Re: Drake of Devon / Somerset / Isle of Wight County, VA

On Feb 15, 3:42 pm, Nathaniel Taylor <nathanieltay...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
In a message on rec.heraldry, Dr. Charles Drake of Savannah, GA, has
pointed out that he has published research on the male-line ancestry of
John Drake, of South Petherton, Somerset, who came to Isle of Wight Co.,
VA in 1658, in NGSQ 79 (1991), 19-32, connecting him to a branch of the
armigerous Drakes of Ashe (Devonshire). He subsequently published
extensions to the ancestry going back to the Conquest, in Genealogists'
Magazine __ (June 2001), 3-8; and 28 (March 2005) 201-209. His website,

http://www.wyverngules.com

shows pedigrees including a descent from Henry I; a copy of a Spanish
confirmation of arms included on the site includes the textual pedigree
of the Virginia family (the graphical pedigrees do not include that
immediate branch).

I had not seen this all before: is this Drake line on the radar, e.g. in
Roberts?

I see the NEHGS roll has two Drakes, also bearing the 'wyvern gules': a
Robert Drake, originally of Surrey, setting at Accomack Co., VA, in 1636
(Roll, no. 447; NEHGR 108 (1954), 36); and the notorious John Drake of
early Windsor, CT (Roll, no. 36; NEHGR 82 (1928), 154). The Windsor man
has been shown not to be of the gentry Devonshire line, but of an
unrelated (?) Warwickshire family, right? But how, if at all, does the
Accomack fit with the stemma built by Dr. Drake? I see Doug Richardson
posted a query about him in 2005, but it went unanswered.

Nat Taylorhttp://www.nltaylor.net

Nat,

As I spend part of the year in Amersham, I have an interest in the
Drakes. I read Dr Drake's articles in the Genealogist in detail when
they were first published, and I have now reviewed the website (I'm in
New South Wales til the end of the month, so am only now catching up
with trappings such as Google Groups!).

I have to say that I was unconvinced by the speculation presented
about the earlier lines of the Drakes (their derivation from 'de
Drakenage' , the attempt to tie in Sir Francis, etc) and am even more
surprised to see that this speculation is now presented on the website
as fact - including Sir Francis's supposed place in the pedigree. And
then there is the apparent move towards providing the Drakes with a
male-line descent from the Carolingians...

I would be interested in your thoughts - and those of any other
interested parties - in the pedigrees as published. Is my scepticism
unfounded?

Regards, Michael

.