September 2024

This page is being put here, doubling up on the effort to quickly get some of the common questions asked, answered. 

Examples may include questions from employers, or prospective ones, inquiries after submission of job applications, correspondence and questionnaires from the government, the US Census Bureau, education institutions, military programs, and so on. 

I have a website set up exclusively on ancestry here: Heritage and Ancestry... Selected Lineages... Thornton [https://sites.google.com/view/our-heritage-and-of-thornton]

A brief sketch with cropped or partially marked over photos is provided hereunder, perhaps allowing words to be connected with images. 

Genealogical roots, introductory sketch:

My agnatic Thornton line starting with the grandfather, are US Army veterans, per records, at least as far back as serving in WWI and the Civil War. At least one Revolutionary War veteran has been validated as an ancestor (in my paternal, Perciful line). Both my grandfathers (paternal and maternal sides) are US military war veterans.

Civil War veteran Thornton, [great great grandfather] emerging from his family roots in Leesburg, Virginia according to some records, settled down in Raleigh, North Carolina, roughly around the time the war ended.  Whereat, relation held with the Winslow/Overton family complex, whom historically, were from the region nearby.

A number of sons and daughters sprung from the marriage, many of whom married, and consistent with the obvious in some locales, are their descendants through the present; in other locales, that there were anything beyond a few surviving branches, was contrary to lore, as some of the daughters of surnamed Thornton married and replaced their maiden name with their husband, descendants had the later husband's surname, and so forth.  Among the youngest (of the Civil War veteran Thornton that moved to Raleigh in my line), was LTC Dr. James Thornton [my great grandfather], who raised a family mainly in New York through marital relations for my pedigree line, surnamed Ten Eyck. Mrs G. Ten Eyck Thornton, also a military veteran, perhaps through brief service.

(There were numerous individuals with surname Thornton that fought in the Civil War.)

Note: It was custom in centuries past for men, especially who were financially capable, to marry again after a spouse deceased; some ancestors do have multiple marriages in records, and thusly corresponding descendants. [Marriage and offspring through one spouse may not necessarily deny the existence of a marriage and offspring through another spouse.]

Many branches of my paternal ancestry generally are immigrants to the region known today as Virginia, perhaps some to Maryland, and a few to New Orleans; later generations moved westward, markedly Alabama one of the regions.  The Johnston and Johnson surname recurs often in paternal lines. Of the pool of what may briefly be referred to as my ancestors, within the overall pool comes a subset of individuals that immigrated to the region now known as the continental US. Most of these that immigrated during the time span from 1615 to 1870, immigrated from the region currently known and comprised of England, Ireland, and Scotland, in order of most to least. (For example, records show, immigrations or travels, for Perciful, and Starbuck. Surnames in a few generations back in the pedigree, without necessarily hard immigration papers, for names like Wells, and Carter.)

Of course generally speaking, these immigrant families, and their surnames, had ancestors as well, and maternal lines. The maternal lines had paternal lines with their surnames, and some of whom may have migrated or immigrated to what is now known as western Europe, emerald isles, et al. For example Perciful (Perc.. Parc etc.), may have been in the area of England for centuries, but the name derived from regions not necessarily from where England is popularly known.

Marriages roughly in general for this discussion, occurred in America over a course of over 400 years to the present. Altogether, meaning all ancestors combined on paternal and maternal sides, there are ancestors who were from roots other than those just mentioned in those eras. In precluding speculation, if no facts are available I will refrain from stating a speculation as fact.

Maternal ancestry lines have westward movement in the history, arriving on the Eastern Shores of America, and later generations settling in Alabama and Georgia. My maternal grandmother had father or grandfather that is said to have resided in the Caribbean before coming to America; in his day and age, he was known to have Caribbean roots on one side of the family and the other Irish. That was back in the 1800s. The Caribbean according to some accounts or definitions may be considered a 'Latin American' country, others may say on the grounds of some technicalities it is not; what is known is that it is in the region near those that as of 2024 are. 

A grandparent generally is considered being one of 4 (grandparents), hence roughly 25% of the what constitutes that band or tree generation on the pedigree, a great grandparent would be about 12.5% of the respective band [1 of 8]. I do not uphold raciality in the least bit.