Lois Devereux, War of 1812 heroine

Stories of females in my family history are more recent and very rare in from the 1700 and early 1800s.  I feel lucky when I find the surnames of my female ancestors.  Often I only have the male ancestor's name and apparently recorded history would have me  believe he had children and raised his family without a wife as there is no mention of even her first name.

In researching my great-great-grandmother's family, I did find interesting story of a female ancestor's bravery in during the War of 1812.  Her name was Lois Ingerson Hibbert.  Lois was born  in Manchester, Massachusetts on January 23, 1747, the daughter of Joseph and Lois (Ingersoll) Hibbert.  She was obviously named after her mother, but the name of Ingersoll being corrupted  to Ingerson.  She married Ralph Devereux on September 12, 1765 in Manchester.  In 1775 she came to district of Maine and settled in what is now Penobscot, Maine.  Her husband as well as her father served in the American Revolution. Her husband serving in the Penobscot Militia.   Lois had ten children with her husband between 1767 and 1785.

During the War of 1812, the British attempted to conquer Maine and remake it into the colony of New Ireland.

Major John Sherbrooke, Governor
of Nova Scotia led the British expedition in Maine

In August 1814 a British squadron sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia down the coast of Maine capturing settlements and towns along the coast.  On September 1, 1814, the British fleet entered Castine Harbor.  The local militia melted away at the sight of the British force, blew up their magazine and moved to North.  The British now had control of Maine, east of the Penobscot River which became the new International Boundary.

The British started invading the private homes, to search for American soldiers, their weapons and ammunition.  Inside the Devereux home there was a closet in which four kegs of powder had been stored by the American soldiers.  Mrs. Devereux put her ironing board against the closet door and ironed during the time while the British searched their house.  She was about 65 years old at the time, and the enemy soldiers thought it was be disrespectful to make the old woman move so they could look in the closet behind her.  Thus she saved ammunition for American soldiers.  

From the Fall of 1814 to the Spring of 1815, the British occupied the area of Castine.  On April 25, 1815, the British evacuated Castine and with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, the British gave up their claims on Maine.

Sadly, Lois again is lost to history as there is no record of her death or grave marker for her burial.  Only her husband has a gravestone in the Devereux Family Cemetery.  But to the quick thinking of Lois Devereux, she saved valuable ammunition for the American soldiers and became a local legend in the area and family history lore.

Mom's famous 7th cousin, once removed

Do we see any resemblance between these two women taken when they were both about 18 years old?   One of them is a famous red-headed comedian of the 20th century and the other is my Mom.  While tracing my Mom's new family ancestry, I came across the surname Ball.  At first I was focused on trying to just trace the family line and not who else has the surname Ball?  Then watching a television show with Lucie Arnaz, I wondered could we be related to Lucille Ball?  There is a website called Famous Kin which has the ancestry of famous people from actors to athletes and it contains sources for documenting each generation.

I was able to trace Lucille Ball's ancestry back to our common ancestor, John Ball of Watertown, Massachusetts.   She is my Mom's 7th cousin, once removed.  I grew up watching the old reruns of I Love Lucy to Here's Lucy.  She really was a great actress and comedian.

My mother and Lucille Balls' ancestor John Ball was born in 1585 in England and arrived in New England between 1630-1635 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts with two of his sons.  He was made a freeman of the colony in 1650.  He later removed to Concord, Massachusetts where he died in 1655.  It appears he did not bring a wife and probably was a widower when he left England.

The 2nd generation was also named John Ball, who came with his father when he was a teenager, having been born about 1620 in England.   He also settled in Watertown, Massachusetts where he was a tailor and married 1) Elizabeth Pierce and they had 5 children together.   About 1655-6, his wife was said to have become "violently insane" and their children were apprenticed out to family and neighbors.  Elizabeth (Pierce) Ball died before 1665, when John remarried to 2) Elizabeth Fox of Concord, Massachusetts.  That same year, he sold his land in Watertown and moved to Lancaster, Massachusetts and had one son, Joseph with his second wife.  Sadly, when King Philip's War broke out, the Indians attacked the town of Lancaster on February 20, 1676 and John, his second wife, Elizabeth and his youngest son, Joseph were all killed.  His two youngest daughters, Esther and Abigail were taken into captivity and never heard from again.

Lancaster Attack 1676

Our next common generation is also a John Ball, born in 1644 in Watertown, Massachusetts.  He was sent to live with his grandfather, John Pierce in 1655 in Watertown and may have been what saved him the same fate as his father and siblings in 1676 in Lancaster, Massachusetts.  John married Sarah Bullard in 1665 and died in Watertown in 1722. This is where our family lines diverge.

4th generation
Benjamin Ball (1676-?)                            siblings              James Ball (1670-1729)

5th Generation
Isaac Ball (1700-1789)                          1st Cousins           James Ball (1694-1756)

6th Generation
Isaac Ball (1747-1790)                          2nd Cousins          John Ball (1738-1756)

7th Generation
Isaac Ball (1787-1865)                          3rd Cousins           Eunice Ball (1778-1840)

8th Generation
Clinton M. Ball (1817-1893)                4th Cousins            Levinia Carter (1804-1864)

9th Generation
Jasper C. Ball (1852-1933)                   5th Cousins            Frances Hatch (1845-1924)

10th Generation
Henry D. Ball (1887-1915)                  6th Cousins             Florence Bickmore (1870-1941)

11th Generation
Lucille Desire Ball (1911-1989)           7th Cousins             Harold Strout (1903-1985)

12th Generation
                                                               once removed         Shirley A. Buzzell

     

Henry Bragg Paine, a pious man

My great-great-grandfather, Henry Bragg Paine was born in Guilford, Maine on November 10, 1848.  He was the first child born to Jacob Paine and his first wife, Hannah Robinson.  His mother died when he was nine years old in 1857.  According to his niece, Henry did not care for religion when he was younger because he did not think it was right for God to take his mother away when he was a child.  His father moved the family to Atkinson, Maine in 1861 where Henry would spend most of his life His father remarried and had more children and Henry would continue to live with his father and half-siblings.

One of Henry's friends was a neighbor, David Woodward.  Sometime in the 1870s, Henry and his friend, David  left for Pennsylvania to work as loggers as they did not like working on their father's farms.  But after a few years, they found logging was harder then they had anticipated and not much money for their hard work.  They returned home to Maine and Henry returned to life as a farmer with no complaints.

David Woodward and Henry Paine

It was through his friendship with the Woodward family, he became acquainted with his best friend's niece, Elsie Woodward. Although Henry had not cared for religion, he began to attend Elsie's Church every Sunday so he could talk to her as well as show her parents his religious beliefs had changed.  Keep in mind Henry was 37 years and Elsie was a mere 16 years old.  Henry did his best to follow the beliefs he had learned from his time with his wife's church.  Henry's niece said that her grandparents or Elsie's parents were not happy about Henry and Elsie marriage, but wasn't sure if it was because of their age difference or if they just felt Henry was not a good match for their daughter.  Despite her parent's reservations, they relented and Henry and Elsie were married on November 8th, 1885 at her parent's home in Atkinson.

Photos of Henry and Elise at the time of their marriage.

The local newspaper picked up their marriage:
Piscataquis Observer, issue of November 19th 1885:
There was a very pleasant sociable or reception last Saturday at the residence of Mr. Henry Paine, notice of whose marriage was in the last Observer.  Although it was a rainy evening, the band was out and added much to the enjoyment of the occasion.  Also the nice oyster and pastry supper furnished by Mr. Paine.

They settled in Atkinson and had two children, a daughter Emma in 1886 and a son Walden in 1888. Sadly, Elsie would contract an illness which no details are known other than she had been sick for only a few days in 1891 and died on February 25, 1891.

Henry then became acquainted with another neighbor, Iva (Moulton) Cobb.  Her husband had also died in 1891 and left her a young widow with one son, Llewellyn.  They both lost their spouses the same year and had young children and both were in need of a mother or a father for their offspring.  Whether it was their shared grief or both being in need of a spouse, Henry, then aged 45 years old proposed to the 22 year old widow, Iva Cobb. They were married at the Free Baptist Parsonage on May 27, 1894 in Atkinson, Maine.

Henry and Iva would have four children together before Iva would die from angina in 1910. Henry would continue to raise his children and his wife's son from her first marriage.  That was Henry's last marriage as both of  his young wives had died before him.  His granddaughter, Mildred Carney stated he just vowed he would never marry again.  Mildred stated that her grandfather often spoke of how much money he spent on the gravestone in Atkinson for his wives.  "The monument cost $25, which must have a lot back for him to pay then by the way he talked about it.  Probably took him five years to pay it off," she said jokingly.

Henry continued to live out his life in Atkinson.  He mostly stayed at home on his farm and would visit his children and grandchildren and sisters as well.  There is a story that two of his sisters did not speak to each and the reason why has never been told, but whatever the reason, Henry could never mention the other sister's name in front of the other.

His granddaughter, Mildred said her grandfather, Henry was a very pious man.  He never drank or smoked or swore.  He wasn't over religious, but he did go to Church sometimes over in Atkinson with her mother.  The worst she ever heard her grandfather say was when she was a child and making too much noise while playing that bothered her grandfather.  He said to her "God fer sakes will you stop making that noise."  That was the closest she had ever heard him swear and she knew to ve very quiet afterwards.

The later years of his life, he lived with his daughter Elsie or his daughter Grace.  The very last year he lived with his daughter Emma (Paine) Moulton.  He had returned to his home in Atkinson for the summer in 1933, but was found found dead at his home when his family had not been able to reach him.  His date of death was July 26, 1933, the same date he was found at home.  His cause of death was "old age."

He was buried with his wives in Gould Cemetery, Atkinson, Maine.

The Weston Family Farm, Madison, Maine

The Weston farm  in 2013

I was fortunate in 1999 to make a trip to Weston Family Farm in Madison, Maine.  The house and farm built by my 4th great grandfather, Benjamin Weston.  At the time the farm was still family owned and had been restored after the floods of 1987 had done so much damage.  It's a strange feeling to think your ancestors from so many generation back building and then living in a place and having look so much as it did at the time. The idea I am walking on the same floors as a man who died over 100 years before I was born.   The farm contained so many family heirlooms.  On the mantel was a small picture of Deacon Benjamin Weston, which I was able to get a copy.  Maine Historical Society has copies of his photo now as well as well as most of the family records, photos and letters.  The farm has since been sold as the last family members did not want remain in charge of the family estate due to costs of maintaining the farm and that their family had settled elsewhere.  

Benjamin Weston

Benjamin Weston was born in Concord, Massachusetts on February 4, 1765, the son of Joseph and Eunice (Farnsworth) Weston.  When Benjamin was seven years old in 1772, he was brought by his parents to Canaan (now Skowhegan), Maine, where his father, had  cleared land and built a cabin for his family the year before.  When he was ten years old, his father died in 1775 after coming down with pneumonia.  After his father's death, Joseph Crosby of Winslow, Maine was made his guardian. This Joseph Crosby was a brother to my ancestor, Bridget (Crosby) Spaulding, whose grandson would marry Benjamin Weston's daughter, Mary Weston.  Benjamin's  mother then remarried to Col. John Moor, a very prominent man, who had purchased large tracts of land in Somerset County.  Benjamin went with his mother to his step-father's home in Anson, Maine.  It is said that a promise was made by Col. Moor to Benjamin's mother that he would care for her youngest sons  as his own and give them 50 cares of land when they reached the age of 21 years.  There are different versions of this story and not all include a promise of land.  It is said that Benjamin inherited the land from his stepfather and bought it for $5 and an old horse in 1785.  However he acquired it, Benjamin did receive a large tract of land in what is now Madison, Maine.

He cleared the land and erected a small cabin before his marriage in 1788 to Anne Powers, whose father Levi Powers settled early in Sidney, Maine and built a home that still stands today as well, but it is privately owned.   As the story goes, he took his new bride to his home on the banks of the Kennebec River.  He afterward purchased land from time to time until he owned about a thousand acres, all of which was owned by his descendants.  For many years before his death his name headed the list as the largest taxpayer in the town.  He was classed as a Puritan of the Puritans.  He was the first Deacon of the Congregational Church of Madison and in politics he was an old-line whig.

As well as his farm, Benjamin probably had other ways to earn cash.  Since there was little demand for farm products in the early 1790s.  He made bricks and said to have operated a ferry between Madison and Norridgewock, probably soon after he established his farm.

As his family grew, the need for a larger house became necessary.  The barn was erected first with few nails available at the time and made with timber that fit together with grooves in the plate beams.  It was built between 1790 and 1800.  The frame house was then started.  The old house was located, according to I.M. Weston in his historical address in 1886, in the garden and the family moved from this house to the big house in 1817.  The ell of the house is older then the main house, so either the house in the garden was moved to abut the main house or they built the main house next the old one.  Sadly his wife,  Anna (Powers) Weston only lived in the new frame house for four years before she died in 1821.

In 1823, he sold half of his interest in the farm to his son, Nathan.  His daughter, Hannah never married and she probably cared for her father and siblings until 1835, when Nathan Weston married and brought his bride to the farm.  In 1841, Benjamin sold the other half interest in his farm to his son, probably being in poor health, but continued on for another 10 years.

Benjamin died April 7, 1851 at 86 years old.  He was buried with his wife and his descendants in the Madison Bridge Cemetery.    The homestead continued to be passed down the Weston family over the several generations.  A 100th anniversary was held in 1886 to celebrate the family's establishment in Madison, Maine and again in 1996.  The farm then being maintained by Robert T. Weston.  His daughter, Nancy Drew being the last of the family to own it until 2014 when the farm was sold the Maine Farmland Trust.  It is also listed on the National Historic Places in Maine.

Here are some photos of the interior of the farm.

The informal dinning room

The Formal Dinning room

The Kitchen

One of the upstairs bedrooms

The Formal front parlor

The Informal Parlor

Aunt Rose

We probably all have stories about a wealthy relative.  Mine is "Aunt Rose" as she was known in the family, but she was my Dad's great-aunt. Most everyone in the family had an "Aunt Rose" story or memory to tell.  But before the age of the internet and on-line genealogy, I discovered a secret that shocked most of my living family members at the time that Aunt Rose had more than one husband.  The reasons that her first marriage was never spoken of may be for several reasons, it ended in divorce, the shame of the mental state of her first husband, and that Rose married a second time to a man of social prominence.

Rose Ann Mower was born on December 4, 1863 in Corinna, Maine, the daughter of William Penn Mower and his first wife, Maria Mary Weymouth.  Her mother died only 5 months after her birth on May 13, 1864.  Her father being the only male son in his father's family, had to work the family farm.  Being so young, Rose, as she was called then, was raised by her paternal grandmother and two young aunts,  Aunt Esther, age 14 and Aunt Ellie, age 8.  

Rose's father remarried in 1868 to Sue Spaulding and would have 3 more more daughters, Rose's half sisters whom from all accounts she was close too, despite their age difference.  Her stepmother took over raising Rose, but as Rose's father and his new family all resided in the house of her grandparents until her father built his own house next door, Rose was said to consider her grandmother as the person of authority over her.  It was from her grandmother that Rose learned how to sew and make her own dresses and was said to have made dresses for other relatives.  

In 1883, Rose and her two aunts, Esther and Ellie went to work in a Cotton Mill in Lewiston, Maine.  We don't know why they left for the mill, but we can assume that her unmarried aunts who were aged 33 and 26 were probably considered at that time "old maids" and possibly with Rose being age 20 years old, also may have felt she was following in her aunt's shoes or just had no interest in marriage with any of the young local men of Corinna, Maine.

Rose, Esther and Ellie Mower
Lewiston, Maine

It was during this time while Rose was working in the mill that she married.  A marriage which her own nieces claimed that no one in the family must have known about, despite the fact it was not completely hidden.  Also it would be unlikely that Rose would have known the future outcome of her marriage that she would have married without her own family's knowledge, especially her two aunts that lived with her in Lewiston.

It was the will of Rose's paternal grandfather, William Henry Weymouth that tipped me off to her marriage as in 1891, he named his granddaughter, Rose Parcher of Lewiston as an heir.  As William had only one granddaughter named Rose, she had to be Rose Parcher!  A search of the Lewiston Vital Records confirmed a marriage between Miss R. A. Mower and Frank M. Parcher on 26 September 1885 in Lewiston. They had no children together.   Rose Parcher petitioned for a divorce in December 1890.  

Androscoggin County Court records provided he details of their marriage.  It seems that after a few years of marriage, Frank began to drink and became "a common and habitual drunkard." He had been frequently arrested for intoxication and was addicted to the excessive use of morphine.  He had been confined to Maine  State Insane Hospital for 4 months in 1890 and was then [1890] living in Haverhill, Massachusetts and had not contributed to the household.  Her divorce was granted in January 1891.  Frank would die on March 7, 1896 at age 42 years old. His obituary suggests that he had been better person earlier in his life.

Rose, at age 29, then started a new life on her own in Portland, Maine where she set up shop as dress maker on Congress Street.  She also no longer used her married name of Parcher, but used her maiden name and no longer went by the name of Rose, but became "Rosalie."  A name which a few descendants have named their daughters in her memory.  

Rosalie
about 1900, Portland, Maine

Rosalie Mower then caught the attention of man who also lived and worked on Congress Street,  George Perrin Dewey, the general agent of the National Life Insurance Company of Montpelier, Vermont.   He was also the nephew of Admiral George P. Dewey of the Spanish American War fame, his namesake.  

They married at the Episcopal Church in Boston, Massachusetts on September 11,1900.  Rosalie A Mower stated that this was her first marriage, he was 40 and she was 39.  Again whether her husband was aware of her first marriage and the circumstances of her divorce is not known.  This could explain the strict secrecy that no one in the family ever spoke of her first marriage to any later descendants in the family.  His family or the Church may not of approved of his marriage to a divorced woman.  It would be quite elaborate under taking to mkae sure one ever spoke of Rose's first marriage, either family or anyone she ever knew beforehand.  It seems it became the rule to just never speak of Rose's first marriage.

George and Rosalie bought a cottage on the ocean at Higgins Beach in Cape Elizabeth, Maine which became their year round home.  In reading old Portland Press Herald newspapers, George and Rosalie appear quite often in the social column of the paper from hosting parties at their home or attending charity or fundraising events.   Sadly George died on her birthday December 4, 1925.  

It was the years after her husband's death that most family members remember Aunt Rose, although no further photos were taken of her.  Most of her nieces and nephews remember her visits in her black limousine and her driver, a black man named Isaac who all the children adored.  He would drive them to school in the car and get out and open the door just to impress their school friends.  Also, Rose had two surviving half sisters, (her sister, Emmie, my great-grandmother had died in 1905) who would bring their families to her home on the coast for visits in the summer, which everyone remembered fondly.

Aunt Rose died on September 1, 1948 at her home in Cape Elizabeth.  But her will was another surprise to her family.  Rose's two half sisters were not named as heirs in her will.  She made bequeaths to the children of her aunt Ellie Mower, her housekeeper, Polly Lucas and left her entire estate to her doctor, a man named Reginald Lombard.  Her estate was valued at $40,000 in 1948 [an online calculation estimates that would be the same as $430, 000 today].  There was also no mention of her chauffeur, Isaac, who had been with her for years.  Rose also requested to be cremated and her ashes spread on the ocean from her home.

Her sisters felt her doctor was able to convince her to leave her estate to him over her family.  He claimed that Aunt Rose had made this decision because she felt no one in the family could afford to maintain the estate and they would probably sell it for the money.  Rose had a neighbor, Phineas Sprague who had been after her property for years in order to expand his own estate, that she detested.  Her will specifically states that even her doctor was not to sell any of her property to him.  Rose's doctor claimed that she feared that a large sum of money Mr. Sprague may offer her family would be too great of a temptation for them and she could not trust them not to sell to Mr. Sprague after her death.

Dr. Lombard, Rose's doctor, did suggest to her sisters that they could contest the will, but they probably would only get a small amount of money in the end.  As no one in the family could afford to mount a legal challenge that they could lose  in the end, did not contest the will.  Rose's former home can still be seen from Higgin's beach today and still owned by Dr. Lombard's grandchildren.

The Trouble with Ancestry Family Tree Hints

Recently while working one of my new family ancestors, John Ball, I had an ancestry leaf appear.   This is the symbol for a hint for information that Ancestry has matching John Ball.  Clicking on the leaf hint came up with ancestry family trees and records for a John Ball born about 1737-8 in Massachusetts.  My ancestor was also born at this time.  All hints gave that John Ball married Lydia Pratt in 1763 and had children in Westborough, Massachusetts and then married a Mary Baker in 1772 and died 17 Apr 1801 in Northborough, Massachusetts.  This matched several facts I had that he married Lydia Pratt on 12 May 1763 in Westborough, Massachusetts and had the following children born there:

                1. Joseph Ball b 3 August 1763

                2. Lydia Ball b. 4 February 1765

                3. Levi Ball b 17 Nov 1766

                4. Molly Ball b. 3 March 1769

                5. Sarah  Ball b 9 July 1771

                6. Hannah Ball b. 17 September 1773

                7. John Ball b. 23 Mar 1776

                8. Eunice Ball b. 2 April 1778 [My ancestor who married Rufus Carter]

                9. Levina Ball b. 9 June 1781

I even found a newspaper clipping of John’s death in Northborough, Massachusetts, the next town to Westborough, which provided some great information.

Massachusetts Spy, issue of April 29, 1801

There was also a John Ball of Northborough who served in the American Revolution as well as John Ball of Westborough who marched on the alarm of 19 April 1775 to Cambridge, Massachusetts at the start of the Revolution.   There was no record of death for Lydia (Pratt) Ball in either Westborough or Northborough. However on line family trees listed John married Mary Baker on 5 November 1772 in Westborough and had the following children born in Northborough.:

                1. Lydia Ball b. 26 February 1775

                2. Edward Baker Ball b. 11 July 1778

                3. James Ball b 13 August 1781

                4. Susannah Ball b. 13 June 1783

                5. Hannah Ball b 12 September 1785

So immediately it was apparent that John was having children with his first wife at the same time as his second wife if these hints were correct.  This would not be likely for this time period without some legal punishment. 

Worcester County Probate for John Ball in 1801 contained the petition for administration by John’s wife, Mary and named his children, Nahum Ball, Joel & Charlotte Pratt, Levi & Patty Bush, John Ball, Edward B. Ball and Joseph & Lydia Davis, John & Susan Winslow and John Fay, guardian of Hannah Ball.  John Ball's widow died in 1818.  Where were the children of John and Lydia (Pratt) Ball?  Who were these other Ball heirs?

There was another John Ball of Westborough who married on 22 January 1760 in Westborough to Abigail Wilder of Lancaster, Massachusetts and had 5 children before her death on January 4, 1771 in Northborough.  The names of their children were Nahum, Charlotte, Patty, Abigail and John born between 1761-1769.  These were the names of heirs named in the probate record.  Again unlikely John had 3 wives and had children overlapping with each wife despite what several one line family trees have listed that way.

John Ball of Westborough and John Ball of Northborough were two separate men with different families.  John Ball of Northborough based on his wives' deaths, married 1) Abigail Wilder and then Mary Baker. He died in 1801 in Northborough, etc. 

My John Ball of Westborough did not die in 1801 and appeared on census records between 1790 and 1820 in that town.  A probate record in Worcester County Probate also provided more on John Ball of Westborough, who made a will dated December 21, 1824 named his wife Lydia and his children including my ancestor Eunice (Ball) Carter, and the will was filed with the Probate Court on January 7, 1825.

Worcester County Probate
Docket #3047

 

With this new information, another newspaper article provided his actual death date as January 4, 1825.

Massachusetts Spy
issue of January 12, 1825

Although many Ancestry Family Tree hints have proven useful many times, but often are not correct or relevant to my ancestors.  The Ancestry hints and trees for John Ball confused two different men whose birth years were alike.  All ancestry hints unless they are attached to a real record should be verified before accepting them into your family tree.

My Family Connections with King Henry VIII

One thing I like about genealogy is learning how my ancestors participated in American History whether is fighting in Wars from Colonial to current times, or settling new areas of the State of Maine.  Another part of history I enjoy, is early English history as so much of my family emigrated from England and that a few of my family lines trace back to Royalty.

The past year, I gave my niece and my brother a book which traced one of these family lines.  I became very interested in how my family ancestors were connected and interacted with Tudor family of England, namely King Henry VIII and at least two of his wives.

I'll start with my 15th Great-Grandmother, Elizabeth Tilney.  

Detail of a stained glass window at Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford, Suffolk depicting Elizabeth Tilney

Elizabeth Tilney was born sometime  before 1445 at Ashwellthorpe Hall in Norfolk, England, the daughter of Sir Frederick Tilney and his wife, Elizabeth Cheney.  Her father was the Lord of Ashwellthorpe.  His death left his young daughter the heir to his estates.  Her mother remarried to Sir John Say, a member of the household of King Henry VI of England.  

Elizabeth married 1) Sir Humphrey Bourgchier, son and heir of John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners in 1466.  They had a son and two daughters.  Sir Humphrey was killed in the Battle of Barnet on 14 April 1471.   On April 30, 1472, she married Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and 2nd Duke of Norfolk, in a marriage arranged by the King.  They had nine children together.  

Sir Thomas Howard

Elizabeth received her inheritance in 1475.  Her second husband was a close friend and companion of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who was crowned king in 1483. Elizabeth was one of Anne Neville's attendants at Richard's coronation.  Thomas Howard was wounded at Bosworth and imprisoned in the Tower of London for several years, and the dukedom of Norfolk was forfeited. Elizabeth was fortunate that Thomas' attainder stipulated that she would not lose her own inheritance. In December 1485 she was living in London, near St. Katherine's near the Tower, which placed her in the vicinity of her incarcerated husband. 

After Thomas was released from prison and his earldom and estates were restored to him, he entered the service of Henry VII. In November 1487, Thomas and Elizabeth attended the coronation of Henry's consort Elizabeth of York, who appointed Elizabeth a Lady of the Bedchamber. Elizabeth was further honored by being asked to stand as joint godmother to the Princess Margaret Tudor at her baptism in late 1489.  

It is through Elizabeth's 2nd marriage that she was the grandmother of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of King Henry VIII's wives.

Anne Boleyn
my half 1st cousin 16 times removed

Catherine Howard
my half 1st cousin 16 times removed

They were the wives of King Henry VIII, a descendant of my ancestor John of Gaunt.

King Henry VIII
also my half 1st cousin, 16 times removed

Margaret Bourchier, my 14th Great-Grandmother, was the daughter of Sir Humphrey Bourgchier and Elizabeth (Tilney) Howard, born about 1468.  Margaret was brought up with her half brothers and half sisters, including Elizabeth Howard (Anne Boleyn’s mother) and Lord Edmund Howard (Catherine Howard's father).  Thus Margaret was a half aunt to two Queen consorts of the King of England. 

Her first husband, with whom there may only have been a marriage agreement was Sir John Sandes (or Sandys). The marriage agreement was signed when Margaret was 10 or 11 years old on 11 November 1478. Pre-contracts were not unusual among the Tudor period aristocracy and gentry, and it did not have result in a consummated marriage.

Margaret married 2) Sir Thomas Bryan of Ashridge, Hertfordshire before 1490. She was a lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon, 1st wife of King Henry VIII, from 1509 to 1516 while her husband was vice-chamberlain of the queen’s household. She apparently brought their daughters Margaret and Elizabeth Bryan and her son Francis Bryan with her to court.

After the birth of Mary Tudor in 1516, Margaret was put in charge of the nursery at Ditton Park, Buckinghamshire and at Hanworth. She claimed she was given the title of Baroness Bryan when she was made governess for Princess Mary.  She remained with the princess for five years and when she left was given an annuity of £50 for life.

Princess Mary Tudor
Queen Mary I of England

In 1533 she was called back to care for Elizabeth Tudor at Hatfield.

Princess Elizabeth Tudor
Queen Elizabeth I

After the birth of Prince Edward in 1537, was put in charge of a combined household at Havering–atte-Bower. Margaret died in 1551 in Leyton, England. She was a character in the TV series, The Tudors.

Prince Edward
King Edward VI of England

Elizabeth Bryan, my 13th Great-Grandmother, was born about 1500 in England., daughter of Thomas Bryan and Margaret Bourgchier.  She was an English courtier and reputed mistress of King Henry VIII. Elizabeth became the wife of Henry VIII's close friend Sir Nicholas Carew, an influential statesman. Probably a marriage King Henry arranged.

Sir Nicholas Carew

Sir Nicholas was eventually fell out of favor with the King and was executed for treason by beheading on March 3, 1539. Elizabeth's brother, Sir Francis Bryan, a member of the Privy Chamber and one of the king's closest friends, was responsible for sitting in the jury that convicted his sister's husband to death and reduced her to poverty.  Beheading and poverty it seems was finally enough to end my family's connection to the Tudors.