The morning news., 1892-02-22
ROYAL ANCESTORS.
MANYAMERIoANs ARE DESCENDED
FROM KINGS.

Stuart Not Extinct - Irish Kings
and Their Progeny-The Rsal Prince
Of Wales - George Washing gton'a
Royal Blood-Eow Washinghton's
Nobls Kinsm'au was Hanged.
COPYRIGHT, 1892, bV the United Press)
NEW YORK, Feb. GA Philadelphia
man has been to the trouble of writing a
book to show that great many Americans
are descendants from kings.
Although kings have a habit Of living on
the money of other people, it happens
singularly enough, that most of the fami-
lies mentioned by the Philadelphia man
have plenty of money of their own. Other
wise, perhaps, they would not be mentioned.
1t ia probable, however. that there are very
few Americans OF Wsern European
descent who do not number one king or
another among their ancestors.
1t is not worth boasting about. as most OF
the kings in old times were either highway
robbers or imbeciles, and the only inherit.
ance they were sure to transmit TO their
descendants was what the English call
"king's evil"
AS the number OF a mans ancestors
doubles with every generation, it is easy to
compute that every person of English race
ought to have a strain of descent from Will
lam the COnqueror; and if, by any freak,
William could not be found in the wide-
spreading branches of the genealogical tree,
then surely one or more of the numerous
kings of the Saxon period should be con-
cealed in the foliage.
An interesting illustration of how many
persons may include royalty and nobility
in their ancestry, through a distinctly
traceable line, was given by the late Duke
Of Norfolk. That nobleman desired TO
hold a family gathering in honor of his
progenitor, the first Duke of Norfolk,
that great Lord Howard, of whom it was
said:
Jockey Of Norfolk. be not too bold.
For Dickson, thy master, is bought and sold ~
The duke instructed his steward to obtain
list of all the known descendants of the
brave Jockey. :" and invite them to a ban
quet at Arundel castle. The steward found
no less than 600, who could prove lineal de-
scent, and then reported to his master that
no doubt there were many more, both in
England and beyond the seas. The
idea of banquet was, there
fore, given up and the duke con-
tented himself with sending me-
mortal token to those OF his more or less dis
tant kinsfolk whose address he could pro-
cure. No doubt many OF them are in
America, and all of them, IL may be added,
are of royal descent, the house of Norfolk
being of Plantagenet blood.
1t is customary to speak Of the house OF
Stuart as extinct. 1t is extinct only in the
legitimate male line. There are, beyond
question. many thousands of descendants of
the royal house of Scotland.
1t is we'll known that the Stuart kings
with rare exceptions, were prohigate, and
the court of Holyrood was more like an
eastern harem than a place of Christian
princes. Nearly every Stuart king had Il
number Of illegitimate descendants, and
with these should be included the younger
children of regular birth who were married
off to the nobility.
So far from being extinct, the race of
Stuart is probably more numerous to-day
than any other whose ancestors sat on
throne, and doubtless includes a large pro-
portion Of the Scottish people, and Of Scot
tish- Americans.
Passing TO our fellow citizens of Irish
origin it Is difficult to see how any of them
could be counted out of the pedigree Of
some of the numerous monarehs who ruled
over Erin. Besides, there is plenty of Saxon
and Norman blood in Ireland, mingled with
the Celtic.
The Welsh, too. had their princes, who
left numerous progeny. 1t is not gener-
ally known, by the way. that the real
Prince of Wales, by right of unbroken
descent, is a modest gentleman Of means
living quietly in the principality which his
forefathers ruled.
OF illustrious Americans who are believed
to have been of royal ancestry the foremost
is George Washington, OF whose relation
ship to the Ferrers family there is little or
no doubt. This family was descended in
the female line from Edward Ill, and, Of
course, from William the Conqueror
After Washington became famous the
Countess of Huntington, member of the
house Of Ferrers, wrote a communication
claiming him as a relative. The letter was
found among his papers, and is still in ex-
istence. Whether be ever answered it is
not known. 1t is certain that he never pub
liclY claimed any connection with the
Ferrers family, which was then under a
cloud in England. The cause of the cloud
was that Earl Ferrers, in a fit of rage, mur-
dered his steward, an aged gentleman named
johnson, and upon conviction of the crime
by the House of Lords, was hanged at TyN
burn, q sl.ken cord being used for the
execution.
This tragic event made great sensation
throughout the then civilized world and no
doubt deeply Impressed Washington HIM
self, who must have beeu aware of his rela-
"a
the earps brother, who succeeded to the
title, was named Washington. 1t may be
Of interest to note that the Ferrers shield
bears a resemblance to the arms of the
United States
Alexander Hamilton, Washington's Sec
retary OF the Treasury, and ancestor of the
well-known New York family, although
born In humble circumstances, was de-
scended, it is said, from the great ducal
family OF Hamilton ia Scotland, and there
fore of royal extraction, the Hamiltous
having 1ntermarried with the reigning
house Of Scotland.
Another friend of Washington who had
royal blood in his veins. but for all that a
good republican, was Lord Thomas Fairfax,
who preferred home In Virginia to his an
Eave remained faithful to the United States
although their names are borne in the Brit
ish peera9e.
The present Lord Fairfax is a resident Of
Maryland ,.but there are members of the
family in various states, from New York to
California
The story of the Baltimore Bonapartes is
familiar, aud has been often told. Their
ancestor, Jerome, was king, and received
his crown in part reward for deserting his
American wife. The Baltimore Bonapartes
ha We far moro reason TO be proud of their
mothers descent from rugged Scotchman
among the martyrs for conscience sake
whom Sir Walter Scott has immortalized in
'Oid Mortality"
Few people are aware of the fact that the
descendant of British king, whose pedigree
from Edward /. down TO his own name is
traced in "Burke's Peerage," was, some
years ago, an ipmate of the penitentiary in
New JerseV The yOunQ man was incor-