English roots

Hello from America.  I have been doing a great deal of family research on my English ancestors.  I am finding all the different areas where they had lived before coming to America.  Personally I wish they had stayed in England.  I love your very old architecture, norman churches, stone bridges, and especially your thatched roof houses.  Although I have a new house, I would rather have a thatched roof English cottage.  I also love the way you plant so many flowers around your homes, that is something that I do too.  My families left England in the early 1600's, and prospered in New England.  But we do not seem to have any architectural beauty or love of history.  If we have a lovely old building that is 100 years old, they think it should be torn down.  I am looking forward to chatting with all you Englishmen and women.  Hope to hear from you.

Mary Jo

When my ancestors came to America they all seemed to become wheelers & dealers. One was a founder of Portsmouth, R.I.; one was the very first governor of R. I. and said to be the richest man in the state; another founded Westerly, R. I., and another founded Warwick, R.I.  They all became pillars of society.  It has been easy for me to find records of them, since they all are in the New England history books.  But I would still rather have stayed in England.  Thanks for writing.

Mary Jo

Hi Mary Jo:  Welcome to POE.  I hope you love it here. 

You mentioned Westerly.  My ancestor Elder John Crandall named it that because he came from Westerleigh (I forget the shire, near the Cotswold Hills).  When I was searching Westerleigh, England, the first thing I read was a lengthy article about John Crandall.  They even had a photo of the baptismal font he was baptised in.  Your English history is great.

Mary Jo

Interesting Mary Jo; the county you refer to is Gloucestershire and the font dates back to Norman times. It would appear in your family tree from John Crandall, that actresses Lucille Ball, Katherine Hepburn, and Frances, wife of President Cleveland, will be on it too. There appears to be tenuous connections to Sir Francis Drake, but one famous person desendant from him is Buddy Holly, on his mother's side.

Welcome to POE from me too Mary Jo. I hope you enjoy your stay here.

We Brits have a love hate relationship with England. We love our land but hate our weather. He he he