It always seems that the male ancestors get the biggest billing in genealogy, so I'd like to present a list of those women ancestors I find to be interesting and maybe others will agree!

  • Eleanor of Aquitane Eleanor (1122-1204) was, of course, the mother to all those wild and crazy sons, constantly warring against their father, King Henry II of England
  • Joan Plantagenet Joan (or Joanne), my 22nd great aunt, was the daughter of King John I of England (one of my great grandfathers), but in my eyes her biggest claim to fame was her marriage to Llewelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd (Wales) from 1194-1240. I like to consider him to be an ancestral Great Uncle! He, with Joan at his side, spent a good deal of his life fighting off Joan's father King John and other Welsh Lords, trying to keep the kingdome of Wales to himself, as well as out from under English domination.
  • Priscilla Mullins Priscilla sailed to Plymouth from London on The Mayflower in 1620 with her family. She, as we all know, married John Alden in one of the first marriages at Plymouth in 1622. I don't believe the tale that Myles Standish was the go-between for John Alden and Priscilla said "Speak for yourself, John" when marriage was proposed is true, but simply a fictional bit Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used to write a romantic story of early days of Plymouth and the "Pilgrims" in The Courtship of Miles Standish. Longfellow claimed it was a true tale passed down in his family through oral tradition, while others said it was simply a folk tale. However, Priscilla & John Alden's daughter Sarah did in fact marry Myles Standish's son Alexander.
  • Ann Alcock Foster Poor old Ann, who was undoubtedly a bit senile, confessed, was tried and condemned as a witch at the Salem witch trials in 1692-3.
  • Margaret Stilson Margaret, a 7th great grandmother, was kidnapped by the Indians when a very young girl and taken to Canada and sold. She was released after 12 years in captivity and married one of my Hilton ancestors.
  • Margaret Bean Davis My mother, was a very bright and interesting woman, a quite marvelous pianist, as well as composer. Music was her life!