Flood Family - Lee Family of Virginia Connection
Ancestry of Richard Henry Lee Richard Henry Lee claimed the right to the Coat of Arms of the Lee of Shropshire, England, before the Court of Admiralty in London. According to this view, Richard was purportedly a son of Richard Lee, Gent, and his wife, Elizabeth Bendy. This elder Richard was baptized October 6, 1563 at Alveley Parish, Shropshire and he married Elizabeth on October 21, 1599 at Alveley Church. Richard was alive as late as October 21, 1621, when he received 15 pounds in the will of his brother, Capt. Gilbert Lee (d. 1621), of "Tolleshunt Darcy", Essex, England. He was the sixth of eight sons of Sir John Lee (1530-1605), of "Coton Hall", Shropshire, and his wife, Joyce Romney (1528-1609). In 1988, William Thorndale (National Genealogical Society Quarterly, 76-4, pp 253-267) claimed that Richard Henry Lee was actually the son of a John Lee (sometimes Lees or Leys) (1590-1629/30), a member of the Clothiers' Company (i.e., manufacturers of woolen cloth) and Jane Hancock. This Richard was christened 22 March 1617/8 at St. Martins Parish in the city of Worcester.. Subsequently, Thomas Woodcock, Somerset Herald at the College of Arms, was engaged by David Halle (Genealogist of the Society of the Lees of Virginia at the time) to try to find further confirmation of this deduction. Although failing in this, Mr. Woodcock did develop the strong probability that this John Lee (1590-1629/30) was the son of an earlier John Lees (ca.1566-1597), weaver, of Worcester. Mr. Thorndale generously supplied evidence to establish this parentage with certainty, and Dr. Neil Thompson then further confirmed it. Genealogist Alan Nicholls's research into Richard's ancestry re-asserts the traditional Shropshire ancestry that he claimed his whole life, and which was verified by a member of the college of arms during his lifetime. In addition, Horace Edgar Hill, Jr., through DNA testing has established that there is a 78.44% probability that several persons who have also been tested and have the surname of Blount share a common ancestor within the last 15 generations. If Richard's ancestry is as he claimed, John Blount would have been a direct ancestor of Richard 15 generations earlier than Ed. Click here to read more about the Lee Family in Virginia. |
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