William Best Family of Kent

Hi Harold. As with another POEster this request seems to have dropped down the pile a little, so here's hoping that by bouncing it to the top our brilliant members will be able to help you shortly.

Good luck with your search.

Hi there...you can go to http:// www. geneforum.genealogy.com/best to see this entry and the one after it....I am related in two ways to an Willam Bess...we think could of been an " Best" suranme...he was raised by one Frank Larkins as an step-lineage...his mother's name was Mary Knapp...I use to work with her at an small general local hospital many years ago...though different departments. Bill lateron married married my husband's sister and then they separated..they had one son, as did my hubby and I also. He is an career "Air force" miltary man...he married an school teacher and they have several kids and live somewhere over in England at the moment...his mother Karen Lawson just passed on from many years of having Cancer. Last I heard from Bill Bess sister..he has cancer also and was living with her in Oregon City somewhere. She gave her name as "Catherine"...but not her last name last I talked to her..they were looking for my sister in-law Lorraine at the time...who had just been widowed also. Bill was also an Vietnam Veteran.

Genoforum...has this information to share...posted by an Rebecca Bauer....and I know one that was an friend's daughter...Ann passed away from Cancer some years ago...I 've lost contact with her, but might be the same person. Would be interesting to know.

Information....I am looking for an William Best, a lawyer, who lived in Kent or London in the late 1700's and early 1800's, maybe near Barfestone. He fathered a son, Edward Best in 1818, who was born in Barestone, became an shop keeper in London and married Mary Hicks (note: Hicks I beleive were mentioned as part kind of our William Bess also)...in 1847 before coming to New York and Illinois some years later. Mary Hicks, born Gloucesture, in 1820's was the daughter of Charles Hicks, a laborer. Edward's son, Harry EdwardBest, born in London, boasted of some connnection to Queen Vicotria's royal guard prior to their emigration to America.

As ususal you would have to check this information out...supposedly Bill's father named Best... lives somewhere on the Oregon coast.Bill grew up as Billy Knapp I think..he said he took on the Bess name because Frank never formerly addopted him or some such. There are an lot of divorces in that particular family through the years..I have few pictures of them when they were younger, but do have one....as I tried to put each wife with their husband in pictures of the sisters and brothers.My husband's family are not the "marrying kind "when it comes to in-law's and were themselves raised as kind of orphans after their father died, but by thier mother...kind of off by themselves in ways. Thier father died of Cancer as an result of an on the job accident/injury. He was an lineman for the city's electrical and I guess also "utilty" company....his oldest son thereafter became the city supervisor for them...out of Lebanon, Missouri.  I have not talked personally to Vinney (Vincent Miles Bess) thier son since he was stationed in San Anitonio, Texas. Supposedly he has in-laws that still live there. William Bess, the father after divorcing Karen...remarried and had twin daughters and then separated from that wife later on also...I never met her. Karen remarried also, and her hubby recently passed away back in Lebanon, named "Roy"...had never met him either. With their oldest sister having passed away...it beginning to sound like the family between here and there are separated...I understand little Bill Lawson lives near The Dalles, Oregon, but no one ever see's him apparently...we haven't at any rate. About all I can tell you now...most of us elders in the family are going into retirement now...families left tend to be taking care of thier retired parents.... if they have them left these days. Kent, England will fit into my next series of books I'll be writing this winter..if all goes as planned concerning the European connection to later American soil. Hope this helps you some. Last time I talked to Bill he was still into his "Rabbit" raising business...and understand he gave that up also..after he remarried. As to the Bauer family...they lived near Colton, Oregon and very small rural area town as they were loggers, but they are perhaps best known for building and supporting the heart unit at the Oregon City Hospital. Irvin Bauer, was Becky's father's name...and he died not to long ago from his heart condition.They lived in Estacada when I knew them, but I don' tthink they have the house now...as Ann was worried about losing it way back when with her medical problems. Ann was part "Cherokee" Indian...and at one time she wanted me to go with her Texas to help her get her birth certificate...I don' t know if  she ever went or not and got that done. Before she passed on she left me her mother's family line also...and she was from Williow Springs, Missouri...where her family was running an business there also. her "Spears" line was an Indian Scout in years past...they are now on-line also in pictures.The Becky Bauer I knew of had one daughter named "Constance".She had one sister named Jennifer... that was married and living somewhere in Vancouer, Washington also. Becky was attending St.Mary's College (Academy) on the west side of Portland to earn andegree back in those days. I've not seen them past just after Ann's passing with Colon Cancer. Anyone that knows us knows that our family left Illinois in 1847 for Oregon. My anscetors name is William E. Larkins m. Racheal Reed(Read) Larkins...in Somerset Co, Pa..his legacy is on line also. WE have been surfing through the data tryning to find his legacy for what seems like years on end. I kind of gave it up..and Roslie Pleis I think took ti over...and has it all down accordingly...but since I have no daugthers to pass on an legacy with...I really don't care what she claims any longer...correct or not....we have an very strong "control group" in several lines asit is to deal with....which means they make thier own truth at times I think. I leave it at that..and say I'm related to "God" maybe...and some of them have told me that's who THEY are also. Paul is an nice help...and an good person to indeed contact for help in this. I have kind taken my genealogy into an different area in writing an book series lately. Some of this concerns the Catholic Church's control in years past as well. I'll get into some of it later on. I think they must of known the Lawson's came off the Planegent lineage, so they parked themselves in the same neighborhood of Kentucky...and I think were trying to stop the Masonic Lodge movement in America. So it's very politcal in ways also. 

Telling you whose doing what is no problem.. telling you the truth on someone's genealogy is something else though these days.  We will lose it pretty soon as it's very manipulated these days and looks to have been that way for some time ..at least since the Civil War Era. Bill Knapp Bess is one good looking kid or was, but so was Karen also, it's sad to see them not like they use to be.. when they were healthy and happy....and young in age...an bit "rebels" for their age.

Bill came into the store when I was working for Fred Meyers to by himself an new Western Cowboy hat, he picked up an brown one and an black one, when he saw me...he finally says...which one Shirley?...and I said "Black"..you have made it your own trade-mark I think.  We at least got to see Karen once after she moved back there, and am glad we could do that back then.

We know by 1851, he was already in Ontario and married to a Lydia who was born in Canada.

The Canadian side seems straight forward bar who was John Henry Best who was the Informant of his death?  One of his sons I presume?

Hopefully, he left England after 1841 giving us a chance to find him on the 1841 Census. If he left prior to this, it could take a bit of research for find which William Best he is and the family he is from over here.

Prior to 1837, births etc were recorded by the church--and William was Church of England--- so if we can ascertain which village he came from, the parish records of his birth and baptism will give us a clue to his family. So far, all Canadian records state is Kent, England.