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[add comment] [edit] Shirley Connection? [15 August 2009]I have seen it said (without attribution) that William Brocas was the great grandson of Thomas Shirley the elder. It would be nice to document this lineage or even work out a hypothetical linkage. To that end I did some searching and turned up on the Shirley Association Genealogical Research Website this information:
One would assume that the connection is through the daughter Margery who married a Brocas. This would mean our William is the grandson of Sir Pexall Brocas. Perhaps his son Thomas Brocas named above is William's father? The Brocas family was next explored using The family of Brocas of Beaurepaire and Roche court found at Google Books. Here we find that Sir Pexall Brocas had an only son and heir Thomas Brocas. Thomas had six sons named in Pexall's will: Eobert, Thomas, William, Oliver, Bernard, and Bichard with a seventh son, John, born later. In conclusion, there is a William in the fourth generation who could potentially be the Virginia William Brocas. Eobert was noted as being 25 years old at the death of Pexall in 1630 so William could possibly be about 20 or a bit younger. The fate of the younger sons of Thomas seems to be a matter of legend tied to the Revolution and the death of William in England is not documented. Conceivably he could have made for Virginia. More research is needed. --Judy (jlanoux) 21:53, 13 August 2009 (EDT) Comments received from Tom Hamm I've leaned away from the Virginian William Brocas being of the Pexsall Brocas group, mainly because I can't find a daughter in that family is isn't accounted for, and none is married to a Jackson. But it may be that the accounts I've seen are incomplete. There is another William who is a candidate for Capt. William of Virginia. The registers of Wadham College, Oxford, show a William Brockis, aged 20 years, son of Abraham Brockis of Axminster in Devonshire, entered Oct. 21, 1631. He did not take a degree, and nothing else is known of him. That would be consistent with his leaving for Virginia. It is also consistent with Capt. William's inventory including books in several languages, including Latin, Italian, and Spanish. This seems more plausible to me not only because of the books but because of references to William Brocas as "widely travelled" and also as an "excellent vintner". These imply a sophistication not demonstrated by the heirs of Pexall. Also to place William in Virginia at the right time was a bit of a squeeze for the Pexsall grandson. He would have been very young and this is not in keeping with the influence he held in Virginia. I consider the Shirley connection as put to rest. --Judy (jlanoux) 16:14, 15 August 2009 (EDT) [add comment] [edit] Brocas - Jackson connection [15 August 2009]Received the transcript from Lancaster Deeds and Wills book from Tom Hamm.[Thanks Tom] Added as a source to Person page and linked.--Judy (jlanoux) 16:17, 15 August 2009 (EDT) |