This week’s writing prompt is Wide Open Spaces. There are obvious ways this prompt could be taken; ancestors that homesteaded, or had a great love of the outdoors, etc. What came to mind immediately was the song “Wide Open Spaces” by The Chicks. I was lucky enough to see them in concert in Las Vegas on the weekend of 24 June 2000. I remember the date because Natalie Maines talked about getting married that weekend. She married, her now ex-husband, Adrian Pasdar, on that date. I did not know at the time if I shared any ancestors with the members of The Chicks. I first looked at the family tree of singer Natalie Maines. I did not discover any shared ancestry with her. But when I looked at the sisters Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire, I discovered that we share several ancestors!

I discovered at least four sets of shared ancestors with the sisters. We may have even more connections, but those are the ones I noticed right away when viewing their tree. All of our shared ancestors that migrated to Colonial America were in search of land, freedom, and the vast wide-open spaces that were not available to them in their home countries of England and Scotland.

The photo above is during the time the sisters were part of the duo The Court Yard Hounds. The band was active from 2009 to 2013. The duo, consisting of Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, sisters and founding members of the Dixie Chicks, formed the band during a Dixie Chicks hiatus. They released two albums, “Court Yard Hounds” in 2010 and “Amelita” in 2013. The Dixie Chicks (now The Chicks) later reformed, leading to an indefinite hiatus for the Court Yard Hounds. Emily Robinson is now known as Emily Strayer, after her marriage to Martin Strayer in 2013.

None of our connections make us close kin. The first, and closest connection, is via our seventh great-grandparents, Samuel Prindle and Dorothy Plumb. In the past, I have written about our Plumb/Crackbone  and related Baldwin ancestors.

Samuel Prindle was born in Colonial New Haven Connecticut. He was the son of William Prindle (Pringle), who was born in Scotland and migrated to Colonial Connecticut, and his wife Mary ___.

My line continues with the son Daniel Prindle and his second wife Phebe Judd. These are the ancestors of my maternal great-grandmother Anna Cora Prindle Cole Cantley. The sisters line continues with the son Samuel Prindle and his wife Abigail Mudge. I have yet to write exclusively about my Prindle ancestors, but when I do, I will include the sisters in the famous kin descended from them.

The next set of ancestors that we share are our tenth great-grandparents Thomas Kilbourne and Frances Moody. Prior, I did write about our, somewhat well-known in history, ancestor Edmund Moody who saved the life of Henry VIII and in doing so changed history.

These are the ancestors of my maternal third great-grandmother Cordelia Merchant Cole.

The photo I posted above is of an actor playing Edmund Moody in The Tudors, Season 1, Episode 4. They do not name this servant that saved Henry VIII’s life in that TV series. I do not know who the actor is, his name is not listed in the credits. So, my ancestor gets only a small nod for a few minutes. In the limited series Wolf Hall, the accident and saving of Henry VIII is not shown, but my ancestor is mentioned by name.

Our next connection is our shared eleventh great-grandparents Rev. Robert Prudden and his wife Mildred ____. I have yet to write about my Prudden ancestors.

They are the ancestors of my maternal third great-grandmother Cordelia Merchant Cole.

When Rev. Robert Prudden died, most of his children were minors. His wife Mildred went on to marry Hugh Ingram. The family relocated to London, where Hugh was involved with the Merchant Taylors Guild, and at one point served as the Grand Master.

The transition to London must have been thrilling, considering the Prudden family had spent many years in the small agricultural community of Kings Walden, which is surrounded by the nearby towns of Luton, Streatley, and the tiny settlement of Hitchin, merely a crossroads. Observing the international traders and the exchange of various goods such as fabrics, fish, furs, herbs, wine, and lumber, organizations for trading with Africa and Turkey were established. In 1559, the Dutch controlled the pepper trade, resulting in prices soaring to 8 shillings per pound. To challenge this monopoly, the East India Company was created. Colonial enterprises were dispatched to the New World, with merchant adventurers funding Capt. John Smith’s venture into a Virginia plantation nearly 14 years prior to the arrival of the Mayflower in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and only 22 years before the founding of Milford, Connecticut by his son Rev. Peter Prudden.

The sisters and I also share twelfth great-grandparents Jacob French and Susan Warren. They are the ancestors of my maternal third great-grandmother Cordelia Merchant Cole.

The French family originated from Bures St. Mary and Assington, located in Suffolk, England. Jacob French was the offspring of Thomas French. Aside from being the father of Jacob and Thomas Jr., not much is known about him. He likely married around the year 1550. His ancestry and the name of his spouse remain unknown.

Jacob French wed Susann Warren on September 27, 1578, at Bures St. Mary in Suffolk. The parish is situated partly in Suffolk and partly in Essex, with the Stour River serving as the dividing line between the two counties. Jacob relocated to Assington around 1585 or 1586 or shifted his church affiliation to that location. Assington is adjacent to Bures to the north.

It appears that Susan Warren is probably the daughter or granddaughter of William and Katherine Warren from Bures St. Mary. The names William and Katherine are passed down through the generations.

Below is a video of The Chicks singing “Wide Open Spaces”.

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