Saturday, March 31, 2012

Blake Newsletter - Volume 1 Issue 2


Blake Newsletter
Table of Contents
1. yDNA Blake Study Group at FT DNA
2. Blake family of South Carolina
3. Request for papers
yDNA Blake Study Group at FT DNA is the largest of the Blake DNA groups and can be found here:
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/blake/default.aspx?section=yresults
Thanks to Barrie Blake, the results have been separated into their likely related haplogroups. The Norfolk Blake family descendant of Peter  Blake and Elizabeth Spelman has been clearly identified as R1a1a.  This family can be traced back to a Thomas Blake bc 1382 and dc 1439 at Swaffham Market, Swaffham, Norfolk, England. This family continued at Swaffham Market until Peter Blake and his wife Elizabeth (parents of Peter Blake married to Elizabeth Spelman) moved to Wimbotsham, Norfolk, England by 1470 as Peter was born at Wimbotsham. The purchase of Tonwells Manor in 1466 (there are several records held at the National Archives (Kew) in England which refer to John Skott of London, gentleman, delivering to John Fyncham, Henry Spelman and others two messuages with buildings in Wymbotesham ....including an indented charter, grant charter, letter of attorney and deed of quit claim) appears to have been completed by the Spelman family. Was this some sort of marriage settlement? Reading these particular documents may assist with understanding why Peter moved from Swaffham to Wimbotsham by 1470. They include: Hare 4630 214x4 5 Feb 1465/66, Hare 4631 214x4 5 Feb 1465/66, Hare 4632 214x4 5 Feb 1465/66 and Hare 4633 214x4 1 Jul 1468. For those unused to the Regnal Year the reference to 5 Ed IV refers to the 5th year of the reign of Edward IV which was 1465 (Edward IV became king on the death of his father 30 Dec 1460 although not crowned until 4 Mar 1461 but the regnal date begins with the ascension day). More information on the yDNA studies in future newsletters.
Blake family of South Carolina, that is descendant of Joseph Blake, Governor of South Carolina, can trace their line back to England with a definitive paper trail. Testing a member of this family with a paper trail back to Joseph would be a wonderful addition to the Blake yDNA study. It would provide both the haplogroup of this Blake family line and assist with determining the family line of Humphrey Blake the known progenitor of this line who was buried 28 Dec 1558 at Overstowey, Somerset, England and left his will naming his sons - John the elder, Robert, Thomas and John the younger.  Humphrey's son Robert married Margaret Symonds and their youngest son Humphrey married to Sarah Williams were the parents of Robert Blake, Lord High Admiral during the Commonwealth and Benjamin the father of Joseph Blake, Governor of South Carolina. Eight children of Robert Blake and Margaret Symonds lived to adulthood. I will add more details on this family in Somerset to a future newsletter. Robert was the eldest in the family. In my blog, "English Research from Canada" (http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2012/03/humphrey-blakes-american-descendants.html ) published 30 Mar 2012, I discuss Humphrey Blake's American descendants and will continue with this topic moving on to the census of 1800 having discussed the census of 1790 on 30 Mar 2012.
Request for papers and if any member of the Blake family wishes to submit material for publication please address it to kippeeb@rogers.com.
Elizabeth Kipp (née Blake), BA, PLCGS
Blake one-name study (http://www.one-name.org/profiles/blake.html)

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