"The Foster Family of
Flanders, England and America"
by
Dr. Billie Glen Foster
Notes by Gary L. Foster (25 July 2005): This book was written over many years of research and published in 1990 as Dr. Bill Foster researched our Southern branch of the Foster Family back to its beginnings in early Colonial Virginia to the first Foster's to live in this new land of opportunity. This book was first found by me about 4 years ago in the Salt Lake City, Utah Family History Library. As I looked through it I wished I knew more about my own family because my lineage names were not in the book. At that time I could not be part of this family. Over the next few years I found many references to this book on individual websites. Still I could not find a connection to my own family.
In April 2005 I tested my DNA sample with http://www.familydna.org. Shortly after testing for 25 markers and then again for 37 markers several matches were identified that brought me into contact with William Foster of North Carolina. He called me "Cousin" and the paper trail began in earnest because we were matching at 99.9% having a common ancestor in the past 200 years. William referred me back to Dr. Bill Foster's book and we began looking for my missing link into these same early Virginia Foster families. Most Southern Foster families tie into Robert Foster & Elizabeth Garnett. They had 11 children with lots of information in this book about each of them. But to the fifth son, Richard Foster, born about 1693 in Essex County, Virginia. Little was known about him until 1737 when he "appeared" in the Court records of Essex County, Virginia. Dr. Bill Foster said, "I have no other information on the life, marriage or family of Richard Foster." But in the Appendix of Foster Genealogy, page 335 the name of Richard Foster born in 1723 is listed as possibly having a father named Richard who may have a father named Richard Foster born in 1619 in England (the commonly believed immigrant ancestor). Because of the over 100 years between these three Richards I felt another generation was needed especially since my end of the line went to Richard Foster, born in 1723 in Whitchurch, Hampshire, England.
As I have studied the Foster families of early colonial Virginia I have decided to pursue the possibility of the Richard Foster born in about 1693 who is born to Robert Foster and Elizabeth Garnett. He is born in Essex, Virginia. When his father Robert dies in 1715/16 at the age of 57 he leaves a will (see page 39 top left paragraph). The older three sons got the land. The fourth child Barbary Loveing, son-in-law, and grandson got 1 shilling, heifer & calf and released of debts owed to Robert. The fifth child, Richard (born about 1693, got his father's pistols, holsters and sword, a feather bed, bolster, cow and a heifer calf. Now, this is the Richard I am currently researching to see if there "may have been a reason" for his father Robert to give Richard his military guns and sword. Richard was age 22 at this time and old enough to be inclined towards the English military for the next few years or to be married in about 1721 to a neighboring girl by the last name of "Ransome". The will also gave him a feather bed, bolster and a cow and heifer. This is a very necessary gift to set up your own housekeeping as a young married. It is also possible for Richard to have left home about this time and go to England with his wife "Miss Ransome". In my notes I refer too her as Elizabeth Ransome but that is simply a guess on my part. In Whitchurch (White Church), Hampshire, England she gives birth in 1723 to a son and calls him Richard Foster. This is my for sure Richard Foster.
The next time we find these two Richard's (1693 and 1723) they are both back in Virginia. The father, Richard (1693) has married again to Sarah Fox in 1733 in Essex, County, Virginia. They go on to have 9 children, 8 of which are sons. The assumption is that the first wife Elizabeth Ransome died either in England or Virginia.
The son Richard (born in 1723 in England) now marries Susannah Rand, daughter of William Rand and Elizabeth Beverly. Their first child is named (this is my assumption) after the surname of the mother of Susannah (Beverly) and the surname of the grandmother of Richard (Ransome). So, Beverly Ransome Foster was born in the Isle of Wight County in Virginia in 1748. The next four children were born and named Elizabeth, Peter, Richard, & James all born in Essex County, Virginia amongst the "other" members of the Foster Family in Essex County. Did they live on land previously owned by her side of the family, the early Ransome's of Gloucester County, Virginia? Is this why the name Ransome appears so many times in this branch of the Foster family? See the English Naming Patterns webpage created to illustrate this possibility.
Well, with the DNA trail pointing this direction and all the fine research work done by Dr. Bill Foster, (see his Acknowledgement for all those special people who have contributed so much to this family) more of my "missing link" possibilities are now in focus on the Richard Foster born in about 1693 to Robert and Elizabeth Foster. If you have some suggestions for me to research please let me know.
During the month of July 2005 I have been researching in the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), National Archives, Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Mesa Regional Family History Center in Arizona and daily on the Internet. I will keep updating these pages as I learn more. Many of the original source records were burned so I find little pieces of information here and there. Collectively they may be considered as circumstantial evidence. In September 2005 I will concentrate on Whitchurch, Hampshire, England. Two years ago I reviewed the microfilms on this area at the Salt Lake City Family History Library for ten years before and after the birth year 1723 of my Richard and could not find anything conclusively. Now, I want to search on his possible father Richard (1693) married to a "Miss Ransome." Also, in early Virginia there are two other Foster's mentioned that originate in Whitchurch, Hampshire, England that are living in Virginia. They are "Mr. Thomas Foster, Justice of New Kent County, 1690. Son of the above Thomas and brother of the first Richard" Richard Foster (1st) had Edward, John, and Richard (2nd). Richard (2nd) was the son of John, who married Abigail, daughter of the noted Ann Hutchinson of Massachusetts. John's brother Edward's daughter married two Governors of North Carolina - Sothell and Ludwell. SOURCE: Virginia Historical Record, Volume VI, page 390.
I am currently researching the surname Ransome. Click to see what we have found so far.
I began my search for Foster's with my own family when I was 14 years of age living in Arizona. I had no idea where my lineage was going to take me. I only knew of my father, Alton Scott Foster born in New Mexico and his father born in Texas when I began. While in my 30's I began to research and visit as many living relatives as I could to learn more of where we came from. Those visits took me to Council Grove, Kansas on a family genealogy vacation and to New Mexico to visit relatives there belonging to the William Scott Foster family.
With the help of DeAnne Shelly, professional genealogist she got my family out of Kansas and headed for Virginia. Many genealogists have assisted me to linking over 25,000 related individuals to our ever growing Foster Family.
Genealogy is simply bringing together my relatives to a big family reunion and giving each of them time to "tell us how they fit" into this wonderful Foster Family. If I don't get them all connected into our family before I die then I hope the Lord will introduce me to them in the life too come as we will have a lot to talk about.