Notes and Queries; Wm. and Mary College Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 1

Transcribed by Kathy Merrill for the USGenWeb Archives Special Collections Project

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Pages 71 - 72

Notes and Queries

   TALIAFERRO. - Information wanted of the parentage of Mary Taliaferro, who married Lawrence Catlett, of
Culpeper county, Va.  Lawrence C. died 1782, leaving wife Mary (Taliaferro), and children, viz., (1) Mary,
m. first, Dr. Lawrence Yates; second, Major Reuben Zimmerman; (2) Kemp, m. Sally Pierce; (3) Thomas;
(4) Sarah, m. Robert Toombs; (5) Nancy, m. David (?) Chevis; (6) George (died young).  The writer knows,
from an old letter, that Lawrence's wife was born a Taliaferro - the letter says - of King George county,
Va., but that may be an error.  After examining many wills and deeds in the various counties concerned,
the writer believes said Mary to have been the daughter of John Taliaferro, who died in 1750, leaving
nuncupative will on file at Spotsylvania Courthouse, Va., and Mary Hannon (?) his wife.  Their daughter
Mary was a minor in 1752.  This John Taliaferro's son John was of Dissington, King George county, and the
said Mary his sister may have been of his family.  The writer hopes for complete proof from some descendant
of Lawrence Catlett and Mary his wife.  Correspondence solicited.  Address Mrs. D. A. E. Cor. Nineteenth
and G Streets, Washington, D.C.

   SEALS OF SIR WALTER RALEIGH - Among the presents to the College this session having a historic value, the
electrotypes of the original seals of Sr. Walter Raleigh, given by Capt. W. Gordon McCabe, President of the
Virginia Historical Society, deserve mention.  There are three of those electrotypes - one representing
Raleigh's family seal, another his seal as Lord Warden of the Stannaries, and the third as Governor of
Virginia.  The originals are int he British Museum.

   AMERICANS OF ROYAL DESCENT - I am preparing a new edition (the sixth) of this book, and will be pleased
to hear from any one interested in it, and as to any corrections, or additions to the royal descents
already printed.  In the new issue of this work I will give the reasons why some royal descents, which have
long gone unchallenged, are unworth of reproduction, because of want of sufficient or any evidence 
substantiating the claims; of errors in statemtns directly affecting claims, made apparent by recently
discovered evidence, and of descent from royalty

Page 72.

only through illegitimate children.  These pedigrees will not be simply queried, but will be shown in many
cases to have been untenable assumptions.  Amongst the alleged royal descents which I have found after more

thorough investigations, or by light of newly discovered original records, which lack the essentials of a
"pedigree", are:  In Massachusetts, Adams (Braintree), Brown (Salem), Cotton (Newburyport), Charleton
(Rowley), Converse (Woburn), Dudley (Roxbury), Harlakenden (Boston), Lynde (Boston), Leonard (Taunton),
Lyman (Northampton), Norton (Chilmark), Prescott (Lancaster), Symonds (Ipswich), Sears (Yarmouth), Temple
(Boston), Warren ("Mayflower"), Warren (Watertown), Whiting (Lynn), Whitney (Watertown).  In Connecticut:
Chauncey, Gallup, Lake, Pierpont, Tuthill, Tracy, Wyllys.  In Rhode Island:  William Arnold, Thomas Arnold,
Cranston, Greene, Stafford, Wilkinson.  In New York:  Alexander, Astor, Barclay, Clarkson, Livingston,
Lawrence, Van Renssellaer Zborowski.  In Pennsylvania, Balbirnie, Buchanan, Cope, Dixon, Graham, Logan,
McCall, McKinnon, Moore (Wymyss), Ridgway, Wallace, Wynne.  In Maryland:  Courtney, Calvert (Mt. Airy),
Goldsborough, Ord, Towson, Weems.  In Virginia:  Alexander, John Bacon, "King Carter", Churchill, Conway,
Fleming, Goode, Hume, Hamilton, Harris, Lindsay, Peyton, Randolph, Sinclair, Spotswood, Willoughby, Wyatt,
and Mar, of Maine; Nesmith and Sinclair, of New Hampshire; Kirckpatrick and Wallace, of New Jersey; Navarre,
of Michigan, and Alston, of North Carolina. - Charles H. Browning, Ardmore P. O., Montgomery Co., Pa.