Jamaica: Ricketts or Ricards
Cindy R.
Apparently one of my ancestors, Capt. William Ricards/Ricketts served
the British (Cromwellian) army in Jamaica at a Fort Bluefield. I believe
his son, William Blakiston (or Blakeston) Ricketts was born in
Ridgeland, Westmoreland, Cornwall, Jamaica, perhaps in 1640, and may
have died 5-7-1722 in Canaan, Westmoreland, Jamaica. Capt. William may
be buried in Ridgeland, d. believed to be 6-3-1700. Capt. William's wife
(Mary Goodwin?) may have died in 1758 in Canaan. Capt. William's brother
James (or John?) may have been a governor general of Jamaica.
Am looking for any information on any of the above individuals. Also, is
there a listing of cemeteries somewhere for the Ridgeland or Canaan
areas?
Many thanks,
Cindy R.
Tim Powys-Lybbe
In message <3C0C27E4...@attglobal.net>
"Cindy R." <ri...@attglobal.net> wrote:
> Hello:
>
> Apparently one of my ancestors, Capt. William Ricards/Ricketts served
> the British (Cromwellian) army in Jamaica at a Fort Bluefield. I believe
> his son, William Blakiston (or Blakeston) Ricketts was born in
> Ridgeland, Westmoreland, Cornwall, Jamaica, perhaps in 1640, and may
> have died 5-7-1722 in Canaan, Westmoreland, Jamaica. Capt. William may
> be buried in Ridgeland, d. believed to be 6-3-1700. Capt. William's wife
> (Mary Goodwin?) may have died in 1758 in Canaan. Capt. William's brother
> James (or John?) may have been a governor general of Jamaica.
Hi,
The main source I have found for all this is in Burke's Commoners of
1834 odd and in his Landed Gentry volumes up till 1871 when the
Rickettses vanished off the face of the Burke map. By and large what
you write is in line with what is to be found in Burke.
The only trouble is that some, at least, of what Burke published is at
variance with the records I have found.
First there is Mary Goodwin who is supposed to be the granddaughter of
Sir Francis Goodwin of Over Winchendon, Bucks, England. With that
surname she must have been a daughter of a _son_ of Sir Francis. The
only trouble is that I can find no record of the birth of any son to Sir
Francis other then Arthur his heir. Further in his will, which I did
find, Sir Francis refers to Arthur as his "dear and only sonne". So
Mary was losing points rapidly.
Then I was contacted by another Ricketts descendant (for I am one) who
had done a load of excellent research and explained that Mary's name was
not Goodwin but Goodin and that her family came from the Westmoreland
estate there. And later members of the Goodin family intermarried with
later members of the Ricketts family.
So the rest of that Burke entry for that period has a big question mark
over it.
> Am looking for any information on any of the above individuals. Also, is
> there a listing of cemeteries somewhere for the Ridgeland or Canaan
> areas?
There is a book called "Monumental Inscriptions of Jamaica" compiled by
Philip Wright and published by the London Society of Genealogists in
1966. It certainly has in it a list of the people in the Canaan
mausoleum, p. 194, including the above "Mary Ricketts, widow, d. 16 Apr.
1750 aged 96". Regrettably, as I was not looking for it, I did not find
let alone copy anything from the Westmorland area. It is in the SOG
library and, further, in the London Library.
There is no "William Blakiston (or Blakeston) Ricketts" in the Canaan
mausoleum listing in this book.
--
Tim Powys-Lybbe t...@powys.org
For a patchwork of bygones: http://powys.org
Cindy R.
Heather Figueroa
Found this nugget today and hope it is one of yours. I was going thru
the 1836-46 burials for Trelawny and found a Goodin.
"Lewis M. Goodin, 7 days old, abode Falmouth, buried 3 Aug. 1841 in the
Falmouth Church Yard by John C. Stone, Off. Curate."
My Trelawny Coopers moved to Westmorland, so it may tie in.
Unfortunately, none of the burials give next of kin.
HTH........Heather
Tim Powys-Lybbe
heat...@sprint.ca (Heather Figueroa) wrote:
> Hi Tim......
>
> Found this nugget today and hope it is one of yours. I was going thru
> the 1836-46 burials for Trelawny and found a Goodin.
>
> "Lewis M. Goodin, 7 days old, abode Falmouth, buried 3 Aug. 1841 in the
> Falmouth Church Yard by John C. Stone, Off. Curate."
>
> My Trelawny Coopers moved to Westmorland, so it may tie in.
> Unfortunately, none of the burials give next of kin.
Thanks. Perhaps on day we'll find the baptism and that might give a
parent or two.
Cindy R.
This gets more and more interesting. I received a couple e-mails from
Heather Figuero, and with what you provided, I am more confused and yet
more enlightened than before. Do you have an opinion as to whether
Captain William Ricketts who married Mary Goodwin/Goodin was born in
1618 or 1633? The 1618 birthdate would have him considerably older than
his wife Mary born @1654, and also much older than his brother John b.
1635 or 1639. The 1633 birth date makes these relationships sound more
likely. But then who was the William Henry born in 1618 that everyone
refers to? (One of Thomas' nephews or cousins perhaps?)
Re: William Blakeston Ricketts. One line of research indicated he is
buried in New York, so I shall track that further.
I reviewed your website and it is quite impressive. How long have you
been working on you lineage? Thanks again for your insights.
Cindy (Ricketts) Ripko
Tim Powys-Lybbe
"Cindy R." <ri...@attglobal.net> wrote:
> Hello again:
>
> This gets more and more interesting. I received a couple e-mails from
> Heather Figuero, and with what you provided, I am more confused and yet
> more enlightened than before. Do you have an opinion as to whether
> Captain William Ricketts who married Mary Goodwin/Goodin was born in
> 1618 or 1633?
None. I have yet to look for any record of his birth. I have heard that
none may exist.
> The 1618 birthdate would have him considerably older
> than his wife Mary born @1654, and also much older than his brother John
> b. 1635 or 1639. The 1633 birth date makes these relationships sound
> more likely. But then who was the William Henry born in 1618 that
> everyone refers to? (One of Thomas' nephews or cousins perhaps?)
No idea. Until we have some decent documentationon these early Ricards,
we will make no progress at all, at all.
> Re: William Blakeston Ricketts. One line of research indicated he is
> buried in New York, so I shall track that further.
>
> I reviewed your website and it is quite impressive. How long have you
> been working on you lineage?
Me personally, about four or five years. My brother did about 20 years
of real grass-roots research amongst old documents in record-offices
etc. My grandfather did about 20 years, not so much of it grass roots
nor documenting any references but he did leave his results behind so it
has been easy to check them against good sources rather than re-find
them.
> Thanks again for your insights.
I'm still looking around on the Ricketts and Goodins. Some possible
sources of info to follow up:
1. "Carribeana" by Vere Langford Oliver pub 1910
2. "Charles Ricketts a Biography" by J G Delaney, pub by Oxford in 1990
3. Wrights MIs we have already done.
4. "The life and Correspondence of the Earl of St Vincent" by E P
Brenton pub 1836. The earl was born Ricketts and is a descendant.
5. British Library Addl MS 30003 F133
6. Possibly "Sugar & Slaves, the rise of the planter class in the
English West Indies 1624- 1713 by Richard S Dunn pub by Cape in 1973.
<snip of earlier exchange>
Sally Jones
I have some info on William Henry Ricketts and his wife Mary (nee
Jervis)who married in Greenwich in 1757 when she was 19 and he was 21.
WH was the grandson of Capt William Ricketts who served under Penn&
Venables and was appointed Governor of Blufields Fort. The family
owned about 6500 acres in Westmoreland and 2400 in St James.
WH was one of 27 children of George Ricketts and Sarah (nee Waite).
George lived at Canaan Estate and WH's brother lived at Prospect
Estate.
Mary wrote many letters from Jamaica to her sister back in England and
these can be found in the British Library (Additional MS 30,001 and
30,003)
I have lots of other Rickets in my database including reference to a
William Ricketts who was married to Mary Goodwin. Their daughter
Rachel married Thomas Johnson and their grandson Jacob married
Christian Barrett (an ancestor of Elizabeth Barrett Browning).
Hope this helps???
Let me know if you wish more info: sa...@sevenoaks-life.co.uk
Sally
Tim Powys-Lybbe
sa...@sevenoaks-life.co.uk (Sally Jones) wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have some info on William Henry Ricketts and his wife Mary (nee
> Jervis)who married in Greenwich in 1757 when she was 19 and he was 21.
> WH was the grandson of Capt William Ricketts who served under Penn&
> Venables and was appointed Governor of Blufields Fort. The family
> owned about 6500 acres in Westmoreland and 2400 in St James.
>
> WH was one of 27 children of George Ricketts and Sarah (nee Waite).
Wasn't there another wife or two for all those children?
> George lived at Canaan Estate and WH's brother lived at Prospect
> Estate.
>
> Mary wrote many letters from Jamaica to her sister back in England and
> these can be found in the British Library (Additional MS 30,001 and
> 30,003)
Thanks for this, to be added to the list of all the other things to look
up!
> I have lots of other Rickets in my database including reference to a
> William Ricketts who was married to Mary Goodwin.
This is where the fun starts. What do you know about "Mary Goodwin"?
What is the source of your information? Things like:
where was she born,
where did she get married,
what were the name of her parents,
and grandparents,
plus a few dates,
I would give blood for!
Anyhow my best information is that she was "Mary Goodin" and not
"Goodwin" at all.
> Their daughter Rachel married Thomas Johnson and their grandson Jacob
> married Christian Barrett (an ancestor of Elizabeth Barrett Browning).
This is interesting. Can you let us have details?
> Hope this helps???
>
> Let me know if you wish more info: sa...@sevenoaks-life.co.uk
>
> Sally
--
Cindy R.
This is very interesting to me. The letters sound fantastic. Is there
any way for a Ricketts in Ohio (USA) to access these records from afar?
I am new to genealogy and do not quite understand the "MS 30,001"
reference.
I have seen other references to George Ricketts but was not sure he was
a son of Captain William. Have you heard of William Blakeston Ricketts
(b.1640 in Jamaica) or John (b. 1657 in Maryland) who were also alleged
to be a son of Capt. William?
I'm fairly sure that Thomas Anthony Ricketts, Sr. (b. 1659 in England,
d. 1722 in Maryland) is my ancestor. What I can't pin down is his
father. Some people have it as Captain William and some have it William
Blakeston, asserted by some to be a son of Capt. William (making Thomas
Anthony a grandson of Capt. William).
Also, I see lots of alleged "governors" for Jamaica -- what position is
that exactly?
Thanks for your reply and I look forward to hearing from you again.
Sincerely,
Cindy (Ricketts) Ripko
Tim Powys-Lybbe
"Cindy R." <ri...@attglobal.net> wrote:
> Hi, Sally:
>
> This is very interesting to me. The letters sound fantastic. Is there
> any way for a Ricketts in Ohio (USA) to access these records from afar?
> I am new to genealogy and do not quite understand the "MS 30,001"
> reference.
Thi is a reference number to the British Library (Euston Road, London).
I'm not sure it is catalogued (yet) but try:
> I have seen other references to George Ricketts but was not sure he was
> a son of Captain William. Have you heard of William Blakeston Ricketts
> (b.1640 in Jamaica)
Seriously, do you have any reference to where the record of his brith
might be?
> or John (b. 1657 in Maryland) who were also alleged
> to be a son of Capt. William?
>
> I'm fairly sure that Thomas Anthony Ricketts, Sr. (b. 1659 in England,
Same for him. Do you have any reference to a record for his birth?
> d. 1722 in Maryland) is my ancestor. What I can't pin down is his
> father. Some people have it as Captain William and some have it William
> Blakeston, asserted by some to be a son of Capt. William (making Thomas
> Anthony a grandson of Capt. William).
>
> Also, I see lots of alleged "governors" for Jamaica -- what position is
> that exactly?
A governor was appointed by the sovereign to act as his representative
and run the show. He may have had a legislative council, aka parliament.
There are still Governors general in the old Commonwealth countries but
these days the sovereign appoints whoever that country's goverment
recommends.
Cindy R.
In reference to William Blakeston/Blakiston Ricketts: on the Ancestry
World Tree Project (AWTP) at Ancestry.com:
AWTP 26691 (ID 1624) under William Capt. Ricards/Ricketts it shows Wm.
Blakeston as a son, citing no authority, but in the notes for Capt. Wm.
it states that "William left the colony in 1658 and Thomas his son did
not return to the colonies (Maryland) until 1677." I think this refers
to William Blakeston, not Capt. William because the ages make more
sense, particularly if Capt. William was born in 1618 and not 1633. If
William Blakeston was born in Jamaica, there don't appear to be many
records there from that time frame to even find.
AWTP 26691 (ID 1215) refers to a William Blakeston and cites "Burke" at
pg 2156-2158, saying Wm. Blakeston "...of Ridgeland in Jamaica who
subsequently migrated to New Jersy...before 1665..." It also notes a
reference to him in "1. Karl G. Larew - 11613, Garret Larew - Civil War
Soldier." (But this could be a confusion with Capt. William?) Says that
Wm. Blakeston married Unknown in England before 1657 and that their son
Thomas Anthony was born in England in 1659. Also claims that Wm.
Blakeston's will is located in Misc. Records of Virginia, Richmond Land
Office, Book 6, Page 367-506.
AWTP 26691 (ID1156) has pretty much the same references for Thomas
Anthony as above for William Blakeston, but with the addition of record
cites to his (TAR) marriage, death and burial records in Anne Arundel
Co., Maryland.
There are several other versions of this line, but the above are the
only ones I've found so far who claim any authority. Of course, they all
say he married Mary Goodwin of England, and not Mary Goodin of Jamaica,
so who the heck knows. I'm thoroughly confused at this point.
Any insight is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Cindy (Ricketts) Ripko
Tim Powys-Lybbe
"Cindy R." <ri...@attglobal.net> wrote:
> Dear Tim:
>
> In reference to William Blakeston/Blakiston Ricketts: on the Ancestry
> World Tree Project (AWTP) at Ancestry.com:
I regret that Ancestry.com is not a reliable record source. It makes
(correct me, please, if I'm wrong) no attempt to validate its entries by
references to contemporary records.
> AWTP 26691 (ID 1624) under William Capt. Ricards/Ricketts it shows Wm.
> Blakeston as a son, citing no authority, but in the notes for Capt. Wm.
> it states that "William left the colony in 1658 and Thomas his son did
> not return to the colonies (Maryland) until 1677." I think this refers
> to William Blakeston, not Capt. William because the ages make more
> sense, particularly if Capt. William was born in 1618 and not 1633. If
> William Blakeston was born in Jamaica, there don't appear to be many
> records there from that time frame to even find.
My fear is that some of this is invention from people accumulating
assumptions from what others had suggested.
> AWTP 26691 (ID 1215) refers to a William Blakeston and cites "Burke" at
> pg 2156-2158,
I wonder which edition of Burke this is.
> saying Wm. Blakeston "...of Ridgeland in Jamaica who
> subsequently migrated to New Jersy...before 1665..."
Here's the Burke entries that I have:
1. Commoners, 1834-8, Vol I, p. 22:
"William, of Ridgeland, in Jamaica, who settled in the Jerseys of
North America and having m. Mary, dau of -- Walton esq. of new York,
became the founder of the family of Ricketts in North America."
Note that there is no mention of the "Blakeston" part of his name.
Second forenames were distinctly uncommon at that time, coming in
perhaps a century later.
2. Landed gentry, 1853, p. 1117:
"William, of Ridgeland, in Jamaica, who settled in the Jerseys of
North America and having m. Mary, dau of -- Walton esq. of new York,
became the founder of the family of Ricketts in North America. He
had, with other issue, a dau. Mary-Walton, who m. in 1738, Stephern
Van Cortland..."
Still no "Blakeston". But some dates and other information to
check?
3. Landed Gentry, 1871, p. 1168:
"William, of Ridgeland, in Jamaica, who settled in the Jerseys and
became the founder of the family of RICKETTS of North America."
No dates at all in that one. Still no "Blakeston"
> It also notes a reference to him in "1. Karl G. Larew - 11613, Garret
> Larew - Civil War Soldier." (But this could be a confusion with Capt.
> William?) Says that Wm. Blakeston married Unknown in England before 1657
> and that their son Thomas Anthony was born in England in 1659. Also
> claims that Wm. Blakeston's will is located in Misc. Records of
> Virginia, Richmond Land Office, Book 6, Page 367-506.
I suspect that what has to be established is that the "William" of the
Jamaican family is the same person as the "William Blakeston" of
Virginia.
> AWTP 26691 (ID1156) has pretty much the same references for Thomas
> Anthony as above for William Blakeston, but with the addition of record
> cites to his (TAR) marriage, death and burial records in Anne Arundel
> Co., Maryland.
This sounds positive. Two checks now: first to find the original
records and second to establish he came from the Jamaican family.
> There are several other versions of this line, but the above are the
> only ones I've found so far who claim any authority. Of course, they all
> say he married Mary Goodwin of England, and not Mary Goodin of Jamaica,
> so who the heck knows. I'm thoroughly confused at this point.
This is where Burke's entry sails on the heights of poetic fancy. let
me quote from the first entry, in Commoners, Vol I, p. 22:
"William Ricards ... m. about the year 1672, Mary, daughter of ---
Goodwin, esq, a younger son of Sir Francis Goodwin, and the lady
Elizabeth Grey, only daughter of Arthur, fourtheenth Lord Grey de
Wilton by his lordship's first wife, Dorothy Zouch, by whom (who d. in
1758 at the advanced age of 96), he had issue..."
From this, Mary was a mere ten years old when she married: no, I don't
think child marriage were still being practised then. And she was born
in 1662.
I have gone to the trouble of getting a copy of Sir Francis Goodwin's
will, written in August 1634; he said he was 69 (old for that time) and
that "my dear and only sonnne" Arthur was 40. So Arthur was born around
1594. So the unknown younger son of Sir Francis was perhaps born around
1600, making him 62 odd when his daughter Mary was born.
I have found the parish register for Winchendon, Bucks where the
Goodwins lived some of the time and there is no mention of any second
son being born to Francis Goodwin. Though there is the problem that
early parish registers are notoriously unreliable.
So the evidence is:
Francis Goodwin said he did not have any second son.
Mary Goodwin's father must have been over 60 when he fathered her, yet
he leaves no record on his history books at all, surprising for such
a long life.
Mary is said to have married at ten years old.
My conclusion is that Mary Goodwin was not as described as in Burke's
Commoners and in later editions of landed Gentry.
What you have to remember about Burke is that he did no research
himself, he just asked the families for their ancestry and then
rephrased it into sonorous prose and added something at the beginning to
the effect that the family was very old and had Norman origins. (I have
found evidence of this method in the British Museum.)
However there was indeed a family of Goodins in Jamaica at that time on
the Westmoreland estate. So far I have had this passed on to me by
someone who has found a few references which I am hoping to explore
shortly.
> Any insight is appreciated.
Too true! I'm still looking for harder facts.
Cindy R.
I thank you for the first realistic perspective on this line that I've
seen yet. It looks like I need to go back to the Virginia and Maryland
records, and see if I can get something concrete there. One other thing
puzzles me. If Capt. William's son "returned" to England where Thomas
Anthony Ricketts Sr. was born, where did they return to? Where was TAR
Sr. born in 1659? Back to Staffordshire where Col. Thomas married
Elizabeth Rugely? Other family locations? And when TAR came back to the
colonies (allegedly in 1677), would there be any records (ships' lists?)
to check for his name?
Thank you for taking the time and patience to teach a novice.
Sincerely,
Cindy Ripko
Tim Powys-Lybbe
"Cindy R." <ri...@attglobal.net> wrote:
> Dear Tim:
>
> I thank you for the first realistic perspective on this line that I've
> seen yet. It looks like I need to go back to the Virginia and Maryland
> records, and see if I can get something concrete there. One other thing
> puzzles me. If Capt. William's son "returned" to England where Thomas
> Anthony Ricketts Sr. was born, where did they return to?
I regret that almost the only way forward here is to find some parish
registers to show Capt. Rickett's marriage and the birth of a son
Anthony. If the mother could be identified, even better.
> Where was TAR Sr. born in 1659?
A double forename was unusual then, so more evidence is required. I'm
not clear who you are referring to.
> Back to Staffordshire where Col. Thomas married Elizabeth Rugely?
I have heard some doubts put on the existence of the Rugelys.
> Other family locations? And when TAR came back to the colonies
> (allegedly in 1677), would there be any records (ships' lists?) to check
> for his name?
Only if you are very lucky!
> Thank you for taking the time and patience to teach a novice.
Your questions are good. The trouble we all face with this family is
that no-one has uncovered any hard evidence that I know of.