more of those fascinating begats...

I've been dealing with a headache for the past 24 hours or so and I feel like it's impacting my ability to articulate. So if this blog entry doesn't make sense, that's why. Or at least one reason why!

Before I forget, I have a friend who is facing a big deal in court tomorrow and she's feeling anxious and alone. Would you pray for her, that God would give her the peace and courage that she needs? 

Austin's English grade is reportedly back in the passing zone. Maybe we can avoid that will he/won't he graduation anxiety now. I'm just gonna believe that it's gonna work out and ... mercy. We haven't come this far for him to not see it through.

I have been immersed in the whole ancestry thing today, although not as intensely since my head started hurting.  Uncle Bill sent me a few more names and dates to plug in and I've been isolating different family members and researching their individual stories. It's fascinating for someone like me who loves history and who loves a good story! 

One supposed ancestor, Catherine De Roet - also known as Katherine Swynford - was quite the colorful character and even has a historical society of her own! www.katherineswynfordsociety.org.uk Apparently, Mrs. Swynford was the mistress of John of Gaunt, the son of King Edward III, and the rare mistress that eventually was promoted to wife. The children that she had with John were ultimately legitimized by the Church and she lived, more or less, happily ever after. She would be my 18x great grandmother. 

John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford had a son,

Cardinal Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester had an alleged affair with Alice FitzAlan and had a daughter,

Jane Beaufort, who married Edward Stradling, through whose line we have the Castle I mentioned yesterday.

This is through my mom's dad's mom's dad... make sense?

me

Norma Gant

C.B. Pennington

Alice Clow

As I say, the affair was alleged and there is documentation that both proves and disproves this lineage. I'm still reading through the available material on this. 

I've also located two more Revolutionary War ancestors, both through my mom's side of the family.  

As I'm working through these names and connections, I'm trying to also cross check for common ancestors between the family lines. I've found a couple but it's along the line of 30th cousin - not first cousins - so it's more interesting than troubling. I've got one ancestor that, if I've done my research correctly (and I'm a real novice on this stuff so it's possible that I haven't) this particular ancestor is a 33x great-grandfather, a 34x great grandfather and a 37x great-grandfather to me. And for that matter, (again, with the stipulation of whether or not my research is accurate) Charlemagne would be a 37x great-grandfather via two of his relationships: through Desiderata and also through the Mistress of Italy. 

Are you still with me? 

Austin and I had a long talk about this genealogical stuff yesterday and he said I should write a book. The stories and lineages and histories are interesting to me but I don't know that they're interesting to anyone else. 

At any rate... so that's my Tuesday. Gonna pop a few advil and try to shake this headache. Hoping to see Sarabeth's basketball game tonight. I need to get out among the living and three dimensional people. 

Happy Tuesday, y'all!