Nicholas Drake, of Great Waltham

The earliest known ancestor of our line was Nicholas Drake, probably born about 1252, died in 1302 at Great Waltham, County Essex, England, and his wife, Agnes, who died at that same place in 1319. They named their son Nicholas.

• from http://www.ringleib.com/ringleib_info/family_tree/colinr/d901.htm

It has been said by historians and genealogists that our branch of the family (the emigrant Robert Drake of Hampton, New Hampshire), came from Devonshire, England; hence he has been associated with Sir Francis Drake. This conclusion was reached for several reasons: (1) No record has been found of the exact date when Robert emigrated nor the name of the ship in which he sailed. (2) It has been generally assumed, on both sides of the Atlantic, that Drake was a predominantly Devonshire name. (3) In his will, Robert lists his occupation as that of a sergemaker. As Devon was at this time one of the principal sergemaking counties in England, genealogists concentrated on Devon in their searches for the parents and ancestors of Robert Drake. (4) Robert named a son Francis Drake and Francis' son named his son Francis, further leading to the conclusion that they were related to Sir Francis Drake. This legacy has been passed down to the present day in many branches of the family.