{"id":207,"date":"2025-11-10T12:37:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T20:37:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/booksbybillmoore.com\/?page_id=207"},"modified":"2025-11-10T14:11:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T22:11:53","slug":"kindred-past","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/booksbybillmoore.com\/index.php\/kindred-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Kindred Past"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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OUR KINDRED PAST<\/h1>\n

The Greshams<\/h3> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\n

The Norman Heritage<\/h2>\n

First Generation 1030<\/h3>\n
Our first known Gresham relative was Sir Ralph de Branch, born about 1030 in Normandy. The de Branch family estates were in Pays de Caux, a district on the north side of the Seine Estuary. Sir Ralph was a knight who owed fiety to his liege Lord William de Warrenne and accompanied him to England in 1066 in the invasion called The Norman Conquest.\u00a0<\/div>\n

Victory brings Rewards<\/h3>\n
William de Warrenne and his knight warriors , including Sir Ralph, were engaged in the Battle of Hastings. The knight warriors fought well, slaying enough Saxons and burning enough roof trees to be well rewarded when William the Conqueror became King William 1st of England. The king granted Sir Ralph de Branche a fief of two\u00a0 knight\u2019 fees in Norfolk County,\u00a0 including the villages of Aylmerton and Gresham, the latter being the chief seat of his grant and where he took up residence. His castle in Gresham, now in ruins, was a moated square tower with corner turrets, said to be much like the White Tower, also called the Tower of London. The Branche family resided in Norfolk County for generations to come, some in Gresham and Aylmerton, and some in Holt, another village nearby.<\/div>\n
The family members remaining in Normandy retained the de Branche holdings and surname, while the English branch divided into two parts. In the case of the Greshams, our branch of the family is named after the village in the family holdings.<\/div>\n
\n

The Family Splits<\/h2>\n

Sixth Generation 1240\u2019s<\/h3>\n
Sir Peter de Branche of Gresham was the sixth generation. He had two sons, Roger and Nicholas. Sir Nicholas de Branche retained the Branche name and carried on this line. Roger, the first born, took the surname of de Gresham, becoming Sir Roger de Gresham of Gresham. Both sons kept the same coat of arms, the one we still have today. Our family\u2019s order of descent follows Sir Roger, who took the Gresham name.<\/div>\n

Ninth Generation 1312<\/h3>\n
Sir Edward de Gresham,\u00a0 our ninth-generation\u00a0 member, had a son, an only child named John Gresham. \u201cJust plain John,\u201d as I call him, was the first to drop the \u201cde Gresham\u201d from his surname.\u00a0<\/div>\n
His son, called Sir John Gresham the Younger (the eleventh generation), was followed by two additional Sir John Greshams,\u00a0 totaling four descendants with the same name.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Dispersal–Norfolk to London<\/h2>\n
(How ya gonna keep \u2018em down on the farm?)<\/div>\n

Thirteenth Generation\u00a0 1455<\/h3>\n
Sir John Gresham was born in 1455. Until this generation, the Gresham families remained mostly in Norfolk County in the villages of Gresham, Alymerton and Holt, but Sir John had a residence in London. Of his four sons,\u00a0 William, Richard, John and Thomas, the first two also lived in London.<\/div>\n
Sir William , the first son, was a Mercer and Governor\u00a0 of the England merchants at Antwerp from 1530 to 1542. (something very interesting here about his leaving). Records state, and I quote here: \u201cHe left the town in fear of some people from the Guilders. \u201cThus he abandoned his post and his countrymen and didn\u2019t provide for them, their property or the privileges of the English merchant community. When he returned to England, he was put in prison by the order of King Henry VIII. He probably would have received a worse fate if his brothers, Sir Richard and Sir John Gresham were not so eminent in court.\u201d<\/div>\n
(I was surprised we had \u201cunion problem\u201d that early on. They gave Sir William a lot of grief.<\/div>\n
Sir Richard Gresham, the second son, had an interesting career. He became a Mercer in 1507, became Sheriff of London and Middlesex in 1531-1532 (as did his older brother)and was knighted in 1531.\u201dHe attended at the tower May 19, 1536 at the execution of Anne Boleyn. The following year, he was appointed Lord Mayor of London. He was a fast friend of Cardinal Wolsey. Through his trade, mostly with Antwerp, he supplied King Henry VIII with velvets and satins. The records state that \u201che amassed a sizeable fortune.\u201d\u00a0<\/div>\n

Fourteenth Generation 1492<\/h3>\n
Sir John Gresham of the fourteenth generation was also a Mercer and worked with his older brothers Sir William and Sir Richard, trading textiles, wine and grain. Like his brother William before him, he became Sheriff of London and Middlesex 1537-1538 and was knighted the same year. \u201cHe attended the meeting between King Henry VIII and his new bride, Ann of Cleves in 1540.\u201d In 1547 he became Lord Mayor of London. He also acted as an agent for both Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell.\u00a0 He married Mary Ipswell, who bore him twelve children, six of which were male.\u00a0<\/div>\n
The previous several generations of the Greshams and future ones held forth in London, and in Surry County, and some also kept their manor houses in Norfolk.\u00a0 \u00a0 Sir John\u2019s fourteenth generation marked the move of family members from Norfolk County to the London area. The generations which followed him there held government positions, were in banking and in parliament.\u00a0 One of them, a cousin named Sir Thomas Gresham (1519-1579), founded the Royal Exchange in London.<\/div>\n

Larger Families \/ Gresham Fertility<\/h3>\n
The Greshams flourished from generation to generation and multiplied their numbers. In their early (known) history the families produced few children, but later the families became larger. Examples include Sir John Gresham of the thirteenth generation who had five children. Sir John Gresham the Younger, head of the fourteenth generation, had twelve children, and Sir Thomas Gresham of the sixteenth generation had ten. Sir George Gresham of the twentieth generation had eleven children, ten of which were male.<\/div>\n

Family Crest<\/h3>\n
In the Gresham family crest, a golden grasshopper on a grassy knoll, hovers over the head of a knight\u2019s helmet. The grasshopper symbolizes many different things, including luck, abundance,\u00a0 fertility and stability. As fertility symbols, grasshoppers are thought to be, more specifically, omens of the birth of a son. I believe the grasshopper is a fitting symbol for the Gresham family. (Fertility personified.)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Dispersal-England to American Colonies\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Seventeenth Generation 1590<\/h3>\n
Sir Edward Gresham of the seventeenth generation\u00a0 inherited his father\u2019s and uncle\u2019s wealth, was one of the King\u2019s body guards, and was knighted in 1617.\u00a0 He was placed on the king\u2019s Roll of Gentlemen Pensioners in 1618. His family marked the continuing dispersal of the Greshams beyond Norfolk County, London, and Surry County where he lived, to the colonies in America.<\/div>\n
With his first wife, Mary Clerke, Sir Edward had three sons: John, Thomas and Edward. Following the death of his wife, he disinherited their son Thomas. The last known location of Thomas was the Fleet Prison in London where he died. The other two sons emigrated to America in 1635.\u00a0 \u00a0Sir John\u00a0 settled in Northumberland\u00a0 County, the Commonwealth of Virginia. His brother, Sir Edward (II) emigrated the same year, at the age of seventeen,\u00a0 to New Kent County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The brothers were the first Greshams in the American Colony.<\/div>\n
Sir Edward (the father) remained in England, where he lived his entire.<\/div>\n

Eighteenth Generation 1618<\/h3>\n
Edward Gresham\u00a0 (II) of the Eighteenth Generation\u00a0 emigrated in 1635 to\u00a0 New Kent County, Commonwealth of Virginia. He had four sons, Edward, John, George and Thomas. Although the Greshams settled first in Amelia and New Kent counties, Edward\u2019s sons were born and lived in King and Queen County of Virginia. The records show that all the Greshams in Virginia rented land from the king, and their names appear in the recorded land patents, deed books\u00a0 and other records show Greshams owning lands in Amelia, New Kent, Halifax, Northumberland and Mecklenburg counties of the colony of Virginia.<\/div>\n

Example of Land Patent<\/h4>\n
Example: One patent to\u00a0 Edward Gresham in 1749 was for 380 acres. Grantor (the king) was \u201cGeorge the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King Defender of the Faith\u2026in consideration of the sum of forty shillings of good and lawful money paid to our Colony and Dominion of Virginia\u2026do give, grant and confirm unto Edward Gresham one parcel of land containing three hundred and eighty acres in the County of Amelia , \u2026 of land and the rivers waters and water courses therein contained together with the privileges of hunting, hawking, fishing, fowling and all profits, commodities and hereditaments to hold possess and enjoy unto the said Edward Gresham his heirs and assigns forever to be held\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
The land patents required the annual payment of one shilling for every fifty acres and required cultivation and improvement of three acres of every fifty acres of the parcel. Gresham names appear as landholders in multiple counties in Virginia, usually multiple parcels with acreages between 130 and 516 acres.\u00a0 Thomas Gresham, Sir Edward\u2019s second son, was granted 1,525 acres in King and Queen County.<\/div>\n

Nineteenth Generation 1660<\/h3>\n
During the next two generations of George Gresham I of the nineteenth generation (1660) and George Gresham II of the Twentieth generation (1690), remained in Virginia renting land from the king and operating as planters. Of the eleven children of George Gresham II and his wife Sarah, Ten of the eleven were male.<\/div>\n
His traded acreages ranging from 186 to 460, and many trades involved payment in chattels. An example would be the sale of 186 acres by William Gresham to a Mr. Roger Gregory for 15,000 pounds of crop tobacco. Will records show that in 1802 to 1804, he and his wife Jean<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Dispersal \u2013 Virginia to Kentucky\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Twenty First Generation 1732<\/h3>\n
William Gresham of the twenty First generation, was very active in trading land. Records in land books show he bought and sold numerous parcels, mostly in Fairfax County Virginia where he lived. The records indicate he also held and traded land in Amelia, Mecklenburg and Lunenburg counties in Virginia. between 1757 and 1792. He traded acreages ranging from 186 to 460, and many trades involved payments in chattels. An example would be the sale by William Gresham of 186 acres to Mr. Roger Gregory for 15,000 pounds of crop tobacco. Will records show that in 1802 to 1804, he and his wife Jean willed land parcels to relatives Ralph, Anthony, Moses and Benony Gresham. William Gresham had two children, Sara and George, and his was the last generation of Greshams in Virginia\u00a0 before dispersal of the families to Lincoln, Christian and Caldwell counties, Commonwealth of Kentucky.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Dispersal–Kentucky to Arkansas<\/h2>\n

Twenty-Second Generation 1775<\/h3>\n
Moza (Moses) Gresham , our twenty-second Generation , with his wife Elizabeth Boyd, their five boys and three girls, moved from Halifax County, Virginia in 1815 to Christian County, Kentucky. Also living there was George Gresham, a brother to Moses, who had married Jane Boyd, a sister to Moses\u2019 wife Elizabeth. Two brothers married two sisters.<\/div>\n
It\u2019s of some interest for the Greshams to have merged with the Boyd family, as the two families had a similar arch of history. The de Boyds were also of Anglo-Norman descent from Northern France. Robert de Boyd went to England from Normandy to join William the Conqueror. After the battle of Hastings Robert settled in England, later moving to Ireland. The Irish branch were protestants and among those families which left Ireland for America. A branch of that family ended up in Trigg County, Kentucky and intermarried with the Greshams. The two families from Normandy ended up in Kentucky.\u00a0<\/div>\n
Moses Gresham fathered six boys and three girls. Among these was Anderson Boyd Gresham, their seventh child, who later moved from Hickman VA to Cleburne County Arkansas.<\/div>\n

Twenty Third Generation 1817<\/h3>\n
In the 1840\u2019s, Anderson Boyd Gresham of the twenty-third Generation, moved\u00a0 his family, along with his wife\u2019s family, the Claytons, from Christian County Kentucky to the town of Hickman, in Fulton County Kentucky, on the Mississippi River. Hickman and the remainder of western Kentucky experienced significant health challenges continuing well into the post-Civil War period.\u00a0 Malaria was endemic; yellow fever and cholera epidemics occurred, and the usual diseases like pneumonia, whooping cough, smallpox and measles were frequent. Two of the Clayton sons died of cholera. Shortly after 1850, Anderson B. Gresham himself died at the age of 31 leaving his wife, Minerva Hamilton Clayton Gresham with six children. In 1855, James Clayton, his daughter Minerva and her children, Alpha Clayton Baldridge and her family moved from the unhealthy Hickman Kentucky to Cleburne County (Formerly Van Buren County) Arkansas. They settled in the town of Pearson, where Minerva purchased 300 acres, built a house, ran a farm and raised her children. Their sixth child was John Anderson \u201cA\u201d Gresham, my great great grandfather.<\/div>\n

Twenty Fourth Generation 1851<\/h3>\n
John Anderson \u201cA\u201d Gresham\u00a0 of our twenty-fourth Generation\u00a0 married Martha Fowlkes in 1874 and had eight children. Their third child was John Anderson Gresham, my grandfather.<\/div>\n

Twenty Fifth Generation 1883<\/h3>\n
John Anderson Gresham, our\u00a0 Twenty-fifth Generation and my grandfather, Married Sarah Helen Thompson, and had six children. Their first born was my mother, Melba Adrid Gresham Moore. The second born was her brother, Wendell Anderson Gresham.<\/div>\n

Twenty-Sixth Generation 1909<\/h3>\n
My Uncle Wendell married Annie M. Gay, and had three children, Thomas Harold being the first born. The family moved to Louisiana where Wendell\u00a0 \u00a0was engaged in timber harvesting and owned sawmills.\u00a0<\/div>\n
Thomas Harold Gresham Twenty-seventh Generation (1931)<\/div>\n
My cousin Thomas Harold had two children, Tommy Lee and Gary Wayne. It was Gary Wayne who\u00a0 compiled this history of our Gresham family from Normandy in 1030 to Cleburne County Arkansas in the present time.<\/div>\n

Twenty-eighth Generation (1957)<\/h3>\n
Gary Wayne Gresham is our twenty-eight generation. He married Dona Huth, and they have four children.\u00a0<\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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OUR KINDRED PAST The Greshams<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-207","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"builder_content":"

OUR KINDRED PAST<\/h1>

The Greshams<\/h3>\n

The Norman Heritage<\/h2>

First Generation 1030<\/h3> Our first known Gresham relative was Sir Ralph de Branch, born about 1030 in Normandy. The de Branch family estates were in Pays de Caux, a district on the north side of the Seine Estuary. Sir Ralph was a knight who owed fiety to his liege Lord William de Warrenne and accompanied him to England in 1066 in the invasion called The Norman Conquest.\u00a0

Victory brings Rewards<\/h3> William de Warrenne and his knight warriors , including Sir Ralph, were engaged in the Battle of Hastings. The knight warriors fought well, slaying enough Saxons and burning enough roof trees to be well rewarded when William the Conqueror became King William 1st of England. The king granted Sir Ralph de Branche a fief of two\u00a0 knight\u2019 fees in Norfolk County,\u00a0 including the villages of Aylmerton and Gresham, the latter being the chief seat of his grant and where he took up residence. His castle in Gresham, now in ruins, was a moated square tower with corner turrets, said to be much like the White Tower, also called the Tower of London. The Branche family resided in Norfolk County for generations to come, some in Gresham and Aylmerton, and some in Holt, another village nearby. The family members remaining in Normandy retained the de Branche holdings and surname, while the English branch divided into two parts. In the case of the Greshams, our branch of the family is named after the village in the family holdings.

The Family Splits<\/h2>

Sixth Generation 1240\u2019s<\/h3> Sir Peter de Branche of Gresham was the sixth generation. He had two sons, Roger and Nicholas. Sir Nicholas de Branche retained the Branche name and carried on this line. Roger, the first born, took the surname of de Gresham, becoming Sir Roger de Gresham of Gresham. Both sons kept the same coat of arms, the one we still have today. Our family\u2019s order of descent follows Sir Roger, who took the Gresham name.

Ninth Generation 1312<\/h3> Sir Edward de Gresham,\u00a0 our ninth-generation\u00a0 member, had a son, an only child named John Gresham. \u201cJust plain John,\u201d as I call him, was the first to drop the \u201cde Gresham\u201d from his surname.\u00a0 His son, called Sir John Gresham the Younger (the eleventh generation), was followed by two additional Sir John Greshams,\u00a0 totaling four descendants with the same name.

Dispersal--Norfolk to London<\/h2> (How ya gonna keep \u2018em down on the farm?)

Thirteenth Generation\u00a0 1455<\/h3> Sir John Gresham was born in 1455. Until this generation, the Gresham families remained mostly in Norfolk County in the villages of Gresham, Alymerton and Holt, but Sir John had a residence in London. Of his four sons,\u00a0 William, Richard, John and Thomas, the first two also lived in London. Sir William , the first son, was a Mercer and Governor\u00a0 of the England merchants at Antwerp from 1530 to 1542. (something very interesting here about his leaving). Records state, and I quote here: \u201cHe left the town in fear of some people from the Guilders. \u201cThus he abandoned his post and his countrymen and didn\u2019t provide for them, their property or the privileges of the English merchant community. When he returned to England, he was put in prison by the order of King Henry VIII. He probably would have received a worse fate if his brothers, Sir Richard and Sir John Gresham were not so eminent in court.\u201d (I was surprised we had \u201cunion problem\u201d that early on. They gave Sir William a lot of grief. Sir Richard Gresham, the second son, had an interesting career. He became a Mercer in 1507, became Sheriff of London and Middlesex in 1531-1532 (as did his older brother)and was knighted in 1531.\u201dHe attended at the tower May 19, 1536 at the execution of Anne Boleyn. The following year, he was appointed Lord Mayor of London. He was a fast friend of Cardinal Wolsey. Through his trade, mostly with Antwerp, he supplied King Henry VIII with velvets and satins. The records state that \u201che amassed a sizeable fortune.\u201d\u00a0

Fourteenth Generation 1492<\/h3> Sir John Gresham of the fourteenth generation was also a Mercer and worked with his older brothers Sir William and Sir Richard, trading textiles, wine and grain. Like his brother William before him, he became Sheriff of London and Middlesex 1537-1538 and was knighted the same year. \u201cHe attended the meeting between King Henry VIII and his new bride, Ann of Cleves in 1540.\u201d In 1547 he became Lord Mayor of London. He also acted as an agent for both Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell.\u00a0 He married Mary Ipswell, who bore him twelve children, six of which were male.\u00a0 The previous several generations of the Greshams and future ones held forth in London, and in Surry County, and some also kept their manor houses in Norfolk.\u00a0 \u00a0 Sir John\u2019s fourteenth generation marked the move of family members from Norfolk County to the London area. The generations which followed him there held government positions, were in banking and in parliament.\u00a0 One of them, a cousin named Sir Thomas Gresham (1519-1579), founded the Royal Exchange in London.

Larger Families \/ Gresham Fertility<\/h3> The Greshams flourished from generation to generation and multiplied their numbers. In their early (known) history the families produced few children, but later the families became larger. Examples include Sir John Gresham of the thirteenth generation who had five children. Sir John Gresham the Younger, head of the fourteenth generation, had twelve children, and Sir Thomas Gresham of the sixteenth generation had ten. Sir George Gresham of the twentieth generation had eleven children, ten of which were male.

Family Crest<\/h3> In the Gresham family crest, a golden grasshopper on a grassy knoll, hovers over the head of a knight\u2019s helmet. The grasshopper symbolizes many different things, including luck, abundance,\u00a0 fertility and stability. As fertility symbols, grasshoppers are thought to be, more specifically, omens of the birth of a son. I believe the grasshopper is a fitting symbol for the Gresham family. (Fertility personified.)

Dispersal-England to American Colonies\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>

Seventeenth Generation 1590<\/h3> Sir Edward Gresham of the seventeenth generation\u00a0 inherited his father\u2019s and uncle\u2019s wealth, was one of the King\u2019s body guards, and was knighted in 1617.\u00a0 He was placed on the king\u2019s Roll of Gentlemen Pensioners in 1618. His family marked the continuing dispersal of the Greshams beyond Norfolk County, London, and Surry County where he lived, to the colonies in America. With his first wife, Mary Clerke, Sir Edward had three sons: John, Thomas and Edward. Following the death of his wife, he disinherited their son Thomas. The last known location of Thomas was the Fleet Prison in London where he died. The other two sons emigrated to America in 1635.\u00a0 \u00a0Sir John\u00a0 settled in Northumberland\u00a0 County, the Commonwealth of Virginia. His brother, Sir Edward (II) emigrated the same year, at the age of seventeen,\u00a0 to New Kent County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The brothers were the first Greshams in the American Colony. Sir Edward (the father) remained in England, where he lived his entire.

Eighteenth Generation 1618<\/h3> Edward Gresham\u00a0 (II) of the Eighteenth Generation\u00a0 emigrated in 1635 to\u00a0 New Kent County, Commonwealth of Virginia. He had four sons, Edward, John, George and Thomas. Although the Greshams settled first in Amelia and New Kent counties, Edward\u2019s sons were born and lived in King and Queen County of Virginia. The records show that all the Greshams in Virginia rented land from the king, and their names appear in the recorded land patents, deed books\u00a0 and other records show Greshams owning lands in Amelia, New Kent, Halifax, Northumberland and Mecklenburg counties of the colony of Virginia.

Example of Land Patent<\/h4> Example: One patent to\u00a0 Edward Gresham in 1749 was for 380 acres. Grantor (the king) was \u201cGeorge the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King Defender of the Faith\u2026in consideration of the sum of forty shillings of good and lawful money paid to our Colony and Dominion of Virginia\u2026do give, grant and confirm unto Edward Gresham one parcel of land containing three hundred and eighty acres in the County of Amelia , \u2026 of land and the rivers waters and water courses therein contained together with the privileges of hunting, hawking, fishing, fowling and all profits, commodities and hereditaments to hold possess and enjoy unto the said Edward Gresham his heirs and assigns forever to be held\u2026\u201d The land patents required the annual payment of one shilling for every fifty acres and required cultivation and improvement of three acres of every fifty acres of the parcel. Gresham names appear as landholders in multiple counties in Virginia, usually multiple parcels with acreages between 130 and 516 acres.\u00a0 Thomas Gresham, Sir Edward\u2019s second son, was granted 1,525 acres in King and Queen County.

Nineteenth Generation 1660<\/h3> During the next two generations of George Gresham I of the nineteenth generation (1660) and George Gresham II of the Twentieth generation (1690), remained in Virginia renting land from the king and operating as planters. Of the eleven children of George Gresham II and his wife Sarah, Ten of the eleven were male. His traded acreages ranging from 186 to 460, and many trades involved payment in chattels. An example would be the sale of 186 acres by William Gresham to a Mr. Roger Gregory for 15,000 pounds of crop tobacco. Will records show that in 1802 to 1804, he and his wife Jean

Dispersal \u2013 Virginia to Kentucky\u00a0<\/h2>

Twenty First Generation 1732<\/h3> William Gresham of the twenty First generation, was very active in trading land. Records in land books show he bought and sold numerous parcels, mostly in Fairfax County Virginia where he lived. The records indicate he also held and traded land in Amelia, Mecklenburg and Lunenburg counties in Virginia. between 1757 and 1792. He traded acreages ranging from 186 to 460, and many trades involved payments in chattels. An example would be the sale by William Gresham of 186 acres to Mr. Roger Gregory for 15,000 pounds of crop tobacco. Will records show that in 1802 to 1804, he and his wife Jean willed land parcels to relatives Ralph, Anthony, Moses and Benony Gresham. William Gresham had two children, Sara and George, and his was the last generation of Greshams in Virginia\u00a0 before dispersal of the families to Lincoln, Christian and Caldwell counties, Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Dispersal--Kentucky to Arkansas<\/h2>

Twenty-Second Generation 1775<\/h3> Moza (Moses) Gresham , our twenty-second Generation , with his wife Elizabeth Boyd, their five boys and three girls, moved from Halifax County, Virginia in 1815 to Christian County, Kentucky. Also living there was George Gresham, a brother to Moses, who had married Jane Boyd, a sister to Moses\u2019 wife Elizabeth. Two brothers married two sisters. It\u2019s of some interest for the Greshams to have merged with the Boyd family, as the two families had a similar arch of history. The de Boyds were also of Anglo-Norman descent from Northern France. Robert de Boyd went to England from Normandy to join William the Conqueror. After the battle of Hastings Robert settled in England, later moving to Ireland. The Irish branch were protestants and among those families which left Ireland for America. A branch of that family ended up in Trigg County, Kentucky and intermarried with the Greshams. The two families from Normandy ended up in Kentucky.\u00a0 Moses Gresham fathered six boys and three girls. Among these was Anderson Boyd Gresham, their seventh child, who later moved from Hickman VA to Cleburne County Arkansas.

Twenty Third Generation 1817<\/h3> In the 1840\u2019s, Anderson Boyd Gresham of the twenty-third Generation, moved\u00a0 his family, along with his wife\u2019s family, the Claytons, from Christian County Kentucky to the town of Hickman, in Fulton County Kentucky, on the Mississippi River. Hickman and the remainder of western Kentucky experienced significant health challenges continuing well into the post-Civil War period.\u00a0 Malaria was endemic; yellow fever and cholera epidemics occurred, and the usual diseases like pneumonia, whooping cough, smallpox and measles were frequent. Two of the Clayton sons died of cholera. Shortly after 1850, Anderson B. Gresham himself died at the age of 31 leaving his wife, Minerva Hamilton Clayton Gresham with six children. In 1855, James Clayton, his daughter Minerva and her children, Alpha Clayton Baldridge and her family moved from the unhealthy Hickman Kentucky to Cleburne County (Formerly Van Buren County) Arkansas. They settled in the town of Pearson, where Minerva purchased 300 acres, built a house, ran a farm and raised her children. Their sixth child was John Anderson \u201cA\u201d Gresham, my great great grandfather.

Twenty Fourth Generation 1851<\/h3> John Anderson \u201cA\u201d Gresham\u00a0 of our twenty-fourth Generation\u00a0 married Martha Fowlkes in 1874 and had eight children. Their third child was John Anderson Gresham, my grandfather.

Twenty Fifth Generation 1883<\/h3> John Anderson Gresham, our\u00a0 Twenty-fifth Generation and my grandfather, Married Sarah Helen Thompson, and had six children. Their first born was my mother, Melba Adrid Gresham Moore. The second born was her brother, Wendell Anderson Gresham.

Twenty-Sixth Generation 1909<\/h3> My Uncle Wendell married Annie M. Gay, and had three children, Thomas Harold being the first born. The family moved to Louisiana where Wendell\u00a0 \u00a0was engaged in timber harvesting and owned sawmills.\u00a0 Thomas Harold Gresham Twenty-seventh Generation (1931) My cousin Thomas Harold had two children, Tommy Lee and Gary Wayne. It was Gary Wayne who\u00a0 compiled this history of our Gresham family from Normandy in 1030 to Cleburne County Arkansas in the present time.

Twenty-eighth Generation (1957)<\/h3> Gary Wayne Gresham is our twenty-eight generation. He married Dona Huth, and they have four children.\u00a0\n

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