Hello, cousins!
As we approach the two-year anniversary of The Wathens of Southern Maryland, I’m thrilled to share some exciting updates about my next book, Wathen’s Adventure: The Genealogy and History of John Wathen of Southern Maryland. This journey has uncovered new stories and big discoveries, which I can’t wait to share with you!
Why Another Book?
You might wonder: after writing a 470-page book about the Wathens, why embark on another (thankfully shorter) project? The answer is simple: The Wathens of Southern Maryland focused on tracing the branches of the family rooted in Southern Maryland. But our story doesn’t end there.
In Wathen’s Adventure, I go beyond Southern Maryland, exploring the first four generations of John Wathen’s descendants as they spread into Montgomery and Frederick Counties, Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and beyond. As I’ve retraced the first five generations of Wathens, starting with our ancestor John, I’ve also corrected some errors and added new details that readers will find interesting. While The Wathen of Southern Maryland often simply cited the research of Carol Collins, author of Wathen Anthology, my new book reaches back to the original records to ensure that the details are accurate and verifiable for other researchers.
What Big Discoveries?
I’ve uncovered some thrilling revelations during my research for Wathen’s Adventure! Here are two highlights I’m eager to share:
- Unraveling the Mystery of Barton Wathen: With the blessing of Carol Collins, I picked up where her research left off and found conclusive evidence connecting her ancestor, Barton Wathen of Washington County, Kentucky, to Marmaduke Wathen of Charles County, Maryland. This breakthrough solves a decades-long puzzle, and I’ll detail the evidence in my book.
- Finding New Information about James Hanson Wathen: With the help newly-available AI-assisted searches and new Y-DNA data, I’ve zeroed in on the most likely father of James Hanson Wathen – ancestor of most of the St. Mary’s County Wathens – and of John Francis Warthen – ancestor of the Frederick County Warthens. I’ve also discovered evidence that James Hanson and John Francis had another brother named Hutson!
How to Pre-order Wathen’s Adventure
My new book will be available this summer, but you can pre-order your copy now! As a thank-you for your support, you’ll have the opportunity to create a Memorial Page listing to honor your loved ones.
Reserve your copy and Memorial Page today at thewathens.com/products/memorial-page-listing.
It’s such a blessing to continue to uncover the Wathen family history! Thank you so much for your continued encouragement and support!