Rachael Ragsdale

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Rowlett-4

According to the authorities on Ragsdale Family Research in the U.S.A. (Mrs. Blake Ragsdale Van Leer and June Hart Wester) there has not been any documentation whatsoever (to date) to substantiate the claim that Godfrey Ragsdale Jr.'s wife was Rachel Rowlett, despite "amateur research" claims to the contrary. The evidence reveals only (by way of probations, witnessed deeds, wills and law cases) that Godfrey Ragsdale Jr.'s wife had a first name/given name of "Rachael/Rachall".Although, while we do know that the first name of Rachel's (Godfrey Jr.'s wife) father to be Peter*, his surname has never been revealed to us.

• This is evidenced by the naming pattern of Godfrey Ragsdale Jr.'s children: the first child was named "Godfrey [III}" after Godfrey Jr.'s father (Godfrey [Sr.]) and his second child named "Peter" after his wife's (Rachael) father. The factor that has lead many people to hypothetically conclude (without supporting evidence) that Rachael's surname was Rowlett was the coincidence that Godfrey Sr. and Godfrey Jr. both had a family named Rowlett as "neighbors" (via land records) and "close friends" (via executors and witnesses to Godfrey Jr.s will). Interestingly enought, this family also had a "senior and junior":Peter Rowlett Sr. and Jr. Hence, too many people have simply fallen prey to the temptation (by a desire not to leave any family tree surname lines blank) that this family must have produced a daughter named Rachael whom inevitably married Godfrey Sr.'s son, Godfrey Jr. HOWEVER, THERE IS SIMPLY NO DOCUMENTATION OF THIS MARRIAGE NOR OF THE HYPOTHESIS THAT PETER ROWLETT EVEN HAD A DAUGHTER NAMED RACHAEL. Therefore, they simply conclude that if a) Godfrey Jr.'s wife's first name was Rachael; b) Godfrey Jr. named his second child after his spouses' father (i.e. Peter); and since c) their next door neighbor was a "Peter Rowlett" and since this very same neighbor... d) Peter Rowlett was intimately entrusted to execute (and witness) the will of Godfrey Jr., by all logic he "must" be Godfrey Jr.'s father-in-law. For all intents and purposes, this hypothesis could very well be true! But unfortunately, genealogicial research (or any type of research for that matter) does not "work like this". Before a conclusion is made there must be at least some kind of proof / supporting evidence / documentation that can substantiate the claim. And even then, immediately afterwards the credibility of such sources is still subjected to great scrutiny. In the matter of the marriage of Godfrey Ragsdale Jr. = Rachael Rowlett the basic standards of acceptable research have not been met. Needless to say, this "manufactured truth" is listed in just about every LDS IGI and Ancestral Database as well as 90% of genealogical URL / websites. When someone sees it listed somewhere they simply interpret it at face value. The bottom-line is that few family researchers these days care to "do their own work": they prefer to coat-tail onto someone else's. Perhaps, family historians should be taught the difference between primary and secondary sources. P.S. A similar case in point is found with the surname of Godfrey Sr.'s spouse. The entire situation mentioned above has duplicated itself like a virus when someone "manufactured the truth" of Godfrey's Sr.'s wife name being Mary "Cookney" when only the given name / first name, Mary, is documented. P.S. A similar case in point is found with the surname of Godfrey Sr.'s spouse. The entire situation mentioned above has duplicated itself like a virus when someone "manufactured the truth" of Godfrey's Sr.'s wife name being Mary "Cookney" when only the given name / first name, Mary, is documented. If any new information is found that refutes the above assertions made by Mrs. Van Leer and Mrs. June Wester, please inform me. I will correct my records and notify my contacts. If any new information is found that refutes the above assertions made by Mrs. Van Leer and Mrs. June Wester, please inform me. I will correct my records and notify my contacts. Meanwhile feel free to contact me for any further information. I am currently researching the Ragsdale=Oglethorpe family connection. The father of Elizabeth Oglethorpe was Dr. Owen Oglethorpe, Bishop of Carlisle and also President of Magdelen College and Oxford University. He crowned Queen Elizabeth. I am working with three other individuals on this project via the internet. You are welcome to join. Meanwhile feel free to contact me for any further information. I am currently researching the Ragsdale=Oglethorpe family connection. The father of Elizabeth Oglethorpe was Dr. Owen Oglethorpe, Bishop of Carlisle and also President of Magdelen College and Oxford University. He crowned Queen Elizabeth. I am working with three other individuals on this project via the internet. You are welcome to join. Sincerely yours in Ragsdale Family History, Sincerely yours in Ragsdale Family History,James Pickett Ragsdale Jr.

The Ragsdale family name is said to come from Ragdale, England, meaning either "valley at the pass" or "dweller in the valley where the lichen grows." Henry Ragsdale was born in Leicestershire, England about 1450, and his son Robert was born about 1485 in Ragsdale, Leicestershire, England.