Diana Muir

Descended from Earls and the Kings of Scotland, Elizabeth Weems married Thomas Bailey of Londonderry, Ireland in 1780 in Orange County, North Carolina. From there, the family moved to Baileyton, Tennessee with her parents and siblings; named after the brother of Thomas Bailey, Claudius. In the years that followed the family spread southward and westward to all the states across the nation. They fought in every war; the Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, World War 1 and 2, Korean, and Vietnam. They soon forgot their beginnings in castles across the ocean and settled into such occupations as farmers, lawyers, accountants, doctors and teachers. Many of the Bailey men were also Freemasons. Data for living individuals may not be available for privacy reasons, and there may be duplication or omissions. For more information, stories, pictures and documentation please visit Ancestry.com and view the John Weems of Greene County, TN family tree.

A brief summary of the ancestors of John Weems and Kitty (Catherine Dingler) of Greene County, Tn. Part 1 of their genealogy, it identifies their true parentage and carried it from Greene County, Tennessee all the way back to Skarra Brae and the Sea Kings of Norway.

From the vantage point of a nearby pond in Newton, Massachusetts, Diana Muir reconstructs an intriguing interpretation of New England's natural history and the people who have lived there since pre-Columbian times. Taking a radically new way to illustrate for general readers the vast interrelationships between natural ecology and human economics, Muir weaves together an imaginative and dramatic account of the changes, massive and subtle, that successive generations of humankind and such animals as sheep and beavers have worked on the land. Her compelling narrative takes us to a New England populated by individuals struggling to make a living from a land not generously endowed by nature. Yankee history, she argues, was a string of ecological crises from which the only escape lay in creating radical new solutions to apparently insurmountable problems. Young men and women coming of age in the 1790s faced a bleak future. In a time when farming was virtually the only occupation, a burgeoning population meant that there was not enough land to go around. Worse, such land as there was had been worn out by generations of careless use. With no prospects and no options, young men like Eli Whitney and Thomas Blanchard might have resigned themselves to a life of poverty. Instead, they started an industrial revolution, the power of which astonished the world. Reflections in Bullough's Pond is history on a grand scale. Drawing on scholarship in fields ranging from archaeology to zoology, Muir offers an exhilarating tour of Paleolithic megafauna, the population crisis faced by New England natives in the pre-Columbian period, the introduction of indoor plumbing, and the invention of the shoe-peg. At the end, we understand ourselves and our world a little better.

When the Dutch and German settlers left Europe for South Africa, they had no idea what to expect. Like their fellow Calvinists and cousins who went to Plymouth Colony in the Americas, these people left Leiden, Netherlands for the Cape Colony in South Africa. Here they faced hardship and conflict as they settled amongst the African tribes of southern Africa, the British and Sweden as they fought for control of the colony. Businesses, farms, and wineries were built and families intermarried with other ethnic groups and freed slaves. Many of those freed slaves became property owners in their own right and the Cape Colony grew exponentially. Some of the free slaves actually lived at the Castle of Good Hope, the oldest building on the Cape and many of the ships that brought them cave into Table Bay. Many of Rosa's ancestor were original Progenitors, meaning they were the first of that name to come to South Africa. Front cover: Castle of Good Hope, Cape of Good Hope

Like many religious refugees of the early 19th century, Allan Larsson's ancestors came from places like Gotland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Holland, France and Portugal to the Cape of South Africa in search of a new life. It was here that they established churches, businesses, and farms. They intermarried with other European families and started new lives. Life was difficult in this lush area and the colony changed hands several times from Dutch, to British, to independent. Wars were fought and new land was conquered, although sometimes at an overwhelming price. Through it all, these families weathered it all and adapted to their new way of life. Many of these families were Calvinists or Quakers, descendants of some of the finest families in Europe. These included such families as Tancred, King of Sicily, Agricola and Marie Everts, a freed-slave landowner from Guinea. Front photo - Jan van Riebeeck arrives at the Cape Colony of South Africa in 1632 with the first Dutch Settlers.

You might think that an Italian family might have few connections to colonial history, but you would be mistaken. The LaMantia family ancestry reaches into all regions of the globe including Palermo, Italy, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland. Including at least two Presidents; John Adams and John Quincy Adams, Kings and Queens of England, France and Spain, several lines extend back into the Merovingian dynasty and to Karl Martel, King of the Ottoman Empire, his 40th great-grandfather through his mother's Davis line. Others, who arrived on the Mayflower and whose lives were passed at Jamestown, Virginia were integral parts of colonial history. The Dodds/Dodson line married into the Powhattan Tribe and are descended from Chief Opecavcanough who played an important part in Colonial history, creating a lasting treaty between the Powhattans and the white men. Cousin to Pocahantas, daughter of Chief Wahunsenacawh Powhattan, the family creates a mosaic of ethnic and cultural groups. On the Welsh side of the family, even more spectacular, is the ancestor Sir Henry Morgan, pirate of Buccaneer, privateer for the King of England whose antics were world reknown. Truly a tale of Princes, Pirates, and Presidents. The cover picture is a picture of Charles (Karl) Martel, 40th great-grand-father The inside picture is a romanticized portrait of Sir Henry Morgan, Pirate and Buccaneer.

The journey of French Canadians is often a difficult one. Born of two cultures; Native American and French, families intermarried and brought together their cultures, ways of living and legends. Eventually some of them made their way to Louisiana when the Acadians were forced to leave Nova Scotia or when families moved to Maine and New England for more opportunities. Although the Native lines can only be traced to Membertou, Chief of the MicMac who was the first to join the Christian church as an example to his people, the French side can be traced back to Persia in 800 BC. Only 30 generations are represented here but there are many more to be found at Ancestry.com in the complete family file. Enjoy the journey as you follow the MicMac, Anishinabbe (Ojibwe) and French families as they moved through Canada and New England. The image on the front cover is traditional Anishinaabee beadwork, of which Richer (Goose) Gosselin is descended from.

The Collins family, currently in Texas, came to the America's during colonial times and stretches back to County Antrim, Ireland then to Banffshire, Scotland in the 1600s, connecting them to the Kings and Queens of Scotland, England and back to France and the Merovingian and Capetian Dynasties. Joseph Collins' mother's (Barbara Weaver) line also came during colonial times and had immigrated from Yorkshire, England stopping first in Chester Co., Pennsylvania. Joseph Collins IV's (himself a nuclear scientist) family showed a remarkable loyalty to their new-found country and fought in every war that took place; from the Revolution and Indian Wars to the Viet Nam War in the 1970s. They were soldiers, farmers, business men and scientists; as well as teachers and preachers. Several of Joseph Collins' line can be traced back to Rollo, the son Ragnar of Norway who married a Princess of France.

In January 2021, Kamala Harris became the first female Vice-President of the United States, and the first woman of color to be elected to that office. Kamala's ancestry is truly unique in that her father came from Jamaica with mixed Negro, Irish, and Scottish ancestry, and her mother from India. Both were academics and came to the United States to study. Jamaican heritage is vey difficult to trace as many births were not registered due to color of their skin, illegitimacy, or religion. Jamaica is an island that had been conquered by the Spanish and then the British, with multiple uprisings amongst the slaves who were finally freed by the British in 1832. Even then the legacy of British slavery and indentureship had made an impact. Inter-marriage was common between those who came as indentured servants and slave owners took advantage of the availability of female slaves to create a mulatto class of planters, land owners and business man. One of those men, Hamilton Brown, never married but produced at least six mulatto children. He came to Jamaica with his uncle from Tullyloob, County Down in Ireland and became first a clerk for a law firm, and then a land and slave owner; making him a rich man. His ancestry can be traced back to the great families of Europe and Persia and then to Canaan in about 3400 BC. While only 27 generations are presented here, due to page limitations, Kamala's family line is also available on Ancestry.com in the "Harris" family file. Enjoy the journey as you explore her rich and diverse heritage.

Born in 1776, Hamilton Brown came from Tullyloob, County Down, Ireland to Jamaica in order to earn his fortune. He came with his uncle, Alexander Hawthorne who became an attorney and found the young Hamilton a job as an estate bookkeeper for a new friend in Jamaica. Within a few years, Hamilton Brown had made a name for himself; buying and selling slaves and property. He would mortgage the property and before long owned more than 6 properties, each with a slave population. He lived in Saint Ann parish on the eastern side of Jamaica and represented the parish for 22 years in the House of Assembly of Jamaica. He founded Hamilton Town, which was later renamed Browns Town. He was a sugar planter and cattle breeder. He brought over 300 people from Balleymoney, County Antrim, Ireland to Saint Anne in a brig that he owned, but most were little more than white slaves unless they had specific skills. He was often criticized for his treatment of his slaves and workers. When he died in 1843 it is guessed that he had more than 30 children himself by different slave women, a common thing for slave owners in Jamaica. Although he never married, he left part of his property to his son Hamilton Brown Jr, a mulatto whose mother was Kate Williams, a Negro Ebo slave who was brought to Jamaica before 1832 when slavery was abolished in Great Britain. The picture on the front cover is of Turtle River Falls in Saint Ann Parish,

Joe Biden's ancestry is varied and complicated. The Biden family came from Cambridgeshire and Buckinghamshire, England to the Eastern shores of the United States in Maryland. While his grandparents on his Dad's side came from England, his mother's side was Irish, with a specking of German, Swiss, Polish and Italian. And yet, while both sides were very different, they both hailed from Merovingian lines, back to Biblical times. His line includes many Lords, Ladies, Kings and Queens of England, Scotland and Europe. It also includes the hard working common folk who owned their own businesses and farmed the land, served in the military and were ministers of the Church. Enclosed in this volume are 40 generations of his family; although the online Ancestry.com files include more than 100 generations. Are you related to the 46th President? Some of the surnames that appear are: Biden, Randle, Liddell, Bomberger, Robinett, Humphrey, Hanafy, Ward, Finnegan, Boyle, Roche, Fox, Bluett, Sclanlon, Stanton, and Arthurs. Related to Robert the Brus, the Kings of Scotland and Ireland, he also connects to Charlemagne and the ancient conquerors of Rome.

Neila Hunter, the wife of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. died at an early age and was never able to share stories of her ancestry with her small children who were left behind. For that reason I wanted to do this volume for her grandchildren so that they would appreciate the ancestors who had come before them. Neila's father was Robert Neil Hunter and his ancestors came from Ireland, England, and Scotland; coming into Canada in the early 1800s. They eventually made their way to New York and other New England states and became the backbone of their communities. Many of those British lines stretched back to the Kings and Queens and Scotland and England, and then to Europe. Her mother's side (Louise Basel) was equally diverse. Her maternal grandfather came from Germany and her maternal grandmother from Middlesex, England. Each side traces back more than 100 generations to Biblical times but due to the limit of 770 pages, I could only include 35 generations in this volume. (More is available on ancestry.com) All these lines were extremely well documented and included the ancient families of medieval Europe, back to Charlemagne through the great Counts of Germany and Italy. Some of the surnames include: Lippe, Von Mansfield-Mittelor, Von Waldeck-Eiseberg, Von Julich-Kleve-Burg, Reuger, Heusser, Vogler, Von Thafling, Gunzberger, Zahn, Ratjen, Basel, Reuter, Kurtz, Richberg, Woodcock, Burr, McQueer/McQueen, Whitney, Hunter, Anderson, Walker, Sanderson, McEachern, Smith, Graham, and Morris. May her grandchildren appreciate the trials and voyages that their ancestors made, so that they could become.

Doing genealogy is a life-time pursuit and can at times be very difficult; especially where adoptions are involved and little information is available about birth parents. Breaking through those barriers can be illuminating, especially when they lead to learning more about your ancestors and their origins than a DNA test can provide. Vincent Michael's genealogy is one of those that is extremely challenging but well worth the effort. Beginning in Jacksonville, Illinois where his family has lived for generations, it travels back through time to Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, France and Switzerland. While the majority of the names are unfamiliar to historians and represent the hard working people who built the American nation, other names such as Henry 1, King of England, Charlemagne, Martel and Baldwin, the Count of Flanders are very familiar. For those familiar with Templar Knights research, there are also several Knights Templars sprinkled throughout the lineage in the de Montfort, Montdidier and Flanders lines. His ancestors came to the Americas as early as 1600, some as indentured servants, others as part of the aristocracy searching for new opportunities. They served in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and both World War 1 and 2. One of his ancestral families was the Goines family, descended from the first Negro freeman in America. Another stepped off of the Mayflower, and another was a Moravian soldier who stayed behind after the Revolutionary War. Regardless of where they came from, they were uniquely American in that they worked hard to establish their families and businesses and soon became an important part of the national fabric. While there are more than 100 generations represented here, extending back to Biblical times through Anna of Arimathea and the Kings of Ireland, there are still endless opportunities for original research. I hope that this give future researchers a blueprint to continue their own research.

The story of Donald J Trump is one of 'from rags to riches.' Some of his recent ancestors in Germany - the Kohl family - were cabbage farmers. They came from the village of Kallstadt which was famous for wine making. His own grandfather, Friederich, came to the US as a barber. When he moved to Queens, New York, he and his son began to buy property. Friederic died in the 1918 flu pandemic and his son Fred carried on his American Dream. Before long, Donald and his siblings inherited his father's vast real estate empire. However, when looking at his more distant ancestors generations back, his family is anything but ordinary. His father's side, from Kallstad, Germany extends back more than 50 generations to the early Kings, Counts and royal families of Van Kessel, Van Leuven, and Bourgogne, to Childeric and the Merovingian dynasty. His mother's family, the MacLeods, come from the Isle of Skye and the Isle of Mull on the western shores of Scotland. Small, bedrock islands, they have been the home of the MacLeods, MacDonalds, Mackenzies, and MacNeils for centuries, all of whom President Trump is related to. Going back as far 500 BC, the family marries into all the clans of the highlands and also extend back to the Merovingian dynasty and the Sea-Kings of Sweden and Norway. Along the way, many attended the Crusades, some as Knight Templars. It is easy to see that the President seems to have inherited all the passion and authority of his distant ancestors and continues to surprise us on a daily basis. Ask yourself - Are you related to Donald J Trump, the most famous man on earth? If you have German or Scottish ancestry, you most likely are.

Families often have amazing stories that accompany their family history and the Churko family is no different. The most amazing story is that of Thomas Tarbell who was killed by the Indians and his 3 children stolen. When rescued, his two sons refused to leave the tribe and remained with them, eventually becoming Chiefs of the Mohawk Tribe in Ottawa, Canada. His daughter was sold to a French family and eventually entered a convent. Others, such as John Rogers, the founder of the Rogerene Church movement and his father James are just as captivating. These stories are included along with the family groups with individual information included show the brothers and sisters of his ancestors as they stretch back into the centuries. On his father's side, families include Churko, Stevenson, Bright, Pritchard, Ferguson, Rogers, Maxwell, Hamilton, Murray, Molymeux, Leslie, Balfour, Crichton and Livingston. His mother's side includes names such as Meierhofer, Zurowski, Miller, Stark, Tarbell, Gould, Drake, Rowland and Brosseau. The Polish and Russian mix with the English and Scottish and along the way continue back to Gaius Julius Caesar, Atilla the Hun, Cleopatra, the Fisher Grail King and the Merovingian Dynasty. Enjoy looking up each of these people and celebrate how they've created the fabric of this truly American/Canadian family. Cover photo is Roger Brandt, Mohawk Chief and a descendant of the Tarbell line.