A Bunch of Stuff

Have you ever made queries on message boards or listed your research interests on a web site? I have done this for years. Sometimes it has paid off and sometimes there was no return at all.

Today I want to throw all that together and ask a bunch of questions. Perhaps I will be reaching a far different group of people who may know someone who knows someone, etc. who is researching some of the same names and localities.

So here goes:

Newfoundland
My gt. grandmother was Elizabeth Rachel Lacy, b. in Newfoundland in 1838. It is believed she was born in Murray Cove, Blackhead. It has been suggested that her father's name was Philip. I have a problem with that. According to the naming patterns of the day, there should have been a Philip among  her children and there wasn't.  There were plenty of sons, but no Philip. Her first born son was named Henry. Another son was named after her husband, John Charles Pye. I think it's possible that Henry could have been her father's name.  If anyone has a connection to or knowledge of the Lacy's of Newfoundland, I would love to hear from you.

James Pike of Red Bay is another person I have little or no information on. He is reported to be a Metis or part Cree or Innu. He would be my 4x gt. grandfather. This is getting much deeper into the beginnings of some of the settlements on Labrador. It's possible that there just isn't any documentation.

Ireland:
Elizabeth Lacy's father (Henry?, Philip?) was supposedly born in Ireland. There is no indication of where in Ireland they came from. Is anyone researching the Lacy families in Ireland?

Bridget Sheehan, my gt. grandmother, was born in Galway, according to her obituary. I can't 
seem to find many Sheehans in Galway in the 1830's-1840's  Her father was Michael Sheehan and her mother was Hanora. Bridget's death certificate says her mother's maiden name was Sagaton. I have searched for anyone of this name for many years. I haven't found one person with this name. It is thought that the person doing the recording couldn't understand the Irish brogue of my gt. grandfather and wrote down what they thought they had heard. It has been suggested that the name might be Preston or maybe even Sullivan. We know Bridget had at least one sister, Catherine, and that when she first arrived in Boston she was living in Hyde Park with the Daniel Sullivan family. I would love some clues to help solve this riddle.

Canada
New Brunswick
My 3x gt. grandmother was Margaret Wade, who was the 2nd wife of Ebenezer Cole. Her gravestone gives her death as 1876 at the age of 93., This would make her birth year around 1783. She married Ebenezer in 1810 and the marriage record states she was from Dorchester NB. My problem with her is that she seems to have no family. I can't find a Wade family who had a daughter Margaret with anything close to her birth year.  Then four years later a Sarah Wade married Jonathan Cole, a son of Ebenezer and his first wife. Is she Margaret's sister, where had she been living, who were her parents? This has been a 30+ year old puzzle for me and I'd love to find some help in solving this mystery.

I have some other brick walls and blind alleys, but these have been my pet peeves for a very long time.  Anyone have any ideas - Please!!!  Chime in.

My Summer So Far Continued

After a three week learning experience that I am not sure I wanted to learn, I am now home. How does one express the simple joy of being back in familiar surroundings, comforted by my family and all my furry friends? I'm sure my 2 year old cat thought he had been abandoned. He hasn't left my side for 3 days. Velcro-ed to my side, he looks up at me, blinks a few times, purrs louder and nestles in tighter. My little Bichon has become my fierce defender. No bicyclist, runner, walker or stray dog is allowed to cross that territory that runs in front of the house without his loudly protesting the audacity of such actions. Ohhhh, it is so good to be home.

I want to loudly declare my ongoing appreciation to all the staff at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia NY. From the Emergency Room when I was admitted to the day I left for rehab, I was given the best care I have ever received from all levels of care givers. Then, I wonder, how did I get so lucky to have been put into the care of Dr. Landfried? By US News and Reports, he has been named one of the top 10 sports medicine and orthopedic surgeons in the United States. This decision was reached by peer survey. Wow! If there was anything to be happy about in this whole ordeal, it was that he would be my surgeon.

The LeRoy Village Green in LeRoy NY took my care a step further. Without their ongoing daily sessions with me, I wouldn't have learned balance, upper body strength, wheel chairs and walkers, all necessary to become independent enough to go home. I have learned that being a tri-ped is not fun nor what I want to do, but the coping skills I learned will carry me through. Thanks guys - you challenged me and I learned from it.

After just three weeks, I was at my first Dr. appointment yesterday. All is going well and I am now able to put about 25% pressure on my toes. The Physical Therapist showed me what and how to do all this, so I will be practicing religiously until her next visit. Neural pain can be difficult and intense at times but I know my leg is starting to wake up, reconnect and, hopefully, show signs of healing within. I've only been home for three days, but they have been busy with visits from nurses, physical and occupational therapists. Then I need some rest time for my leg. I hope the next few days will be quieter and that I will be able to return to my real love - genealogy and blogging..

I just want to say thank you to all those who sent me messages. I so appreciate your thoughts and good wishes.

Sir Walter Pye 1571 - Dec. 26 1635 Attorney of the Court of Wards and Liveries

Walter Pye was born at The Mynde, Much Dewchurch, Herefordshire, the oldest 
son of Roger Pye and Bridget Kyrle, of Walford, Herefordshire. He was 
baptised Oct 1 1571. He was educated at Middle Temple and called to the bar 
in 1597. He was a lawyer and a politician. He married Joan Rudhall, Jul 22 
1602, the daughter of William Rudhall of Rudhall, Herefordshire. They had a 
large family of 7 sons and 8 daughters. Three of the sons and one of the 
daughters died without issue (dvp).  Joan died and was buried on Sep 10 
1625. Thereafter he married Hester Ireland, a widow, Oct 31 1628, the 
daughter of John Ireland of London. Hester was the widow of Ellis Crisp, an 
alderman of London. There was no issue from this marriage.

Walter held many offices throughout his life. He held several different 
Commissioners positions in Herefordshire, Brecon, Monmouthsire, 
Glouscestershire, Wales and others until about 1631. He was the Attorney of 
the Wards from 1621 till his death, a member of Prince Charles's Council by 
1625 and a member of the Council of the duchy of Cornwall.

Walter's ancestors were of Welsh extraction and had been in possession of 
property in Herefordshire by 1433. Although Walter was heir to The Mynde, he
was a practicing barrister and spent much of his time in London. He also 
seems to have enjoyed the patronage of Charles Howard, 1st earl of 
Nottingham. It appears he was highly successful and, for about 20 years, 
added  land and buildings to his estate. One of his purchases was the manor of 
Kilpeck, near the Mynde, which he acquired in 1610.

Walter was closely associated and related to the powerful Scudamore family, 
providing legal advice and London news to Sir John Scudamore. He also 
acted as a trustee for William, 2nd Lord Compton, from whom Roger Pye 
(Walter's father) had leased land in Wiltshire. Other notable connections it is 
said he had include George Villiers, the duke of Buckingham, Robert Devereux, 3rd earl of Essex and the earl of Somerset. 

Pye became the Attorney of the Wards on Feb 2 1620 and was dubbed a 
knight soon thereafter. It's important to distinguish Walter from his brother 
Robert who also sat in the same Parliament. Another caveat is to remember
there were two Sir Walters, the other being his son. The elder Sir Walter died
Christmas morning 1635 at his home in Greyfriars. 

Pye's career was filled with political appointments, giving him access to some 
contracts, deals or other negotiations which were considered less than honest.
After his death, his corruption was long remembered. Sir Richard Hutton paid 
tribute to his ingenuity, ability and learning, although he condemned his greed 
and corruption.  His nephew, John Beale, wrote that he was famous for his 
memory, being able to recite every English gentleman, his ancestors, his 
pedigree, coats of arms, chief mansions and other revenues. 



http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/pye-

walter-i-1571-1635

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29259083@N05/4562838099/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Pye

The Mynde Estate

Back in June, I received an email from a cousin that announced the sale of The Mynde Estate in Much Dewchurch, Herefordshire, England. Since we had all grown up hearing about The Mynde, it was with avid interest that I followed the link I was sent. Little did I expect what I found. Here was a Palatial estate with a secondary home, 7 cottages, a variety of outbuildings including stabling, gardens, a park, a lake, woodland and arable fields for a total of 1180+ acres.

The photos were astounding. That might sound like a strong word to use, but I had seen pictures of The Mynde when it was in total disrepair. The transformation and restoration were nothing short of wonderous and, I might add, expensive. That is probably why the price tag is 15,000,000 POUNDS (sorry haven't figured out how to enter symbols yet on my lap top).

Of course this set off a whole new spate of research for me. I wanted to know more about this amazing ugly duckling that had been turned into a beautiful, shimmering swan. According to the Hereford Times, The Mynde dates back to Norman times. It became home to the Pyes in the 1350's and lasted until about 1709, when it came into the possession of the Duke of Chandos. He added one of the key attractions, the King's Hall. The Duke sold the estate to the Symons family  in 1729 who remained there for the next 200 years. In 1932.  The Symons family sold the estate to the Clive family.  In 1959, the Clives sold it to the father of the current owner. No one lived in the house for about 40 years. It was in the late 80's that my nephew was able to visit The Mynde, while serving in the military. His pictures told a sad tale of a leaking roof and neglect. Restoration began in 1997, lasting about 4 years. The property is currently owned by the Twiston-Davies family, whose daughter, Antonia, was a Goddaughter of Princess Diana. In  2003, the estate hosted the Queen, Prince Philip and 3,000 guests at a picnic on the grounds.

Please check out the sites below. I'm not able to add pictures, at this time, directly to my blog. There are many different pictures on these sites, including the current real estate promotion. I have seen pictures of the Queen when she was at The Mynde, but don't seem to be able to find them on the web at this time.

http://search.knightfrank.com/cho120139

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2336184/Property-fit-Queen-Grade-I-listed-manor-house-hosted-picnic-monarch-goes-sale-15million.html

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/10450241.__15million_and_it_s_yours___palatial_Herefordshire_house_for_sale/

http://www.geolocation.ws/v/E/2284149/estate-buildings-the-mynde/en

My Summer so Far

I have spent the last two weeks on an unintended leave of absence. As I was walking down 3 steps to my back yard I started to lose my balance. Thinking to catch myself, rather than fall and hit my head on the steps, I stepped off. The one patch of ground I landed on was not flat, of course. So I landed one legged, at an angle, and down I went. I knew I was in trouble as I heard the bone break.
Fortunately, I wasn't home alone and had help immediately. So on the ambulance ride to the hospital I'm thinking that I've seen plenty of people with casts on their legs and on crutches. There was no reason to think I wouldn't be home that night suitably adorned with a cast and two extra wooden legs. But it seems I don't do things the easy way. I had a tibia plateau fracture that would need surgery. Oh crap!
So on Jul 1, I was in surgery getting my leg pinned back together. It's a non-weight bearing injury which means NO weight for 6 weeks, maybe longer. Fora full week I was in an acute care facility and then transferred to a chronic care site. I have been here for 5 days.
I now have a lap top to use so can connected with everyone again. I didn't fall off the world, just off a few steps. It will be awhile before I can return to regular blogging. I have no idea when I will be discharged from here. I don't want to write about genealogy topics until I'm home where all my research is. My aim is for accuracy as much as possible.
So in the meantime, I will maybe offer up some vignettes of various things that don't rely on facts, just happy memories.

Now to care repaired so that some day, maybe this fall sometime, I can ride my horse again.

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