| BLEDSOE (BLETSOE) EARLY HISTORY Contributed by, Joanne Bledsoe westernproperty@mindspring.com. There are several theories as to the origin of the Bledsoes and the Bledsoe name. One theory is that they came originally from the northern part of Italy during the time of the crusades and settled in Kent, England. Another theory on the origin of the Bledsoes is that they were Danish. The suffix "soe" is common in Denmark. The town of Bedford England (Bletsoe is six miles north of Bedford) was part of the western boundary of the Danelaw which was the Danish part of England in the Middle Ages. Bedford was a Danish military center. In England, the name was spelled Bletsoe. Some of the Bletsoes must have been members of the aristocracy at some time in the past, as there exists a Bletsoe coat of arms. There also exists a Bletsoe castle. It is described as "lovely outside but much cut up inside. It was renovated and added to in 1612 when William Bletsoe bought the manor---there is a gate, a grove of trees, and a moss covered bridge over a moat overgrown with grass. The castle is long and low, no towers, now decayed but still elegant." Bletsoe castle was the birthplace of Margaret of Beaufort the grandmother of Henry VIII. George Bledsoe 1635-1705 William Bletsoe, owner of the castle, is thought to be the father or uncle of George Bledsoe. George is thought to be the father of all Bledsoes in America. Col. Hugh Gwin transported George from England to America in 1652. George, a headwright, was transported along with six other men to work as builders in the New World. Each man was given land for his efforts. George acquired 950 acres in North Cumberland County Virginia. He married Anne Jennings. Together they had six children-Sarah, ABRAHAM, William, John, George, and Thomas. From the records found on George, it is clear that he was a person of influence in the community and that he was a man of means. He traded land and crops and despite several disputes always came out in good shape. Records indicate he was a constable and that he served on several grand juries. Abraham Bledsoe 1673-1753 Abraham Bledsoe was the eldest son of George Bledsoe. He was one of two sons who carried forward the Bledsoe name in America. The other was his brother Williams. There is no evidence that his brothers John, George or Thomas ever married or had descendants. Abraham was born in North Cumberland Virginia. He married Katherine Ball daughter of Thomas Ball (another prominent pioneer). Their children were Isaac, Thomas, Abraham, Catherine, George, and William. Katherine died in 1718. Abraham married again in 1723. His second wife was Sarah Cave. She was the mother of JOHN, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Sarah, Anne, and Elizabeth. Records indicate that George's children and grandchildren spent a great deal of time in court over disputes about land and inheritances. Records also indicate that the Bledsoes for the first three generations were mainly involved in raising tobacco as their cash crop. During Abraham's lifetime, we find the family spreading out from Virginia to North Carolina. Abraham died in Granville North Carolina. John Bledsoe 1726-1795 John Bledsoe was born in Virginia in 1726. He married Susannah Dawson in 1747 and they were the parents of MOSES, William, Abraham, John, Sarah, Suzannah, and two other unknown daughters. Records indicate that John and his family moved several times. He and his family finally settled in Surrey County North Carolina where John bought land and raised tobacco. Moses Bledsoe 1748-1841 Moses was born in North Carolina. He married Hovey ? in 1773 and they were the parents of Philadelphius, Thomas, Demaris, Sarah, PTOLEMY, Amy, Tabitha, and Grigsby. Moses' generation finds some of the Bledsoes moving to Tennessee. Moses settled in Blount County Tennessee. Records show that members of the Bledsoe family received land grants and patents in Tennessee. As in generations past, they were mainly farmers. This generation brings us to Ptolemy our ancestor who was the father of MANY Bledsoes in Indiana. THE ANCESTORS OF WILLIAM B BLEDSOE William Bledsoe 1848-1922 William was born in Orange County Indiana in 1848. He was the fourth child of Lewis Allen Bledsoe and Mary Hobson Bledsoe. He was raised in Indiana. He married Margaret? September 1879. After the birth of their son Jacob, they moved to Bronson Kansas along with William's older brother Ptolemy (b 1840) and his family. Ptolemy "Pete" Bledsoe purchased a farm 5 miles south of Bronson in Bourbon County Kansas. Margaret died September 1888. She is buried in Bronson Cemetery. Pete Bledsoe died in 1889 and is buried in Bronson Cemetery also. After the death of Margaret, William remained on the farm with Sarah and her children. William and Sarah's older children worked the farm and Sarah helped raise William's children. In 1905, Sarah sold the farm to her son Lewis and moved with her son George to Dade County Missouri. William and his sons moved to Holly, Prowers County Colorado, where he homesteaded 160 acres of land. There are also homestead records filed by Jacob and Cary Bledsoe in Prowers County. William and Jacob sold their land in 1918 and moved to Yakima. William was living with Jacob and his wife Martha Fay in Yakima in 1920. He died in 1922 in Madison County Idaho while living with his son Marion. He is buried in Archer, Freemont County, Idaho. Lewis Allen Bledsoe 1813-1889 Lewis was born in North Carolina in 1813. He was the oldest son of Ptolemy and Margaret Allen Bledsoe. Lewis's children by his first wife Mary Hobson were Deborah, Ptolemy (Pete), Margaret, WILLIAM, Phoebe, and Charles. Mary died around 1870 and Lewis married Lorinda Leffler. Lewis and Lorinda had eight children, Otto, Etta, (twins) Dolphus and Delphus, Organ, Pearl, Naomi, and Anna. Lewis was known for being involved in local politics. A public meeting of the citizens of Orange County, District 1, was held in 1837 and it was decided that the district would support a three-month school each year. They adopted the home of Lewis Bledsoe as their schoolhouse. There were about 50 pupils belonging to this school. The first free school was established in 1856 and Lewis was one of the three people elected as the first trustees. Lewis also owned a whetstone quarry, which employed 6-8 people. The book the "History of Orange County 1884" mentions the Bledsoes as being strong democrats. Several of them served as delegates to the democratic convention. Lewis's exact date of death was not known but it is believed to be 1887-1889. Ptolemy Bledsoe 1786-1882 Ptolemy is the father of many the Indiana Bledsoes. He was born April 5, 1786 in North Carolina. He was the son of Moses Bledsoe. In 1812, he married Margaret Allen whose family were also pioneers in the settlement of Indiana. Ptolemy and Margaret were the parents of LEWIS ALLEN, Evaline, Elizabeth, Demaris, William J., Nancy, James, Jonathan, Sarah and David. Ptolemy was a farmer and owned a large section of land in Jackson Township. Ptolemy and Margaret are buried at Moore |