The Marbury Line to Prince William

Photo: Back row: my maternal grandfather, Guy Lovelace and my grandmother’s cousin, Hardy B. Marbury,
Middle row: my maternal grandmother, Virginia Brantley Lovelace holding my Uncle Bobby Lovelace; My grandmother’s sister, Cordelia Brantley; My grandmother’s maternal grandmother, Lena Booth Marbury; my grandmother’s mother, Allie Marbury Brantley; and her father, Willie Brantley
Front row: my grandmother’s sister, Betty Brantley

Seeing all the news coverage and merchandising around the upcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton has been especially interesting as I’ve been sorting through my Marbury ancestors. It appears there may be a royal connection or two on that tree. I am a Marbury through my maternal grandmother, Virginia Brantley Lovelace (1917-2007), the daughter of Allie Ern Marbury (1898-1995), the daughter of Hardy Joyner Marbury (1872-1932), the son of Benjamin Franklin Marbury (1849-1884), the son of Robert Green Marbury (1809-1904). Through the Marburys, I am a fifth-generation Haywood Countian.

Robert Green Marbury

Robert Green Marbury was born in North Carolina. As an infant, his family moved first to Middle Tennessee and then to Haywood County where they settled among some of the original settlers of the area. He spent most of his long life in Haywood County, where he became a farmer, Primitive Baptist elder and one of the best-known religious figures in the community.

He was born in North Carolina on Dec. 2, 1809. While he was still an infant, his family moved first to Middle Tennessee and then to Haywood County, joining other early settler families in the area. As a young man, Marbury spent time in Missouri and Arkansas, where he worked for the federal government as an agent for the Creek Indians. He later returned to Haywood County and made it his home for the rest of his life.

In 1875, Brown’s Creek Church ordained him as an elder, a role he held for nearly 30 years. By the end of his life, he had performed more than 325 marriages.

Marbury farmed and enjoyed hunting, fishing, animals and the outdoors. He married twice and had four sons in his first marriage. According to his obituary, those who knew him described him as “genial, industrious, sincere, loyal and honest, a man whose religious life and everyday character made him a respected figure in Haywood County.”

Family research by those who left this earth long ago and several compiled genealogies state the line then goes from Robert Green Marbury back to John Marbury (1783-before 1854), the son of Leonard Marbury (1759-1839), the son of Francis Marbury (1734-1795), the son of Leonard Marbury (1708-1794).

Effie Gwynn Bowie, Across the Years in Prince George’s County (Richmond, VA: Garrett and Massie, 1947), 549; Bowie notes that the Marbury section was “reproduced largely from The Bowies and Their Kindred and the genealogy supplemented.”

Sir Thomas Greene

Many published Marbury genealogies and numerous listings of early colonial families prove Leonard was the son of Francis Marbury. who was my ninth great-grandfather. He was born in Cheshire, England settled in Maryland and acquired several tracts of land in Prince George’s County. He served as a vestryman at St. John’s, Piscataway Parish. Francis married Mary Greene (1675-1713), daughter of Leonard Calvert Greene (1636-1688) and granddaughter of Sir Thomas Greene (about 1609-16512), the second governor of Maryland. ²

Sir Thomas Greene was born in Bobbing, Kent, England in 1610, the son of Sir Thomas Greene and Lady Margaret Webb. His father was created Knight Bachelor of the Realm by James I in 1622 at Windsor Castle. I plan to shake this branch of my family tree later and see what falls out.

For now, back to the Marburys.

Eusebius Marbury of London

It appears likely that Francis Marbury of Maryland (about 1663-1734) belonged to the same English Marbury family as Eusebius Marbury of London (1605-after 1636), possibly father and son, but the exact relationship has not been proven. One “Marbury Ancestry” source states that Francis Marbury’s English ancestry “has proved elusive,” while also noting a strong presumption that Francis Marbury and Eusebius Marbury were closely related, possibly father/son. The same source identifies Eusebius Marbury as the son of Thomas Marbury of Old Warden, Bedfordshire, and Elizabeth Cave, and gives his baptism as May 17, 1605, at Old Warden. ⁴

If the connection to Eusebius Marbury is correct, the royal-descended line would run through Eusebius’s mother, Elizabeth Cave. That line traces through Henry Cave of Ingarsby, Bryan Cave of Ingarsby, Margaret Throckmorton, Katherine Vaux, Elizabeth FitzHugh, Alice Neville and Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland (about 1379-1440). Joan Beaufort was the daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (1340-1399), and Katherine Swynford (about 1350-1403).⁵

John of Gaunt (1340-1399) was a son of King Edward III (1312-1377). His relationship with Katherine Swynford (about 1350-1403) produced the Beaufort children, who later gained legitimacy after John and Katherine married. Through Joan Beaufort (about 1379-1440) and the Neville family, the line connects to some of the most important noble families in late medieval England.⁶

Prince William’s published genealogy charts trace him from John of Gaunt (1340-1399) and Katherine Swynford (about 1350-1403) through their daughter Joan Beaufort (about 1379-1440) and the Neville line. One chart identifies John of Gaunt as Prince William’s 17th great-grandfather. Since Joan Beaufort was John’s daughter, that would make Joan Beaufort Prince William’s 16th great-grandmother.

Therefore, if my math is right, Princes William and Harry and I are 17th cousins, twice removed, through Joan Beaufort.

I’m still waiting for my wedding invitation, but until it shows up, I’ll plan to watch it on TV like the other commoners.

In the meantime, don’t you think my great grand-mother, Allie Marbury Brantley, favors the queen?

Footnotes

1. “Francis Marbury of Maryland,” in “The Marbury Ancestry,” typescript or published genealogical excerpt, 50-51, images supplied by author.
2. “Francis Marbury of Maryland,” 51.
3. “The Marbury Ancestry,” 51-52.
4. “The Marbury Ancestry,” 52.
5. “The Marbury Ancestry,” 52; see also George Edward Cokayne, ed., The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, rev. ed. (London: St. Catherine Press, 1910-1959), entries for Lancaster, Westmorland, Salisbury, FitzHugh and Vaux; W. Throckmorton, A History of the Throckmorton Family (London: Phillimore, 1930).