Good progress on ancestry

 I did extract the new matches on Ancestry and just 18 new ones (I have changed my cutoff to 23 cM as just too many at 20 to 22 that I can not place. I glance at them to see if I can at a quick look but they are not really worth the time to put them into the database. 

I will continue with that today and get that entered and I also want to look at splitting this database into four on a regular basis which would take it back to a particular grandparent - it will then be easier to use when I am phasing. I will also continue pulling matches from FT DNA, Living DNA and GedMatch. 

A busy day ahead and probably I should attempt some gardening. We will see; I do not feel any real draw to do that but do need to actually as the front bed is looking all up now and I can see all the plants up so can pull any weeds. I need to straighten the fence up and must buy some tent pegs to hold it more firmly in place. 

I watched the entire cabinet being sworn in yesterday and I found the background of many to be quite interesting and we will see if the progress needed can move ahead quickly. We have a lot to do in this country to recreate our industries lost to Free Trade and time is moving along quickly. Free Trade, in essence in 1988 sounded interesting but quickly turned out to be a problem with our industries being bought up and closed and people out of work as I vaguely recall. The net result though in the long run was prosperity on both sides of the border until the American businesses went off shore and had goods more cheaply made in other areas of the world - greed for some people is the only way to live (and unions have in fact served people well but coming from a small business family they can also be a pain in the neck!). People need to realize that a 40 hour week is just that; lunch and breaks is nice to have but shouldn't begin early and end late. And especially when you are working that isn't the time to chat about the weekend. My gripes from working days but I am a workaholic I will agree with that. 

We need to restore our industrial base that existed prior to Free Trade as well as all of the new additions to the Market Place. We need to be part of all of that especially Artificial Intelligence and we do have an individual on the cabinet whose field of sphere will be that very thing. AI has a long way to go; I occasionally dip in and look at that when I am doing a search. But one needs to, like a child, keep it focused; keep checking to see if it has lost its way, check to see if it actually did understand the query etc etc. But taming Artificial Intelligence will be a step forward so long as we always realize that we need to be the ones in control. 

On to the day; lots to do. The time is too short some days; others, I am very tired by the end of the day but then 80 does approach for sure.

All accomplished

Tuesday and back to the work week (all work really but some is my strong interest). A glance at the will of Edward Blake (administration with just an inventory) yesterday did not reveal anything particularly new but will spend more time today on that. Sorting out these descendants of Nicholas and his brother Robert is the aim of this particular phase of the work. Others have assigned them particularly in the Blake Family Chart held by the Blake Museum in Bridgwater, Somerset and the Pedigree Chart created by the College of Arms but the object of the Blake Family chart was to prove the descent of the Somerset Blake family to the Blake family at Calne not particularly to do anything with the Blake family in Andover. Adding it in was perhaps an afterthought having discovered perhaps the Pedigree of the Blake Family created by the College of Arms in 1690 with additions into the 1700s. For the sake of this particular charting on the Somerset Blake family the William added to the family of Roger Blake and Mary (Baynard) Blake did not work well and so he added a line much earlier. The problem was dealing with Nicholas in the long run. Amazing really as the wills of this family were quite clear on their familial relationships with siblings being mentioned. Charlou Dolan did an excellent job of tracing down her Blake line which was from Robert brother to Nicholas although I do disagree with her on a couple of points as the wills and the timing do not work for Richard youngest son of William Blake (son of Nicholas Blake) whom she attributed to the Robert line. But I have dealt with that fairly thoroughly in the past. Lots of wills to look at in Hampshire. We do have the Blake family of Calne gradually moving south from Calne into Dorset and into Gloucestershire to the west. After Charles I had the manor house at Pinhills destroyed (home of the Calne Blake family at that time) their movement out was fairly rapid and smart of them for their own existence for sure. But that is the Calne Blake family and my primary interest is in the Andover Blake family. I do work on the Calne Blake family but only to the initial lines at Calne during the 1300s/1400s basically looking at the more likely link between these two families as being in this frame namely the early 1300s and not much later and not in the male line. 

I also need to get out there and do some weeding and will try to do some of that today whilst I can still recognize the plants. Fortunately plants do tend to come up first and the weeds are smaller but that will change - Mother Nature is powerful in her re-acquisition of what is hers.  I do like to let the dandelions bloom through the month of May but my daughter has returned to do her research term and will probably want to cut it down a little earlier than that as it is more difficult to get through the long thick grass with the lawn mower. We are going to plant the entire central garden with sunflowers - her suggestion and it will be lovely. The bunnies are back and we do not feed them but it is enjoyable to watch them enjoying all the fresh clover and other plants. The recycling bin at the back has not been emptied in years and we may try to do that and then take it down as it is difficult for me to manage it through the winter. 

Soon time to go kayaking once the waters recede somewhat at Petrie Island. It is still flooded at last look. This is a wonderful water area actually and so close to home. Ideally I would like to just walk out the back door and be at the water but that also means rats and mice and all sorts of little mammals in your yard for sure. I am not sure I actually mind them being in the yard but it is a health hazard for children so probably not a good idea. Perhaps better to have a small drive to get there! There are still a lot of children in the area as it is high density housing on my street. 

A whole day of research; how exciting. 

Teatime complete; solitaire games played perhaps a little work before breakfast.

 

Last Cleaning Day for the week

 Today the top floor and then my cleaning binge is complete. It is 6 degrees celsius and will be another sunny day. The plants are literally jumping out of the ground and the primrose has entered into its most beautiful state likely all summer as it is being crowded out by Starry Solomon's Seal. I need to transplant some of that somewhere else but just haven't done it. Gardening, at my best, is not really my thing but I am trying to maintain at least the front garden and let the back be mostly grass. The dogs will like that when they come. 

Yesterday I did get in a little time on Edward Blake's administration. He must have died suddenly as he did not leave a will which leaves one to suspect he may have been younger rather than older. I did not learn anything else new except his mother owed him 300 pounds which he hoped to get back. With his mother still alive she is either very old or he was fairly young as this is 1644. But some people lived a long time back then surprisingly. But the hazards were fewer if you did not travel for sure. Especially in England as this is now just under 600 years since the Norman Invasion and life has evolved in England in that time frame. The French have probably forgotten that they invaded England, conquered England and replaced the local British monarchy with Norman Kings who have now disappeared and been replaced by at this time the Commonwealth but Charles II and James II will return and they are descendant of the Scots just as Queen Elizabeth II was (her mother was a Scot). Charles III is really a King of the Isles as he carries a lot of English/Scot blood for sure and his son William will carry even more as Diana was very much a child of English descent. Which brings me back to the Blake family. Diana was descendant of the Blake family of Calne through a female line coming down and I have recited that before (although I suspect this is a Norman family). But there is also another Blake line which was at Finckley not far from Andover and Thomas Blake there was descendant of the Blake family of Andover (which I suspect descend from Western Hunter Gatherer so very much a son of the Isles) and Thomas was at least an 11x great grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales. What I set out to show was that this Blake family at Andover acquired their surname likely by marriage to a Blake female (why else would you pick the surname Blake I am thinking?; even by 1300 it was a very well known surname in England). Would have loved to have had my grandfather's opinion on that actually but there was no thought of Diana becoming the consort of the Prince of Wales way back in the early 1950s when my grandfather was still living. The Prince of Wales was technically Charles son of Queen Elizabeth but not yet officially created. That happened in his teens at Caernarfon Castle in Wales. Is that my main reason for doing Blake? No, I am doing it because I want to ensure that Nicholas is in the correct lineage and not in the lineage that was created by Horatio Gates Somerby an American Genealogist. The other part is purely accidental and results from the Blake Pedigree Chart which Daniel Blake of London (descendant of the Andover Blake line) asked the Royal College to create using information that does not fit the actual records (namely concerns William son of Nicholas!). Interesting that really the first incidence of the errors were spotted by a Blake researcher in Somerset (another Edward) who likely produced another Blake Family Chart found in the Blake Museum in Bridgwater (it is anonymous). These two charts (and a couple of others that are helpful) provide much of the "arguing" information that I have used in my blogs (plus my own family lore). Is there anyone else looking at this? Lately there has been at least one journal article by a couple of genealogists on the problems of using Nicholas (and William) incorrectly in these charts. So no big thunderous thoughts on this but rather carrying on the thoughts of my grandfather (and father although he was less interested in pursuing the idea of correcting it) into this century all the way from the late 18th century when the thoughts of Horatio Gates Somerby were picked up by many many Blake descendants in the United States. Blake as an extant surname in my lines disappears with my brothers (not one of the four had a son). However there are many many male Blake descendants of Thomas Blake and Sarah (Coleman) Blake who married in 1792 in Upper Clatford! So not a problem really. And what else do I have to do with my time at the age of nearly 80? Well there is also the Pincombe book which I am working away at as well although it has been Blake concentrating in my blogs at the moment. 

Politics and the wars. I will try to stay away from them and pray for an appropriate solution so that the deaths stop and commerce can once again flow around the world in a somewhat orderly fashion. The Israeli children will get to sleep at night and go to school without feeling threatened which in the long run is the desire of many many peoples in the world. I would also like to see the Palestinians work their land and create industries and make Gaza work instead of harbouring generation after generation a hatred for Israel. I feel the same way about Ukraine - they should have peace and their land. Hopefully India and Pakistan can get along or at least not fight.  We will be rescued here in Canada from our slow but sure loss of industry and restored to our industrial base as it existed before Free Trade. But yet Free Trade can also be a good thing; one just has to protect one's local industries. But I still see trade as a luxury item; our first need is to tear the provincial barriers down and get trade flowing east to west and back again (including the pipeline). Refine our own oil and not pay to have that done and returned to us. The money in our coffers once again and we will re-arm and be the militaristic country that we were at the end of the Second World War - it was a good thing. The most powerful way to find peace is to be able to defend oneself against the Nazis of the world that keep emerging time after time.

Time to do my solitaire and drink my tea and then complete my cleaning. 

 

Another busy day with accomplishment

 As I was walking to the store yesterday two young girls/teenagers said Hello to me and I responded with a quick "hello" for politeness as I was thinking isn't that lovely of these two girls to speak to every old woman walking down the street. However, I shall stick to my walking during school time and work time as the sidewalks were very crowded and no point in my adding to all that occupying the sidewalks on a weekend day. There has been a lot of mention of older people being alone these days and loneliness being a problem. For me, not a problem. I have a vast amount of work to do. But it certainly was very sweet of these girls to take the time to say hello to every old person they passed I assume. 

Basement all cleaned and the main floor today. But also there are two Church services that I will attend online but all can be fitted into my day. I will not get any of my book writing worked on though likely but soon. The next will is interesting; it is primarily an inventory of Edward Blake of Knights Enham dated 1644. I know who this is and it was an administration. That particular part of the document is about all that I will do but learned already that his wife was Elizabeth and his mother Mary. I am fairly sure who he is but his date of death was not known to be before. No children mentioned at a quick read but will transcribe it next and see if there is mention. Surprisingly Richard Blake who left his will in 1622 had a large family but the number of grandchildren carrying the Blake surname not very large. He was the youngest son of William Blake (son of Nicholas Blake of Enham). 

I am surprised that the first two wills are both Blake members known to me but I am in the Andover block so perhaps not surprising. As far as I have been able to determine all the Blake records and individuals up to the latter part of the 1800s at Andover were descendant of Nicholas Blake and his wife Margaret (Blake) Blake who as a widow married Richard Munday so the records show her as Margaret Munday and Nicholas' brother Robert Blake and his wife Agnes (this is not the Agnes whose will was probated in 1617 as this Robert died in 1543) who had six sons. I do not anticipate that it will be this straightforward once I get into the bulk of the wills but I want to review all of them to make sure I have not missed any Andover Blakes moving to other parts of Hampshire. There are a couple who went to the American Colonies. 

Conrad Black's Editorial was most interesting today. I too want to see Prime Minister Carney proceed quickly towards the many projects provincially that will support the ability of Canada to take its proper place in the G7 and support our growing population. It is good to see the First Nations so deeply involved in the forward process of all of this. I do not have an opinion on Prime Minister Carney other than he was a very effective Governor of the Bank of Canada; I did not follow nor do I follow his time in the British Isles but I think he has great contacts in the British Isles and Europe and they will stand him in good stead. I think that Prime Minister Carney and the presumptive Leader of the Opposition Pierre Poilievre working together can do great things in the next year.  Eighty five percent of Canadians voted for these two parties with a similar platform to get things done. The other Fifteen percent represented in Parliament just have to ensure that they do not get in the way of what needs to be done to bring down unemployment and support the re-emergence of our lost industries (lost to Free Trade because a country as small as ours competing against a country as large as our neighbour does not work well I personally feel). The rule of democracy must flow for sure and for a few years here without being dominated by minority causes. Free Trade can work well but we must be able to protect our industries central to our existence. We all want the environment to survive but our approach has to be more measured. Reducing taxes is a mistake especially the GST (it supports the federal government; that was its intention and we should keep it). Ontario with its Health Tax and graduated Provincial Income Tax sends more money per person to the federal coffers every tax season than any other province per person; other provinces need to keep up with that or stop whining about federal transfers. You can not transfer from the feds to the provinces unless they get money from the provinces (it is a simple fact of life). Ontario has never had a problem helping to support the other provinces when needed.

Teatime and solitaire. Sunday and two services online - a perfect day. Plus I am going to do the main floor cleaning today just to keep ahead on all of that - unusual for me to work on a Sunday. Flowers outside are blooming; spring is really here (no more snow one thinks). It is three degrees celsius and the sun is breaking through. 

 

Will of Agnes Blake, Charleton, Hampshire, England - 4 Apr 1617 and probated 5 May 1617

 This will was quite interesting. There is an inventory which I decided not to transcribe as it would not add anything to my research. But the Probatum revealed that her husband’s name was Robert and he was of Andover. So well worth the time and effort.

I should be able to place her and her relationship to the Thurman family would be anticipated with Robert Blake of Andover being her husband. Her maiden name is now known (Garle) as she identified John Garle of Chute as her brother. Sometimes a will can be a surprise as I did not expect to find anything helpful for the Andover Blake family with an Agnes Blake of Charlton widow’s will.

I may have to rethink these wills for the Diocesan Court - they will provide useful information for sure but the idea of publishing them with a Creative Commons License may disappear since the first one I am already not doing the Inventory as it does not provide any useful material and will take me a bit of time to transcribe it. I will add them to the Blake material held by the Guild of One Name Studies for sure as an electronic book. 

So a good beginning on this work and I shall try to do a few a week. It is awhile since I transcribed any wills. I need to put my efforts to the grindstone and just work away at this and not get distracted. A lovely walk up to the store today but the sidewalks are really very busy; much easier to go when I usually go when school is in and people are working. 

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 6 May 2025
Source: Hampshire Record Office 62475_3730550019_4556-00000
Testator: Agnes Blake
Place: Charlton, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 4 Apr 1617, probated

[Wrapper]:

1    Memorand[um] that about the fowerth daie of Aprill
2    in the yere of our Lord God one thousand six hundred and
3    seventeene Agnes Blake of Charllton in the parish of Andever
4    in the countie of South[ampton] widowe beinge of p[er]fect memorie thanks
5    be to God did declare her last Will and Testament nuncupative
6    in manner and forme as followeth First shee bequeathed her
7    soule in the hands of the almightie and her bodie to Christian
8    buriall Item shee gave unto her brother John Garle of
9    Chute five shillings I[e]tm shee gave unto William Sweataple
10    her godsonne a brasse pan a candlestick and a chest I[e]tm
11    shee gave unto Murqerie Thurman her
12    little brasse pann It[e]m shee gave unto Agnes Drue her
13    god daughter the bed w[hi]ch shee laye upon w[i]th the furniture
14    upon yt Item shee gave unto five poore weomen viz[a vi]t
15    Margaret Framich widowe Sibill Carick Mary Rutt widowes
16    Johane Sam and Agnes Thurman widowe for their paines
17    vj d a peece Item more unto shee gave more unto Johane Sam her Russet
18    gowne It[e]m more unto Marie Rutt her old peticote It[e]m shee
18    gave unto Margaret Swetaple her best kercheife her
19    best partlett and her hollan aperon It[e]m shee gave unto
20    Marie Foster a hollan partlett and a lokrom aperon It[e]m
21    shee gave unto Johane Drue a hollan p[ar]tlett and her best gowne
22    and her best hatt It[e]m shee gave unto Johane Foster a
23    p[ar]tlett w[i]th cutt worck strippes It[e]m shee gave unto Jane
24    Foster a greene lace aperon It[e]m shee gave unto Gillian
25    Drue her best petticote and a lynsey wolsey wascote The
26    rest of all her goods she gave unto Robert Drue to have
27    all and paie all
28    Declared and pronounced
29    In the p[re]sence of
30    William X (his mark) Sweataple  Aliced Foster (signed mark)
31    Johanne Foster (signed mark)
32    Margaret Framich (signed mark)
33    Sibill  X (her mark) Carrick
34    Probatum fuit h[uius]modi test[ament]um noncupative in cor[am] forma prob[atum]
35    Rasphum Barlow Archim Archinatus Winton 5 die
36    Maij Anno d[omi]n[o] 1617 Commissa [etc] fuit admi[nistraci]o bonor[um] omniu[m] e[tc]
37    dic[ti] de fuit Robto Drue iurat etc sonal__ saluoau_d
38    _______________
39    Roberto Drue Supradict[us] ________
40    _______ Rob[er]tus de Andever husband:
41    de Petrus Payne de ____ ____
43    Yeoman
44    Wrapper
45    1617
46    Agnes Blake viz [a vi]t
47    de Andever
48    de Charleton
49    5 die Maij 1617
50    An Inventorie of the goods and chattels of
51    Agnes Blake of Charleton widowe deceased taken by us
52    Edward Thurman of Charleton aforesaid gent, Willm Sweatyaple
53    of the same yeoman and Richard Twyne of the same yeoman
54    the second day of may in the xv th yeare of the raigne of
55    ye Sov[er]aigne Lord James by the grace of god King of England
56    France and Ireland defende[r] of ye fayth etc and of
57    Scotland the fiftieth
58    In the chamb[er]
59    etc (the inventory is in good shape but I will not transcribe it)