#52ancestors Week 3 – Long Line
This week the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks prompt is Long Line. For my ancestor this week I actually chose a branch of my family which has very long researched roots. This Claypoole branch has what is considered a gateway ancestor. Through him lineage has been tracked back to the Emperor Charlemagne.
The Virginia Branch
I have spent a lot of time lately working on some of my other family lines. Recently I decided it was time to revisit some of my Shuck ancestors and see if I could get further with some of my loose ends. I began working on the line of Malinda Claypoole. Malinda was the wife of George Edgar Shuck and the mother of Perry Addison Shuck from which the P.A. Shuck Cemetery got its name. That would make her my 4th Great Grandmother.
Malinda was born in 1819 in Buchanan County, Virginia. Her family had been in Virginia for generations. Her Great Grandfather, James Claypoole, had come to Virginia from Delaware sometime prior to 1761. He settled first in Augusta County and later Hardy County.
Malinda was the daughter of Ephraim Claypoole and Lucinda Arbaugh. Ephraim (1763-1840) was the son of Joseph Claypoole and Abigail Osborn. Joseph Claypoole (1735-1790) was the son of James Claypoole (1701-1789) and Jane Elizabeth.
The Three James
James, our Virginia settler was the 3rd of his line to carry the given name of James. His father, James Claypoole II, was born in England about the year 1664. James Claypoole II (1664-1706) came to the American colonies in 1683 aboard the ship Concord; also immigrating to the new world at the same time were his parents, James Claypoole I(1634-1687) and Hellena, and six of his siblings. They were Quakers, and closely associated with William Penn. James I was a successful merchant both in England and in the colonies. The family made their home in Pennsylvania and Delaware region.
English Roots
As I started to research the origins of James Claypoole before he left England I quickly discovered that extensive research has already been done on the line from this point. I’m still connecting all the dots but it gets interesting quickly. It led to places I didn’t expect it to go.
James Claypoole was the son of John Claypoole and Marie Angell. Sir John Claypoole (1595-1664), Knight of Latham, was a man of substantial means for his time. During his lifetime he was both knighted and made a Baronet, he was a Member of Parliament, Justice of the Peace, and likely served as Sheriff for his county. His family home was an estate called Northborough Manor which still stands today.
John Claypoole was the son of Adam Claypoole and Dorothy Wingfield. The Find a Grave memorial for Adam Claypoole (1595-1634) had an interesting fact that made me decide to work on the line of Dorothy Wingfield (1566-1619) first. “Through her father’s lineage Dorothy was a direct descendant of King Edward I of England” the line reads. Statements like that make me curious but I tend to take them with a huge grain of salt. Mythology and genealogy can often be close friends. Upon quick inspection it looks like the information could very well be legit but I’m reserving my grain of salt.
Chasing Royalty
Dorothy Wingfield was the daughter of Robert Wingfield and Elizabeth Cecil. Robert Wingfield (1532 – 1580) was the son of Robert Winfield I and Margery Quarles. Robert Wingfield I (1491 – 1576) was the son of Henry Wingfield and Elizabeth Rookes. Each generation the ancestors appear to have managed at least a relative amount of success in life although nothing extraordinary.
Sir Henry Wingfield (1440 – 1494) seems to have lived a noteworthy life. He was the youngest of 11 children born to Sir Robert Wingfield and Elizabeth Goushill. Henry fought for the House of York in the War of the Roses and both Henry and his brother, Thomas, were knighted by King Edward IV at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. At the end of his life Sir Henry served as Governor of Orford Castle. Sir Henry and his wife were both buried in elaborate tombs that featured effigies. The tomb and the effigies no longer exist.
At this point chasing the possibly royal link led me up the line of Sir Henry’s wife Elizabeth Goushill (1404 – 1466). Elizabeth was the daughter of Sir Robert Goushill (1350 – 1403) and Elizabeth FitzAlan (1371 – 1425). Sir Robert and Elizabeth FitzAlan, Duchess of Norfolk, were married about 1400. Elizabeth was a widow and the couple married without license and as a result King Henry IV seized the lands belonging to Elizabeth. Family connections helped smooth over the issue and the King granted them a pardon and restored her lands soon after. Robert was knighted at the Battle of Shrewsbury by the king while still wounded on the battlefield. According legend Sir Robert was murdered for his valuables on the same day her received his knighthood from the King. He and Elizabeth had been married a few short years and only two daughters were born to the union. Sir Robert and Elizabeth are buried in an elaborate tomb in St Michael’s Church in Nottinghamshire, England.
Elizabeth FitzAlan was the daughter of Richard FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel (1346 – 1397), and Elizabeth de Bohun (1350 – 1385). She is the connection of the Claypool family of West Virginia to the ancient Kings of England. Through her father’s side she is the 3rd Great Granddaughter of King Henry the III of England. Through her mother’s side she is the 2nd Great Granddaughter of King Edward I, known popularly as Longshanks, and the 3rd Great Granddaughter of King Henry the III of England once again as her parents were distant cousins.
Royalty Found
So it does indeed appear that the modern Shuck family and connected lines indeed carry the blood of Kings. Upon further digging I have discovered that James Claypool of Pennsylvania is already listed as an descendant of Charlemagne through genealogical societies that trace royal descendants which means that cousins somewhere along the line have even proved the information as accurate. This just goes to prove you truly never know what genealogical research will turn up. I expect to dig much further into this fascinating family line.
For what it is worth on the topic of Charlemagne…here is a great article that tackles the topic of his descendants. So you’re related to Charlemagne
See inside Northborough Manor and further details on the estate here
Dusty Roots & Forgotten Treasures 
It looks like you and my spouse are distant cousins through the Shuck line. His 3rd great-grandmother is Mary Jane (Shuck) Hanson, sister of George Edgar Shuck. Their father was Mose Shuck.
It also seems that you and are distantly related too (although much farther back.) Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel (1346-1397) is the brother of my 20th great-grandmother, Lady Alice FitzAlan (1350-1416), who married Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent. Their parents were Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, and Eleanor of Lancaster.
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I was just looking over some notes I made when researching my Zane sampler and came across a James Claypoole, a Quaker, but apparently not one of yours by that name. He seems to have been married to 1) Mary Hood and 2) Rachel Shenton.
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