Posts Tagged New England History

#52 Ancestors – No. 11 – William Hammond

This post is number 11 in the series of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge where a group of us blog about a different ancestor for each week of the year.

My first ancestor to arrive in North America was my 10th great grandfather, William Hammond (1575-1662).  He left Bristol, England aboard the ship “Lyon” in 1631 for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  He made several trips back and forth to England to bring his family to the new world.  His daughter, Elizabeth Hammond arrived a few months before her future husband, Samuel House (Howes), in 1634.

Disclaimer

I have not done a detail research on William Hammond.  My search has been limited to the Pioneers of Massachusetts and/or The New England Historical and Genealogical Register.

I did come across a very interesting blog by Jeanie Roberts on William Hammond’s life history.  Jeanie writes The Family Connection.  Click on William Hammond to read her post on the Hammond family.  Even back in the early 1600’s, people were fleeing bankruptcy, taking a risky chance for a new start.  I need to check with Jeanie to see where we may be related or if there is a DNA match between us.

William died in 1662 at Watertown, Massachusetts.  He and his wife, Elizabeth Paine, outlived most of their children.  I am descended through his daughter Elizabeth Hammond.

Bits of Thread

William Hammond was from Lavenham, Suffolk, England.  Lavenham was part of the wool trade that brought riches to England in the 15th & 16th centuries.  Unfortunately, the linen and wool trade industry collapsed around 1600.  Facing ruin, loss of jobs, many individuals and families to left Old England for “New England” in the early-mid 1600’s.

The manor of Lavenham existed before the Norman Conquest.  The manor was once owned by Aubrey de Vere (the first) in 1086.  Later in history, this de Vere family line became the Earls of Oxford.  Allegedly, de Vere is the origin of the family name “Weir”.  Bill Weir states in his article on the Weir Family name that a descendent of Aubrey de Vere  pledged his allegiance to Scotland in the 1100’s.

I am also descended from a family of Scots-Irish Weir’s on my mother’s side.  Could it be possible that my family tree intertwines in Lavenham? Maybe all these threads can be woven into a tapestry of my lineage.

, , , , , , , , , , ,

1 Comment

Copyright © 2013-2020 · Caroll Budny · Trace Your Genealogy · All Rights Reserved