From Barbarian Tribesmen to Proper Englishmen
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CELEBRATING THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE Issue 38 The 3rd century Roman ruins of Portchester Castle on the Southern coast of Spring 2008 England. Do these walls hold any significance to the Stidham* family? Inside President’s Message page 2 Society News & Notes page 3 Current Stidham* News page 3 Celebrating the 10th Anniversary Issue page 4 From Barbarian From Barbarian Tribesmen Tribesmen to Proper Englishmen Cover Story, page 6 to Proper Englishmen Did the Stidham* genetic line originate in the Balkans, then pass through In Future Issues: Stedham, England, before its arrival in 17th century Sweden? Upcoming stories you don’t want to miss. Recent advances in Y-DNA analysis make that proposition a reasonable page 12 probability, though not a certainty—yet. Story begins on page 6. President’s Message GREETINGS AGAIN FROM SAN DIEGO! Sorry for the delay in getting this issue finished and sent out to you. It took some time in pulling all the pieces together in order to bring you an issue worthy of my brief return as editor. As this issue marks the 10th anniversary of its launch, David Stidham sat Issue 38, Spring 2008 me at the editor’s desk once again to recall some of this publica- (Printed June 2008) tion’s highlights over this past decade, which begin on page 4. Now for some important business. I need to address plans for OFFICERS our Stidham* Family Reunion in Wilmington, Delaware. Due to Richard L. Steadham: President ongoing plans being made there this year regarding sites of his- Lora Scott: Treasurer torical interest to this family, the Board of Directors has voted to David R. Stidham: Historian and Editor postpone our reunion until next year, when most of these projects Leslie Shamus: Membership Secretary should be completed. Number one on the list is the placement of a historical marker at 14th and Poplar (now known as Clifford AT-LARGE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Brown Walk) designating the site of Timen Stiddem’s home. We’re trying to work that out with the local authorities at this Ules G. Stidam, Jr. • Jack Stidham time, but know realistically that it won’t be ready this summer. Thomas Stidham • Kenneth Steadham Number two is the relocation of the Crane Hook Church Monu- ment to a site accessible to the public. It currently sits on private The Newsletter is the official publication of the Timen Stiddem Society. It is published four times a year: Win- property in the middle of an industrial area (see Issue 33). Third ter, Spring, Summer and Fall. It is distributed to all members as is correction of the “Old Mill Stone” historical marker on the a benefit of membership. The objectives of the Society are to en- Brandywine River, which currently carries inaccurate information courage and promote the accurate recording of family data, vital regarding the Stedham family mill. statistics and individual accomplishments of Dr. Timen Stiddem Another big reason to delay our reunion is the fact that next and his descendants. Membership dues are $20 annually (January thru Decem- year the Swedish Colonial Society will be celebrating their 100th ber), for which a member receives up to four issues of the anniversary, and it would be nice to take part as a group in some Newsletter. All members are classified as either Descendant or of their events. One of those may include the presence of the Associate Members based on lineage from Dr. Stiddem or not. King and Queen of Sweden, High Patrons of the SCS, and it Anyone with an interest in this Society is elegible to join as an would be great if we could lend our support in honoring them for Associate Member. Note: Stidham* followed by an asterisk, refers to all spell- their continued interest in New Sweden. ing variations of the surname when speaking of Stidhams in The Board has also voted on a new scheduling format for all general. This spelling is the most commonly used form of the future Stidham* Family Reunions sponsored by the TSS, which name by Timen Stiddem’s descendants today. ID numbers [in will now take place every other year. It goes as follows: Begin- brackets] are from The Descendants of Dr. Timothy Stidham, ning in 2009 and every fourth year thereafter, the TSS will hold Vol. 1 and 2. Disclaimer: The Society and its officers disclaim responsi- a Family Reunion in Wilmington, Delaware, site of this family’s bility for any errors or omissions, although accuracy is always origin in America. Every other odd year, the Society will hold a strived for. It is each researcher’s own responsibility to verify Family Reunion at any other location agreed upon by a majority any data presented in these pages against the original evidence, of Board Members, with input from the general membership. As if that is of importance to them. Each contributor is responsible an example: 2009 in Wilmington, 2011 in Dallas, 2013 in Wilm- for their own material not violating existing copyright laws. The Timen Stiddem Society is a family association mem- ington, 2015 in Atlanta, 2017 in Wilmington, 2019 in Seattle, ber of the National Genealogical Society and the Federation of etc. This way we don’t wear out our welcome in Wilmington, but Genealogical Societies. In addition, the Society is an organiza- return often enough to give new members—and interested old tional member of the Swedish Colonial Society, Philadelphia, timers—the opportunity of being there as an organized group with Pennsylvania. privileges accorded our standing in the historical community. Copyright © 1998-2008, the Timen Stiddem Society Finally, for those interested in the ongoing Stidham* Family DNA Study and its ramificatons for learning about our “deep” To contact the Editor, send your inquiries to: ancestry, this month’s cover story adds a new direction for con- [email protected] or David R. Stidham templating our ancestor’s migrations over the centuries. It’s hard 41 Dellwood Road, Worcheser, MA 01602 to imagine the lives they must have led in pre-Christian Europe, http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~tstiddem/index.htm but for those interested in such matters, there’s much to discover. www.stidhamfamilytree.com Richard Steadham (DCM 2) President, 2008-2009 Society News and Notes New Members Since the Last Newsletter TSS Store n Stidham* National Reunion T-Shirts - $8 each Judy K. Stidham Archer, DM498 2007 – S, M, L 2006 – S Houston, Texas 2003 – S, M 2002 – S, L, XL Adam line (dau. of Earl [3833] Stidham) n Vol. 1 (Revised Edition), The Descendants of Dr. Timothy Stidham, 2007 - $60 Roberta L. Stidham Russell, DM499 Knoxville, Tennessee n Vol. 2 , The Descendants of Dr. Timothy Stidham, Adam line (dau. of Claude [3657] Stidham) 2005 - $50 John Michael Steadham, DM500 n Back issues of the Newsletter (all issue 1-37) - $2 ea. Franklin, North Carolina Adam line (son of John McKethian [4258] Steadham) Nancy Jones, DM501 Iola, Texas Adam line (g-dau. of Hubert Lee [3731] Stidham) Timen Stiddem Society Lapel Pins Current Stidham* News Deaths Die struck, soft enamel pins in the colors of the Taylor [08] Stidham, 87, Swedish flag with raised polished metal, now avail- retired Lt. Col., died on Wednes- able for purchase at just $5 each (includes shipping day, December 26, 2007. [TSS and handling). MEMBER DM-251] Taylor retired from the US Army with 27 years of service. He mar- To order, send a letter of request specifying how ried Delora (Shelton), his loving many you would like, along with your payment of wife, in 1943. They moved from $5 each. Springfield, Virginia to Merritt Island, Florida in 1975. Since retiring in 1967, Taylor enjoyed being a member of Grace Meth- odist Church and the Officers All prices include Shipping and Handling. Club at Patrick A. F. B. He had Taylor [3108] Stidham a wonderful sense of humor Send check (made out to Timen Stiddem Society) to: and his wife, Delora and will be missed by all who knew hem. Taylor is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Lora Scott, TSS Treasurer Delora; daughter, Patricia Townsend of San Francisco, California; 2392 Bridgewood Trail grandson, Shane Townsend (MiAnn)l; three great-grandchildren, Orlando, Florida 37218 Miranda, Carson, and Parker of Manassas, Virginia; and neph- ews, Dick, Fred, and Pat. (Florida Today) (Continued on page 10) Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary Issue With this issue, we mark the 10th anniversary of this publication’s launch back in 1998 and the 38th issue to date published by the Timen Stiddem Society. A whole decade of family history in print for us to enjoy now and future historians to treasure forever. Over the years, an abundance of family data has been documented and numerous family photographs shared with others, who without this newsletter’s existence, may never have had an opportunity to see an image of a distant ancestor before. It doesn’t seem that long ago when I started planning for that first issue back in the Spring of ’98 and trying to figure out what exactly should be published first. However, since the Society had just begun earlier that same year, the logical material to print first I assumed would be an introduction of the newly founded organization along with its new set of bylaws. Jack Stidham, the Society’s first historian and one of its original founders, provided two articles about the Dr. Stiddem himself as a way of introduc- tion to a small but growing membership, many of whom were just then learning of him and his life back in the 17th century. An ongoing feature with roots in the first issue was a presentation of Census data pertaining to Stidhams*.