He was born at Linkenholt Manor, Hampshire, England, probably about 1608, into a very prominent and well-documented English family, the Reade family of Facombe.[citation needed] A possible date of birth is enscribed on his headstone: 25 October 1608,[6] however no birth record has been found to substantiate this date.
Associations
Brother Robert Reade was the private secretary to Sir William Windebanke who was Secretary of State in England.[3][7]
Immigrated to Virginia
George likely immigrated to Virginia with Sir John Harvey's party, when Harvey returned to the colony under orders of the king to fulfill the office of Governor.[5] George is first documented as being in Virginia in a 1637 letter written to family in England. He wrote that he was "still at the Governor's House."[5] George was a friend and loyal supporter of Governor Harvey and Secretary Kempe.[3]
Family
George married in 1641 at Charles River County, Virginia to Elizabeth Martiau, daughter of Nicholas Martiau.[8] They were probably married at her father's plantation, at the site of present-day Yorktown. Elizabeth's age at the time of her marriage is uncertain (see her profile).
Researchers disagree about the children of Col. George Reade and Elizabeth Martiau. According to du Bellet in Some Prominent Virginia Families, and also Richardson in Royal Ancestry, there were seven children: five sons, George, Robert, Thomas, Francis, Benjamin, and two daughters, Mildred (Reade) Warner and Elizabeth (Reade) Cheesman.[1][9] Van horn of the Nicolas Martiau Descendant Association agrees, identifying both George and Elizabeth as children.[10] According to McAllister, George and Elizabeth had five children, four sons (Robert, Francis, Benjamin and Thomas) and one daughter, Mildred, who married Augustine Warner.[11]
Their oldest child, daughter Mildred Reade, married Colonel Augustine Warner Jr., of Warner Hall, and the daughter of this marriage, Mildred Warner, married Lawrence Washington, the grandfather of George Washington.[5]
Elizabeth Reade[1] (born ca. 1654, died 18 November 1717 in Charles Parish, York Co., Virginia),[citation needed] married Capt. Thomas Cheesman.[1]
Benjamin Reade[1] (born ca. 1667, one of the two youngest, minor in 1687), married Mary Gwynne/Gwyn, daughter of Edmund/Edmond Gwyn.[citation needed]
Thomas Reade[1] (one of the two youngest, minor in 1687), married Lucy Gwynn, daughter of John Gwynn and granddaughter of Col. Hugh Gwynn.[citation needed]
The following profiles are NOT children of George and were detached (possibly they are grandchildren, as some of the older texts can be confusing):
George Reade was involved in Virginia government from the moment of his arrival in 1637, as he was appointed acting Secretary of the colony in 1637.[11] and was Acting Governor in 1638/9,[11] when Governor Harvey was recalled to England.
On 27 August 1640, he was officially elected Secretary of the Virginia Colony.[5][12][8] He was Burgess for James City County in 1649, and again in December 1656[7] for York.[11][13] In 1652, he served as a Justice for York County.[8] George served as a member of His Majesty's Council, elected March 13, 1657/8.[7] He took the oath of office on April 3, 1658,[13] and served until his death in 1671.[7][11]
Soon after their marriage in 1641, George and Elizabeth established a plantation home at Middle Plantation (later Williamsburg), Virginia Colony.[8] By 1652, the family had removed to Yorktown; Stoudt suspects it was to be near Elizabeth's ageing father.[8]
Death and Legacy
The will of Colonel George Reade was probated 20 November, 1671.[14] He was buried at Grace Episcopal Churchyard, Yorktown, Virginia, and his wife was later buried at his side.[1][15]
The gravestones of both George and his wife, Elizabeth, were discovered buried while excavating on Buckner Street in Yorktown. In 1931, descendant Letitia Pate Evans had them restored and moved to the churchyard of Grace Episcopal Church in Yorktown, York County, Virginia.[16] Unfortunately, the new stones contain errors. George Reade's stone says he died in Oct. 1674, "he being in the 66th yr of his age."[6] The death date should be 1671 (will probated). Therefore, either the age shown or year of his birth (or both) must be incorrect. (For errors on the stone for Elizabeth Martiau, see her profile.)
The Find a Grave memorial includes a photo of George Reade's stone.[6][17]
Lineage
In addition to being descended from Magna Carta Surety Barons (see below), Col. George Reade was the 9th Great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II through his daughter Mildred to the Bowes-Lyons family[18] (Queen Elizabeth, wife of George VI, parents of Queen Elizabeth II). Colonel Reade is also the great-great-grandfather of the first U.S. President, George Washington (also through his daughter Mildred).
Sources
↑ 1.001.011.021.031.041.051.061.071.081.091.101.111.121.131.14 Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), volume IV, page 468 READE 21.
↑ 3.03.13.2 Tyler, Lyon G., Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Vol I. (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1915). Online at Archive.org, pages 123-124.
↑ 5.05.15.25.35.45.5 Jamestowne Society, "Washington & Northern Virginia Company Biographies of Ancestors of Members: George Reade." Online at Ancestry.com.
↑ 6.06.16.2 Find A Grave, database and images [#11591850 (accessed 3 Nov 2019)], memorial page for Col. George Read (25 Oct 1608–Oct 1674), citing Grace Episcopal Churchyard, Yorktown, York County, Virginia, USA; Maintained by George Seitz (contributor 40539541): headstone photo. As of 4 December 2019, the memorial previously accessed had been merged away: Find A Grave: Memorial #5737079
↑ 7.07.17.27.3 "Reade Family" in The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 14, no. 2, 1905, pages 117–125. Online at JSTOR.
↑ 8.08.18.28.38.4 Stoudt, John B. Nicolas Martiau, the Adventurous Huguenot, the Military Engineer, and the Earliest American Ancestor of George Washington. (Norristown, PA: Norristown Press, 1932), online at HathiTrust.org, pages 48-56.
↑ du Bellet, Louise Pacquet. Some Prominent Virginia Families. (Lynchburg, VA: J.P. Bell Co., 1907), online at Archive.org, Vol. IV, page 8.
↑ 11.011.111.211.311.4 McAllister, John M. and Lura Boulton Tandy. Genealogies of the Lewis and Kindred Families. (Columbia, MO: E.W. Stephens, 1906). Online at Archive.org, pages 20-23.
↑ "In 1640 he was appointed Secretary of Virginia by the king" (Richardson, Royal Ancestry, IV:468 READE 21).
↑ 13.013.1 McIlwaine, H. R., ed. Journals of the House of Burgesses 1619-1658/9. (Richmond, VA: Library Board, Virginia State Library, 1915), online at Archive.org, Vol. 1 (1619-1658/1659), pages 29, 99, 113.
↑ Watson, Annah Walker Robinson. Some Notable Families of America. (New York: 1898), online at Archive.org, page 75.
↑ "They were both buried at Grace Episcopal Churchyard" (Richardson's Royal Ancestry, IV:468 READE 21). That Elizabeth was buried at his side is assumed.
↑ Williams, David, George Reade: sourced online biography.
Richardson, Douglas, and Kimball G. Everingham, editor, Magna Carta Ancestry: A study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols., 2nd edition, (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011). See also WikiTree's source page for Magna Carta Ancestry. Vol. 3, pages 431-32.
Richardson, Douglas, and Kimball G. Everingham, Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. 5 vols. (Salt Lake City, UT.: Douglas Richardson., 2013). See also WikiTree's source page for Royal Ancestry. Vol. 4, page 468.
See also:
Crozier, William A. Virginia Heraldica Being a Registry of Virginia Gentry Entitled to Coat Armor, with Genealogical Notes of the Families. (New York: The Genealogical Association, 1908), online at Archive.org, Vol. V, page 95.
Lewis, Mark Lewis at Home website: notes of family of Councilor John Lewis.
Rootes, T. R. "The Rootes Family" in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Oct., 1896), pp. 204-211. Online at JSTOR; accessed: 31-08-2019 21:27 UTC.
Acknowledgements
See the Changes tab for details of edits to this profile. Thanks to everyone who contributed.
Magna Carta Project
This profile was reviewed and approved for the Magna Carta Project by Thiessen-117 in Feb 2020.
See Base Camp for more information about identified Magna Carta trails and their status. See the project's glossary for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".
Magna Carta Trails
Badged trails to Lacy (2015), Quincy, the Clares, Albini, and Ros:
Gateway Ancestor George Reade (badged/100% 5-star)
1. George is the son of Mildred Windebank (badged/re-reviewed 4 Aug 2023)
2. Mildred is the daughter of Frances Dymoke (badged/re-reviewed 14 Aug 2023)
3. Frances is the daughter of Anne Tailboys (badged/re-reviewed 27 Aug 2023)
4. Ann is the daughter of George Tailboys (badged/re-reviewed 3 Oct 2023)
5. George is the son of Robert Tailboys (badged/re-reviewed 10 Oct 2023)
6. Robert is the son of Elizabeth Bonville (badged/re-reviewed 21 Oct 2023)
7. Elizabeth is the daughter of Margaret Grey (badged/re-reviewed 31 October 2023)
8. Margaret is the daughter of Margaret Ros (badged/re-reviewed 6 Nov 2023)
9. Margaret is the daughter of Beatrice de Stafford (badged/re-reviewed 4 Dec 2023)
10. Beatrice is the daughter of Margaret de Audley (badged/re-reviewed 8 Dec 2023)
11. Margaret is the daughter of Margaret de Clare (badgedre-reviewed 25 Dec 2023)
12. Margaret is the daughter of Gilbert de Clare (badged/100% 5-star)
13. Gilbert is the son of Maud de Lacy (badged/100% 5-star)
14. Maud is the daughter of Magna Carta Surety John de Lacy
DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with George by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with George:
I believe that there is a daughter missing, as the transcription of Elizabeth's will, clearly states, Itm. I give and bequeath unto my Daughters Elizabeth Chisman and Mary Reade all my wearing Apparill to be Equally Divided between them. I would like you to reconsider this additional child.
Mary will almost certainly be his daughter-in-law Mary (Lilly) Reade who married his son Robert Reade. It was common not to distinguish between in-laws and blood relatives, and "daughter” could mean either a daughter by blood or a daughter-in-law. Unless other evidence can be found for a blood daughter called Mary, that looks like the answer.
I detached a profile for a son Thomas born 1649 who had a profile for a son William attached (George's son Thomas was a minor in 1687, meaning he was born 1666 or later, and no evidence that he ever had a son named William).
edited by Michael Cayley