Genealogy of the Gresham family

During the writing of this book, I was amazed to discover a treasure-trove of information about my mother’s family, the Greshams. The family has several spellings of the name, so an entity called Gresham Any Way You Spell It, or, GAWYSI was founded. Through this entity numerous family members over the years and across the country did research and contributed their family information. The information was assembled by a cousin, Gary Wayne Gresham, preceding a Gresham family reunion held in Heber Springs, Arkansas in 2009. Gary’s cover letter states the following:

“I have spent the last few years compiling as much information as possible about our ancestry. Through the work and generosity of many people around the country, I have been able to trace our lineage back 28 generations to Normandy France in the year 1030 AD.”

I have, myself, prepared summaries of each of the 28 generations and found some members to be important figures, and central to important turning points in English and American history. I’ll read some of these summaries, starting with our Norman Heritage.

OUR KINDRED PAST

The earliest known ancestor lived in Normandy, France, around 1030 AD. A member of the landed gentry, this individual witnessed the tides of medieval Europe as power shifted and borders changed, his name preserved through centuries of oral tradition and painstaking research. Through marriage alliances and feudal obligations, each subsequent generation branched outward, many settling in England during the Norman Conquest. Among these descendants, some played prominent roles in English society, holding land, serving in military campaigns, or influencing local governance.

As the centuries unfurled, the Gresham family weathered the storms of plague, war, and political upheaval. Their story intersects with pivotal moments—the signing of Magna Carta, the tumult of the Reformation, and the age of exploration. Records reveal ancestors who participated in colonial ventures, one of whom crossed the Atlantic and helped establish new roots in America’s early settlements. These threads of history, painstakingly gathered by Gary Gresham and other family historians, knit together a portrait of resilience and adaptation.

In my summaries, I pay special attention to the individuals whose choices shaped the family’s migration, fortune, and traditions. Each generation’s brief sketch is a window into a wider world, refracted through personal experience and the sweep of historical change. The chronicle continues, revealing how the Greshams moved from the Old World to the New, always carrying with them echoes of their origins and the enduring spirit of family.