If you have any additional information, amendments, or alterations, to be made 
to this Archive of Family Genealogy, please contact: law.gt@btinternet.com in 
the first instance.

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when taken, and it will be added.




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     The Monumental Inscriptions in the Church & Churchyard of High Halden, Kent.


Thomas Lindridge c1727 - 1792, & his wife, Susannah Peirson 1725 - 1785

Inscription states:- 

"Thomas Lindridge of this Parish died 1 January 1792 aged 65. Also Susannah his wife 
died 2 December 1785 aged 59. Issue John, Susannah, Thomas, William, Edward and 
Joseph".

(My great,great,great,great,greatgrandfather,& mother, was Thomas & Susannah. G.T.Law)
                                   
                                    
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 Also:    William Law c1557 - 1627.  (Not in the tree yet; but maybe soon?)

On a Flat-stone, in the Porch of High Halden Church Kent, states:
                     
             "Wm Law of Halden died 7 February 1627 in 70th yeare".


G.T.Law January 2008.


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                      Reverend James Fitch (1622-1702)
 
A Founding Settler of Norwich, Connecticut, USA; and First Minister of Saybrook 
Congregational Church and the First Congregational Church of Norwich,Connecticut.

(James Fitch's grandfather's great great great great great great great great great 
grandson is G.T.Law)

James Fitch's father Thomas died when James was only ten years old. James was left 
money in his fathers' will, which enabled him to go and study at Cambridge 
University. During his studies at Cambridge, he was taken under the wing of Rev. 
Thomas Hooker of Chelmsford, a friend of Thomas Fytche who was also mentioned in the 
will. 

At only sixteen, he sailed to America in 1638 with the  Rev. Hooker  who had decided 
to go to America and establish a church there. James finished his theological study 
in Hartford, Connecticut under the Reverend Hooker and Reverend Samuel Stone, also of 
Bocking, England. A new Church was built in Saybrook, Connecticut and James Fitch was 
ordained as its first minister in 1646.  James was a Founding settler of Norwich and 
Saybrook, Connecticut. He was ordained Rev. James Fitch, to become the first ordained 
minister of Saybrook Congregational Church and the First Congregational Church of 
Norwich. James intervention got Uncas of the Mohegans, and the Pequot Indians, to 
side with the English against King Philip's Narragansett tribes. Their fair dealings 
with the Indians spared these settlers who were on the very frontier at that time.
On October 1, 1648, James married Abigail Whitfield (born 08/1622) of nearby 
Guilford, Connecticut. The ceremony was performed by her father, Reverend Whitfield. 

James must approached his mother, Anna (nee Reeve 1590-1686) and his brothers about 
settling in America, and in about 1650, Anna Fitch and her sons Thomas, Samuel and 
Joseph sailed from England, to join James.

In 1659, the congregation at Saybrook received permission to establish a new 
settlement at Norwich, Connecticut and Rev.James Fitch accompanied them as their 
leader along with Major John Mason. Just before leaving, Abigail died on September 9, 
1659. James and his six children, James II, Abigail, Elizabeth, Hannah, Samuel and 
Dorothy, went alone to Norwich the following month.

James Fitch then married Priscilla Mason, daughter of Major John Mason in October of 
1664. This marriage produced eight more children, Daniel, John, Jeremiah, Jabez, Ann, 
Nathaniel, Joseph and Eleazer.

When King Philip's War began in 1675, Rev.Fitch was instrumental in getting Uncas 
and the Mohegans, and also the Pequot Indians, to side with the English against King 
Philip's Narragansett tribes. Their fair dealings with the Indians spared these 
settlers who were on the very frontier at that time. Uncas, was the Indian chief made 
famous by James Fenimore Cooper in 'The Last of The Mohegans', was the chief who sold 
the lands of Norwich to Fitch and Mason and the others settlers.

In 1695, James founded and settled a new town nearby, Lebanon, Connecticut, where he 
moved to in 1701 when he retired from the church in Norwich. He remained in Lebanon 
until his death at age eighty on November 18, 1702. He is buried at the churchyard 
there and his stone remains in the old cemetery.

You can read about the Fitch Family Ancestory in:- 
"William Fytche of Little Canfield and his Descendants"; Volumes I, II, & III 

@  http://www.baronage.co.uk/bphtm-01/fitch-1.html
  
G.T.Law. January 2008.

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My maternal Grandmother Florence (Florry) Annie Brown, nee Sunter b 1889,told 
me many times,about her being one of 12 siblings who lived,(6 male, 6 female) 
and of the 'losing' of 2 siblings who died whilst she was in her infant years, 
which would of made her one of 14. 

Whilst searching archive material of this generation, I found the 
2 'Sunter'siblings who died; Frank Sunter b 1880,(Frank died in Q1 1883 aged 
only 3 years), and Walter Sunter, who was also born 1893, and died 1894.

But, I have unearthed 'Number 15', Florence Edith (Edie) Sunter.  Edith who 
was also born in Q1 of 1893 (and therefore could be Walters' living twin), was 
found to have been adopted(or I suspect, given away!!).

This 'adoption' was confimed by the 1901 Census. She was known as Edie Sunter 
in 1901 Census entry, and it stated that she was living with her adopted 
parents, Charles T & Mary Ann Turk from Gloucestershire (both aged 65), and 
their daughter Caroline Coldicott (aged 38). (Carolines Daughter, Fanny, also 
lived with them, aged 18). The family address (in 1901) was 2, Barley Field 
Row,(in St Matthews Parish) Walsall. 

A Marriage which was Registered in BMDs in Walsall, was found for a 
Florence E Sunter to a Joseph Leake, June 1922, in Vol 6b 1494. 

Whilst searching in BMD Registers,this week,I have found a death registered; 

Name: Florence Edith Leake
Birth Date: 2 Jan 1893
Death Registration Month/Year: Apr 1987
Age at death (estimated): 94
Registration district: Ealing
Inferred County: London
Volume: 12
Page: 14

Was this Florence Edith ??

'Florence Edith' does not have any further records, as yet, but she deserves 
to remain here in the Sunter side of the family tree, until accurate 
supporting evidence can prove otherwise. 

G.T.Law. 
November 2007.

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Taken from:-  CALENDAR OF ESSEX ASSIZE RECORDS 
Level: Sub-Fonds  Calendar of Essex Assize File [ASS 35/57/1] Assizes held at 
Chelmsford 6 March 1615 

INQUISITION taken at Morrell ROOTHING, 3 October 12 James I, 
before Wm.Andrewes, Coroner, upon the view of the body of John Birde. The 
jurors say that Rich.Crowe of Morrell Roding labourer, 30 September there 
having in his hands "a hand gun" charged with "powder and haylshott" by 
accident "did discharge" it and shot the said Bird in the lower part of the 
left side of his belly, giving him a mortal wound of which he died, 2 October 
Pleads not guilty; by misfortue. 

Was this 'Birde' that was shot and killed in 1615, one of our Ancestors?; 
Further investigations are needed.

G.T.Law.     January 2008.

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A 'Law' Ancestor who was Murdered!

This artical was forwarded for submission By Mr Anthony(Tony)Law, of Harrington 
Park, New South Wales 2567, Australia.

He wrote;

My time travel via the family tree, began over 30 years ago when my 
grandmother mentioned a family bible, and was able to get me a photocopy of 
the entries back to the mid 19th century (unfortunately the bible has 
disappeared). My interest was re-awoken by a cousin a couple of years ago, and 
by using internet resources and talking to older family members, I was able to 
flesh out some of the detail of the family history. Today the tree has over 
700 Laws listed.

The biggest surprise was to learn that one of my Grandfather?s brothers 
arrived in Fremantle in 1911, the West Australian Genealogy Society tracked 
down the details for me. Then found his marriage in Mornington, Victoria and 
subsequently four of his surviving children! I now have over twenty true 
blue relatives in Wagga Wagga and Narrandera. We had a great 'get together' in 
2007.

Using info from the Kent Family Historical Society's CDs, and subsequently 
Free BMD, and Ancestry.co.uk, I have now traced our direct line back to c1600 
in Lenham, near Maidstone; Coincidentally one of my daughters lives in the 
village today!

Nobody in the tree has any claim to fame, we were all Agricultural 
Labourers, but I did find out that one of my forebears, William Law (aged 80) 
was murdered on 11th February 1849 by housebreakers (parish register entry) at 
Bethersden.(see Death Certificate at William Law 1769-1849 photospace. Out of 
interest I ordered his death certificate, issued by the Cranbrook Coroner, which 
stated his cause of death as Feloniously murdered by George Millen and Henry 
Sheepwash.  Both were only 17 years old. From the convict records their trial was 
concluded 10th March 1852.

Of course, now I wanted to know what had happened to the perpetrators of this 
felony! Suspecting that they would have been hanged, I checked the internet 
for executions in the UK, and found that George Millen was publicly hanged 
outside Maidstone Jail by William Calcraft, on 29th March 1849 (public hanging 
was abolished in 1868).  William Calcraft became England's most prolific 
executioner with over 450 hangings to his name.

In the 1851 Census, Henry Sheepwash was still languishing in Maidstone Jail, 
but on 3rd May 1852 he was transported from Plymouth on board the 
vessel 'William Jardine', bound for the The Swan Colony, arriving in 
Fremantle, West Australia, on the 1st August 1852, to serve a life term.

Anthony Law -  January 2008.

(I would like to thank Tony, for all the many hours of sterling work, and 
effort, that he has put into 'un-earthing' the many "Law's of Kent", and not 
only for all the help and assistance he has given to me over the past 3 years, 
but for finding the time to visit my old Uncle Reginald (Jack) Law (1915- 
2007) whilst in the Como Nursing Home in Como, Perth, W.Australia, just 
before 'Reggie Jack' died in 2007.   G.T.Law. 23/01/2008)  
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