara Jayne Steen records that Imogen, the virtuous, cross-dressed heroine of William Shakespeare's play Cymbeline (1610-1611) has sometimes been read as a reference to Arbella.[8] Seymour did escape from the Tower, but by the time he reached Lee, Arbella was gone, so he caught the next ship to Flanders. Arbella's ship was overtaken by King James's men just before it reached Calais, France, and she was returned to England and imprisoned in the Tower of London. She never saw her husband again and died in the Tower in 1615.

William and Mary's marriage had been prohibited by James I, Arabella's cousin, as they were cousins. When James learned of their June 22, 1610 marriage, both were imprisoned. Arabella managed a clever escape for them both but she was caught and later died in the Tower of London. Even James suspected them of having a child. They were definitely together long enough. Arabella was confined for a time at her uncle's estate, long enough to have given birth, and during that period she refused to travel on the basis of her "frail health." Many family members and supporter's wished to see her or her heir take the throne, although she herself did not wish to, and would have been able to provide her with the means to protect such a child. Three years after Arabella's death James had the matter investigated. Far from settling the matter, his "final report" added fuel to the rumors. He declared that "If such a child existed, it was of no threat to him" period. He should have been able to find out, and it would have been to his advantage to declare that no child existed. Given her age (born about 1612), the high level of education Mary Dyer obviously had; her closeness to Ann Marbury Hutchinson (a member of the royal court and relative of Arabella who would have been in her 20's when Mary was born), the mystery of such a woman having appeared, seemingly from nowhere at age 22, the day she married William Dyer (from a family with close ties to the families of Ann Marbury and William Hutchinson) is just too much to be coincidence. In one of her letters to William she mentions "Rachel weeping for her lost child" as if it were a code that they both understood. Add to this, Arabella's closest confidant, her aunt Mary, became estranged from her during her last year in the Tower over an unmentioned matter about their respective religions. Mary was a Catholic and Arabella was a Protestant, but from what we do know, the matter was not about either Arabella's choice of faith, or her tolerance for her aunts. Was it possibly over Arabella's desires for the upbringing of her daughter? We do know that shortly after the death of king James would have reached them (and after the death Ann Hutchinson and her family) Mary Dyer left New England for London. Leaving a new born child, in addition to her other children, she sailed alone to England in the dead of winter, not the prefered time to travel. She remain there for some time, during which she became familiar with George Fox, later becoming a Quaker. Her husband visited her there, and no credable reports of marital difficulties between them have surfaced. She returned home after Cromwell took the power of the throne for himself. After this time she throws herself into her support for the Quakers, ending in her death. Contradicting this myth is the research by and others which demonstrate the unlikehood of Mary Barrett being the daughter of Lady Arabella. For example, see The "Tradition" of Mary Dyer & Lady Arabella Stuart  

William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset KG (1588 – October 24, 1660) was an English nobleman and Royalist commander in the English Civil War.

Seymour was the grandson of Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford and Catherine Grey, which thus gave him a distant claim to the throne through the latter's descent from Mary Tudor, younger sister of Henry VIII. His parents were Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp of Hache, and Honora Rogers. William was the great-grandson of the first Duke of Somerset.

He married, firstly, Arbella Stuart, daughter of Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox andElizabeth Cavendish, on 22 June 1610, in a secret marriage. Arbella was thirteen years his senior, and the marriage was disapproved of by King James I of England - the marriage of two potential pretenders to the throne, who were fourth and sixth in line to the English throne, could only be seen as a threat to the ruling dynasty. As a result, William was condemned to life imprisonment in the Tower of London (thus becoming the fourth of five generations of Seymours to spend time in the Tower). In June of 1611, he escaped from the Tower, and planned to meet up with Arbella and flee to the Continent; bad weather and other circumstances prevented their meeting, and Arbella was recaptured and herself placed in the Tower, while William managed to reach safety abroad. Arbella died in 1615, without their ever being reunited.

Seymour married, secondly, Lady Frances Devereux, daughter of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex and Frances Walsingham, daughter of Francis Walsingham, on 3 March 1616 at Drayton Bassett, and had seven children:

• William Seymour (1621–16 June 1642)
• Robert Seymour (1622–1646)
• Henry Seymour, Lord Beauchamp (1626–30 March 1654), married Mary Capell and had issue.
• Lady Mary Seymour (1637–10 April 1673), married Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea and had issue.
• Jane Seymour (1637–23 November 1679), married Charles Boyle, 3rd Viscount Dungarvan and had issue. Ancestors of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
• Frances Seymour (1642–?)
• John Seymour, 4th Duke of Somerset (1646–29 April 1675) married Sarah Alston in 1656. No issue.

Seymour, who succeeded his grandfather as Earl of Hertford in 1621, became a prominent member of the opposition to King Charles I in the House of Lords, supporting the Petition of Right of 1628, and co-signing the letter of the 12 Peers of 1640, along with his brother-in-law the Earl of Essex.

However, Hertford parted company with the more radical opponents of the King in the Long Parliament in 1641, and was created Marquess of Hertford by the King. In the Civil War, Hertford, along with such figures as Sir Edward Hyde, was a moderate royalist, and throughout sought a compromise settlement, continuing unofficial negotiations with his brother-in-law Essex, who became the Parliamentary commander, throughout the war. He was nevertheless a trusted supporter of the King, who made him guardian of his son the Prince of Wales, and who undertook several important military commands in royalist service over the course of the war, commanding troops from South Wales.

After the end of the First Civil War and the King's imprisonment, Hertford was the most prominent nobleman to remain alongside the king throughout his captivity, and was with him up until his execution in 1649. During the Interregnum, Hertford largely kept himself away from both politics and royalist conspiracies, believing that the monarchy would be restored given time, and that conspiracies would only delay the restoration.

When the Restoration came in 1660, Hertford was restored to all his former positions, and his services in the Royalist cause were further recognised by Charles II who restored Hertford to his great-grandfather's dukedom of Somerset which had been forfeited in 1552. He died at Essex House, London and was buried on 1 November 1660 at Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire. He was succeeded by his grandsonWilliam Seymour.

Shared by Robert Holmes on www.ancestry.com and attached to William Dyre  William Dyre is the 9th (possibly the 8th) great grandfather of Harold Melvin Wotton (1911-1994)

This looks like the place to be. If you are going to visit the coast of Maine the trip would not be complete without stopping at Watchtide By The Sea.  A unique bed and breakfast with a huge dose of American history.

 Watchtide . . . by the Sea! invites you to experience the unhurried lifestyle along the midcoast of Maine.  This historic bed and breakfast inn on three-plus landscaped acres offers some of the finest accommodations on the Maine coast -- five comfortable rooms with private baths, tasteful period furnishings and accessories, and the sense of history that only a 200-year-old home can convey. 

          Each morning you'll awaken to a superb, creative multi-course breakfast served on our 60-foot enclosed sunporch as you watch a spectacular sunrise over the glistening waters of the bay.  Spend your day relaxing on  the sunporch or in our guest lounge, reading in our library, or strolling in our flowering gardens.  Venture out for sightseeing, visiting the many interesting galleries, museums, antique shops, parks and historic sites along the coast road, or sailing on one of  America's most attractive waterways.

          Less than an hour's drive from Rockland, Camden, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park, the inn is located on Coastal Route 1 in Searsport, a seacoast town famous for its clipper ships and sea captains in the mid-1800s and today considered the antiques capitol of Maine.

          In August, 1794, Brigadier General Hanry Knox acquired the original deed to the Watchtide property.  General Knox, one of George Washington's most reliable aides during the American Revolution, was the new nation's first Secretary of War and is acknowledged as the founder of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.  After General Knox sold the property, well-to-do merchants and sea captains resided here until the Pettee family purchased it in 1901 and retained ownership for half a century.  One of the daughters, Frances Pettee, and three roommates from Wellesley College opened a tea house on the site in 1917 which evolved into the College Club Inn, one of the most popular stopping-off places on the Maine coast.  The inn hosted many notables, among them Eleanor Roosevelt who made regular visits with her entourage as she traveled the coastal route to Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada, where the Roosevelt family spent their summers.  In April, 2000, the College Club Inn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places   by the U.S. Department of the Interior.   A framed document certifying this recognition hangs proudly in the main entry hall at Watchtide . . . by the Sea!

          The present owners and innkeepers, Patricia and Frank Kulla, take great pleasure in continuing the tradition of hospitality established at the inn many decades ago.  Today, as in years past, they are welcoming guests to enjoy the warmth and special ambiance of a stay at this unique, historic bed and breakfast inn overlooking beautiful Penobscot Bay.

Solano County Genealogical Society

We had the opportunity to visit the Solano County Genealogical Society library located on the 2nd floor of the Old Town Hall building, 610 E. Main Street Vacaville, California, 95688.  We were given a thorough tour by the President of the society Jerry.

They have some unique (to Solano County) records that are available for your research.  Of interest to our military researchers, a catalog of ship rework information on microfiche.  In addition, they have a good collection of early church records, cemetery records, and local family history.

Check your local area for a Genealogical Society.  While you are there make sure to drop a few coins in the donation bucket to help keep them going. For more information 707-446-6869 and www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cascgsi.