 Myth, Myth and more Myth'sA few years ago, Anita Hales posted to another Woolsey message board: OK, here goes. In one message on this list (Woolsey Family Documentation II by Wilford Wl Whitaker). If Wilford Whitaker posted this, it was in connection with WOOLSEY MYTHS, which means that it ain't true! The father of George Woolsey b. 27 Oct 1610 [This date is used by all the early researchers, but Wilford has never found it documented!] in England, is listed as Benjamin Woolsey b. 1584.[Again, not true!] Benjamin's father is supposedly George b 1576. [Not true!] I'd say he was mighty young to be fathering a child. The second problem is that I found this entry on the Family Tree Maker site: "George Woolsey operated a tobacco shop in Holland". [This is true, George Woolsey, Sr. was a "tobacconist"] He had a brother, Benjamin Woolsey, who married Ovel Hook. [T'ain't true!] For the past 200 years and more, most family genealogists have believed Benjamin Woolsey to be George Woolsey. [Wilford does not know what that means, but it ain't true!]However, the more James W. Woolsey researched the family ancestry the more he knew it not to be true and believed Benjamin and George to be brothers. [George Woolsey Sr. does NOT have a brother Benjamin. In fact, there is no Benjamin Woolsey until the third generation in America.] ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF DUTCH RECORDS: Mr. Hugo Pietersz an English minister in this town and Johan Sanders, an English merchant, both living in this town, by the last will and testament of Sir Joris Wolsey, English merchant living in this town, written by Philips Versins, Notaris with witness that after his death, in 1629, are to take his children which have been handed over by their mother, Franchina Robbechtsdr. They accepted this responsibility Dec. 18, 1630. George Joris Woolsey went with his uncle Benjamin [There is NO Uncle Benjamin. Wilford does not believe George 'Joris' Woolsey came to America before 1643!] to America. Two other children were adopted [adopted? more like the merchants were guardians] by English merchants and returned [We don't know that they returned to England.] to England. LINEAGE: Direct relative [This is the biggest MYTH of all. Do I need to clarify the word myth?] of Cardinal Woolsey, [Not True!] Prime Minister to King Henry VIII of England. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: presented by Jimmy Woolsey of Oklahoma City, Ok. "As yet I know not what ship little George and his Uncle Benjamin Wolsey [There is no Benjamin!] came to America on, but this Isaac Allerton, an English merchant, who had come to America on the Mayflower in 1620, set up shop on Manhattan Island as soon as the West India Company took over in 1623. [This date is not correct but Isaac Allerton came to Manhattan Island much later.] By having George, who could speak the Dutch language, great progress was made in his enterprise. The records do not have too much of George, though he was made manager of Isaac Allerton's business in 1659....The only presumption in the above is that I believe George was escorted to America by his Uncle Benjamin Wolsey [Remember there is no Uncle Benjamin] - who was a brother to George Wolsey (Woolsey), [the "tobacconist" who died in Holland in 1629. All the rest of the above is fact which can be proven. [What facts? Most are MYTHS!] The Orphan's Court record in Rotterdam lets one know that George was not present at the time the record was made because he was in America. [There is nothing in the records to substantiate this!] But the question is, did he come by himself or with someone? For the past 200 years and more, most Family Genealogists have believed Benjamin Wolsey [There is no Benjamin Wolsey] to be George's father. I too did believe this. But he more research I do the more I know this is not so. The fact is that Allerton and George Sr. knew one another in Holland before the Mayflower made its famous voyage. Times were hard in Holland. Many children were sent to America to work out heir ship passage for someone." [James W. Woolsey makes a lot of assumptions in the above paragraph, little of which can be proven.] So I think that the forum entry shows Benjamin and his brother [There is NO Benjamin] George as son and father respectively. At least according to the other information. So are the parents of George (1610), George and Frances Roberts???? NOT Benjamin??? [Remember, NO Benjamin!] What say you all? [So, yes, George 'Joris' Woolsey is the son of George Woolsey, Sr. and Frances Roberts, of Norfolk County, England and Rotterdam, Holland.] James Woolsey responded: During Oct. 2001 visited Great Yarmouth & Rotterdam. The church records show christening of George Wolsey,son of George & Agnes(Agnes name difficult to read but the reseacher at the Record office in Norwich believed the name to be Agnes not Francis. George was easier to make out). Dutch records in Rotterdam show Joris son of Thomas, soldat, in Gasthaus 1629. These are the grave records of Rotterdam. This would support that George's fx was also George and not Benjamin. [Wilford responds to that. James, I think that it is wonderful that you were able to visit our ancestral homes. However, it is too bad that you contacted a researcher that was unable to read the old English script. The name is definitely FFrances. If you had double checked the reference for John Wolsey, son of George and FFrances, in October, you would be able to see, two lines above the entry for John Wolsey, the last name on the line being Agnes, exactly as we would write it today. So the name of George 'Joris' Woolsey's mother is FFRANCES, and from the Rotterdam records we learn that her name is Franchina Robbertsdtr [trans: Frances, Robert's daughter] or Fraunces or Frances Roberts.] [James, I had not seen the Thomas , soldat record. I'll have to check that.]
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