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Hypothesis, Speculation and Conjecture: My Ray-Rea Connection

In an ideal world, there would be a range of evidence to think critically across, weigh up and draw intelligent conclusions from, about the lives and relationships of our ancestors and how we connect to them. However, more often than not I find myself creating and testing hypotheses on the basis of scant evidence and/or sifting my way through speculation and conjecture. My Ray family (sometimes written Rea or Rhea) is no exception.

Sometimes we just need to document what we know, or think we may know, in the hope that more evidence will come along to either: Disprove what we have and move us off in a different direction; or support it so that, one way or another, we can inch our way towards solving the puzzle. This is what I have done with my Ray line.

By pulling together any shred of evidence I can find, I have put together my hypothetical Ray line. It may or may not be correct. However, it provides a hypothetical framework around which to shape further investigation. My focus now is on finding more evidence to test the framework against.

By sharing the hypotheses, speculation and conjecture associated with my Ray line, perhaps someone somewhere will come forward with some evidence I have yet to discover – either to disprove, or support, my thinking to date. If you have evidence to share, please let me know. There is a contact box in the menu at the top right of the page.

Starting with the Known and Stepping It Back

My nearest Ray ancestor is Sarah Dellow Ray of Giles County, Tennessee. So let’s start with her and go from there. 

Both documentary and DNA evidence support the conclusion that Sarah is my Great Grandmother. Sarah married George C. Chesser on 4 November 1874[1]. The marriage records refer to her as Miss Sarah D. Ray so this was her first marriage. She was George’s second wife.

United States Federal Census records for 1880[2] and 1900[3] indicate that Sarah was born in Tennessee in about 1848 and that both her parents were born in Tennessee. However, finding her parentage has proved troublesome. What set me off in what I thought may be the right direction was finding a census entry for a Sarah A. D. Ray in 1860[4]

Sometimes it is necessary, and a really good idea, to follow a hunch especially when dealing with a stubborn brick wall. A hunch may lead somewhere or nowhere but you can’t know which until you follow it. Sometimes a single piece of evidence, while insufficient to conclude proof of a relationship, is enough to prompt a hunch which then develops into a hypothesis for further investigation.

Sarah Dellow Ray - Following A Hunch

My hunch was that my Sarah Dellow Ray was the Sarah A. D. Ray that I had found in the 1860 census record:

1860 Census - Southern Sub division - Giles County, Tennessee - 28 July 1860 - Post Office Bunkerhill via Ancestry.com

If this record does belong to Sarah, then it would suggest that her parents are Andrew and Sarah C. Ray and her siblings are: Mary E.A. Ray, Harriet Ray, William M. Ray, Joel F. Ray, James M.H. Ray, Harris P. Ray and Susan C.B. Ray. However, I noted that, if Sarah A.D. Ray was, as the record stated, 10 years old in 1860, she would have been born in 1850, assuming she had had her birthday before July 1860 when the census was enumerated. This is at slight variance with the birthdate of about 1848 stated in the 1880 and 1900 census referred to above. Then again, I have seen bigger discrepancies across census record for individuals. The second discrepancy noted was the reference to Sarah’s mother having been born in Alabama when both the 1880 and 1900 census records (see above) suggest Tennessee. Again such discrepancies in US Federal Census records are not necessarily unusual (See further discussion below).

Initial Hunch turns into a Hypothesis to Test

I didn’t have enough information to be sure that the Sarah A.D. Ray in the 1860 Census entry referred to above is my Sarah Dellow Ray but, on the basis of what I had found out so far, neither did I have enough information to abandon the hunch altogether. And so it was that I decided upon a research hypothesis; my hypothesis being that Andrew Ray and his wife, Jane C are the parents of my Great Grandmother, Sarah Dellow Ray.

My next step was to see what evidence I could find to disprove my hypothesis. A good starting place was to look more closely at Andrew Ray and his wife Jane C.  On their son, Joel Francis Ray’s death record in 1917[5], they are referred to as Andrew R. Ray and Jane Catherine Wilson, both born in Giles County, Tennessee. 

Jane Catherine Wilson and Andrew R. Ray-Rea

Jane was 36 in 1860, as per the 1860 US Federal Census referred to above, so probably born in about 1824. At this point, I don’t know whether Jane was born in Alabama or Tennessee. Alabama is the location given on the 1860 census when Jane was 36 years old. However, this is the only document I have found to date where Alabama is written. Tennessee is recorded in later census documents by her children (1880 and/or 1990 Census -see above).  Her birthplace is also stated as Tennessee on her son, Joel's Death record in 1917[6]. Discrepancies of this nature are not uncommon. Generally, something recorded during someone’s lifetime is likely to be more accurate than something remembered by others and recorded later. However, with only one reference found to Alabama to date, Jane’s birthplace is far from certain. To date, I haven’t been able to find out much about Jane. I have a lot more searching to do.

Occasionally Andrew’s name is spelled Rea. All records I have found to date suggest that Andrew was born in about 1820 in Tennessee and lived most of his life in Giles County. Giles County was created in 1810[7]

During the American Civil War, Andrew served as a Confederate soldier with the 44th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. He enlisted for 12 months at Camp Trousdale when the Regiment was organised on 16 September 1861, entering service as a Private. Andrew was killed in action on 8 Oct 1862 at Perryville, Boyle County, Kentucky[8][9][10].

So, nothing here to disprove the hypothesis but nothing to support it either. I decided next to focus on DNA evidence.

What does the DNA say?

If my hypothesis is correct, Andrew R. Ray and Jane Catherine Wilson are my 2nd Great Grandparents. Under these circumstances, it is very likely that I would have autosomal DNA matches descended from their children. As indicated above, the 1860 United States Federal Census identified 7 siblings for Sarah A. D. Ray.

After reviewing my DNA matches, I found a number of matches who claim Andrew and Jane as their ancestors. I set about checking their lines back to Andrew and Jane. I then decided to make use of WATO at DNAPainter[11] to test my hypothesis. This is a slightly unconventional use of the tool. Usually, WATO is used to figure out where someone fits in a tree by evaluating a range of hypotheses as to where they may fit in order to assess which hypothesis is statistically more likely the correct one[12]. For my purpose, I wanted to use WATO to do two things:

  • Visualise the extent of matching to descendants of Andrew and Jane; and
  • Consider how probable it is that Andrew and Jane are my 2nd great grandparents based on how much DNA [shared centimorgans (cM)] I share with the matches who descend from them and, in light of that, the statistical possibility and probability of the relationship suggested by the amount of DNA shared.

The image below shows the extent of matching based on matches I have connected so far. It shows that, to date, of Sarah A. D. Ray’s 7 siblings, I have found DNA matches to descendants of 5 of them; 20 matches in total but 2 are the child of a match:

Descendants of Andrew R. Ray and Jane Catherine Wilson - Matches to me found so far - Diagram created using WATO via DNAPainter


My next question was: Are these relationships possible and how probable are they? To test this, I added a hypothesis to the place where I sit in the chart if Sarah A. D. Ray is indeed Sarah Dellow Ray. I did this with all the matches in place, even though some have low shared cM values and/or are children of matches. WATO discounted the 2 matches who are children of matches as I expected it would and looked across the remaining 18 matches. These 18 matches range from 147cM to 8cM; average across the 18 matches being 53cM.

The following image shows the resulting table which I have adapted to show WATO version 1 results alongside WATO Beta version 2 results. This table shows the relationship probability for each of the 18 matches:

Probability Table - Adapted from WATO to show both WATO v.1 results and WATO Beta v.2 results via DNA Painter

The table suggests that, on the basis of the DNA matches I have connected so far, it is possible that Andrew R. Ray and Jane Catherine Wilson are my 2nd Great Grandparents and, therefore, that Sarah A. D. Ray is Sarah Dellow Ray. It also shows that there is a reasonable probability that this is the case. However, overall WATO Version 1 gives a more favourable result than WATO Beta Version 2.

Most of these matches are shared matches on Ancestry. Some are from other databases with chromosome browsers. Two sets of two matches (one match being common to both sets) overlap on two chromosomes: 

Matches with overlapping segments via Chromosome Mapping at DNA Painter

This data is not enough to be able to triangulate to a specific common ancestor with confidence. I am very conscious of the incompleteness of my tree which has a number of brick walls. Also, as a descendant of Colonial America, there is very likely to be intermarriage between my lines meaning that I am likely to have more than one genealogical relationship with some matches.

So, what I now have at the beginning of my hypothetical Ray line is as shown in the following image:

Hypothetical Line -  2 Generations - Ray Family Line

While the hypothesis has not been disproven, nor do I have absolute confidence in it. It seems likely but could there be another explanation?

Next, I looked into whether I could step this back a generation.

Stepping It Back A Generation

I have been unable to find any clear evidence as to Andrew R. Ray’s parentage. My hypothesis is that his father is Andrew Ray, sometimes referred to as Andrew Rea, who was born in about 1790 in Henry County, Virginia. He died sometime after 1850 in Giles County, Tennessee.

This hypothesis was formed on the basis of a range of evidence that appears to support it and an absence of evidence to preclude it. Both son, and suspected father, are called Andrew. Andrew Snr. lived in Giles County, Tennessee, at least from 1830 to 1850 as detailed in the 1830[13], 1840[14], 1850[15] United States Federal Census records. However, in 1820, about the time Andrew junior was  born, Andrew senior appears to have been living in Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee[16]

The 1850 Census[17] record shows that, in 1850, Andrew is living in the vicinity of relatives who I have DNA links to as discussed below.

What does the 1850 US Federal Census tell Us

In 1850, Andrew Snr., age 60, and his wife Martha, age 55 are living at Dwelling 430, District 11, Giles County, Tennessee. Both Andrew and Martha were born in Virginia. Andrew’s occupation is listed as Shoemaker – Industry Footwear, except rubber. Neither Andrew or Martha can read or write:

 Year: 1850; Census Place: District 11, Giles, Tennessee; Roll: 879; Page: 436a via Ancestry.com

Evidence concerning the children of Andrew Snr. And Martha has been difficult to find. Based on the 1850 census data regarding age and location (District 11, Giles County, Tennessee), Andrew and Martha’s children appear to include: William Ray b. abt. 1807; Archibald Ray b. abt. 1813, Robert Ray, b. abt. 1818 and James Earl Ray, b. abt. 1825. In 1850, all of them are living nearby to Andrew and Martha in District 11, Giles County, as follows:

William Ray and his family (Dwelling 433 - District 11, Giles County):

Year: 1850; Census Place: District 11, Giles, Tennessee; Roll: 879; Page: 436b via Ancestry.com

Archibald Ray and his family (Dwelling 432 - District 11, Giles County):

Year: 1850; Census Place: District 11, Giles, Tennessee; Roll: 879; Page: 436b via Ancestry.com

Robert Ray and his family (Dwelling 552 - District 11, Giles County):

Year: 1850; Census Place: District 11, Giles, Tennessee; Roll: 879; Page: 445b via Ancestry.com

James Earl Ray and his family (Dwelling 428 - District 11, Giles County):

Year: 1850; Census Place: District 11, Giles, Tennessee; Roll: 879; Page: 436a via Ancestry.com

What I have been unable to do, to date, is find any entry at all for Andrew Ray Jnr. in the US Federal Census for 1850. I know that, by 1860[18], Andrew Ray Jnr. and Jane Catherine Wilson were living in the Bunkerhill area of Giles County (Southern Subdivision, Giles County). Just where this is relative to where District 11 was in 1850, I have yet to establish.

I have several DNA matches who descend from Andrew Ray Snr. and Martha via William, Archibald, Robert and James Ray.

Descendants of Andrew Ray Snr. and Martha - DNA matches

If my hypothesis is correct that Andrew Ray Snr. and his wife Martha are Andrew R. Ray’s parents, then Andrew Snr and Martha would be my 3rd Great Grandparents. In this case, it is to be expected that I would have autosomal DNA matches that descend from Andrew and Martha’s children, the possible siblings of Andrew Jnr. As indicated above, this is indeed the case.

Using the methodology I used above in relation to the descendants of Andrew Ray Jnr and Jane C. Wilson, I have built the relationships and shared cM values for my matches into WATO. This allows me to visualise the extent of DNA matching found so far and consider how probable it is that Andrew Snr and Martha are my 3nd great grandparents based on how much DNA [shared cM)] I share with those matches.

The image below shows the extent of matching based on matches I have connected to date. It shows that, to date, I have found DNA matches to the descendants of all 4 of Andrew Jnr’s possible siblings – that is, the children of Andrew Ray Snr and Martha identified so far:

Descendants of Andrew Ray and Martha – Matches to me found so far - Diagram created using WATO via DNAPainter

As before, the next thing I wanted to know is whether the relationships are possible and, if so, how probable. To find this out, I added an hypothesis to the place where I sit in the chart as I did in the previous example. In this case, the hypothesis was added to the place where I sit if Andrew Ray Jnr is both the father of Sarah Dellow Ray and the son of Andrew Ray Snr.

This time I am working with a lower set of shared cM values. When used more conventionally to weigh up a range of hypothese, WATO requires an average of more than 40cM across the matches to work efficiently and be as accurate as possible. My purposes was to see if one particular hypothesis is possible and, if so, how probable and I can only work with the information I have. As I expected, WATO discounted the one match who was a child of another match from consideration and looked across the remaining 38 matches which ranged from 93cM to 7cM and averaged 26cM.

The image below shows the resulting table which I have adapted to show WATO version 1 results alongside WATO Beta version 2 results. This table shows the relationship probability for each of the 38 matches:

Probability Table - Adapted from WATO to show both WATO v.1 results and WATO Beta v.2 results via DNAPainter

The table suggests that, on the basis of the DNA matches I have connected so far, it is possible that Andrew Ray Snr and Martha are my 3nd Great Grandparents. When looking at WATO version 1, the table suggests that there is a reasonable probability that this is the case. MW1 is a bit of an outlier at 93cM compared to the other matches. I suspect the amount shared with MW1 is over-inflated because of a further relationship line at his Great Grandparent level. That is, it appears that I have an ancestral link to both his Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather. His siblings, particularly MW2 at 61cM and RW at 39cM probably also share an over-inflated amount with me, although not by as significant an amount as MW1. Overall, WATO Beta Version 2 provides a less favourable result than WATO Version 1.

As before, most of these matches are shared matches on Ancestry. Only one of the matches I have connected so far is in another database with a chromosome browser and her DNA does not overlap with the two sets of matches discussed above in relation to descendants of Andrew Ray Jnr and Jane Catherine Wilson.

Again, therefore, in the absence of chromosomal evidence, I found myself reliant on pedigree triangulation. That I have so many matches who can be linked back to Andrew Ray snr and his wife Martha, and that the relationship signified is possible, has some significance but, again, I am conscious of the incompleteness of my tree which has a number of brick walls.

Back to the 1850 US Federal Census

Also neighbours of Andrew Ray Snr., his wife Martha and some of their children in 1850 are John S. Dugger and his wife Adaline and family:

Year: 1850; Census Place: District 11, Giles, Tennessee; Roll: 879; Page: 436a via Ancestry.com

John and Adaline are living at Dwelling 429 - District 11, Giles County next door to Andrew and Martha’s son James Earl Ray who is living at Dwelling 428.

There is a suggestion by some researchers (non-evidenced speculation as far as I have been able to determine so far) that Adaline’s family name is Wilson and that she is the sister of Jane Catherine Wilson; Jane being the mother of Sarah A.D. Ray and wife of Andrew R. Ray. Despite an extensive search, I have been unable to find a marriage record for John and Adaline or any other record that would confirm Adaline’s family name.

As I have a number of DNA matches who link back to Adaline, I decided to do a similar exercise as that done above to see what picture it produced. In effect, with scant evidence indeed, I decided to run with the hypothesis that Adaline (John S. Dugger’s 2nd wife) is a sister to Jane Catherine Wilson.

Descendants of Adaline - DNA matches

The image below shows the extent of matching based on matches I have connected to date to ‘Wilson’ supposed father to both Adaline and Jane Catherine:

Descendents of Adaline married to John S. Dugger - DNA matches to me found so far - Diagram created using WATO via DNAPainter

Adaline was John S. Dugger’s 2nd wife. She had at least 5 children with John - Parthena N. C., Narcissa, William H., John F. and James T. Dugger. As the above image shows, 3 of those 5 have descendants who are DNA matches to me. We are working with low matches here. They range from 33cM to 7cM; 16 matches averaging 15cM. This is, therefore not strong data in terms of shared cM values but it is interesting that I have connected a number of DNA matches who descend from Adaline and all are possible connections as shown in following image: 

Probability Table - Adapted from WATO to show both WATO v.1 results and WATO Beta v.2 results via DNAPainter

Again WATO Version 1 is much more favourable than the WATO Beta Version 2. As before, most of these matches are shared matches on Ancestry. Four of the matches I have connected so far are in another database with a chromosome browser. These four matches are quite closely related so the fact that they overlap with one another doesn’t carry much weight. They are NLDP and WED who are brother and sister. DD who is 1C1R to NLDP and WED and BLD who is 2C to DD and 2C1R to NLDP and WED. All descend from WTD, a grandchild of Adaline Wilson. This suggests that WTD is a ‘Pointer’ pointing back to where I have a shared ancestor with these matches but has nothing to say about the likely link beyond WTD. What is interesting is that there is overlap with one of my matches who descends from Andrew Ray Jnr and Jane Catherine Wilson. This gives me some small reassurance that I may be on the right track:

Matches with overlapping segments via Chromosome Mapping at DNAPainter

So, what I now have for my hypothetical Ray line is as shown in the following image:

Hypothetical Line - 3 Generations - Ray Family Line

My confidence is perhaps improved slightly. I have yet to disprove my hypothesis but, at the same time, I am conscious of the incompleteness of my tree. Could there be another explanation? I really need more documentary evidence.

Reaching Further Back

I have continued to apply this methodology reviewing documentary evidence and autosomal DNA evidence back two more generations. I have added two further generations to the hypothetical framework I am working with – James Rea who was born and died in Henry County, Virginia and his father, James Rea, who appears to have been born in Ireland and who died in Henry County, Virginia. However, the evidence for the conclusions I have drawn in relation to these two generations is weaker. The further back in time my hypothetical framework goes, the less confidence I can have in it.

So What Does This All Amount To?

The hypothetical framework I am currently working with suggests as follows: 

Hypothetical Line – 5 Generations - Ray Family Line

The hypothetical, speculative nature of this cannot be stressed enough. I have reasonable confidence in the first three generations (Sarah, Andrew and Andrew) but I am not totally satisfied that this is correct. On the basis of current evidence this is possible but it doesn’t necessarily make it so. While I have some DNA evidence to support this, it is far from conclusive given the incompleteness of my tree. However, as a working hypothesis it is reasonably solid as long as I avoid confirmation bias when assessing any further evidence that comes along.

The two more distant generations – James Rea Jnr and James Rea Snr – are far more speculative. I have some evidence to suggest that James Jnr is the father of Andrew Snr and the son of James Snr but the case is weak by comparison with the earlier generations.

Beyond that … who knows … however here is a story to end with …

Total Conjecture

There is a story that James Rea descends from Matthew Campbell who was born in about 1660 at Skipness in Argyll, Scotland and died as Matthew Campbell Reigh/Rhea in 1689 at Fahan, County Donegal, Ireland.

The story as I heard it is as follows:

In 1685, Matthew Campbell helped the Earl of Argyll (Archibald Campbell) to raise an army (Argyll's Rising). This occurred shortly before, and in support of, the Monmouth Rebellion[19] against King James II and led by the Duke of Monmouth. As the story goes, although Matthew was caught and tried, he somehow escaped to Ireland where he took the name Reagh/Rhea. He may also have participated in the Siege of Derry (April 19th to July 30th, 1689), in which the town successfully withstood a siege by King James II, although 2300 townspeople were slain or starved to death. The story further suggests that at least 3 of Matthew’s sons – John, William, and Archibald - emigrated to Virginia and are responsible for some of the Rhea/Rea/Ray lines in America.

While this story revolves around an actual event, the extent to which it can be relied upon is uncertain and it may or may not have anything to do with my Ray line.


Notes

[1] Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002  Image via Ancestry.com. Tennessee, U.S., Marriage Records, 1780-2002 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

[2] Year: 1880; Census Place: Kentuckytown, Grayson, Texas; Roll: 1306; Page: 216B; Enumeration District: 009 Image via Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

[3] Year: 1900; Census Place: Justice Precinct 2, Fannin, Texas; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0064; FHL microfilm: 1241633 Image via Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

[4] Year: 1860; Census Place: Southern Subdivision, Giles, Tennessee; Page: 149 Image via Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. 

[5] Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee; Tennessee Death Records, 1908-1958; Roll Number: 68 (1917) Image via Ancestry.com. Tennessee, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1965 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

[6] Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee; Tennessee Death Records, 1908-1958; Roll Number: 68 via Ancestry.com - See Note 5.

[7] Giles County was created in 1810 pursuant to an Act of the General Assembly passed on 14 November 1809. It was named after General William B. Giles, one of the governors of Virginia. It was formed from part of Maury County and is bounded as follows: To the North by Maury and Marshall Counties; to the East by Marshall and Lincoln Counties; to the South by the State of Alabama; and to the West by Lawrence County. It has an area of 600 square miles - History of Giles County (The Goodspeed Publishing Co., History of Tennessee, 1886) via TN GenWeb Project [Website].

[8] Data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA Transcript via Ancestry.com Historical Data Systems, comp. U.S., American Civil War Regiments, 1861-1866 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.

[9] National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Tennessee; Series Number: M268; Roll: 300 Transcript via Ancestry.com. U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. (Original Image on Fold3).

[10] National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, online  - Transcript via Ancestry.com National Park Service. U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

[11] WATO via DNAPainter [Website].

[12] Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) via DNAPainter [Website].

[13] Year: 1830; Census Place: Giles, Tennessee; Series: M19; Roll: 176; Page: 208; Family History Library Film: 0024534 Image via Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

[14] Year: 1840; Census Place: Giles, Tennessee; Roll: 523; Page: 107; Family History Library Film: 0024545 Image via Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

[15] Year: 1850; Census Place: District 11, Giles, Tennessee; Roll: 879; Page: 436a Image via Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009

[16] Assuming this record does belong to Andrew Snr, it suggests that ANdrew Jnr may have been born in Wilson County - 1820 U S Census; Census Place: Lebanon, Wilson, Tennessee; Page: 414; NARA Roll: M33_122; Image: 376 Image via Ancestry.com. 1820 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

[17] Year: 1850; Census Place: District 11, Giles, Tennessee; Roll: 879; Page: 436a Image via Ancestry.com - See Note 15.

[18] Year: 1860; Census Place: Southern Subdivision, Giles, Tennessee; Page: 149 Image via Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. 

[19] The Monmouth Rebellion was an attempt to overthrow James II. On 6 Feb 1685 James II had become King of England, Scotland and Ireland on the death of his brother Charles II. James II was a Roman Catholic and some Protestants opposed his Kingship. The Monmouth Rebellion was led by James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II via Lucy Waters. James Scott claimed to be the rightful heir to the throne. Argyll's Rising or Argyll's Rebellion was a 1685 attempt by a group of largely Scottish exiles, led by Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, to overthrow King James II. It took place shortly before and in support of the Monmouth Rebellion. Argyll's Rising was intended to tie down Royal forces in Scotland while Monmouth's army marched on London. Both rebellions were backed by Protestants opposed to the kingship of James, a Roman Catholic. Argylls rebellion was over by the end of June 1685. The Duke of Argyll was executed for Treason on 30 June 1685. The rebellion ended with the defeat of Monmouth's army at the Battle of Sedgemoor on 6 July 1685. The Earl of Monmouth was executed for treason on 15 July 1685. His supporters were either condemned to death or transported. For more information about the Monmouth rebellion see: Monmouth Rebellion  via English Monarchs [Website]; Monmouth Rebellion via UK Battlefields Resource Centre [Website]; Monmouth Rebellion via Wikipedia [Website] ...

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