Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-03
tsrcshnns,


The original escutcheon of this fam
lily. bearing an ancient date. is n shield
i on which Is II cherron. surrounded by
/ three stars.
1t is surmounted by n double crest,
helmet and the grasshoppar The
motto on a badge below-"For,uma
| Meh. Another coat Of arms. bearing
/ a later date. taken from Kings COL
iese. lis similar. only there are three
stag heads instead OF tho stars. and the
! small Insect bears a twig In It's
. mouth. Tradition has fostcrcd many
ridiculous stories in connection with
inns singular crest. too numerous to
mention here.
! Sir Thomas Gresham. not content
with the shield. long adopted by his
ancestry. after lie received the order
! or knishthood ut the hands Of Queen
! Elizabeth had scroll and pen added
/ To the original.
The Rev. Alexander Strange. whose
! mother was a Gresham, has compiled
"a limited biography. from which We
| quote the following:
Among those to locate in England
about this time william tho Con
his SON. Edward. the elder of whom
I was with William at the battle OF
Hastings and subsequent to that event
| After the DE Crosses became clti-
Zehs OF England the French prefix De
was dropped. and. to distinguish them
as landowners. the word ham was
added and under this modified name u
/ coat OF arms. which distinguished and
| higniiied the family for many genera
tons. was conferred on them.
| The coat OF arms consisted of I,
%ra:shoppcr on Il Rreensward, Ores"
! meaning green and the hopper indI-
eating the activity of tho Greshams
( ~ their devotion to tic King It's use.
rs shown by the records, is the evil
uence that the GrcshamS are the de-
.cendants OF the Dc Crosses. In some
/ at the carly writings the Greshams
We're described as the family Of tho
Green Home, which the grasshopper on
: the Grecnsward indicated.
/ This coat of arms rs students Of h;s
| tory know. became the legally protect
, cd ensignia OF the Circshams and was
their pride for many succeeding gen
crations. This, In brief. Is the record
OF the family from 1895 to loss In Nor
mandy. after the battle of Hastings
| For the next 200 years history lis silent
hut occasional reference to the coat of
! arms is Tho conclusive proof of tho re-
iationsnip OF the Grcshams Of the Glow
| cnth To tioae of the ti,irtcenth ana
fourteenth centuries.
| Passing down to the sixteenth can
! tnry. Sir Thomas Gresham, of London.
+, whose nigh standing and eminent ser
! vices were widely known. with his
three brothers. John, Richard and Will
liam, and one sister, Mrs. John Wynne
are prominently mentioned in every
English history. In 1860 Sir Thomas
was knighted and became an import
ant parsonage in the affairs Of state
snd diplomacy OF that day. Some
Gresham Gent" with his wife and son.
John, cmigrated TO America
| This John Gresham, Gent" was
nephew OF Sir Thomas and grandson
of Sir Richard Gresham. the Lord
Mayor OF London in 1881.
We find from 10 for
records. that this John Gresham,
Gent" became member Of tho Mary
land Legislature in 1871. Both he and
his son were known as Gent" IN pub
County. Md.
The son, afterwards known as John
Gresham, Sr., in 1854. according to the
records, resided in his home near An
hapols. known as Fortuna" lie
took patent for 800 acres OF land. ON
tuition of learning, modelled after the
/ Gresham College, OF London, bat, ow.
ing 10 his early death In 1913, his am
hilton was never realized. lie was a
vestryman In st. Annas Church, in
| Annapolis.
John Gresham. Jr., son OF above. was
high sheriff of Annapolis from 1905 to
1873. when he died in office. In the
Wills OF himself and wife. which were
inspected years afterwards, by Peter
- ~ S.ii>'ii Ni1ss gave 10 tnelr son,
IHchard. certain lands at Gravesend
Eng, and In Kent, Md. The descend
ants OF this Richard Gresham, still live
in Kent Island, md some on the very
lands bequeathed in these wills The
Gresham College tract was near An
| bington. in Hartford County where
Baltimore was first started, now known
las old Baltimore" 4 few wears ago
The original manor house called Ores
nam Han in Kent County Md, was
visited by Fctcr Haas Gresham. who
found the ancient buildings and tomb
stones in remarkable preservation An
other John came in 1856, and took land
near Ieathsville, Northumberland
County. Va. in 1852. for which he uot
patent in 1864. This tract Of land was
Tract and no one OF the present day
can form any idea from the county
records of where II is situated or can
find any trace Of the Gresham Creek"
which ran through the estate. az re-
, corded.
The landmarks ara all obl,,erated.
Tho two children OF this John Gresham
+. werc sent 10 England after his death
| To their uncle. the Earl Of Essex, to be
educated. They wcro under the charge
OF ono Waddell their tutor. Tho John
Gresham who lived near Ieathsvlllc
| WAS near-kinsman to Governor Berk.
ley's wife, as Lady Bcrkley's grand
! mother was the daughter OF Sir Ores
! ham, of Henry VIII. rule.
! Edward Gresham came to Eirsinia in
I 63i, settling on the Mattaponi in S5S.
] The records OF King and Queen are de-
stroyed. This has handicapped many
| families. but Il letter shortly after the
! civil War from General Walter ..
! Gresham, of Indiana, TO a k!nsman of
I Lancaster, stated that his grandfather
! moved TO Indiana from King and Queen
/ County, Va. Tile Greshams brought
| from the mother country their family
+ names and traditions, even calling
| their newly found homes In America
! after the Old ones In England They
J still cling with reverential awe to
! their family crest, worthtly won by
: their progenitors.
/ Lawrence Gresham, who settled at
t an carly day at 'Briar HILL" King and
! Queen County, Va, married Mary
! TOwnsley. One OF his sons, Samuel
Gresham. married Mary Faulkner, who
! bore him three Observation-Disclosures
| Francis and George. who moved to