As those who follow this website know, I've been working for the past year or so on a new book, Wathen's Adventure: The Genealogy & History of Southern Maryland's John Wathen. Picking up where I left off in my last book, I've been working to reconnect several more disconnected branches of the Wathen family tree: James Hanson Wathen (c. 1756–1826), who died in St. Mary’s County, Maryland; Barton Wathen (c. 1761–1819), who died in Washington County, Kentucky; John Francis Warthen (c. 1765–1838), who died in Frederick County, Maryland; and Leonard Warthen (c. 1777–1850), who died in Montgomery County, Maryland.
I'm making good progress and wanted to share an overview of some of the research I've conducted so far this year:
- In January, I discovered a previously misidentified list of Pre-Revolutionary War Catholics who lived near Newtown, providing new clues about the ancestry of James Hanson Wathen. (Details about this list are in the Fall Edition of The Chronicles of St. Mary's, the quarterly journal of St. Mary's County Historical Society.)
- In February, I visited the Historical Society of Frederick County to research John Francis Warthen, ancestor of the Frederick County Warthens.
- In early March, I visited the Montgomery County Historical Society to research the Wathens who passed through or settled in Montgomery County, Maryland.
- In late March, I traveled to South Bend, Indiana, to meet the legendary Wathen genealogist Carol Collins and inherit files from her decades of research.
- In late March, we also added Y-DNA testing from a descendant of Barton Wathen, ancestor of many Kentucky and Indiana Wathens, including Carol Collins.
- In June, we added Y-DNA testing from a descendant of Leonard Warthen, ancestor of the Montgomery County, Maryland Wathens.
- I've visited the St. Mary's County Historical Society numerous times and spent considerable time searching online for more clues.
- Just today, I visited the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis again to continue reviewing records related to the Montgomery County and Frederick County Warthens.
- I'm currently working on recruiting a descendant of Ignatius Wathen Jr. to take a Y-DNA test, as I suspect he was be the father of one or two of these disconnected Wathen/Warthen branches.
If you find this research meaningful and would like to help support it, please consider purchasing a memorial page listing in my upcoming book or a copy of The Wathens of Southern Maryland: Their Genealogy & History. This research requires a significant amount of both time and money, and it wouldn't be possible without your support!
Our Wathen Day sale isn't over until tomorrow, September 14. Use the code WATHENDAY to get $5 off each print copy of The Wathens of Southern Maryland.