Ancestry of Richard Nixon, a false ascent

In poking around in the ancestry of President Richard Nixon, I
happened to find at genealogy.com a compiled tree that purported to
show his descent from Henry Knollys of Rotherfield Grays by his wife
Margaret Cave.

Rather surprised, I started adding some details but became a tad
suspicious when one of the line was born at "Wigmore, Wales" and
"immigrated to England"....

Please stifle your chuckles.

The true family situation appears to be this
Sir Henry Griffith, 1st Baronet of Burton Agnes, married Mary
Willoughby and died either in 1646 or 1654 depending on source. He
had a son and heir, also named Sir Henry Griffith, 2nd Baronet who
married Margaret Wortley, eventual heiress of her father Francis
Wortley, 1st Baronet of Wortley; but died without issue.

It has been stated that his "nephew" Francis Boynton, son of his
"sister" Frances (Griffith) Boynton inherited Burton Agnes, but of
course the Baronetcy, not passing through a female line, went extinct.

Firstly the extinction of the baronetcy proves that neither Sir Henry
1st Baronet, nor Sir Henry 2nd Baronet had any surviving male-line
issue. i.e. brothers, sons, nephews in the male line.

Secondly Francis Griffith married Sir Matthew Boynton, 1st Bart of
Barmston and Baynton (cr 1618) "about 27 Sep 1613" putting her
certainly a generation earlier than Burke's Extinct Baronetcies would
have.

Sir Henry Griffith of Wichnore, father of the 1st Baronet had sons
Walter, Henry and Ralph, so apparently Ralph d.s.p. by 1656 at which
point, when the 2nd Baronet died, Frances *sister* of these three men
was the sole heiress of her family.

It's easy to see why Burke would have her as sister to her nephew
since they were both Sir Henry Griffith Baronet. And thus we see the
wife-name-confusion "Mary or Margaret" since the 1st Baronet married
Mary Willoughby, and the 2nd Baronet married Margaret Wortly.
Seperating the two men solves the problem.

And also disconnects Richard Nixon from this family. His ancestor, if
he was indeed his ancestor at all, Samuel Griffith said-to-be "of
Wigmore" who died in Maryland in 1717, does not belong to this family.


Will Johnson
.