A Sharpe Family History

The ancestral pedigrees of William Sharpe and Bernice Armstrong are represented below using two different visualizations: a traditional  ancestral chart , and an interactive map showing  geographic origins . These graphics were created from a relational database of family history that I compiled in 2021. ¹ 

• The current record provides good detail of the Sharpe and Armstrong family histories spanning over 250 years from 2004 to before 1750.
• This period includes five generations which is 62 individuals.
• In terms of geography, 59 of these 62 ancestors descend from the United Kingdom, two from Ireland, and one from the Netherlands via the USA.
• Within the UK the 59 ancestors originate from five districts and numerous different towns and villages.
• In the chart and map that follow, the names, birth places, and key dates are included for 42 of the 62 individuals.

What emerges from this dynasty are intriguing stories, a few surprises, and perhaps some insights. Here are a few highlights about the family history to watch out for while exploring.

1. Who is Salamon? How might the Sharpe family be descended from him?
   1. Richard Solomon is Camilla May's great grandfather. He was born in St. Columb, north of St. Stephen. The record suggests he served in 51st Foot Regiment; 1st Royal Veteran Battalion, during the Napoleonic Wars. From the Solomon family record, we can trace our pedigree back to Pers Salomon who was born in St. Columb in 1525. This lineage is the longest in the family history, extending back to the early 1500's. Moreover, although the written record ends with Pers, he is thought to be descended from Salomon, (also known as Selfye) a 5th century Cornish warrior prince, and possibly a King of Cornwall!
2. Who was Alice Greenslade? Was she a single mom?
   1. The family history has the least amount of information about Alice Greenslade. I assume she was born before 1810 in St. Stephen. She is the mother of Elizabeth Greenslade (1823) and grandmother of William May. There is no record of her marriage to George Pinch. This is as far back as the record goes for both the Pinch and Greenslade names.
3. Who takes us back to the Netherlands?
   1. Elizabeth Westervelt's ancestors go back another four generations to Jan Lubberse Westerveld who was born before 1686 in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey Jan's father, Lubbert Lubbertse van Westerfeld, emigrated in 1661 from Staphorst, Overijssel, Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden. He probably made the journey with his own father, Lubbert Lubbertse Hendrick, who was born in Meppel, Drenthe, Nederland, and died in Bergen County. This lineage is the second longest in the family history, extending back to the late 1500's.
4. Who were the pioneers/settlers in Upper Canada?
   1. John Wray Sr. is Bernice's great great grandfather. He was born in Winterton, Lincolnshire, and in 1810 he married Rebecca Marr in Hogsthorpe, Lincolnshire. They had seven children before emigrating to Upper Canada in 1829. They bought and cleared 100 acres of forest in Vaughan Township near Woodbridge. Here they had two more children, including John Jr. who stayed on the home farm and had 12 children. Both John and Rebecca died in Vaughan, York County, Canada West. Records for the Wray family extend back several more generations in Lincolnshire until 1706.
   2.  John Armstrong, 1818 - 1905 , click here for a slide show.
5. Who, ironically, is the most elusive character?
   1. John Sharpe, Peter's Sharpe's father, was born in Linlithgow near Edinburgh . He and Mary Williams had six children. John is the earliest Sharpe currently on record in this pedigree.
6. Which family changed the spelling of their surname from that recorded in the Census?
   1. William McMyne, Marion's father, was born in Dailly, Ayrshire, Scotland where he married Mary Shaw in 1831. I believe that around this time the family surname was changed from the original McMyne to McMinn. In the written materials in my possession, the spelling is McMinn, which (to this researcher's consternation) is different than the spelling in the Scottish National Census! Once found, the McMyne name can be traced back a few more generations in Dailly to a James McMyne who was born there in 1737.
7. Which couple, after about 40 years of marriage, became legally separated?
   1. Elizabeth Passmore was born in St. Stephen, near St. Austell. She had nine children with William May, including Camilla the second oldest. Most of her children emigrated to Canada including Camilla, Evelyn, Clifford, Arnold, and Gladys, while Vera stayed in Cornwall. Elizabeth Passmore separated from William in 1918 and died seven years later. She is buried in the seaside Barnoon Cemetery at St. Ives.
8. Which Sharpe ancestors lived in the same town where Robert Burns lived his last years?
   1. William McMyne lived in Dumfries, Ayrshire in the late 1700s at the same time as Robert Burns.

The interactive map below locates the birthplaces for all 42 individuals for which there is information in the database. Locations are accurate only to the level of the county, township, parish, town, or village. When exploring the map, use the zoom (-/+) function to see the individual locations within larger clusters.

To help readers follow the family history, the map legend is organized and colour coded using the same scheme as the ancestral chart above. Accordingly, there are four lineages (with corresponding colour codes) on the map:

• Sharpe/McMinn (blue)
• May/Passmore (orange)
• Armstrong/Aitken (green)
• Wray/Creighton (yellow)

In addition, for each individual in the pedigree a map pop-up is provided. The pop-up presents a brief a narrative of the person's relationships in the family and other information. Links are provided in each narrative to a satellite image and photos of the current landscape where the individual was born. Some individuals also warrant a few additional links!

For the best viewing experience, use a laptop or tablet, maximize the map view (double arrow on map), and click on the names in the legend starting with William Sharpe. Scroll through the pop-ups. Use the zoom (-/+) function frequently to see individuals in their geographic context. Follow the links for more detail.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?

We twa hae run about the braes, and pou'd the gowans fine; But we've wander'd mony a weary fit, sin' auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn, frae morning sun till dine; But seas between us braid hae roar'd sin' auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere! and gie's a hand o' thine! And we'll tak' a right gude-willie waught, for auld lang syne. 

1 - The information is derived from a relational database I created using software called RootsMagic 8. Much of the content was compiled from family trees and research materials collected by Bernice Sharpe in the 1980-90's. My subsequent research, using Internet search capabilities, accessing large datasets, and reading through family archival material (letters, photos, and postcards) contributed further leads that reveal surprising ancestral origins and engaging life stories. Despite my efforts at corroborating the accuracy the data, there could be some degree of error and misinterpretation.