52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 31
Week 31 : The theme for Week 31 is “Earliest Ancestor.” Who is the earliest ancestor you have identified? Of course, you don’t have to interpret the prompt that way. How about: the first “new” ancestor you discovered, the earliest one to arrive in a certain location, or even one with a surname like Earl(e)y . For this prompt, I researched the maternal side of my family tree. I chose to follow the line of my maternal grandfather, Clair Edwin Gross. I was able to trace the line back to William Gross who was born 6 September 1512 in Kelsale, Saxmundham, Suffolk, England. Kelsale was a smaller agricultural village, while Saxmundham was already a market town. Kelsale had a parish church, St. Mary's and St. Peter's Church, which played a central role in community life. The Kelsale Church is probably a thousand years old being first mentioned in the Domesday Book circa AD 1086. "The Domesday Book was created in the historical context of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. ...