In 1637, James named his brother, Richard Aldous, as executor of his estate. In 1641, when he died, James’ last will showed that he owned property in Wingfield, Suffolk County, England.

James Aldous

Born: 16 JAN 1585 in Wingfield, Suffolk County, England

Father: Thomas Aldous (1548 to 1613)
Mother: Frances Freston (1543 to 1613)

Spouse: Grace Aldous (1597 to 1647)

Married: 25 JUN 1618 in Wingfield, Suffolk County, England

Children: None

Died: 1641 in Dennington, Suffolk County, England

Burial: St Mary the Virgin Churchyard

Timeline:

1613 Death of father, Thomas
1613 Death of mother, Frances
1618 Marriage to Grace
1641 Death and Burial

Occupation: carpenter

Records:

England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973
Genealogical Gleanings in England, Vol. I
UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current

Variations of Surname: Aldus

How James and Grace Were Related:

Both James and Grace were born with the surname of Aldous. They were also born less than three miles apart, James in Wingfield and Grace in Stradbroke.

With this in mind, I knew they had to be related. I decided to use the “Canon or Common Law Relationship Chart“. First, I followed James’ line back several generations. I did the same for Grace. This is how I found their “common ancestor”.

James (1585), Thomas (1548), Thomas (1495), William (1452)
Grace (1597), James (1567), Richard (1533), Richard (1485), William (1452)

William Aldous (1452) was James’ great-grandfather and Grace’s great-great-grandfather.

Using the Canon Relationship Chart, I placed the initial W (for William) at the top of the chart marked CP (Common Progenitor). On the left of the chart, I counted down three steps for James. On the right of the chart, I counted down four steps for Grace. Then I followed each line down until they met in the middle (circled on the chart).

The Canon Relationship Chart shows that James and Grace were second cousins, once removed.

The Last Wills of James and Grace:

As I was searching for information on James and Grace, I discovered a document that another Ancestry.com member had shared on their family tree. It was entitled “Ancestry of Elizabeth Aldous Brock”. Elizabeth was Grace’s sister. She and her husband, Henry Brock, immigrated to Norfolk County, Massachusetts around 1639.

The document can be found in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 144, published in 1990.

The snippet of page 131 confirms the following information:

James and Grace had no children.
James and Grace lived in Dennington, Suffolk County, England.
James was a carpenter.
James owned a residence in Wingfield, Suffolk County, England.
James had a brother named Richard Aldous who lived in Wingfield.

I then found Grace’s last will on Ancestry.com under the database entitled “Genealogical Gleanings in England, Vol. I” You can view this document on their website on page 740 of 865. Or, you can zoom in and read it on this PDF file:

Grace Aldous Aldous Tyler 1647 Last Will and Testament

In Grace’s last will, she names three of her sisters, Elizabeth, Savina, and Sibilla. Grace named two of her cousins as executors of her last will. They were John Browne of Brundish and William Younge of Cratfield. Both lived in Suffolk County, England.

Spouse:

Grace Aldous:

Grace was born in 1597 in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1647 in Colchester, Essex County, England.

Grace’s father was James Aldous. He was born in 1567 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1624 in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England.

Grace’s mother was Elizabeth Barber. She was born in 1570 in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1626 in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England.

Grace had five sisters, all born in Stradbroke:

Elizabeth Aldous (1593)
Mary Aldous (1595)
Ann Aldous (1600)
Savina Aldous (1602)
Sibilla Aldous (1605)

After James died, Grace married a man named John Tyler around the year 1644. They lived in Colchester, Essex County, England.

I have no information on John Tyler.

Notes:

Here are some links to websites that helped with my Aldous family research:

Aldous.net (Aldous family history and family tree)
Ancestors of Tim Farr, Descendants of Stephen Farr (family tree)
Reid-Schroeder Genealogies (family tree)
The Tree of Us (family tree)
Family Search (family tree website)
The Internet Surname Database (surname meaning and origins)
House of Names (coat of arms)

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for vital records.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. Records should include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are other websites on the internet for countries like Italy and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on. There are also family trees that go “forward into time.” Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty. They would then move forward into the present time. The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline to that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!