Questions, Answers, Steve Buscemi & update on my finds!
On March 22, the official blogger for ancestry.com posted a question and answer session about the Family Tree Maker. For the people who don't know anything about ancestry.com or what exactly a Family Tree Maker is, here's your answer: this tool allows people to start their family trees with a few names and offering tips to get your family tree going. Once you've been able to get far enough into your tracings, the family tree maker allows people to upload their trees to ancestry.com so other family members can find it and get theirs going too.
Here's a link to the question and answer segment:
http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2011/03/22/family-tree-maker-question-and-answer/
http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/
This Friday, March 25, Who Do You Think You Are? will be playing a repeat of the episode that focuses in on helping Golden Globe winning actor, Steve Buscemi learn about his roots. This is great for me because I didn't start watching this show until recently and I have never seen this episode, plus I love Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire is one of my favorites). I'm really interested to see what comes up because I read a little hint about the episode and Steve always only associated Brooklyn with his family and this episode really helps him open up and branch out passed just the direct family.
I was never really interested in this show until I started tracing back my family and then I just grew even more interested because it's so fun learning about all of the people you come from and even more fun when you come across historical family members or even celebrities!
My Finds:
21st great grandmother- Elizabeth le Despenser, Baroness Berkeley
Born around 1327, Elizabeth le Despenser was the youngest daughter of Hugh le Despenser (known for being the favorite of Edward II of England) and Eleanor de Clare. Elizabeth was also the great granddaughter of Edward I of England through her mother.
She married Maurice de Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley in 1338. They had seven children:
-Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Lord Berkeley (married Margaret Lisle)
-Sir James de Berkeley (married Elizabeth Bluet)
-John de Berkeley
-Maurice de Berkeley (married Jone Hereford)
-Catherine de Berkeley
-Agnes de Berkeley
-Elizabeth de Berkeley
After Elizabeth le Despenser's mother died, she was sent to live with her aunt, Elizabeth de Burgh. After her husband Maurice died (he had been wounded at battle a few years before and it left him an invalid), she married Sir Maurice Wyth, a knight in Somerset. When she died at age 62, she had requested to be burried with her second husband. She had 10 siblings.
Eleanor de Clare:
My 22nd great grandmother.
She was the mother of Elizabeth le Despenser and wife of Hugh le Despenser the Younger. She was born in 1292 to Gilbert de Clare (6th Earl of Hertford) and Joan of Acre (Joan's parents were Edward I and Eleanor of Castile).
In 1306, at Westminster, she married Hugh le Despenser the Younger. They had 9 children:
-Hugh le Despenser, 2nd Baron le Despenser
-Gilbert le Despenser
-Edward le Despenser
-John le Despenser
-Isabel le Despenser (married Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel)
-Eleanor le Despenser (she became a nun)
-Joan le Despenser (also a nun)
-Margaret le Despenser (nun)
-Elizabeth le Despenser (married Maurice de Berkeley)
Eleanor's husband became known as the favorite of her uncle, King Edward II.
In 1326, she was confined to the Tower of London, and her husband and father-in-law were executed. Three of her daughters were forced into being nuns. Eleanor was finally released from the tower in 1328.
She then married William de la Zouche in 1329, however Sir John Grey made claims that he married Eleanor first. Zouche won the claim and was with Eleanor until he died in 1337. They had 2 children:
-William de la Zouche (a monk)
-Joyce Zouche (married John de Botetourt, 2nd Lord Botetourt)
Hugh le Despenser and Eleanor are credited with Tewkesbury Abbey, having it renovating and transforming it into what it still is today.
(wikipedia.com)
(ancestry.com)
(nbc.com)
(www.hbo.com/boardwalk-empire/index.html)