Hannah Penry

Source: https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.penry/29.30.31.32/mb.ashx

Origin of the name Penry Replies: 18 Penry Family History Thomas Penry (View posts) Posted: 17 Mar 2001 03:49PM Dear Jane I found some general information that I thought might be helpful: HISTORY OF THE PENRY FAMILY THE PENRY FAMILY ORIGINATED IN WALES. THE NAME PENRY WAS ADOPTED BY OWEN Ap HENRY DURING THE REIGN OF HENRY THE 5TH. UP UNTIL THIS TIME, THE FAMILY HAD USED THE PATRONYMIC SYSTEM OF NAMING CHILDREN. THE WORD "Ap" IN WELSH MEANS "SON OF". THUS OWEN Ap HENRY OR OWEN, THE SON OF HENRY, BECAME OWEN PENRY. OWEN PENRY DWELT AT CEFN BRITH, HIGH IN THE BRECON BEACONS, A FARM WHICH STILL STANDS TODAY AND IS REPUTED TO BE THE OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY OCCUPIED HOME IN THE BRITISH ISLES, WITH RECORDS OF HABITATION GOING BACK TO THE YEAR 900. THE PENRY'S ARE DECEDENTS OF ELYSTAN GLODDRYDD, PRINCE OF FFERLEGS, WHOSE ARMS THEY BEAR. THE ARMS SHOW A LION RAMPANT, FACING LEFT, COLOR GOLD ON A BLACK SHIELD. THE LION ALWAYS SIGNIFIES ROYALTY IN HERALDRY. ELYSTAN GLODDRDD RULED DURING THE 10TH CENTURY. FFERLEGS WAS THE AREA BETWEEN THE WYE AND SEVERN RIVERS IN SOUTH WALES. DURING THIS TIME, THERE WERE MANY WELSH PRINCES AND THERE WERE ACTUALLY THREE KINGDOMS, ELYSTAN WAS PART OF THE KINGDOM OF DYFED. DYFED MEANS "KINGDOM ON THE RIGHT." THE VARIOUS WELSH KINGDOMS BECAME ONE UNDER LLEWYLLEN Ap GRIFFITH, THE LAST RULER. THE WELSH FOUGHT THE ENGLISH UNTIL LLEWYLLEN'S DEFEAT IN 1284. AT THIS TIME, THE OLD WELSH FEUDAL NOBILITY BECAME EXTINCT AND THE FAMILY CAME UNDER ENGLISH DOMINATION. HOWEVER, BECAUSE THEY WERE RELATED TO THE WELSH TEWDER (TUDOR) LINE, WHICH PRODUCED THE VARIOUS KING HENRY'S OF ENGLAND, THEY RETAINED THEIR ROYAL STATUS AND DID NOT LOSE THEIR EXTENSIVE LAND HOLDINGS. FROM CEFN BRITH, THE PENRY'S SPREAD OUT FROM THE BRECON BEACONS MOUNTAINS, TO ALONG THE WYE RIVER VALLEY IN SOUTH WALES. THIS REGION IS VERY MOUNTAINOUS, CONSISTING OF HIGH GRASSY VALLEYS AND OUTCROPPINGS OF GRANITE. THE INHABITANTS WERE CHIEFLY SHEEP-HERDING FARMERS ALTHOUGH THE TOWNS THAT WERE ALONG THE RIVER BANK HAD THE USUAL OCCUPATIONS OF THE TIME. THE PENRY'S WERE MOSTLY FARMERS OR MINISTERS. THE NAME PENRY IS RARE IN WALES. ONLY A FEW WELSHMEN ADOPTED THIS SURNAME BECAUSE THE NAME HENRY WAS UNPOPULAR IN WALES. SINCE THE ENGLISH HAD DEFEATED THE WELSH, ADOPTING THE NAME OF A BRITISH MONARCH WAS UNCOMMON. HOWEVER, SINCE THE FAMILY WAS RELATED TO THE BRITISH KING, AND BECAUSE SOUTHERN WALES HAD BECOME MORE "ANGLICIZED," OWEN'S GRANDFATHER NAMED HIS SON HENRY. THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH ENGLAND BECAME MORE EVIDENT IN LATER GENERATIONS AS PENRY'S INTERMARRIED WITH SOME OF THE MORE PROMINENT ENGLISH FAMILIES. HUGH PENRY MARRIED THE SISTER OF THE BISHOP OF BRISTOL AND HISTORIOGRAPHER ROYAL TO CHARLES THE II. THE NAME PENRY ALMOST DIED OUT IN WALES AND BY THE YEAR 1800, PENRY'S WERE FEW IN NUMBER. AT THIS TIME, MOST LIVED IN THE PARISH OF GWENDDWR ABOUT 10 MILES ABOVE HAY ON WYE, AND SOME CONTINUED TO LIVE AROUND THE TOWN OF BRECON. HOWEVER, THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY LIVED ON A FARM CALLED "MAESCLYTTWR", MEANING "HILL FARM", ON THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN OVERLOOKING THE WYE RIVER. THIS FARM AND ANCESTRAL FARMHOUSE STILL EXIST TODAY.

EXCERPT FROM A PAPER COMPILED IN 1992 BY: ROBERT PENRY 8665 RENAA AVE. GALLOWAY, OH 43119

PENRY IS A WELSH NAME AND IS CLEARLY RECORDED IN THE HISTORY BOOKS DATING BACK TO THE 11TH CENTURY. IT IS REPORTED THAT PENRY'S IMMIGRATED FROM WALES THROUGH THE PORT OF PHILADELPHIA TO A VILLAGE JUST WEST OF PHILADELPHIA SOMETIME BETWEEN 1740 AND 1751. THERE IS SOM OTHER UNSUBSTANTIATED EVIDENCE THAT EITHER 4 OR 5 WELSH BROTHERS CAME TO AMERICA BETWEEN 1735 AND 1750. THERE WAS A RENEWED METHODIST MOVEMENT IN WALES IN 1735. THIS MOVEMENT WAS SAID TO CAUSE MUCH UNREST AND IMMIGRATION. IT IS KNOWN THAT THE NORTH CAROLINA PENRYS IMMIGRATED FROM WEST OF PHILADELPHIA IN EITHER 1751 OR 1752 TO NORTH CAROLINA AND LOCATED ON THE EAST BANK OF THE YADKIN RIVER, A LOCATION NOW KNOWN AS FARMINGTON IN DIVIE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. THE TERRITORY BEING SETTLED AT THAT TIME IS NOW DIVIDED INTO 3 COUNTIES - DAVIE, ROWAN, AND DAVIDSON. RECORDS TAKEN FROM THE ROWAN COUNTY COURTHOUSE SUBSTATIATE THAT THERE WAS A THOMAS PENRY TRANSACTING LAND TRANSFERS IN 1760. HE IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN BORN IN WALES ABOUT 1730 AND HAD BEEN ONE OF THE BROTHERS IMMIGRATING TO PHILADELPHIA AND SUBSEQUENTLY TO NORTH CAROLINA. HE DIED IN 1795. THOMAS IS THOUGH TO HAVE HAD 4 CHILDREN, ONE WHO WAS SAMUEL PENRY, BORN IN 1782 AND DIED IN 1850. ANOTHER WAS JAMES PENRY (1779-1854), HE WAS MARRIED TO HANNA BOONE, WHO WAS A GRANDDAUGHTER TO SQUIRE BOONE AND A NIECE OF DANIEL BOONE. THE BOONE FAMILY WERE THE FIRST TO IMMIGRATE FROM A VICINITY WEST OF PHILADELPHIA TO THE EAST BANK OF THE YADKIN RIVER IN 1751. AT THAT TIME, DANIEL BOONE WAS 21 YEARS OF AGE. THE SQUIRE BOONE FAMILY IS BURIED IN A GRAVEYARD NEAR MOCHSVILLE AND BETWEEN MOCKSVILLE AND FARMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA. JAMES PENRY AND HANNA BOONE HAD AT LEAST 4 SONS. (This is the line that I am desended from - Tom)) EXCERPTS FROM A HISTORY BY J. KIFFIN PENRY, M.D., IN OCTOBER 20, 1976 - ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND

I hope this is helpful

Thomas Penry

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Nov 18 2022, 20:02:36 UTC