In a message dated 1/7/01 1:33:17 PM Eastern Standard Time, hoffert@mindspring.com writes: This information I am sending to the post for a very special lady-----Carrie Bias Hoffert. Carrie this what I have on the first geneation of Blankenship's in America. You may add this to your site, in fact I wish you would. Please check it first to make sure all the dates and names are right. I would love to see ONE BIG Family Tree with all of Ralph and Martha's children and on down the line to me and you. :))))))))) This is the first Generation of Blankenships in America (or so I think) Descendants of Ralph The Immigrant Blankinship Generation No. 1 1. Ralph The Immigrant1 Blankinship died 1714 in Henrico Co., Va. He married Martha. She was born Abt. 1664. Notes for Ralph The Immigrant Blankinship: 1. Ralph was the first Blankenship in America. He arrived in Henrico Co., VA in 1686. 1690 Henrico Co., VA Record Book 2, p. 326 2. Richard Kennon petitioned for 8,000 acres for importing 90 white persons and seventy negroes in 1686 and 1687, Ralph Blenkship, was named as one of those imported. (Gayle King Blankenship's book "Blankenship Ancestors") The first reference to Ralph Blankship appears April 1, 1690, Henrico Order Book 1678-1693, page 326. I have copies of the original, and of the handwritten copy made during the Revolutionary period. The entry reads: Upon the peticon of Rich'd Kennon these may certify that there is due unto him eight thousand acres of land for ye inportacon of ninety servts. into this colony whose names are under written & for seventy persons more being negroes, the same being legally prov'd by his oath in open court. The name Ralph Blankship appears as the 68th name on a list of 90 persons. 3. ARRIVAL IN HENRICO COUNTY IN 1686 Jno. Walker, (JOHN WALKER) Tho. Mercey, (THOMAS MERCEY) Ralph Blankship, Jno. Tossill, (JOHN TOSSILL) Roger Roberts, John Howard, Sarah Shepherd 4. Apr 1695 Henrico Co. VA Will & Deed Book (1688-1697), p. 577, Ralph Blankinship deposition states about 33 years of age. 5. May 1714 Henrico Co. VA Will & Deed Book (1710-1714), p. 258, Martha Blankinship, widow of Ralph presented estate's inventory 6. 1715 Henrico Co. Orphans Court Martha widow of Ralph reports on children Ralph, John, and James. 7. APRIL 15 1714 INVENTORY OF RALPH BLANKINSHIP's POSSESSIONS On the said deceased estate in due form to be administered by Martha Blankinship, Charles Clay, and Richard Blankenship. Henrico County Order book, April 15, 1714, page 277 3 ews and 3 lambs and one weather 1 10 0 1 cow and 2 hefers 3 0 0 2 cows 2 10 0 2 calves 1 06 0 1 lum and flay 0 09 0 2 spinning wheels 0 06 0 1 gun and sword 0 12 0 1 cupboard 0 04 0 2 sifters 0 01 6 1 chest 0 06 0 a parcel of old iron 0 04 0 a parcel of old worked iron at 3-pence per pd. 0 08 0 28 pounds of brass at 5-pence per pd. 0 11 0 2 old pots 74 pds.at 2 d. per pound 0 12 4 28 pounds of old puter at 5-pence per pound 0 11 8 1 brass spit moter and pesel and candlestock 0 06 0 a parsell of earthenwayr 0 03 0 1 mayr 1 12 0 1 old razor and a piece of a hone 0 0 6 1 old bed and civering 2 10 0 dItto 1 old and civering 2 05 0 2 old axes 0 12 0 1 old flack bed and civering 0 12 0 4 sows and 13 pidgs 1 03 0 1004 pds of tobacco at 1 penny per pound 4 05 4 a parcell of old lumber 0 10 0 (Appraisers) James Aiken, Robert Hudson and Wm Ligon. It should be obvious to readers that the misspellingS above should be properly rendered as follows: EWS = EWES HEFERS = HEIFERS LUM = (probably) LOOM PUTER = PEWTER MOTER = MORTAR PESEL = PESTLE PARSELL = PARCEL EARTHENWAYR = EARTHENWARE MAYR = MARE CIVERING = COVERING (BLANKET/BEDSPREAD) 8. The Blankenship Family in America by Joseph W. Blankenship Berkeley, Ca. 4 Feb 1917, Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond, Va. Recent investigations into the history of this prolific and widely distributed family have given some interesting results. Apparently all of this name and descent in America have descended from two persons. Possibly not connected. One, James Blankenship, whose mother was Anne, settled in the southeast corner of Massachusetts, near Rochester, about 1720-7, and his descendants are now very numerous in that state. Although a few seemed ever to wander far afield. They were mainly yeoman (as farmers were then called) and sailors, and furnished the captains and seamen that helped to make the ships of New Bedford and Martha Vineyard famous in the whaling industry of the early part of the last century. The second branch of this name settled in Virginia just south of Richmond in what is now Chesterfield County sometime in the later part of the seventeenth century. But the first record yet found is the will of Ralph in 1714, whose wife Martha later married Edward Stanley. Ralph appears to have died young and left three children, John, Ralph and James. He also had a relative, Richard, who aided in the settling of his estate, but of whom nothing more is heard as all the Virginia people of this name seem to have been descendants of Ralph and Martha. It is poosible that Ralph and Richard are sons of the first immigrant as the former had a considerable plantation and was well equippedfor his work indicating a resident of some time in the colony. Unfortunately, the older records of Charles City and Henrico Counties were largely destroyed during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and these included the present area of Chesterfield County so that the exact date of the arrival of the first immigrant of the name may remain doubtful. Of the second generation in Virginis, all planters in the original settlement, James married Mary and had children, Drury, Anne, Joel, and Fore (sic) dying in 1745. John and Anne left a larger family, William, Joseph, Isham, Hudson, Henry, Norvall (sic-Norell), Matthew, Amy (who married Turner), Elizabeth (who married Morrisett), and possibly Elisha. The third son of the family was also named Ralph. He married Elizabeth and had children Ephraim, Joseph, William, Francis, Frederick, Matthew, John, Sarah (who married Cobb) and Jeremiah. The third generation began to scatter into the newer lands opening the South and West, all farmers and tradesmen. This lack of attachment to the place of their birth and the emigration of a large part of each new generation to newer lands seems to be one of the charactersitics of this pioneer family. True many of the more well-to-do remained in the old home, and thus marked the place of each successive migration. But all trace of most of the older female branches have been lost through the change of name. As a rule, a part of each of the earlier generations moved one state west or south. Elisha and Isham (sons of John) emigrated to Rutherford County, North Carolina about 1774 and seemed to have resided there during the Revolution. Later, (1806-1811) with a part of their family, they moved across the mountains into Monroe County, Tennessee and parts adjacent where they have left a large and distinguished descent which have spread into Kentucky, Illinois, Mississippi, and Texas and passed thence to nearly all parts of the West and South. But relatively few in any one locality. Another of this third generation moved into the western parts of Virginia and thence into West Virginia where the name is yet fairly common. Another pushed into Ohio and still another located in York County, South Carolina sometime before the Nineteenth Century and sent offshoots into Georgia and Texas. It hence follows that nearly all of the people of this name scattered throughout the West and South trace their ancestry back to Virginia rather than to the Massachusetts branch which was not nearly as prolific and which took to the ocean instead of the wild and woolly West. However, it must be remembered that not all of this name are descendants of either branch, for a considerable number of Blankenships owned slaves at the close of the Civil War and I have met several of these who speak with reverence and love of their old masters, whose name they assumed when freedom came. It may be too that there are other immigrants into America of this name but none has yet been found although the lost Richard's descendants may turn up at any time. There is no question but that the Blankenships came to America from England, both from tradition and historic origin of the name, as well as the fact of their early settlement in Virginia and Massachusetts. The original home of the people of this name was in North Umberland County, England on the line between the country and Scotland near the present town of Haltwhistle where they informed an important fighting clan in the border wars and the "Rievers" raids for several centuries before James I united the two countries. The family gusrded one of the so called Peel Towers erected for defense against the Scottish raids and bore the brunt of many forays, while the old Roman wall built as a defense against the "Barbarians" on the North by the emperior Hadrian, 120 A.D. was just north of the Blenkinsop lands. It thus happens that the family in the midst of warfare for 400 years was peculiarly fitted for pioneer life in America. At a later date the family in England was divided into two Lordships and so has continued, I understand, to the present time. The descendants being settled yet mainly in the counties of North Umberland and Durham adjacent. The name itself is derived from an old "Blenkin's Hope" or "Blenkin's Valley" probably an old Anglo-Saxon name for the valley in North Umberland settled by the family and from which it took it's name, the vicissitudes of which are much like those of the name Washington which originated nearby. On the conquest of England by William the Conqueror, he parceled out most of the land among his followers, the Norman-French and this Blenkinsop family appears thus to have been put in possession of a certain shire in the ravaged North Umberland district either by him or by some of his immediate successors. This appears both from the lordships they held and from the French prefix "De" before the name in the earliest times as these new rulers adopted the name of the village or lands awarded to them. Thus Blenkin's Hope became by usage Blenkinsop and in one branch Blenkinship with numberless spellings. As in those good old days when each clerk spelled as best suited his own convenience. Other slight modifications after coming to America gave the forms Blankinship, Blankingship and Blankenship. Notes for Martha: 1. Abstracts of Land Patents of Henrico & Goochland Counties (1624-1732) page 64; Patent book 12, To Martha Blankenship 250 acres, Henrico south side of James River beginning on Mr Henry Walthall's line to East side of the main road, 20 shillings and importation of Francis Clappe, 9 July 1724. 2. Lloyd Bockstruck, "The Blankenship Family of Virginia," The American Genealogist, XXXII (1976) 240; On 9 July 1724, Martha obtained a patent for 250 acres in Henrico County at Mr. Henry Walthall's line on the east side of the main road upon payment of 20 shillings and for importing Francis Clapp. Charles Clay received a patent for 150 acres adjoining William Farlowe, James Akin, Jr., and Martha Blankenship on the north side of the main road on 17 August 1725. John Worley also had a patent in the same vicinity on the same date. His was for 277 acres on the orth side of Swift Creek adjoining Charles Clay, the main road on the north side, Martha Blankenship, Henry Walthall, Edward Hill, and John Farlow. John Worley sold his property near Coldwater Run next to Charles Clay, the main road, Martha Blankesnhip, Henry Walthall. and John Farlow to William Mosely. . . . . this goes on and on . . . 3. Henrico Co. Wills & Deeds, 1725-37, p. 448; 4 Aug. 1734 Anthony Wilkinson of Henrico Co. to Matthew Turner of Charles City Co...L25...land on north side of Swift Creek...bounded by Charles Clay, Martha Blankenship, Henry Walthall, Edward Hill, and John Farlow (Farley?)...77 acres; wit:Edward Wilkinson, Benjamin Fernando, Littlebury Eppes. Children of Ralph Blankinship and Martha are: + 2 i. Richard2 Blankenship, born Abt. 1690 in Henrico Co., Virginia; died 1793 in Goochland Co., VA. + 3 ii. William Blankenship, born Abt. 1691 in Henrico Co., Va; died 1745 in Henrico Co., VA. + 4 iii. John Blankenship, born Abt. 1695 in Chesterfield Co., VA; died 09 April 1751 in Chesterfield Co., Va. + 5 iv. James Blankenship, born Abt. 1698 in Henrico, VA; died 1749 in Chesterfield Co., Va. + 6 v. Ralph Blankenship, born 1700 in Henrico Co., Va; died 1754 in Chesterfield Co., Va. + 7 vi. Ann Blankenship, born 1702 in Henrico Co., Va; died Abt. 1763 in Marion, Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Sue Consider it done, the info will go on the site tomorrow......AND THANK YOU FOR ALL OF US BLANKENSHIP DESCENDENTS Carrie