Feb 22, 2009

Phelps Genealogy

My Grandma Parks (Mom’s mom) was a Phelps. I believe I’ve traced the Phelps to Richard Phyllyppe, born 1479 in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. There is a wealth of information online about the Phelps family, a very old, well established family after William Phelps, 1599, immigrated on the Mary and John from Plymouth, England Mar 20, 1630, landing at Nantasket Point, at the entrance of Boston Harbor on May 30, 1630. He settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and died in Hartford, Connecticut in 1672.

Mom had a family history of the McDougall family dating back to the 1100's. Tradition has it that Somerled, a daring and courageous Norse mariner, sailed his Viking ships over to the Southern Isles of Scotland, led his warriors to the Roman Castle of Oban, scaled the walls, put to death his ancient enemy, and in the year 1120, laid claim to the Southern Isles of Mull, Jura, Kintyre, Islay, Arran and Lorne, all a part of Argyll. A descendant of that McDougall family, Persis McDougall, born 1841, married into the Phelps family in 1865, marrying Anson D. Phelps who had settled in Wisconsin.

My great grandfather Phelps married a Libby, whose mother was Angelina Riley, and I believe Angelina brought to the Parks family its coloring, the olive skin and dark eyes. Aunt Bonnie provided this photo of GG Angelina. I have some tracing of the Rileys to do yet. I’ve only gotten them back as far as Maine in the early 1800's. With a name like Riley, we may have another generous dose of Irish in the Parks family.

Angelina P. Riley, 1832-1907


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