Wendy Woods (Ralph) has spent a great deal of time and persistence
researching and plotting the many branches of her family tree. With
her approval to use the writings, photos and documents that she has
compiled, I’m presenting a brief summary of the genealogy our
generation of the Ralph Family; James, Debi, and me.
William Charles Ralph - 3/20/20
Barton and Annie Swinnock, Our Maternal Grandparents
This branch traces our mom’s family back to 18 th century United
Kingdom and 19 th century Denmark. The attached photographs were
garnered from the collection Ron Jillson, the late son of Gladys Jillson
(Swinnock).
Barton Kennedy Swinnock
Thomas Swinnock (born in 1760) and wife Elizabeth (our great,
great, great, great grandparents) had 2 sons that could be identified;
Edward and George.
George William Swinnock was born in 1808. He worked as a clerk for
a coal company and married Clarissa Burgess in 1833. They had 3
daughters, none of whom ever married.
Edward Swinnock was christened on July 27, 1781 in Chilham. He
married Sarah Hudson on May 13, 1805 at St. Johns Church in
Margate, in the County of Kent, UK. Edward and Sarah (our great,
great, great grandparents) had 9 children; Mary Ann, George,
William, Edward, John, Thomas, Elizabeth, John Thomas, Sarah Ann,
and Barton.
Mary Ann was born in 1815 at Ramsdale in Kent and Baptized at St.
Laurence Church in Thanet, in the County of Kent. She married her
first cousin on her fathers side Edmund Swinnock on September 2,
1832 at Margate. Edmund and Mary Ann (our great, great
grandparents) had 4 children; Edward, Sarah Ann, James Kennedy,
and Ann Reynolds. Edmund and Mary Ann operated a grocery store
from their residence at 33 London Road in Buckland Parish in Dover.
The iconic Dover Castle overlooking the city and dating from the Iron
Age would have been visible from their property. Edmund died
sometime between 1861 and 1871, however Mary Ann continued to
run the store with her children.
Sometime in that period Sophie Emily Tucker came to stay in the
Swinnock home, presumably to assist Mary Ann with the family.
Sophie later married Mary Ann’s son, James Kennedy Swinnock, a
“whitesmith” producing household items from tin, copper and other
non-iron metals (A “blacksmith” works with iron and steel). James
and Sophie (our great grand parents) moved to New Brunswick
where they had 4 children; Edmund, Helen, Constance, and Barton
Kennedy Swinnock who was born on April 24, 1882 and came to the
United States in 1890.
In 1899, 17-year-old Barton Swinnock was an apprentice at Shreve &
Co. Inventors, artists and entrepreneurs were rewarded for their
successes with fine timepieces and jewelry from the showcases of
the world-renowned Shreve and Company. By the 1860s Shreve &
Company had established its reputation as the finest silver and
goldsmiths in America. Many of Shreve's spectacular pieces were
used by presidents, business tycoons, establishment families, and
those same pieces now belong in museums and private collections
around the world. Teddy Roosevelt especially treasured a 10-inch tall
solid gold Teddy Bear, crafted by Shreve and commissioned as a gift
by the citizens of San Francisco. By 1906 Shreve had moved from
Market Street to a brand new, eleven story building at the corner of
Post & Grant. A month later, the great earthquake hit the city and the
Shreve building was one of the only few still standing.
Barton Kennedy Swinnock lived at home with his parents, brother and
sister, at 115 Chattanooga St. in San Francisco.
Annie Peterson
Peter Jensen married Marie Mikkelsen, our great-great
grandparents, in Denmark, sometime before 1859. Around the year
1879, they moved with their son, Hans, to Michigan. Their daughter,
Jette Christina Jensen was born on December 3, 1859 in Rømø.
Rømø is a Danish island in the Wadden Sea . Rømø and is part
of Tønder Municipality , in Schleswig region of Denmark. The island
has 650 inhabitants as of 2011 and covers an area of 42 sq. miles.
Rømø is the southernmost of Denmark's Wadden Sea Islands . This
distinction was previously held by the small island of Jordsand , which
sank in 1999. Schleswig and Holstein have at different times
belonged to either Denmark or Germany. The Schleswig-Holstein
question was a complex set of issues arising from the disagreement
over which nation the region belonged to. Lord Palmerston is
reported to have said: "Only three people have ever really understood
the Schleswig-Holstein business—the Prince Consort , who is
dead—a German professor, who has gone mad—and I, who have
forgotten all about it." Two wars were fought over it and at the time of
Jette’s birth, Romo belonged to Denmark. Had she been born a few
years earlier or later, she would have been German.
Jette left for America on May 5, 1880. She was 20 and single. Once
in America, she married Peter Christian Peterson, our great
grandparents, settled in Oakland, and had three children. First a son,
James Adolph Petersen in 1884. James married Mary Alice
Wakeman and they had 2 sons and 2 daughters. James lived at 4201
Foothill Blvd in Oakland; it is a parking lot now. He ran his company,
JH Petersen Iron Works from home. Jette’s 2nd child was a daughter,
Annie Petersen. Jette’s 3rd child was Elizabeth who passed away at
the age of 21.
Peter died in 1919 and was buried in Oakland. Jette then married
Christian Petersen Elligaard in 1927 in Alameda. She died on
December 9, 1948, in Oakland, California, at the age of 89 and is
buried beside Peter.
Barton Kennedy Swinnock married Annie Petersen, our maternal
grandparents, in 1904. Initially they lived in the then small town of
Reno, Nevada. By 1915, they were living at 2628 Grant St, Berkeley.
Barton became an engraver for the A. A. Handle Co, but eventually
started his own jewelry & watch repair business, “Brooker &
Swinnock”. They had 5 children beginning in 1905; Gladys, Florence,
Barton Jr, Constance and lastly Eldine. Barton lived the last 25 years
of his life in San Leandro, and died October 8, 1959, just 5 months
after Annie. They are together in the columbarium at Mountain View
Cemetery in Oakland.