This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: barrychapman59 Surnames: Claypoole, Cromwell Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.claypoole/66.2.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: In my posting of October 6, 2008 I wrote: "My initial interest in the Claypoole family came from discovering that it was my 4th grandmother Eliza's maiden name and that her Claypooles were 'related' to Oliver Cromwell. The latter connection was a oral tradition in 'my' line of the Claypoole/Binning/Chapman family, handed down from generation to generation. A cousin that I met for the first time less than 10 years ago, whose line had lost contact with my line in the 1870s, also had that same oral tradition! Rebecca Irwin Graff's work noted the Philadelphia Claypooles had a similar tradition - Benjamin Franklin recorded that 'connection' when he commented on the circumstances of Philadelphia alderman George Claypoole's (1675-1730/1) death." In my posting of October 10, I wrote: "....but according to Graff, the common belief of USA Claypoole descendants of James 'the migrant', prior to Graff's 1893 work being published, was that they were direct descendants of Oliver Cromwell." That this incorrect belief of direct descent from Oliver Cromwell was widely held in 18thC and 19thC Philadelphia is confirmed by the following 'discourse' dated 6th June 1821, which was printed by Abraham Small of Philadelphia later in June 1821. A DISCOURSE ON THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA; BEING AN ANNUAL ORATION DELIVERED BEFORE THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, HELD AT PHILADELPHIA, FOR PROMOTING USEFUL KNOWLEDGE; PURSUANT TO THEIR APPOINTMENT, IN THE HALL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, ON WEDNESDAY, THE 6th OF JUNE, 1821. BY PETER S. DU PONCEAU, LL.D. ONE OF THE VICE PRESIDENTS OF THE SOCIETY. "Claypoole, whose ancestor, not many years before, ruled the destinies of the British empire;* *The Claypoole family are lineally descended from the protector Oliver Cromwell" Taken from page 23 of the discourse at http://www.archive.org/stream/discourseonearly00dupo/discourseonearly00dupo_djvu.txt Barry Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.