TRACY GENEALOGY Ancestors and Descendants of THOMAS TRACY. of Lenox, Massachusetts COMPILED BY MATTIE LISTON-GRISWOLu Printed by DOUBLEDAY BROS. & COMPANY KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN 1900 Copyright, Sept. 22, I900 BY MATTIE LISTON-GRISWOLD All R£gkts Reserved TRACI: TRACYE: TRACY. Or an escallop, in the chief dexter point; sable, between two bendlets gules. Crest, on a chapeau gules, turned up ermine, or an escallop sable, between t~o wings expanded, or (By courtesy of Lieut. Charles Stedman Ripley, U.S. N., Boston, Mass.) s 1 ·r E o F THE 1' Ho MA s 1· RA c Y Ho us E, L EN ox, M A s s A c Hus E '1' 'l's . '' 1.Vothing enobles a man li-f·e a· ,/- 0 ;., of noble blood. ' ' 3 TO ALICE, MY FAITHFUL AND HELPFUL FRIEND, THIS WORK IS GRATEFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. / /~ ,.,,-,.,.//~~-~ ,' •!/-;'°/ -<>" '/~ "/~.,: //. <////: . /,. ..=:,.,-:·,- ,_,_ /, -', // BY THE NAME OF TRACY. This arms beareth a yellow field, charged with an escallop shell black, between two red bans. GRANTED TO PA UL TRACY o.f Stanway in Gloucestershire, England. (By courtesy of Mr. Richard Tracy Stevens, of New York City.) PREFACE. Let me assure my readers that I do not consider this book in any way a literary effort, and will they also bear in mind the difficulties which must attend the painting of a very large picture with multitudinous characters, upon a very small canvas. This book is an attempt to gather together, from authentic sources, all the data and details relative to Thomas Tracy of Lenox, Mass., and his descendants. The task has been a labor of love through­ out, made yet more delightful by the generous kindness of those to whom the writer applied for assistance in gathering, classifying and sifting material for these pages.. Family records, rare old histories, manuscript letters and personal reminiscences, were placed at my disposal with gracious readiness. In the pursuance of this undertaking, however, it has been impossible to complete various branches, as the records have not been preserved. Accuracy has been conscientiously studied in the work and whatever its merits or demerits, otherwise, it is aut .1entic, and as such can be of value as reference. Our ancestors, the early founders of New England, were a reverent, conscientious and industrious people, and a consideration· of their lives, their characters, and their achievements, cannot fail of provi~g salutary. "God sifted a whole nation that he might send grain into the wilderness.'' For much valuable information, grateful acknowledgments are made to Mr. Richard Tracy Steven::; and Miss Ellen Yale Stevens of Ne\v York City; to ~.1r. Joseph R. Tracy of Toledo, Ohio; to Miss Elizabeth Marion Tracy, of Sterling, Ill.; to Mrs. Clara C. Tracy-Page, of Gorton. New York.; to Miss Mary Yale of Nlartinsburgh, N. Y.; to Mrs. Emma Kneeland Smith of Clarendon, Vt.; to Miss Maude Doughty or Grand Rapids, Mich.; to Mrs. Elias Root Beadle of Philadelphia, Pa., and to Miss Mary Shannon Smith of Lee, Nlassachussetts. To Mr. George Weare Tracy of Odessa, Russia; to Mr. Henry Whipple Chester, of Chicago Theological Seminary, and to Captain Henry B. Grant, of Louisville, Ky., especial thanks are due for their kindly suggestions and use of valuable books. 'The list is a long one, but the courtesies have been many. 5 Among the books consulted have been: ''The Ancestors of Lieut. Thomas Tracy of Norwich, Conn.'' by Lieut. Charles Stedman Ripley, U. S. N. ''Ol<l. Houses of the Ancient Town of Norwich," by Miss Perkins. "Genealogy of Lieut. Thomas Tracy," by Mrs. Abbey, and "A Centennial and a Century" by Rev. Alvan Hyde, D. D. M. L. G. 6 CONTENTS. Page. Vikings, Britons and West Saxons, Ancient Ancestors of Cerdic, First King of the West Saxons, of Egbert, First King of England, and of William de Traci, Knight of Gloucestershire _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ 9 The Descent of Sir William de Traci from the Saxon Kings ofEngland ________________________________________ 11 The Norman Descent of Sir William de Traci, Ancestor of Lieutenant Thomas Tracy of Norwich, Connecticut____ 14 The Tracy Line through Grace de Traci, _Daughter and Heiress of Henry de Traci, Feudal Lord of Barnstaple in Devonshire _____________________________________ 15 Sir Paul Tracy, Father of Lieutenant Thomas Tracy, of Norwich, Connecticut ______________________________ 20 Lieutenant Thomas Tracy, of Norwich, Connecticut_______ 23 Deed of Norwich ______________________________________ 24 Thomas Tracy, of Preston, Connecticut__________________ 25 Jedidiah Tracy (Deacon), of Preston, Connecticut_ __ _ _ __ _ _ 25 Thomas Tracy, of Lenox, Massachusetts, and His De- scendants _________________________________________ 25 Captain Josiah Yale and Justus Yale, Lineal Descendants of David Yale, Founder of the Family in this Country____ 33 7 ELECTA YALE-HAMLIN RUTH TRACY-YALE. 1'lo. ,o. 1Vo. 2. I. ANCESTORS OF CERDIC, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS, OF EGBERT, FIRST KING OF ENGLAND, AND OF WILLIAM DE TRACI, KNIGHT OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE. Odin, called by the Romans . Othinus, lived and :flourished in the third century, in what is now Sweden, and died after hav­ ing brought half of ·Northern Europe under his sovereignty.* He had a son- BELDEG, who had a son­ BRANnius, who was father of­ FROODIGARIUS, who had a son­ WrGGA, who was the· father of­ GEWESIUS, whose son- EFFA, was father of- EFFA rr, whose son- ELISEUS, was the father of- CERDIC, the first king of the West Saxons. He died after a reign of thirty years or more, leaving a son- KENRIC, who succeeded to the crown after the death of his father. He died in 560, having reigned twenty-six years. He was succeeded by his eldest son, CHEAULIN, who reigned about thirty years, when he was dethroned by his nephew and banished from his country. He died in exile in the year 593, leaving a son- CuTHWIN, his eldest son, was killed in battle during the reign of his father. He left a son­ CuTH, died leaving a son­ CHEWALD, who was the father of- KENDRED, his eldest son IuA was the Eleventh King of the West Saxons. Another of his sons was­ lNGILLS, who was the father. of­ EoPPA, who had a son- ALKMUND, or .lETHELMUND, who had a son- *Some historians have treated him as a half mythical personage, so far back in the dim past did he live. 9 EGBERT, who, upon the death of King Beotric, claimed the kingdom of Wessex. He was received without opposition, and his authority was acknowledged from Cromwell to the Firth of Forth. In the year 827 the kingdoms of the Saxon Heptarchy were consolidated under this powerful rule. He was the first Saxon king of all England. He married the Lady Redburga. He died in 836 and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son. ETHELWULF, before coming to the throne, was a monk. He married- OSBURGA, the daughter of his cupbearer, and a direct descendant of- CERDIC. By her he had four sons, of whom Alfred was the youngest. After the death of Osburga, Ethelwulf married Judith, daughter of Charles the Bald, and greatgranddaughter of Charle­ magne. He died in the year 857. She subsequently married the Count of Flanders, and was ancestress of Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror. ALFRED THE GREAT, born in Wantage, in Berkshire, 850 A. D. He was twenty-one years of age at the time of his acces­ sion to the throne, and though he lived in a rude and barbarous age, when might made right, he has always been regarded by the English people as their ideal king. He was untiring in his efforts to acquire knowledge and convey it to his people. His court was the home of many distinguished scholars. ~e is honored as the founder of Oxford University. His wife was Elswitha, a daugh­ ter of the Earl of Lincolnshire. They had three sons and three daughters. In October, 901, this great and good king died in the fifty-third year of his age, and was buried in the monastery v:hich he had founded at Winchester. EDWARD THE ELDER, second son of Alfred the Great, succeeded his father. He married for his third wife, Eadgina, daughter of Earl Sigelina. It was from her that Sir William de Traci descended. They had two sons and two daughters. - EDMUND I, eldest son of Edward the Elder by his third wife, succeeded his half brother · Athelstane. He married in the first yearof his reign, Elfgifu. They had two sons. He was assassi­ nated at the festival of St. Augustine, May 26, 946, by a noted outlaw named Leof, who had been banished. He was succeeded by Eldred, another son of Edward the Elder, who reigned until 955. EDGAR, the second son of Edmund I, came to the throne in the year 959. He married his cousin Elgiva ( JEthelflreda the Fair), 10 THE DESCE.NT OF SIR WILLIAM DE TRACI FROM THE SAXON KINGS OF ENGLAND. ECGBERHT m. REDBURGA. r. 800-839. I · -------------,-------- JETH ElWULF m. OSBURGA. JETH ELSTAN. EAciITH (St. Edith.) r. 839-857. I Abbess of Polesworth. JETHELSTAN. JETHElBALD. JETHEJBERHT. JETHEtRED I. JELJRED (The Great.) JETHELtWITHA. d. before 857. r. 857-860. r. 860-866. r. 866-871. r. 871-901. m. King of Mercia. m. nalhswitha. I I ' EADJUND. EADW ARD (The Elder.) JBTHELWA.LD, JETHELIFLEDA. JETHELGIDA. JELFTJRYTH. d. before 901. r. 901.-925. died unm. m. her cousin, Abbess of m. Baldwin II. m. E:adgina. Duke of Mercia. Shaftsbury. Count of Flanders. I EADM6ND I. EADB6RGA. EADbINA. r. 940-946. became a nun. m.