This page is a collection of facts, strong possibilities, conclusions whether proven or not, in summary 'information' that is almost impossible to avoid coming across. In genealogy and building a pedigree chart, the whole idea is to build the tree on 100% proven to be true facts, not what ifs and fairy tales. Tales, lore, exaggerations of greatness and nobility has another location.

In the process of nailing down the facts, sometimes information comes my way that rings out, 'no way, this is too far-fetched to be true'. (Instances where this can happen is when AI, artif. intellig., make suggestions, or take a name that is the same as someone else in another tree, and run with it, before discerning the actual facts and options.) But no matter how hard the effort to disprove the findings that appeared, they keep appearing, and did/have not disappear/ed.

In the past few weeks, and months, -the start of this page being a day or so before the end of the second week of January 2025- I  have had correspondence with some of the seniors in the family, age 85 and older, that have been kind enough to share some information. Their information plus information I have seen recurringly over the past 20 years, results in further findings and confirmation, or denial, of loose information.

Some of this information might be hard to accept, but will be told here, in case it is true:

About 10 years ago I put a picture of Sir Edward Dale on a bio website of mine, and wrote that I might be somehow related to him. The platform decided to close down, and site, its pictures, content, and just about everything else went with it. Except for some memories of what I wrote.

In the past few months, combining information from the Bo Tapscott project, Mr McNichols (b. before 1940) a cousin on the Ten Eyck side, and a number of pedigree charts from perhaps relatives at numbers of cousin further out, Sir Dale and his wife Lady Diana Skipwith still occur as present.

Here are a few events in my study timeline:

A brief visit to a Carter reunion perhaps about 15 years ago, where ancestry researchers suggested that my Carter line likely had something to do with Skipwith Carter. I studied Skipwith Carter up and down and did not come to such findings. Lady D. Skipwith might be the clarifying.

Perhaps a breakthrough came, estimated about 2010 or so, when finding hand-written court papers from the late 1700s era naming Elijah Perciful, his wife Betsy or Elizabeth, and the father of her in Mr Carter, whereon, either near or related documents provided pedigree on these Carters further back. That also nixes the possibility that Elizabeth was not a Carter through maiden name, such as marriage to a previous spouse named Carter, or other vagaries.

Several years before I went to the Carter event, I had come across information in research databases at a time when some of the renown websites for the purpose were just starting to become big. It said and laid it out, the ancestry going back had names around such as Purcell, and Arabella Williamson.

Arabella Williamson descent, may be another hard to believe set of information.

This might be a reaction-- 

Briefly, you're telling me, [my] great great... granddad was Elijah Perciful, a Revolutioary War vet, declared a resignation of Ensign, had several or more wives over his lifetime, one of which was Elizabeth Carter, a Corotomans Carter. In that Carter line is Arabella Williamson, and Katherine daughter of Sir Edward Dale. Going further back is Carter ancestry that goes all the way back to early Carters when they were in England, and around year 1300 married wives that were descendants of royalty from 'regions of Europe east of there', said in lieu of setting their names here at this time. 

For all this to come true, are what might be combinations of little known events, such as one of the last if not last child of Arabella Williamson, one of the last if not last child of Elijah Perciful, impacts of wars on family structure, and developments that were on the edges of the expected norm for their time.

In my boyhood I was told that I had ancestry from Europe (stock) mixed in to the pool of other ancestries, but it was not until I was well into my 30s that information of this sort even appeared before my eyes.

Another key spot in the timeline, which might encourage others, are the outgrowths of the outgrowths, of doing simple and respectful tasks. Sometimes a quick phone call to an elder relative just to check and see how they were doing, and in the course of conversation, they might tell you life changing information in terms of how you view yourself, family, and others. Another is carving out even a once upon a time study session of your history, heritage and ancestry. I might have been to a total of 4 or 5 family reunions max in my lifetime, but each one resulted in making some kind of upward development. One of the Thornton history packages in Washington I got to see about 20 years ago had not been opened in over 100 years.

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Another set of informaton that breaks with the set of information accustomed to thinking over 4 decades, descent with respect to the Civil War service. On my maternal side is Knight, who one of the Knights in the line born around the turn into 1900, had spouse whose biological parent was a Thomas, reference Alabama area, southeast US. That Thomas had near ancestor in Micager. Whereas one of the Thomases in the line was a veteran of the Civil War, Confederate troops.

Some of the Thomas wives in the line go back to European royalty.

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Esteemed genealogist Norma Krishofer, pardon spelling if in error, told me about 20 years ago, My gr-gr grandmother Minervia W--[omitted], came to the US on the Mayflower.

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The woman in Margaret A., nee Proctor, born about 1839, known for being married to Samuel Proctor confer Claims Commisson case, (parents of Texana, Lemuel, and younger if not youngest child was soldier SGT Clarence Proctor), Tapscott (my line), and later Smith, -aspects of her childhood, parentage, and last days is 'shrouded by mystery'. 

But is it really all that mysterious?, or was the ship that sails with her knowledge not caught up with?

Over 25 years ago, a breakthrough showed up on a computer screen with the names of her household members when she was about 10 years old, one of the first transcriptions from hand-written records to printed on computer. Those notes still stand as significant data. 

There is a ship of studies on the Johnsons and allied families, Margaret, spelling may have been different in the middle 1800s, is toward the tail end of it.

More aout SGT Proctor here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13954532/clarence-l.-proctor

Levi Proctor, said to be the father of Samuel K, has an obituary, lived to be about age 92, and had over 100 descendants at the time of passing; reference 'of Upperville', the same town where SGT Proctor is said to have been born in the bio. 

Levi is said to have had a description of being 'free'. His physiological description is what it is, and not necessarily closely aligned with stereotypes of individuals who were not 'free' in the era and general locale, in my opinion of what I read; the subject starts to wade into uncomfortable waters; perhaps it is more comforting that 'color' is stricken on SGT Proctor's certificate and replaced with Amer.

Aspects of the ancestry of Margaret, his mother of record, generations back start to roll into or have ties with European royal lineage, according to available charts.