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Our family recently began to research our family’s heritage and have found it both extremely interesting and exciting. Fortunately, for us, both the Gillespie and Price sides of the family have already done extensive research into the family’s lineage, which makes our research so much easier. The work that has been accomplished thus far is no small task and takes many years to compile. For us, at this point, it is a fairly simple task in comparison to what has been accomplished thus far; the tree has been built, our task is to the research our ancestors. With the internet today, that process is much easier than it was 10 - 20 years ago.
There are quite a number of surprises in which we have already begun to run across and most likely we are just scratching the surface. For instance, our Dad grew up in Madison Connecticut and we recently have discovered that he had a number of Grandfathers and Grandmothers who lived, actually settled, that part of the country. Ironically, some of the Inns and Taverns that he and his friends would visit as young adults were established by his Grandfather’s 350 years earlier. In fact, Connecticut was full of Gillespie kin in the first few hundred years that it was settled.
Another great experience has been in learning of the lives of our great, great, great grandparents as they emigrated to the west from points east. Either via the Oregon trail or around Cape Horn via a Californian Clipper ship, it has truly been amazing, almost as if we were there with them.
We also have found that we have a lineage to William Bradford of the Mayflower, which has been a real “neat” thing for Brittany, as she loves the story of the Pilgrims. This is somewhat ironic due to the fact we also know that the founder of Rhode Island, Roger Williams, is a great grandfather from the Price side of the family and he too arrived by ship shortly after the Pilgrims. We’ve also found that our Tracy linage traveled from England on the ship, “The Supply,” the companion ship to the Mayflower. (This ship landed in Virginia 20 days later) And, we have lineage to passengers on the “Speedwell” as well, the sister ship to the Mayflower that had to turn back due to leakage but eventually made the voyage to America.
Two of our more notable ancestors up to this point have been England’s King William and King Henry. King William, known as England’s first king, (also by William the conqueror), is Brittany and Alicia’s 23rd Grandfather and King Henry their 22nd.
We also have direct lineage to the Steven's of Connecticut, the Paxton's of Virginia, Sam Houston of TX, the Tracy family from Virginia Colony, and many more.
Without doubt, our Family Heritage, will be an enjoyable work in progress for many years to come and will serve as a great learning experience for all of us.
Please contact us via e-mail with questions or comments.
Thank you,
The Gillespie's
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