The Washington herald., 1907-11-14

New York, Nov, IA suit by Charles
IL. Browning, an expert in heraldry end
genealogy, 10 recover 500 from Mrs.
Thomaseue Rigby Woolsey, for tracing
her ancestry = King Alfred the Great,
was begun in the city court to-day.
Mrs. Woolsey is the wife OF Minthurne
Woolsey, banker and broker OF Wall
street. She wished to become a member
OF the Order OF the Crown. a society
founded by Miss Farnsworth, OF Detroit,
and to be eligible as a member the an
cestry of the person applying for ad-
mittance must be traced back to royalty.
Browning declared that Mrs Woolsey
told him that she would pay him well II
he could trace her ancestry back 20
royalty
Mrs. WOolsey believes she is descended
from Alfred the Great. who was king of
England l,lOO years ago. and also from
King Harold. The reason. she alleged,
for refusing payment Of BrOwnings bill
was that his report could not be veri-
ned by the geneologist of the Order OF
the Crown and was rejected.
Tried To- Find Royal Ancestry.
Mr. Browning testified that Mrs. Wool
sey gave him the names Of thlrty-two an
>cestorS for him 10 trace They were men
who had come TO this country as Immi-
grants before the eighteenth century.
Iahlng one after the other he tried 10
Ind something OF their aatecedents be-
iore they came to this country.
or the four names that he thought
might possibly give some trace of line
OF kings. Mr. Browning said that he only
found one-that Of Thomas Dudley. who
was governor Of Massachusetts in l6F.
Il found by accident a lead which
made me believe that Gov. Dudley was
Of royal descent, and I traced Gov Dud-
ley's wife. Dorothy Yorke. Of whom Mrs.
W0olsey is a descendant. through gen
erations of gentry. yeomanry, and peas
antry back to King Alfred the Great
Mrs. Woolsey had been given 10 un-
derstand,' said the witness that she
was descended from AlfT,d the Great.
King Harold and the other Anglo-Saxon
royalties but that was not substaa-
tiated"
Mr. Browning testified that he so re-
ported 10 Mrs WOolsey, and at her re-
uest made a further search for royal
descent for her. He said that as a result
of a long, tedious and intricate investi-
cation in November or December 1902
he found that Dorothy York. wife OF
Gov Thomas Dudley. was a lineal de-
sccndaEt Of rings. He said that the very
name ot Dorothy York was unknown to
Mrs Wcolsey.
FINDS Tier Entitled to HOnOrs
he discovered that Dorothy York was an
ancestress OF the defendant and that
such discovery would establish her claim
and furnish to her the desired informa-
tion that she had royal blood in her
veins.
He said that he reported his discovery
10 Mrs Woolsey in January. 1903. and
sent TO her notes verifying the discovery
OF her royal descent and told her she was
through Dorothy York. entitled to mem
hership in the Order OF the Crown. He
said that after thus proving to Mrs
WoOlsey that the blood OF kings was IN
her veins. he sent her his bill for $500
He said that she refused TO pay the
amount or any part Of It.
Browning testified that a fair and rea-
sonable charge for a genealOgist was s
a day. He said that he spent fully ~
days in his efforts 20 find the descent OF
the defendant from a king. He said he
was satisfied that ne had done so.
There was offered in evidence a paper,
on the back of which was written:
Royal Descent of Mrs. Minthorne
Woolsey from King Alfred the Great.
King Hugh Capet, King Charlemagne,
King Fharamond-"
Biography by Cotton Mather.
Browning said it was not the report
that he sent to Mrs Woolsey showing
her royal descent through Dorothy York.
Browning testified that Mrs Woolsey
wrote to him that she was descended
from the emigrants named by him and
into whose antecedents he made q re-
search. He said that she told him some
thirty-iive Of her ancestors came 10 the
country before 11oO.
He testified that after Gov. Dudley's
death Rev. Cotton Mather wrote a biog.
raphy Of the late Gov. Dudley He said
that Mr. Mather tried to get information
from Gov. DudleyS son concerning the
governors reputed descent. and that the
son refused to furnish TO the Rev. Cotton
AIather any information on the subject
Browning testified at great length con.
cerninG his efforts 20 trace the ancestry
OF the ancestors Of Mrs. Woolsev. He
said that he had to eliminate twenty
eight out OF the bunch. He said that
he early discovered that he could moi
trace them TO kings
Take, for instance. the emigrant
Thomas Jewel. He came to Massachu-
setts colony in 1850. I couldn't even find
out what ship he came on to this coun-
try. ] couldn't find a king for him. He
said he soon discovered that the Dudley
lire promised most on the chance Of king
ly blood, but after months Of effort to
find a king for Dudley, he discovered the
royal blood in Dorothy York, one Of the
wires Of Gov. Dudley. who fiourished IN
the days when witches were burned in
old Salem town
The Woolseys came here from Ala
bama. Mr.. WUGlsey is a banker and
broker, at 30 Nassau street.
Promotion for II. F. Schmucker.