Duchess of Downtown Tacoma

If the name Cromwell rings a bell that's because it has some rather famous historical characters associated with it. Thomas Cromwell was famously beheaded. He was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540. You may remember his participation in the Ann Boleyn scandal. Hollywood offers many versions of his story. Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex is my 13th great uncle. Then there was Oliver Cromwell,one of the generals on the parliamentary side in the English Civil War against King Charles I . He was a key figure in the overthrow of the Stuart monarchy . As lord protector, he was responsible for England becoming a great European power again after it lost some of its power after the death of Queen Elizabeth I . He was said to be a man of outstanding gifts and forceful character. His biography says ,"He was one of the most remarkable rulers in modern European history. Although a convinced Calvinist , he be...

I finally did it! I proved that my mother was right, she was a descendant from British royalty. She told me once when I was little that she was a distant cousin of the Queen. No one else in my family remembers her saying this so I don't know if she was kidding or psychic or what! I knew I had loads of royalty on my father's side thanks to Cousin Arti's genealogy work but I just completed the link on my mothers side and I wish she were alive to hear it but maybe she's watching up there somewhere. :) We are related to not one but THREE Queens through my 17th Great Grandfather on my mother's side, Sir William Tendring who grandfathered them all:   Lady Catherine Howard, Duchess of Norfolk is your first cousin 19 times removed. Queen Consort of England Anne Boleyn is your fifth cousin 13 times removed Elizabeth I of England is your 6th cousin 12 times removed Here is my relationship path to Sir William Tendring:  → Angela Jossy → Verla Rae Jossy, your mother ...

One thing that I have learned while doing internet research is sometimes the information changes - especially Geni and Wikipedia because the editing of the pages is done by individuals who may have their own reasons for it. So I am pasting the data as it stands while I am doing my research so that all will know that I was working with the information available at the time and not making anything up.  My 12th Great Grandfather William Barlow is another ancestor that I share with many prominent people of today. What stands out to me is that he was anti-Catholic, a prolific writer, a religious leader and closely tied to the monarchy. He was a follower of Saint Augustine who was my 58th great uncle. Saint Augustine's mother was Perpetua Patricius is my 57th great grandmother. He was a champion of the poor and a huge proponent of education for all. He was also the Bishop of Bath and Wells which interested me because the waters of Bath are quite famous Roman bathhouses said to ha...