William Soblet

William Sublett and Susannah Allen

William Sublett, son of Pierre Louis Soblet and Marte Martain, was born around 1723, and died around 1780. He married Susannah Allen, daughter of Mary Hunt and William Allen.

After the death of Susannah Allen’s father, William Allen, her mother, Mary Hunt, married Field Jefferson, the uncle of Thomas Jefferson, who would become the third president of the United States.

One of Susannah Allen’s brothers, Valentine Allen, was the father of Nancy Ann Allen and Mary Allen.

Among the descendants of Nancy Ann Allen is John S. McCain, III, a Vietnam veteran and U.S. Naval officer like his father and grandfather, who was elected to the U.S. Senate from Arizona.

Among the descendants of Mary Allen is Laura Lane Welch, who in 1977 married George W. Bush, who would become the forty-third president of the United States. In 2000, Laura Bush’s sixth cousin, John McCain, ran against her husband for the Republican presidential nomination.

Like her brother, Susannah Allen and William Sublett would have many descendants who would have an impact on American history and politics.

Their daughter Ursula Sublett, who married Edward Day, was the grandmother of William Henry Herndon, whose Illinois law partner and friend, Abraham Lincoln, would become the sixteenth president of the United States.

Ursula Sublett’s brother William Allen Sublett was the great-great-grandfather of John Dixon “Red” Sublett, a World War I veteran and famous rodeo clown in the early Twentieth Century. Red’s brother Joseph Herman Sublett remained in France after the war and had a family there. Today, Joseph Herman Sublett’s descendants own a château and wine vineyard in the Bordeaux region of France.

Abraham Sublett, another child of William Sublett and Susannah Allen, was the father of Philip Allen Sublett, a close friend of Samuel Houston, who would become the president of the Republic of Texas.

Hiram Sublett, another son of Abraham Sublett, was the ancestor of Pleas Edward “Ned” Sublette, a country singer and producer of Cuban music records. In addition to recording music, Ned Sublette has written the historical books “Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo” and “The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square.”

Ned’s brother, J. Mark Sublette, owns the Medicine Man Galleries in Arizona and New Mexico, which sell Indian and Southwestern art.

Philip Allen Sublette (brother of Abraham and Ursula and son of William Sublett and Susannah Allen) in 1797 married Isabella Whitley (daughter of William C. Whitley, who would battle the Indian forces of Tecumseh in the War of 1812, in which both Whitley and Tecumseh died). Phillip Allen Sublette’s sons, William Lewis Sublette, Milton Green Sublette, Pinckney W. Sublette, Andrew Whitley Sublette, and Solomon Perry Sublette, would become famous mountain men in the West, helping to forge the Oregon Trail and expand the American frontier to the Pacific. William Lewis “Bill” Sublette became very wealthy as an Indian trader, and later as a real estate speculator; his investments included a tract of land near the Missouri River that would become Kansas City.

By 1681, Abraham Soblet moved his family to Mannheim, Germany. They may have departed before 1685 for one of the German principalities, then to the Netherlands, to England and finally to Virginia in 1700. There were references in German records to Soblets and Brians. Two entries in German Protestant Church records noted on 31 December 1698 of Emmerich-Jacques Soblet of Sedan, reader and lacemaker, with wife and four children. In 1698 Konigsburg (Wesel) mentioned Jacque Briant (with eight persons) who was a professor of French. According to Cameron Allen, Abraham Soblet "fled France by 1681 for Mannheim, Germany and resided in Wesel by 1693." A single Soblet item published in the Register of the Church of La Patente de Soho stated that Abraham Soblet came from Sedan, France and gave identity to his wife as Susanne Brian. There were other Huguenot Brians from Sedan in London prior to time Abraham Soblet resided there. The Register entry read: (entry #) 225. Soblet. 1698, 1 Mai. Robert, f. d'Abraham, de Sedan, en France, et de Susanne Brian; bap. par Mr. Malide, l'un des Pasts, de cette eg. P. Robert de Camp. M. Dlle. Judith de Longne. Tous dem. dans cette ville de Londres ou cet enfant est ne 20 Av. Tem. Judith Delogne. Abraham Soblet and his 2 eldest sons (Pierre Louis Soblet and .....) left England for America in 1700 aboard the ship "Mary and Ann" the first of 4 ships to transport French Hugenots to the New World. The "Mary and Ann", departed from an unknown port, Capt. George Haves and arrived in Kikotan (present-day Hampton, Virginia) James City, Virginia, 12 August 1700 (23 July 1700?) 

PASSENGER LIST: Huguenot Refugees on Board Ship Mary and Ann, August 12, 1700, Virginia, James City. Pierre Delome, et sa femme Marguerite Sene, et sa fille. Magdalaine Mertle, Jean Vidau Teertulien Sehult, et sa femme et deux enfants Pierre Lauret Jean Roger Pierre Chastain, a femme et cinq enfants  (would later marry Anne Soblet, daughter of Abraham Soblet) Philippe Duvivier Pierre Nace, sa femme et leur deux filles Francois Clere Symon Sardin Soubragon, et Jacques Nicolay Pierre du Loy Abraham Nicod Pierre Mallet Francoise Coupet Jean Oger, sa femme et trois enfants Jane or Jean Saye (Lorine's note: Please note that Jane is female, but Jean in French is male) Elizabet Angeliere Jean et Claude Mallfant, avec leur mere Isaac Chabanas, sou fils, et Catharine Bomard Estinne Chastain Adam Vignes Jean Menager et Jean Lesnard Estienne Badouet Pierre Morriset Jedron Chamboux et sa femme Jean Farry et Jerome Dumas Joseph Bourgoian David Bernard Jean Chevas, et sa femme Jean Tardieu Jean Moreau Jaques Roy, et sa femme Abraham Sablet, et des deux enfants Quintin Chastatain et Michael Roux Jean Quictet, sa femme and trois enfants Henry Cabanis, sa femme et un enfant Jaques Sayte Jean Boisson Francois Bosse Jean Fouchie Francoise Sassin Andre Cochet Jean Gaury, sa femme et un enfant Pierre Gaury, sa femme et un enfant Jaques Hulyre, sa femme et quatre enfants Pierre Perrut, et sa femme Isaac Panetier, Jean Parransos sa seur ~ [see note below] Elie Tremson, sa femme Elizabeth Tignac Antoine Trouillard Jean Bourru et Jean Bouchet Jaques Voyes Elizabet Migot Catharine Godwal Pierre la Courru Jean et Michell Cautepie, sa femme et deux enfants Jaques Broret, sa femme et deux enfants Ambraham Moulin et sa femme Francois Billot Pierre Comte Etienne Guevin Rene Massoneau Francois Du Tartre, Isaac Verry Jean Parmentier David Thonitier et sa femme Moyse Lewreau Pierre Tillou Marie Levseque Jean Constantin Claud Berdon sa femme Jean Imbert, et sa femme Elizabeth Fleury Looys du Pyn Jaques Richard, et sa femme Adam et Marie Prevost Jaques Viras, et sa femme Jawues Brousee, sou enfant Pierre Cornu Louiss Bon Isaac Fordet Jean Pepre Jean Gaillard et son fils Anthonie Matton, et sa femme Jean Lucadou et sa femme Louiss Orange, sa femme et un enfant Daniel Taure, et deux enfants Pierre Cupper, Daniel Roy Magdelain Gigou Pierre Grelet Jean Jovany, sa femme, deux enfants

Piierre Ferrier, sa femme, un enfant

La vefve faure et quatre enfants [see my note below] Isaac Arnaud, et sa femme Pierre Chantanier, sa femme et son pere Jaen Fonasse, Jaques Bibbeau Jean March Catharine Billot Marie et Symon Jourdon Abraham Menot Timothy Moul, sa femme un enfant Jean Savin sa femme un enfant, Jean Sargeaton sa femme un enfant Claude Philipe, et sa femme Gabriel Sturter Pierre de Corne Helen Trubyer 39 femmes ou filles 38 enfants 108 hommes 205 persons Messrs. De la Muce et de Sailly fout en tout 207 personnes Virginia: James Town, July 31, 1700.