Close Family Tree

Eyes down for another massive people update, which is actually the follow-on from a tree I published back in 2020. That one was a nice little branch of a couple of hundred people originating in Somerset, England, thanks to Toni Close. At the time, I’d just come across a baptism entry which had been incorrectly transcribed, but I decided to leave it for a rainy day. Fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the British weather hasn’t let me down, so here is the result of that … give or take 3 years.

Anyway, the main ones are:

• John Close (1552) in High Ham, Somerset
• Gabriel Close (1580) in Baltonsborough, Somerset
• Robert Close (1595) in North Petherton, Somerset

There are a handful of others, but they all seem to disappear within a few years, so there are likely more lurking in the shadows.

Unsurprisingly, not all their descendents are confined to Somerset. There are inevitable leaks into Gloucestershire (to muddy the Minchinhampton waters), Herefordshire and Wales, as well as a few forays across the water to America and Australia.

There also appears to be an inordinate number of illegitimate children born in various pockets. This isn’t unusual in itself, but does mean that there are quite a few people around today who should, or should not, be calling themselves Close.

We also have a rather dodgy marriage between 1st cousins, and a number of convicted criminals.

So, business as usual, really.

There are a few memorable facts and figures, including:

• 1660 new People
• 2343 new Images
• 1548 new Sources
• 19 new Hall of Fame heroes, some of which apparently didn’t make it out alive

All these are now online through the Close Ancestry Trees, with the recruits also available in the Close Hall of Fame on the main site.

Many thanks to Guicela Close for contacting us about the Closes in Guatemala. We had no idea! Their presence there is fairly modest and recent, but we've pushed back as far as we can.

Everything appears to start with John Close (1690) in London, England.

287 new people and 737 new images

So, eyes down for another people update which is a nice little tree originating in Somerset, England. Many thanks to Toni Close for setting me off down this path, it's one I haven't trodden before. As it turns out I've just discovered another link backwards, thanks to a mis-transcribed baptism entry, which means I can actually push back and out a bit further. However, since this release was all packed up and ready to go I've decided to leave that for another rainy day, of which I'm sure there will be no shortage.

It all starts with Lemuel Close (1790) in West Bradley, Somerset and from there into Dorset, America and Canada.

There are a few memorable facts and figures, including:

• 210 new People
• 399 new Images
• 208 new Sources
• 19 new Hall of Fame heroes, some of which apparently didn't make it out alive

All these are now online through the Close Ancestry Trees, with the recruits also available in the Close Hall of Fame on the main site.

Also included are a few clarifications on the relationship between Hezekiah Close (1848), his wife Isabella Smethurst (nee Hulme) and their children. Many thanks to Beverly Close for the information.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy all this and thanks to everyone who has sent me mail over the past year. It's great to hear from you all and I try to respond to whatever comes down the Close Ancestry pipe. Everything you send me is stashed away for a time when I can do it justice. So, please bear with me, I will get around to it eventually, but in the meantime please keep the mail coming.

Eyes down for another mega update which has been over a year in the making.

It all started with a 1589 reference to William Close (1598) in Leeds, Yorkshire and went rapidly downhill from there. From Leeds, Yorkshire it branched into Manchester, Lancashire, Westmorland and America, where I finally tracked down the source of Close Brothers, the Merchant Bankers.

Unfortunately, part-way through the meander, I accidentally slipped into the rabbit-hole which is the Clowes family of Nantwich, Cheshire, Staffordshire and Leicestershire. There are literally hundreds of them, ranging from Earls to paupers. I've had to cut this short because after a year of trying to finish the original update I was just digging a progressively deeper hole. As far as I can tell (so far) they're not related to the Close families of Yorkshire. There's plenty more work to be done here, for anyone with a strong constitution and a plentiful supply of red wine.

So, unsurprisingly, after a 400 year meander, there are a few memorable facts and figures, including:

• 1955 new People
• 2819 new Images
• 1571 new Sources
• 36 new Hall of Fame heroes, some of which didn't make it out alive

All these are now online through the Close Ancestry Trees, with the recruits also available in the Close Hall of Fame on the main site.