Jeffrey Ferris, of Greenwich - The Ancestors and Origins of Jeffrey Ferris (c.1610-1666)

Nice simple article here http://manybooks.net/pages/cravenw2855528555-8/3.html

Wow, Merchant Adventurers would explain why my Y37 marker test was a mess showing DNA from random regions. Anyways I wanted to note that on FTDNA I have the Family Finder function and I wanted to note that I did see the surname of another match as Amy Humphrey and I can apparently compare chromosomes or something theres alot of tools here that I have no clue how to properly use anyways I compared Humphrey and Hill nothing as far as Underhill unless Uhlig is a variation anyways Humphrey and Hill looks to have alot of common places.

I was hoping that reviewing the members of the Merchants Adventurers might reveal a name creating a connection to Thomas Ferrers-Ferris (b.aft.1540-d.aft.1604), the Deputy Governor. I checked the links you provided but there appeared to be no promising leads. The "Calendar of the Patent Rolls, Elizabeth I, Vol. III: 1563-1566" (1960) pp. 178-80, however, did provide a very good and authoritative explanation of the London Merchant Adventurers' organization, geographic reach and powers.

I then decided to jump directly to the 1630's since Jeffrey Ferris was supposedly made a freeman in Watertown about 6 May 1635. I looked at King Charles' Charter of Massachusetts Bay (March 4, 1629). (The names of the grantees in that Charter appear at the end of this note just in case anyone might see something else in them.) Then I checked the names in the Cambridge Agreement among the shareholders of the Massachusetts Bay Company which was made several months later in August 1629. That is where I found a familiar name. The 12 signers of that agreement were:

Richard Saltonstall
Thomas Dudley
William Vassall
Nich. West
Isaac Johnson
John Humphrey
Thomas Sharp
Increase Nowell
John Winthrop
William Pynchon
Kellam Browne
William Colbron

The familiar name was Thomas Dudley (1576-1653) who became John Winthrop's Deputy Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company when John Humphrey could not make the voyage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Dudley Governor Thomas Dudley's story is told in "The Life and Work of Thomas Dudley," Augustine Jones (1900). https://books.google.com/books?id=8FbOuD7g3C0C&printsec=frontco...

Thomas Dudley (1576-1653) was from a different line but he was from the same Dudley family that produced Guilford Dudley (1536-1554), the husband of Lady Jane Grey (who had been Queen for a few days), and his brother Robert Dudley (1532-1588), the 1st Earl of Leicester and a favorite of Queen Elizabeth. Robert Dudley was the second great grandson of Elizabeth Ferrers (1419-1483), the 6th Baroness Ferrers of Groby which is in Leicestershire. When Robert Dudley was in the Netherlands in 1585, John Edward Underhill (1574-1608) delivered messages between Dudley and the Queen. We know that as a Deputy Governor of the Merchant Adventurers Thomas Ferrers-Ferris (b.aft.1540-d.aft.1604) did travel to Germany at least once and may have done so through Holland which was within the Merchant Adventurers' sphere of influence, or he may have travelled there at other times and on other business.

Many of these connections pre-date Jeffrey Ferris but they could have been the seeds for later connections. Both Thomas Dudley (1576-1653) and Jeffrey Ferris (c.1610-1666) did travel to the Massachusetts Bay around the same time (1630-1635).

Thomas Dudley (1576-1653) may have been aware of the Ferrers-Ferris family connections to his own. Augustine Jones, in his "The Life and Work of Thomas Dudley" said the following at p. 6 et seq:

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"How well informed Governor Dudley was respecting his descent will be evident upon a moment's reflection. John Sutton, the first Baron Dudley of Dudley Castle, died only eighty-eight years before the birth of Thomas Dudley. Two successive barons, Edward the second and John the third Baron Dudley, had during that brief period lived and died; while, within the same exact duration of time, Edmund Dudley, the merciless extortioner of Henry VII., who furnished a theme for Sir Thomas More in the " Utopia," 2 John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, and Lord Guilford Dudley, his son, descending by another line from the same first Baron Dudley, flourished and disappeared.

Sir Philip Sidney, the son of Mary Dudley, died at Zutphen when Thomas Dudley was ten years of age; and Robert, Earl of Leicester, the favorite of Queen Elizabeth, died when he was twelve years old.

We can easily conceive Governor Dudley to have known individuals who had met every one of the above-named persons, from the first Baron Dudley down to his own times. If we recall his social relation in England, his thoughtful, scholarly habits, and, in advanced life, his extended public career, we may be morally certain that the history of every one of these personages was familiarly considered by him, and his personal relation to them thoroughly understood. When, therefore, in 1653, he used the Sutton-Dudley seal on his will, he was not ignorant of his rights. He was trained to the law, and had long been a judge of it, and was always obedient to it in an exemplary manner. When he applied that coat of arms to his last will and testament, now preserved with probate records of Suffolk County, Mass., — one of the most solemn acts of his life, and nearly the final one, — he in effect affirmed that he was descended in direct lineage from the barons of Dudley Castle.1 If, with his experience and knowledge, he did it wilfully with a purpose to cheat and to deceive as to his family, to claim what did not belong to him, to represent himself to be what he was not, or even to give to himself the benefit of a doubt, then that single last act of his life is in conflict with all the rest of his honest record.

His use of this seal under the circumstances tends, so far as the testimony of one honest man can go, to sustain the claim that he rightly appropriated it. The importance of this act on his part is greatly increased by the fact that it is the only known instance in which, after years of concealment and reserve, he suffered his ancestry to be revealed by himself in America. It seems to have been the solitary departure from a fixed purpose. His right is corroborated by his children, and by other evidence above mentioned."
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Augustine Jones makes a good case for Thomas Dudley's knowlege of his relationships to Earl Robert Dudley, Guildford Dudley and Lady Jane Grey. His "reserve" or "concealment" may have related to the executions of Gulford, Lady Jane and Guilford's brother John at the Tower in 1554.

While Thomas Dudley (1576-1653) may have been aware of his own relatives, the question is whether Jeffrey Ferris was aware of his own relatives. And, then the question would be whether the prior relations between those two families facilitated Jeffrey's "adventure" to America. At the moment it seems a stretch. But finding Thomas Ferrers-Ferris, the Deputy Governor of the Merchant Adventurers, seemed a stretch as well.

Charter: https://www.landofthebrave.info/1629-charter-of-massacusetts-bay-wo...

Cambridge Agreement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Agreement

Following are the names of those enumerated in the 1629 Charter of Massachusetts Bay:

NOWE Knowe Yee, that Wee...graunted and confirmed, and by theis Presents of our especiall Grace, certen Knowledge, and meere mocon, doe graunt and confirme vnto the saide ...

Sir Henry Rosewell,
Sir John Younge,
Thomas Southcott,
John Humfrey,
John Endecott, and
Simon Whetcombe,

and to their Associatts hereafter named; (videlicet)
Sir Richard Saltonstall,
Knight, Isaack Johnson,
Samuel Aldersey,
John Ven,
Mathew Cradock,
George Harwood,
Increase Nowell,
Richard Perry,
Richard Bellingham,
Nathaniell Wright,
Samuel Vassall,
Theophilus Eaton,
Thomas Goffe,
Thomas Adams,
John Browne,
Samuell Browne,
Thomas Hutchins,
William Vassall,
William Pinchion, and
George Foxcrofte

Private User I wonder if the Amy Humphrey DNA match you found was to a relative of John Humfrey (Humphrey) who was supposed to be John Winthrop's Deputy Governor until Humfrey could not leave at the last minute and was replaced by Thomas Dudley.

I made a little note document with some screenshots to show what i was seeing essentially.
Note: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C_6oEEVnIvEU-K3BVL-U56MKoDV3Jjc...

Private User, thanks for sharing that DNA research. I am no geneticist, so I will defer to Erica Howton. She may know more herself or may know someone who does. But here are some thoughts, anyway.

The Dudley match you found shows the earliest known ancestor as James Augustus Granbury Dudley who shows on MyHeritage as born in 1841 and dying in 1913. His father, also James, was born in Virginia in 1806. Whether James is descended from Thomas Dudley, the Deputy Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company, we do not know.

With respect to the Underhills, they would likely not show in your DNA because you show your ancestor as Jeffrey Ferris's son Joseph (1635-1699) but Nathaniel Underhill married a daughter (Mary) of Joseph's brother, John (1640-1714).

With respect to your DNA showing random regions, remember that the further back in time you go, the more great grandparents you have and, therefore, the more opportunities for unexpected ancestry. The math is simple since everyone has two parents. 2 parents each have two parents themselves equals 4 grandparents times 2 equals 8 great grandparents, etc.. By the time you get to Jeffrey's generation (10th great grandfather, for example), you have 4,098 great grandparents in the 15 and 1600's. And, among them could have been migrants to New York from Holland or France. Those Dutch ancestors could have grandparents themselves from Denmark or Norway. Those French ancestors could have grandparents themselves from Spain or Italy. If you consider that the earliest immigrants to New England were from various regions in Europe and that they moved around New England and married other migrants, you might begin to see how your ancestry and DNA could be quite diverse.

In addition, if Jeffrey Ferris is indeed descended from a line of Ferrers descended in part from a king of England, then you will have ancestors from Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia, Poland, etc. etc. arising from arranged royal marriages (alliances or, in modern parlance, mergers).

I posted on the Sources tab a document called "Direct Ancestors of John Ferrers (1452-1485)." It is a 52 page spreadsheet listing only the direct ancestors (i.e. great grandparents, not uncles or cousins, etc.) of Johns Ferrers (1452-1485). It is based on information from thePeerage.com. (I selected John Ferrers because he was far enough down the descent tree of the Ferrers to capture most of the royal ancestry in the Ferrers family.) The included great grandparents go back to the 6th and 7th centuries A.D. They include people like King Henry II (c.1133-1189), Boleslaw I (d.1025) King of Poland, Ashot II König von Armenien (895-928) and Saint Arnulf of Metz (582-640). There are perhaps 1,500 great grandparents listed.

This list of Ferrers' ancestors may give you a better idea of the geographic diversity in the Ferrers' lineage and DNA, although I do not know how that diversity might be represented in the DNA of a present-day descendant of the Ferrers. And, of course, a present-day Ferris descendant would need to be related to the proper Ferrers lineage to claim the people on that list as ancestors.

That list is also available to view in family tree fashion and/or download as a GEDCOM file from my RootsMagic Ferris-Ferrers site at http://sites.rootsmagic.com/Ferris-Ferrers/pedigree.php. You can also access it from the Geni Sources tab under the tile "Henri de Ferrières (1036-1088) Descendants to the Era of Jeffrey Ferris (c.1610-1666)."

Private User, the thought occurred to me that if your DNA could be compared to the DNA of a present-day Ferrers in England who was a known descendant of the Feriers-Ferrers, perhaps that would provide some answers. Occassionally, in the past when doing searches for Ferrers I have seen results including currently living Ferrers. in England. I suspect DNA services are available in England the same as they are here. I am not sure how you might identify an English Ferrers who had taken a DNA test. Perhaps FTDNA can give you some advice.

Just an idea...

I have been trying to discover a bit more about the life of Thomas Ferrers-Ferris (b.aft.1540-d.aft.1604) the Deputy Governer of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of London.

Charles Ferrers Raymund Palmer (1819-1900) lists the children of John Ferrers (1514-1576) and Barbara Cokayne (1517-1560) in the following order:

i. Dorothy, m. to Edw. Holt, esq.
ii. Humphry, his successor. [1540-1608]
iii. Edward.
iv. Henry, bur. Sept. 14th, 1602.
v. Thomas.
vi. George, bur. July 29th, 1615.

See "The History of the Town and Castle of Tamworth, in the Counties of Stafford and Warwick," Palmer (1845), p. 364. https://archive.org/details/historytownandc00palmgoog If Thomas was the third son born after Humphrey (b.1540), then we might guess his birth to have been between 1545 and 1555. His mother died in 1560. Three of his brothers died between 1602 and 1615. If he lived to 60 or 70, then he might have died between 1605 and 1625.

The earliest record of Thomas Ferrers-Ferris (b.aft.1540-d.aft.1604) appears to be in the records of the Merchant Adventurers in Stade, Germany in 1593. By that time, he had been appointed "Courtmaster" of the Merchant Adventurers in Stade. The prior Courtmaster, William Milward had died in 1593. Being appointed Courtmaster in 1593 suggests Thomas Ferrers-Ferris may have been working in Stade (or at least for the Merchant Adventurers somewhere) before 1593. See "Hamburg und England im Zeitalter der Königin Elisabeth" (Hamburg and England in the age of Queen Elizabeth), Richard Ehrenberg (1896), p. 252 https://archive.org/details/hamburgundenglan00ehreuoft

In 1593, Thomas Ferrers-Ferris may have been in his 40's. He returned to London about 1598 where he stayed with William Cokayne (1523-1599), the father of William Cokayne (1561-1626), who later became the Lord Mayor of London. While Thomas Ferrers-Ferris was in London he exchanged correspondence with Duke Otto from Hamburg. When Thomas Ferrers-Ferris was absent from London in 1599, Duke Otto would exchange correspondence with William Cokayne (1561-1626), the son and later Lord Mayor. Of course, this suggests that Thomas Ferrers-Ferris and William Cokayne (1561-1626; Lord Mayor), not only knew each other but were working together on the Merchant Adventurers business in Stade and Hamburg. See "Hamburg und England im Zeitalter der Königin Elisabeth," supra.

The Merchant Adventurers of London were engaged in the export of white woolen cloth from England to Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. The first regular relations between the Merchant Adventurers and Hamburg was under an agreement that lasted from 1567 to 1577. The following quotes from "The Merchant Adventurers at Hamburg," William E. Lingelbach (1904), The American Historical Review, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Jan., 1904), pp. 265-287 (http://www.jstor.org/stable/1833366?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents) explain some of the history of that trade:

p. 267: "Woolen cloth in the white constituted the great staple article of their export trade from England... the fellowship enjoyed a monopoly of the export of this important manufacture to all points on the continent lying be tween the Somme in France and the Skaw in Denmark."

p. 268: "The occasion for the first settlement of the Adventurers at Hamburg arose from the insecurity of trade in the Netherlands, the dissatisfaction with Spanish rule, and the loss of trade to Hamburg when the English government refused to allow the Hanse to continue the export of woolen cloth."
...
"Owing to the violent opposition of Liubeck and the other Hanse towns, however, the privileges were not renewed in 1577. Instead was issued the Hamburg Decree, expelling the society. In 1587 intercourse was resumed, but again the opposition of the other cities proved too strong."

p. 269: "Stade, it is true, furnished a temporary though unsatisfactory residence, from which trade was carried on with Hamburg through factors. [fn.]2 The Adventurers, therefore, looked anxiously for the time when they would again be taken up by the latter city. But not till 1611 was the hostility to the English trader sufficiently broken to make possible a successful resumption of friendly negotiations."

[fn.] "2 The chief mart and residence of the society was still in the Netherlands. In 1587 it had been established at Middleburg."

None of the sources, however, mention whether Thomas Ferrers-Ferris (b.aft.1540-d.aft.1604) was married or had children. It seems possible that between 1565 and 1593, Thomas Ferrers-Ferris may have been at University (although he does not appear in the Alumni Oxonienses or the Alumni Cantabrigienses) and then have worked for the Merchant Adventurers, perhaps at their European bases in Mittleberg or Antwerp in the Netherlands. If he had children while working in Europe, any baptisms would likely have been recorded in the local Anglican churches associated with the Merchant Adventurers. See e.g. "The Merchant Adventurers at Hamburg," William E. Lingelbach (1904) at p. 265, The American Historical Review, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Jan., 1904), pp. 265-287 http://www.jstor.org/stable/1833366?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Thomas Ferrers-Ferris' brother Sir Humphrey Ferrers appears to have been admitted to Grays Inn in 1563. Register of Admissions to Grays Inn 1521-1889, J. Foster (1889), p. 32, Folio 543, https://archive.org/details/cu31924029785452

The Ferrers family appears to have had two more connections to the Merchant Adventurers.

The first was through Bridget Willoughby (d. 17 Feb 1697) who married Henry Ferrers (1616-1682), the son of Edward Ferrers (1585-1650) and Anne Peyto (d.1618) of Baddesley Clinton. "Baddesley Clinton, its Manor, Church, and Hall," Rev. Henry Norris (1887). Bridget Willoughby is likely related to Sir Hugh Willoughby of Risley, Derbyshire (died 1554) who was a founding member of the Company of Merchant Adventurers to New Lands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_of_Merchant_Adventurers_to_Ne...), later known as the Muscovy Company (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscovy_Company). Hugh Willoughby was an early adventurer who died on an Arctic voyage.

The other is possibly through George Ferrers-Ferris (1510-1579) of St. Albans, who was accompanied by Clement Throckmorton (c.1512-1573) and Edward Underhill to London during Wyatt's Rebellion. (See "Origins of Jeffrey Ferris," p. 5, on the Geni Sources tab.) Clement Throckmorton was also an original member of the Muscovy Company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:People_of_the_Muscovy_Company

Clement Throckmorton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_Throckmorton_(died_1573)

If Jeffrey Ferris was indeed descended from the Ferrers, he had more than one potential family connection to the Merchant Adventurers.
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The original members of the Company of Merchant Adventurers to New Lands (the Muscovy Company) were:

Thomas Allison (explorer)
George Barne II
George Barne III
Christopher Borough
Robert Bylot
Richard Chancellor
William Cordell
Thomas Egerton (mercer)
Robert Fotherby
Martin Frobisher
William Garrard
William Goodlad
Jerome Horsey
Anthony Jenkinson
John Jolliffe (merchant)
John Meyrick (ambassador)
Jonas Poole
Clement Throckmorton (died 1573)
John Weddell
Hugh Willoughby
Richard Wyche (merchant)
John York (Master of the Mint)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:People_of_the_Muscovy_Company

Original members of "Merchant Adventurers of England," 1564

In case anyone is interested, below is a list of the original members of "Merchant Adventurers of England" as constituted by Queen Elizabeth on 18 July 1564. The Governor and those appointed as Assistants are noted. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls, Elizabeth I, Vol. III: 1563-1566," (1960) pp. 178-80.
https://archive.org/stream/calendarofpatent03grea_1#page/178/mode/2up

John Marshe, Governor
Emmanuel Lucar
Thomas Leighe, knight,
William Garrarde, knight, Assistant
William Chestre, knight
Richard Malory
Richard Champyon, Assistant
Thomas Rowe, Assistant
Roger Martynne
Richard Chamberlayne
Rowland Haywarde
Edward Jackeman
Richard Lambert, Aldermen, Assistant
Thomas Gresham, knight
Lawrence Wythers
Richard Foulkes
Lionel Duckett
William Gifforde
William Beswicke
Richard Springam
Nicholas Wheler
George Basforde
John Gresham
John Traves
Thomas Heton, Assistant
Thomas Ryvett, Assistant
Matthew Feelde, Assistant
Henry Vynar, Assistant
Edward Castlyne
John Ryvers, Assistant
Francis Robynson, Assistant
John Quarles, Assistant
John Bodeley
William Gravener, Assistant
John Vyolett
Thomas Turnebull, Assistant
Henry Bechar, Assistant
Thomas Blanck, Assistant
William Peterson, Assistant
Geoffrey Walkeden, Assistant
Thomas Starky, Assistant
Richard Hilles, Assistant
John Millner, Assistant
William Eton
Edward Bright, Assistant
Edmund Burton, Assistant
Richard Pype, Assistant
Thomas Walker, Assistant
William Hewitte

R Riegel Well if we can find a known living Ferrier-Ferris in the UK I can schedule a meet up and test if they are willing as I still plan to visit the UK in another year or so. It depends on how well my move from Texas to Pennsylvania goes.

Private User Just doing a whimsical search in Google for "Ferrers London England" returned "The Earl Ferrers" pub. With a name like that, even if you did not find a Ferrers, you could have a pint. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d4066523-r52629...

Several Ferrers were listed in the London "whitepages." http://search.whitepages.co.uk/search

I will keep my eyes open for other English Ferrers. Good luck with your move and I do hope you are able to make that trip.

If Joseph (1635-1699) was Jeffrey Ferris' first son and if Jeffrey followed English naming conventions of the time, Joseph would have been named after Jeffrey's grandfather. After reviewing all of the recorded baptisms of Ferrers (and derivative names) in England between 1526 and 1620 (using FindMyPast and FreeReg), the only Joseph appears as Josephus Ferris born to Georgii Ferris at St. Albans in Hertfordshire in 1602. The St. Albans Ferrers included George Ferrers-Ferris (1510-1579), the courtier and the son of Thomas Ferrers. See p. 5 of the "Origins of Jeffrey Ferris" on the Geni Sources tab.

See an article about "British Naming Conventions" at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/British_Naming_Conventions

I have posted a spreadsheet including all of the Ferrers and Ferris baptisms (and derivative names) I could find in England between 1526 and 1620 on FindMyPast and FreeReg. The name of it is "Ferris-Ferrers English Baptisms 1526-1620." It is sorted by county (e.g. Kent, Staffordshire, etc.), town and then baptism date. It is on the Geni Sources tab in PDF format or you can download it in OpenOffice spreadsheet format here: http://www.analent.com/Ferris/Ferris-Ferrers%20British%20Baptisms%2...

I have also uploaded to the Sources tab the following graphic ancestor and descendant charts for the Ferrers-Ferriers-Ferris ancestors. The charts also appear in the "Origins of Jeffrey Ferris" memo, but they may be easier to explore in a larger JPG format.

1) Male Descendants of William Ferrers (1332-1371) to about 1635
2) Male Descendants of Robert de Ferrariis (1090-1163) to Isabel de Verdun (1315-1349)
3) Ancestors of William de Ferrers (1192-1254)
4) Ancestors of Joan of Acre (1272-1307), grandmother of Isabel de Verdun (1315-1349) who was the wife of Henry de Ferrers (1303-1343)

Children of Edward Ferrers (b.aft. 1540)

Thomas Ferrers-Ferris (b.aft.1540-d.aft.1604), the Deputy Governor of the Merchant Adventurers, had brothers Sir Humphrey (1540-1608), Edward, Henry and George. I believe I have identified three of the children of Thomas' brother Edward. They appear on page 12 of the spreadsheet of Ferrers baptisms on the Sources tab, "Ferris-Ferrers English Baptisms 1526-1620." They were all baptized at St Michael & All Angels, Tatenhill, Staffordshire. They are:

Anna bap. 1586 Oct 8
Jona bap. 1587 Oct 28
Dorothea bap. 1589 May 15

Tatenhill, Staffordshire is about 15 miles north of Tamworth, Staffordshire, where Sir Humphrey, Edward, Henry, Thomas and George Ferrers were born. If Edward had no sons, then that would exclude him as an ancestor of Jeffrey Ferris.

I forgot to post the evidence that Anna, Jona and Dorothea were the children of Edward Ferrers, so here it is from FindMyPast:

First name(s) Anna
Last name Ferrers
Baptism year 1586
Baptism date 08 Oct 1586
Baptism place Tatenhill, St Michael & All Angels
Denomination Anglican
Father's first name(s) Edvardi
County Staffordshire
Country England
Archive reference D926/1
Page 11
Register type Composite
Record set Staffordshire Baptisms

First name(s) Jona
Last name Ferrers
Baptism year 1587
Baptism date 28 Oct 1587
Baptism place Tatenhill, St Michael & All Angels
Denomination Anglican
Father's first name(s) Edvardi
County Staffordshire
Country England
Archive reference D926/1
Page 11
Register type Composite
Record set Staffordshire Baptisms

First name(s) Dorothea
Last name Ferrers
Baptism year 1589
Baptism date 15 May 1589
Baptism place Tatenhill, St Michael & All Angels
Denomination Anglican
Father's first name(s) Edvardi
County Staffordshire
Country England
Archive reference D926/1
Page 13
Register type Composite
Record set Staffordshire Baptisms

Ferris-Ferrers English Baptisms 1526-1620

I have revised the spreadsheet "Ferris-Ferrers English Baptisms 1526-1620" which is available in PDF format on the Geni Sources tab. I added baptism dates for all Ferrers and Ferrises and deleted several more duplicate entries. The document is also available to download in OpenOffice spreadsheet format here: http://www.analent.com/Ferris/Ferris-FerrersEnglishBaptisms1526-162...

Marriages: I have posted a spreadsheet with Ferris-Ferrers marriages (and derivative names) in England between 1590 and 1610 found on FindMyPast to the Geni Soures tab.

Private User I thought you might be interested in the following site/service called "English Origenes." It includes a DNA study called "The Ferris Surname in Britain and Ireland." http://www.englishorigenes.com/content/ferris-surname-britain-and-i...

The owner of that site appears to be located in Ireland and offers genetic genealogy services. He offers a "free consultation" on Y-DNA test results by just emailing him. Because he is in the DNA business, has done a study on the Ferris DNA and is located in the Isles, perhaps he could point you in the right direction, if nothing else. Who knows, maybe he already has a Ferrers-Ferris DNA test result in his own database. He might also be able to include or exclude your descent from certain Ferris-Ferrers lines, such as those in Devon and Cornwall, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, etc.

R Riegel I had contacted him at one point he said that he can trace Irish and Scottish origenes but apparently his accuracy with English origenes isnt the best he says. But I have discovered more since the last time I had messaged him. Ill send him another message when I have extra funds for his membership fee he has setup.

Private User Here is another less arbitrary way to identify a potentially living Ferrers or Ferris in London or elsewhere in England. FindMyPast has a UK site at FindMyPast.co.uk. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/ As an experiment, I did a search for the surname Ferrers in London between 1965 and 1985 (using a birth date of 1975). The result was 5 names on the electoral rolls and 2 under "Directories and Almanacs." The same search for the surname Ferris yielded 421 names in the electoral rolls and 61 under Directories and Almanacs.

Just as examples, those results included the following two individuals:

First name(s) Barry
Last name Ferris
Years 2014
Age guide 60-64
Address 35-43, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, London, WC2A 3PE
Occupation -
Town London
County London
Country England
Occupancy (years) -
Other occupants -
Record set Uk Companies House Directors 2002 - 2014
Category Directories & social history
Subcategory Directories & almanacs
Collections from Great Britain, England

First name(s) Earl
Last name Ferrers
Age guide
Address 26, Warwick Square, London, London, SW1V 2AD
Town London
District Westminster
County London
Country England
Year 2002
Electoral rolls 2002
Occupancy (years) 2
Record set Uk Electoral Registers 2002-2014
Category Census, land & surveys
Subcategory Electoral Rolls
Collections from Great Britain, England

If I were looking for a comparative test subject, I would look for the surname Ferrers because it is more likely directly related to the Ferrier-Ferrers-Ferris lines of descent. I might also see if any of the names appear on Facebook to perhaps start a conversation.

Perhaps the Earl Ferrers above is the owner of "The Earl Ferrers" pub mentioned in my prior post.

Your search, of course, could be in other counties such as Hertfordshire (St. Albans), Kent (Greenwich), Staffordshire (Tamworth), etc.

The Ferrers-Ferris family is like a jigsaw puzzle on the coffee table at Thanksgiving. We can see the picture on the box (although it is a bit faded), we have put together the edges and some of the interior but then Thanksgiving dinner interrupts us. While we're eating, the cat starts playing with the puzzle, hiding pieces in the couch, under the chairs and behind the curtains.

If anyone finds the missing pieces, please return them to the table.

Private User I had suggested above that I would look for the Ferrers surname when searching for a comparative DNA sample. I did an unscientific check of the current distribution of the Ferris-Ferrers-Ferriers surnames in England, thinking it might suggest some alternatives.

I searched the "Census, Land & Surveys" category on FindMyPast.co.uk for records in all of England from 2007-2017 under individual surnames (I.e. these are current records and transactions). The results likely include duplicates (such as multi-year voter registrations for the same person) and do include males and females. Here are the results which could be narrowed by county:

Census, Land & Survey Records, All of England 2007-2017
6,302 Ferris
5,216 Farrar
2,235 Farrer
1,348 Ferrier
601 Ferrer
358 Farris
346 Ferrar
127 Fares
69 Ferres
44 Farres
26 Ferrers
22 Feris
15 Farror
2 Ferier
0 Feriers, Ferriers, Fereies, Ferrys

Private User According to the Farris surname group on FTDNA, Jeffrey Ferris should be in the I-M223 Haplogroup. FTDNA also has a broader I-M223 Y-Haplogroup project which includes numerous additional surnames. That generic I-M223 project does not include the surname Ferris, perhaps because no Ferris has joined. But perhaps a matching English Ferriers-Ferrers will join in the future.

FTDNA also has a Ferrer Y-DNA surname project. The background to that project says, in part: "This project was created as a result of some unusual finds in the Farr Surname Project. The Bedfordshire Farrs of England found a name change in the early 1600s of Farre. Then in the 1500s it changed to Fayre, Fayrey, Fayrye, Fery, Ferry Feary." This group also does not include any entries for the I-M223 Y-Haplogroup.

The Ferrer Y-DNA surname project also interestingly mentions: "Some of the Ferrers from England/Scotland went to Spain in the 1200s to help Jaime the I of Aragon oust the Moors fron Valencia. They were succesful and were given land in Aragon and Cataluña and they became Barons etc. in Spain." That could possibly help to explain the surname Ferrer in Spanish regions.

I-M223 Y-Haplogroup: https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/m223-y-clan/about/goals

Ferrer Surname Group: https://www.familytreedna.com/public/Ferrer

FARRIS Surname Group: https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/ferriss/about/background

Like I said, I am no geneticist. But it could be worth it for a male Jeffrey Ferris descendant to join that generic I-M223 Y-Haplogroup and then hope for a match from England in the future.

With respect to matching Ferris-Ferrers-Ferriers DNA, I would be remiss not to mention that actual DNA of early Ferrers might still be available, although it would take money, coordination and effort to retrieve it. The following Ferrers were buried in Groby, Leicestershire and Beres Ferrers, Devonshire:

Sir William Ferrers (1332-1371)
3rd Baron Ferrers of Groby
Son of Henry de Ferrers (1303-1343) and Isabel de Verdun (1315-1349; great granddaughter of King Edward I)
Buried at Ulverscroft, Charnwood Borough, Leicestershire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulverscroft_Priory

Henry Ferrers (1355-1371)
4th Baron Ferrers of Groby
Son of above Sir William Ferrers (1332-1371)
Buried at St Philip and St James Church, Groby, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough, Leicestershire
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48920502/William-de%20Ferrers

William de Ferrers (1290-1337)
Burried at St. Andrews Church, Beres Ferrers, Devonshire
http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/devon/churches/bere-ferrers.htm

I suspect other early Ferrers resting places might be identified. The GEDCOM file at my web site "Henri de Ferrières (1036-1088) Descendants to the Era of Jeffrey Ferris (c.1610-1666)" indicates locations for early Ferrers where the information was available (sometimes only in the notes). http://sites.rootsmagic.com/Ferris-Ferrers/index.php

If you are looking for a presently living descendant of Henri de Ferriers (1036-1088) for DNA testing purposes, then the 19th century descendants of Henry Ferrers (1549-1633), the Antiquarian, might be a good place to start. Burke's genealogy of the landed gentry traced them down to Marmion-Edward Ferrers (1813-1884). Those most recent Ferrers included the sons of George-Thomas Ferrers (1791-1795):

1. George-Joseph, b. in 1819;
2. Thomas-John, b. in 1821;
3. Richard-Vincent, b. in 1823;
4. Edmund, b. in 1824:
5. Bernard, b. in 1829

and the brothers of Marmion-Edward Ferrers (1813-1884):

1. Charles, b. 2 Sept. 1814.
2. Groby-Thomas, b. 19 July, 1816, d. 23 Sept. 1831.
3. Compton-Gerard, b. 12 May, 1818.
4. Tamworth-George, b. 22 Sept. 1827.

Other male descendants certainly exist, but these descendants may be the easiest to prove, if a living male descendant of one of them can be found.

See "Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry," Vol. 1, John Burke (1847), pp. 409-410. https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=YdIKAAAAYAAJ&printsec=f...

The above lines of descent from Henry Ferrers (1549-1633), the Antiquarian, down to Marmion-Edward Ferrers (1813-1884) is available in GEDCOM format at http://sites.rootsmagic.com/Ferris-Ferrers/index.php

Morbid but interesting. There is actually a business in England specializing in exhumations. They appear to be a one-stop shop that takes the process from approvals to finding the graves to DNA testing and reburials. https://rbexhumations.com/

The English law governing exhumations is explained here: https://lawexplores.com/exhuming-the-dead/

Im already in the FARRIS and I-M223 Project and I joined the Ferrers project on FTDNA. As far as exhumating one of the Ferrers Im sure itll be VERY expensive and would probably be viable for a last resort, normally I wouldnt mind it so long as the body is respected and returned. Exhumating ranges from $5k-$15k depending on what we did exactly. I'll search around on Facebook to see if I can find any living Ferrers as well.

I was able to find some male descendants of Richard Vincent Ferrers (1823-1895), a son of George-Thomas Ferrers (1791-1817), noted above.

First name(s) Ernest Walter
Last name Ferrers
Birth year 1847
Birth date 06 Mar 1847
Baptism year 1847
Baptism date 26 Mar 1847
Father's first name(s) Richard Vinsent
Mother's first name(s) Rebecca Theresa
Parish St James, Piccadilly
County Middlesex
Country England
Page 53
Archive City of Westminster Archives Centre
Record set Westminster Baptisms

Census details
First name(s) Ernest W
Last name Ferrers
Relationship Nephew [of Mary Ferrers (1827)?; see below]
Marital status Widower
Gender Male
Age 34
Birth year 1847
Occupation No Oc
Birth town City of London
Birth town as transcribed LONDON, LONDON
Birth county Middlesex
Birth county as transcribed MIDDLESEX
Birth place England
Street Lime Tree Place
Town -
Parish Stowmarket
County Suffolk
Country England
Registration district Stow
Archive reference RG11
Piece number 1851
Folio 14
Page 21
Record set 1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census
Category Census, Land & Substitutes

Census details
First name(s) Mary
Last name Ferrers
Relationship Head
Marital status Single
Gender Female
Age 54
Birth year 1827
Occupation -
Birth town Hammersmith
Birth town as transcribed HAMMERSMITH
Birth county Middlesex
Birth county as transcribed MIDDLESEX
Birth place England
Street Lime Tree Place
Town -
Parish Stowmarket
County Suffolk
Country England
Registration district Stow
Archive reference RG11
Piece number 1851
Folio 14
Page 21
Record set 1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census

Ernest Walter Ferrers (b.1847) then apparently had three children:

First name(s) WALTER ERNEST
Last name FERRERS
Birth year 1883
Birth quarter 1
Registration month -
Mother's last name -
District Wandsworth
County London
Country England
Volume 1D
Page 669
Record set England & Wales Births 1837-2006

First name(s) LILIAN MARY
Last name FERRERS
Birth year 1884
Birth quarter 4
Registration month -
Mother's last name -
District Wandsworth
County London
Country England
Volume 1D
Page 692
Record set England & Wales Births 1837-2006

First name(s) EDWARD JOSEPH
Last name FERRERS
Birth year 1886
Birth quarter 1
Registration month -
Mother's last name -
District Wandsworth
County London
Country England
Volume 1D
Page 728
Record set England & Wales Births 1837-2006

The above are now in the revised GEDCOM file at: http://sites.rootsmagic.com/Ferris-Ferrers/index.php

A note of caution about Earl Ferrers: this name could refer to Robert Washington Shirley, a member of the House of Lords from 1955 who died in 2012. His title was "The Earl Ferrers." http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/member/2761

Ann Ferrers, who inherited Tamworth Castle in 1680, married Robert Shireley in 1688. The Shirley descendants were then also known as Lords Ferrers although not direct descendants of Henri de Feriers.