| Blencowe Families’ Association Newsletter | Volume 19 Number 2, August 2004 |
Table of Contents |
| Letter from the Editor The DNA Survey Reunion NSW Visitors to Oxford Milestones Letters Lady Anne Blencowe’s Receipt Book |
Letter from the Editor
First of all I must apologise for the late production of this Newsletter; events just ganged up on me. I’m going to be six weeks behind schedule and the way things are going I can’t see the way ahead for me to ‘catch up’ with the September issue on time or even a few weeks late. I may have to short-change you all by skipping an issue reducing the 2004 output to just three.
Excuses, excuses, family affairs have given me a lot of fun but took up quite a slice of the calendar (see ‘Milestones’). Then the Lady Ann’s cookbook has kept me busy (and given me another delightful journey down to see ‘Tina Stapley). I completed the fair copy of the final pages ten days ago and the complete manuscript is with the printer. I’ll give more details in later pages.
Jack Blencowe,
Oxford, August 2004.
Last-minute Addition!
Today’s post brought an offer from William Prince Publishers of “The Blencowe Family Chronicle”; at a cost of £34.95 (discounted from £52.95) you get a book with some 80 pages including a 25 pp genealogical index going back to c.1625. One of our Blinko members received a similar offer of “The Blinko Family Chronicle”; it sounds as if someone is onto a money-spinner.
The DNA Survey
Nine DNA analyses have now been completed and the results are quite exciting. One participant received his personal analysis and said, “It’s Greek to me!” but, displayed side-by-side on the cover, it soon makes sense. First to come to hand were those of descendants of James Blincoe, who was recorded in Maryland in 1671. Allen Blincoe of Dayton OH is directly descended, ten generations down from James; John Blincoe of Issaquah WA shares the same ancestry. Allen descends from Benjamin Carroll Blincoe (1809-c.1852), John from Ben’s brother Carroll Carrollton Blincoe (1811-1876); the DNA of the male chromosomes is identical.
Noel Blincoe of Pacifica CA can only trace his descent back to his grandfather Joseph A Blincoe who was born in Loudoun Co. VA in 1851. His DNA is closely similar to that of Allen and John, differing at only two points (and the numbers in the diagram show only a ‘one-step shift). It is pretty clear that Noel’s grandfather descended from one of the very early Blincoes who did not move on from Virginia to Kentucky.
Now comes the exciting bit! John (‘Al’) Blencowe of Norfolk is a great grandson of Thomas Blencowe (1828-1904) a pharmacist who emigrated from Towcester in England in 1873. Thomas’ ancestry can be traced back, via Marston St Lawrence to 14thC Adam Blencowe of Blencow. If you look at the diagram you will see that Al, Allen and John share identical DNA; the American descendants of ‘the Immigrant James’ can be confident that their lineage goes directly back in unbroken male line to the common ancestor.
This does not tell us where James came from; ships sailed to Colonial America from London, Bristol, even Westward Ho!, and there were particularly close ties between the tobacco planters of Virginia and the Cumbrian port of Whitehaven. I have speculated that James was born in 1651, the son of James and Susannah Blencowe of Marston St Lawrence and that he was taken to America by John Lee, a contemporary at Oxford University of John Blencowe (later Sir John) of Marston St Lawrence and son of Richard Lee of Virginia. Of course, James might have been one of the Cumbrian Blencowes, but I find it suggestive that James named his daughter Susannah.
I turn now to ‘my lot’: my great grandfather Joseph told the Census-taker that he had been born c.1806 at Long Buckby near Whilton, but I have failed to find any record. My DNA was completely different from the ones discussed above. Keith Blincow also submitted a sample; he descends directly from John Blencowe of Whilton who was born c.1650 and was Parish Clerk at the end of the 17thC, Keith and I share an identical ‘Y’ chromosome; I have no doubt of our “Blencowe” ancestry, it just means that at some time before 1650 a male Blencowe was born out of wedlock (or, less likely, was adopted). The same applies to Roger Blencowe, one of the Blencowes of Wisconsin who now lives in Texas, His family group emigrated, first to Upper New York State, from Gawcott near Buckingham and probably came from Helmdon near Marston St Lawrence. DNA differs from both mine and Al’s.
Edward Blincoe descends from Robert the foundling born in London c.1792, believed by the family to have been the illegitimate son of a Blencowe parson. No records have been found to confirm this but there is a similarity between his DNA and that of Roger. There are four points of difference, one of them a two-step jump; Diahan Southard who coordinates our project at Relative Genetics Inc, advises that these differences are too great to have arisen by mutation in the mere two centuries since Robert’s birth. However, it looks to me that Edward could look to the Helmdon/Gawcott line for his ancestry, although whether there is a parson lurking in the background is another story!
I have left to the last the result of Chris Blencowe of Toronto whose DNA is identical with the first three discussed above. Chris’ family line traces back to a farmer in West Sussex, the only Blencowe group in that part of U.K. The ‘tree’ opposite shows a possible link back to the senior line of the Blencowes of Blencow. Hugh is a very unusual name amongst the Blencowes and Hewe, the son of the Rev Christopher Blencowe of Edenhall (c.1498-c.1565) could be the same Hugh who was recorded in Storrington in W. Sussex in 1590. Four subsequent generations using the name Hugh are to be found recorded in towns and villages near Storrington, then there is a gap until maybe two generations later Chris’ ancestor farms in the neighbourhood. It seems to me highly likely that Chris, his brother, and some distant cousins in Germany are the last repsentatives of the senior line of the Blencowes of Blencow – believed to have died out when Henry Prescott George Blencowe died in Tunis in 1927.
What comes next? Well, I hope that these exciting results will encourage others to participate in the project. Representatives of the main family groups are invited to give it serious thought:
Blencowes of Australia
Blencowes of Bicester and Brackley
Blencowes of Kings Sutton
Blenkos of London and USA
Blincos/Blinkos of Slough & Windsor
Reunion in NSW!
Descendants of George and Matilda Blencowe are invited to attend a reunion at Griffith Pioneer Park Museum on the NSW Labour Day Long Weekend 2 & 3 October 2004
Anne Burton, who is organizing the gathering, wrote:
George and his wife Matilda Nourse had seven children while farming in the lower Flinders Ranges of South Australia. George’s father, also George, had migrated from Brackley to Australia in 1830, a small child accompanying his parents John and Mary Blencowe.
In 1905, after many years of drought, and plagued by kangaroos and emus desperate for water, George and Matilda moved with four of their children to Tamworth, where water was more plentiful and the soil more fertile. In 1912, with the three youngest children, they purchased a business in Sydney.
In 1918 George and Matilda with daughters Olive and Ivy came to Leeton to try their hand at irrigation farming. They were followed by son Richard Allan and his young family in 1919 and George Henry’s family in 1921. The latter was a pioneer in the rice industry. Three generations of Blencowes were born in Leeton, none of whom reside there now.
Anne has contacted as many of George’s descendants as possible, including a dozen names of families related by marriage. So far some 94 have said they’ll attend and numbers may pass 100. Anne is hoping to hear from descendants of her uncle Bruce Blencowe (1925-98), the only branch she has failed so far to contact. Any more Blencowes out there, related to this family or not, would be made welcome. Contact <alkblencowe @ yahoo.com.au> Anne & Dennis are just now off round the world and will be here in Oxford (via Canada) in early September. You can catch up with them at <dennisburton @ yahoo.com.au> whilst they’re travelling.
Visitors to Oxford
| Cathie Mulllins made a return visit in April, this time accompanied by her parents Ken and Bev Varcoe. After calling on us in Oxford they made a trip to Long Buckby whence in 1871 their ancestor William Blincow emigrated to Nebraska. In Long Buckby they were entertained by Elizabeth Blincow Brennecke and also met her cousin Nellie Leach. So far as I know, Elizabeth and Nellie are the only descendants of John Blencowe, the 17thC Parish Clerk of nearby Whilton to be still living in the village. |  |
| Cathie Mullins and her parents pictured in our back garden in Oxford |
| A few weeks later Walt and Joy Blenko from Pittsburgh came to call. Remembering Walt’s enthusiasm for railroads, Kee and I took them to the Steam Train Museum at the nearby town of Swindon. When pioneer railroad engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel built the Great Western Railway from London to Bristol he chose to build a factory at the halfway point and Swindon was born. The collection of old locomotives and rolling stock is superb and the scale models are the finest I have ever seen. I include two photos to encourage folk to make a visit. The museum is housed in the old factory which closed in the ’60s. For those who don’t like trains the rest of the space is occupied by a huge collection of factory outlet stores. |  |
| ‘The Cheltenham Flyer’, the first to run at 100 mph, you can walk in underneath and see ‘the works’. |
| [P.S. for those with young grandchildren, there’s another museum the other side of Oxford where they can take a short ride on a full-size steam-driven Thomas the Tank Engine!] |  |
| ‘The Cheltenham Flyer’, the first to run at 100 mph, you can walk in underneath and see ‘the works’. |
Milestones
Congratulations!
First of all (and why not?) to me I celebrated my 80th birthday in fine style on 23 May. Cousins came from Sydney Australia and our brother-in-law from Washington DC. Kee stood me an enormous lunch party attended by friends from as long ago as 1946 and from as far away as Malaysia. The only four Blencowes present are in the photo, but the party would not have been complete without the presence of Jill Blencowe Dudbridge who launched me into family history research some twenty years ago.
Congratulations also to Charlie and Vicky Blencowe on the birth on 19 June of their son Alexander Troy. Another grandson for Peter and Anna!
Also to Kendra Meissen who married Eric Walker at Yakima WA on 31 July. Kendra attended a semester in Oxford in 2002 and readers will remember her picture (vol.17 no.3) seated on a canal boat at Cropredy Wharf, where her ancestor William Blincow embarked in 1871 on the long journey to Nebraska.
Letters
More news from ‘Down Under’
Pat McClenaghan has sent me more news of life on the farm in Armidale NSW. They’ve had hard frost and ½ ins of snow. A large rock stopped the harvester and the last of the corn cobs had to be picked by hand. They now have to turn the heifers and 5,000 ewes into the paddock to take care of anything that’s left. Providing, she says, the kangaroos don’t get there first! It appears that there’s a plague of them just now.
In an aside Pat tells that her sister and brother-in-law put their new car on the Indian-Pacific train to Perth, intending to drive back. Heading for Alice Springs and Darwin they hit the first ‘roo on the Nullarbor Plain. Not too much damage but, heading to Broken Hill, a second larger one got in the way and there was a 2-week delay for major repairs! The Australian national symbol is not popular!
Back in Armidale the Wool Expo has been a highlight of the farming year, with Pat taking a leading role in the craft exhibitions. She sent me pictures of wool embroideries, including one using only natural wool colours. Press cuttings included those of an alpaca, animals that produce good wool, they will also chase dogs and foxes way from the sheep!
A book has been launched of pioneer days in Wangibinda, Aberfole and Ward’s Mistake (evocative name!) where Blencowe kinfolk were located.
Finally Pat makes a plea: “I hope if you and others from our huge Blencowe clan can ever be talked into a gathering in Australia we should make it coincide with NEWXPO, second week in May 2005.” Now there’s something to think about!
Lady Anne Blencowe’s Receipt Book
Well, it’s at the printers, the same company that produced our Blencowe book. It will be a hardback, about 165 pages long, plus eight pages of delightful colour pictures of dishes that ‘Tina Stapley has cooked. There is also the picture of Lady Ann Blencowe that appeared in our book. I have no doubt they will produce a volume to the same high standards.
Don’t forget that ‘Tina will be running a cookery demonstration at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum near Singleton, West Sussex on Tuesday 7th September (9.30 to 4.30). I am told that several Blencowes have signed up for the course but, even if (like me!) you’re not ‘into’ cooking, make an effort to come along, you’ll be able to collect copies of the book. I have made an advance payment to Heartsease Books so you can sign a chit and send a payment to the Association later. Put a sticky label on your lapel with your name on it, to help me recognise you.
I’m told that the Museum is easy to find once you get to the village of Singleton which is on the A286 between Midhurst and Chichester. Don’t forget your camera!