Further back for the Weston family

More on the Weston family...going back when dates seemed pretty skeptical (at least to my mind.)

The other day I stopped after saying this:
Agnes Weston Bowers' father was Sir. John Weston of Rugeley II, (1458-1527). He was born in Ockham, Surry, England, died in Rugeley.  I'm listing his birthplace as Oakham Surrey, but it could have been Litchfield, Staffordshire, or Mayfield Sussex.  Those all are listed as his birthplace, sometime around 1457-58.

Her mother was Lady Alice Edshaw Weston, born 1465 in Petworth, Sussex, England, and died about 1547, location unknown. I don't have any parents listed for Lady Alice Edshaw Weston, who was born either in 1456 or 1465.  Neither was substantiated, but it's more likely the later date so she could have had the youngest of her 9 children.

So now we can go to Sir John Weston's father, Sir John Weston I (1418- June 14, 1483.)  His wife was Lady Margaret Mitford Weston, (1425-Jan 31, 1475). In my humble opinion, the dates of their deaths are from a modern person adding a day and month.  Unless they had legal documents saying these dates, I find many hints over on Ancestry have incredibly modern sources...they should not even come up as hints for 15th century ancestors.  It takes a long while to go through them, even when the publication says it starts in 1578 and later.  These folks weren't alive then, and I'm wishing there was a way to stop these hints.

Anyway, there also were about 4-5 marriage dates given for the Sir John Weston family.  I just picked the earliest when they would have been teens or early twenties.  None of them had documentation.

But there were also photos used for their sites on Ancestry, of a sculptural gravemarker. The person who I copied it from had also used an inaccurate John Weston who died in 1700 from Surey England as one of his saved documents for a 15th century John...so I'm pretty skeptical. I can't read what this marker says, but will add it as well to my site, and hope to find someone who knows that these are the people who were my ancestors. John and Margaret were my 13th great grandparents.

And there are even more parents to consider.

Lady Margaret's father was Sir John of Northumberland, Sheriff de Mitford, (April 8, 1402- May 6, 1457), born in Mitford, Northumberland, Eng, and died in Chillingham, Northumberland, Eng.
His wife was Constance Ogle of Northumberland, England, (1402-1470)  She was born in Ogle castle, of Northumberland. They married in Mitford, also in Northumberland. 

More on her family soon.

10th great grandmother Agnes Weston Bowers

Is there any more information about Agnes Weston Bowers? She may have been born around 1490 in Rugeley, Staffordshire, England. She's an 11th great grandmother. Her first son was born in 1509. Second son, my grandfather times 10 greats, was born in 1513, the same year there is a record of her marriage to Robert Bower (1493-1516).  She died in 1535 in Staffordshire. No other children are mentioned on Ancestry.

Not living in England, I had to look up Rugeley.  There are several other spellings.

 The town, historically known as Rudgeley or Ridgeley, is listed in the Domesday Book. This name is thought to be derived from 'Ridge lee', or 'the hill over the field'. In the mediaevalperiod, it thrived on iron workings and was also a site of glass manufacturing. 

Rugeley is known as an historic market town, which has more recently (19th century) been an industrial town with coal mining, canals, railroads, and then when the mines closed, a period of depression.  An Amazon business has apparently rejuvenated the town's employment.  There have also been 2 years of Quidditch Tournaments held there.  (One must be familiar with J. K. Rowling's works on Harry Potter to understand that.

For the last two years, in 2016 and 2017, the British Quidditch Cup has been held at Rugeley Leisure Centre.  Source: Wikipedia

Agnes Weston Bowers' father was Sir. John Weston of Rugeley II, (1458-1527). He was born in Ockham, Surry, England, died in Rugeley. Her mother was Lady Alice Edshaw Weston, born 1465 in Petworth, Sussex, England, and died about 1547, location unknown.  They would have been my 11th great grandparents.  The family consisted of about 2 daughters and 6 sons.  Again the last one was born after her 51st birthday.  But my connection is her earliest child, Agnes.

It looks as if the Westons are going to need further research...see you tomorrow!

Ancestors of Bowers grandparents

What about Dame Greesly Bowers, Joan Bridmore Bowers, Joan Moggeridge Bowers, Werner Minster Bowers, and Barbara Smith Bowers?

We've already looked at Benanuell Bowers and his wife HERE.

His father George Bowers, married on 9 Feb. 1614  Barbara Smyth Bowers, in Braithwell, Yorkshire, England. Dear Barbara Smyth, both her names are spelled any number of ways.  And her father could have been George, John or Thomas Smith.  I know that one of these men was a 9th great grandfather of mine, But I don't have the patience to figure it out (or just to make a guess.)

The mother of George Bowers was Irwerner Elizabeth Minster Bowers. We only know she was married in 1590, the same year George was born.  The other son listed in their family was Richard, born in 1600. We think both she and her husband Thomas Bowers died in 1659.  I've tried changing the order of her names around, to see if there were people of the surname Irwerner, or Minster.  And using Elizabeth as her first name.  No parents have appeared yet.

Thomas Bowers' father, Edmond L. Bower, the gentleman, married Joan Moggeridge Bowers (1509-1565), in 1558, then didn't have their son, Thomas until she was 55 years old.  We all know that's pretty ridiculous.  So I've taken the option (being his great times 9 granddaughter) of moving Edmond's birth date back 10 years, changing it on my tree to 1555 rather than 1565.  His mother still died in 1565.

That didn't work however, because his death date is still 1659...at age 104.  It didn't make much sense before, that the couple died the same year, and there are no records to substantiate it.  SO...let's move the death dates to closer to when their children had been born.  I can always undo this.  I'm keeping notes right here as to what I'm attempting.  I'm giving him a death date of about 1620 (age 65) and her a death date of about 1630 (age 60).

I'll look further at Edmond's mother tomorrow. I'm sorry if I'm changing data and that's not really ethical...but neither is passing on misinformation where a mother gives birth at 55 and then again at 65.

Further back for Bowers family

The Ancestry trees say Edmond Bower had parents also.  Robert Bower (1493-1517) who married Agnes Weston Bower (1481-1535) in 1513 in Norfolk, Eng.

His parents were John Bower (1478-1498) and Joan Bridmore (1452-?) from Mere, Witshire, Eng.  I'm going to add a Jr. to his name, because he was the son of another John Bower, to whom I'll add Sr. for clarification while talking about them.  John Bower Sr. (1460-1479) married Dame Edith Eizabeth Gresly (Bower) (1462-1523).

But there were so many John Bowers, and the trees are loaded (literally) with them.  One generation has three born to the same mother.  I looked hard to see how old she would have been.  And then I threw up my hands.

I liked that one of the Westons might have had a daughter (whose name I've now forgotten) who married (or maybe it was a granddaughter) the son of Sir. Richard Rogers. I'm a descendent of his, and looked to see if she appeared on my tree.  No, and that son and grandson were the wrong ages to marry a daughter or granddaughter of the Westons.  It's all tied in with the peerage of England.  And that's why I quit going back up that branch of my tree.

I'll acknowledge some John Bower and wife were my 12th great grandparents.  I'm not going back any further than 1450 for now.  I know, I am probably missing the link to royalty.  It wouldn't make me feel a bit different.

But I won't miss the chance to check on a few other family branches that the wives might offer, besides the Westons.  What about Dame Greesly Bowers, Joan Bridmore Bowers, Joan Moggeridge Bowers, Werner Minster Bowers, and Barbara Smith Bowers?  Something to check for tomorrow.