When someone finds out I am a genealogist, the first question I am usually asked is “How far back can you go?” As someone who focuses on their Virginia genealogy, I usually tell them that I have identified more than 100 ancestors who arrived in Virginia before the American Revolution including seven (so far) that were here before 1624. But, in truth, I can trace some lines as far back as 600 AD. Through my great grandmother Annie May (Blanton) Morris (1884-1977), I am a descendant of my 9x great grandfather Thomas Ligon (c.1623-c.1675) and my 8x great grandfather Henry Batte (c.1643-c.1699) both of whom are known as “gateway” ancestors.[1] Through these lines I can trace some branches of my family tree back to about 600 AD.

Lt. Col. Thomas Ligon (c.1623/4-d.1675/6) of Henrico County, Virginia born at Walgrave-on-Sowe, Warwickshire, England. He was a Cavalier (Royalist) who immigrated to Virginia during the early 1640s. He was second cousin to Governor William Berkeley. Thomas Ligon served as a member of the House of Burgesses for Henrico in 1656, as Lieutenant Colonel of the County Militia and as the surveyor of Henrico County. He married Mary Harris, daughter of Ancient Planter Thomas Harris who arrived in 1611 on the ship Prosperous and Jamestown Bride Adria Hoare who arrived in 1621 on the Marmaduke.    

Capt. Henry Batte (c.1630-c.1703) of Charles City County, Virginia was born in Yorkshire, England about 1630. His daughter Elizabeth married William Ligon, a grandson of Thomas and Adria (Hoare) Ligon above. After Henry Batte’s mother died in England, his father decided to immigrate to Virginia about 1646 with his four young sons in tow. Henry Batte served in the House of Burgesses in 1685-86, 1691-92, and 1695 representing Charles City County. He also served as a Justice of the Peace and as a Captain in the County Militia. He married Mary Lound, daughter of Henry and Ann (———-) Lound of Henrico County. 

Gateway Ancestors  

Both Henry Batte and Thomas Ligon are “gateway” ancestors both of whom have pedigrees that go back to many English nobles and to Royalty. Henry Batte is a descendant of John (1166-1216), King of England (1199-1216) through two lines including King John’s illegitimate son Richard Fitz Roy whose mother was the king’s mistress Adela (also the King’s 1st cousin) and Joan of England whose mother was another mistress named Clemence. King John is the one who was forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215.

Thomas Ligon is a descendant of Edward III (1312-1377), King of England (1327-1377) and his wife Phillipa of Hainaut through their son John of Gaunt. Through four different lines he is a descendant of Edward I (1239-1307), King of England (1272-1307) through wife Eleanor of Castile including Edward II, King of England and two of their daughters Elizabeth (one line) and Joan (two lines). Ligon also descends from Henry III, King of England through two other lines. The first is with his wife Eleanor of Provence through their son Edmund Lancaster and the second is with his mistress Ida through their son William Longspee. Finally, Ligon is also a descendent of the aforementioned King John through two illegitimate lines. The first is through John’s mistress Clemance and their daughter Joan of England and the second is through John’s mistress Adela and their son Richard Fitz Roy. Fitz Roy is a common ancestor for Henry Batte and Thomas Ligon.                                 

Through these connections, I am a descendant of historical figures you may remember including William the Conqueror (1028-1087), Eleanor of Aquitaine (c.1124-1204), who was Queen of France and then became Queen of England, Alfred the Great (c.849-899), King of the East Saxons, and Charlemagne (c.742-814), King of the Franks, King of the Lombards and Holy Roman Emperor. I am also a descendant of several French, Scottish and Spanish Kings and Queens. Pretty neat, right? Well, it turns out I am not all that special. Gary Boyd Roberts, author of The Royal Descents of 500 Immigrants, estimates that 60% of Americans are descended from royalty.[2]

Adam Rutherford, author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, notes that while each of us has two parents, four grandparents and so on, it doesn’t take very many generations for that generational doubling to fold back in due to cousin marriages. Both of my grandmothers, for example, had parents that were second cousins. They in, turn, had ancestors who were cousins. This was even more common back in England when there were fewer people overall and social hierarchies resulted in the same families intermarrying many times over multiple generations. Our supposed fan shaped family trees are in reality shaped like an onion.

While I enjoy learning about my European ancestry, my research and interest in my family history begins on the this side of the Atlantic. So, next time you meet a genealogist, instead of asking how far back they can go, ask them what they love about it. Be careful, though, we’ll be glad to tell you!          

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[1] In American genealogy, the term is most often used for immigrants, colonial or more recent, who provide their descendants in the New World with significant traceable pre-modern ancestry in the Old World, including descent from one or more European kings; https://hereditary.us/gateway-ancestor

[2] https://familytreemagazine.com/research/royal-ancestor-research/#:~:text=More%20than%2060%20percent%20of%20Americans%20are%20descended,author%20of%20The%20Royal%20Descents%20of%20500%20Immigrants.

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