My Grandparents

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Roland and Helen (Tooley) Tracy

I found this beautiful family tree form and decided to fill it in--one for my grandmother's ancestry and one for my grandfather's family.

Click on the tree diagram for a close-up view.  Then use the back arrow to return to the blog.

Helen Winifred Tooley Tracy

 My (paternal grandmother's) earliest ancestors to arrive in America (as far as I know with documented proof) were Betsy Benjamin's g-g-g-grandparents, John Benjamin and Abigail Eddye Benjamin.  The Benjamins came from Cranbrook, Kent, England on the ship "Lion" and joined Governor Winthrop's Colony in Massachusetts in 1632.

My grandmother Helen Tooley's great-grandmother, Jane Nelson, who was born in Ireland, was referred to as "Scotch-Irish"--a term descriptive of her Protestant faith rather than her place of birth.  Patrick McDonald was born in Ireland.   Rebecca Page and William James Tooley lived in England (where James William Tooley was born) but I don't know their ancestral parentage.  Ancestors of the Crofoots and the Elliotts came from England. 

Roland Martin Tracy

 My grandfather's grandparents--DeWane; Tracy; Cook/e; and O'Brien families--were all born in Ireland and settled in Franklin and Cooperstown, Wisconsin around 1854.  Bridget Cook was born in County Limerick, Ireland.  Dennis DeWane and Mary Maher were born in Tipperary in Roscrea County, Ireland.