By the name of Mayhew…
The family crest of my particular branch of the family is debatable. My mother, who for some reason took a keen interest in the history of the family into which she married. was delighted at the prospect that we all sprang from prominent heritage. She was particularly thrilled with the thought that we may have been descended from missionary stock and perhaps from the early owners of Martha’s Vineyard.
Alas, at this writing, I haven’t been able to trace our line to the Massachusetts gentry. We seem to have migrated down from Maine, which suggests we were a bit more working class than my mother would have liked. Moreover, the family crest that she showed me in my childhood seems to have hung from some other limb of the family tree, unless I can find a connection in Britain. If a family crest appears here at some future time, that will indicate that I made the connection. For now, we are apparently of rather common stock.
Site Organization
My ancestral heritage in the Mayhew line is traced in the column at right beginning with me and proceeding downward and back in time. Each Mayhew listed at right has his children linked below him. The most recent generations will have considerable information, because I intend that this space be something of a family scrapbook in addition to being a family tree.
Each entry will be for a specific person–their own page. It will be a timeline organized from birth to death with specific life events noted between. Notations on the timeline may be linked to photos and documents if they are available. Those links will open in a new tab so you can keep your place as you explore each life. Just close the linked tab when you’re done with it.
I intend to include a page for each marriage and a list of their children, including dates of birth so you can get a sense of the family unit of which they are a part. If any information about them is available, it will be linked to their own page. There may be birth certificates, photos, newspaper clippings and such. And so, back through the years of our Mayhew family history.
Other Lineages
Of course, with each preceding generation, my line touches other surnames on the maternal side of the family. The top menu lists some of those surnames. Some of those names have history that I’ll include. Eventually, though, I’ll lose interest and the names will just be names, with little or no history added.
Of particular note, the Ford family, my mother’s line, has been researched by my cousin, Marylin Keim, in Illinois. At this writing, that information hasn’t been added, but eventually, it will appear as I have the time..