Saturday, September 3, 2016

September 3, 2016 From Shapleigh to Sharpley

Have you ever wondered where your last name originated?
From the day I was married, and became a SHARPLEY, there were only 2 SHARPLEY(s) listed  in the Roanoke telephone book (ours, and Ron's parents). And when our son was no longer in the nest......there were 3 in the book!
Strange?
I knew that Winston (Ron's Dad) was an only child, and was born in 1917 in Wilmington, Del.
Winston's Dad, Walter Sharpley was born 1888, Stockton, MD
Capt Bennum Sharpley,was born 1862 in Worchester, MD. Check out an earlier blog to tie this all together!!! ---> (WHO IS LIZZIE PARSONS?) I think you will find it fascinating!
Then there was George, then David...and on and on.
Well, back to the name!
Below is a photo of our family crest!





























Here is a letter written in 1943 to Ron's Dad, from the Library of Congress!
In a few hundred years Shapleigh morphed to SHARPLEY

A very close 'likeness' to the one above!























*From the Library of  Congress in Washington, D.C..."The progenitor of the Sharpley Family in America was: Shapleigh (Shapley or Sharpley) in (1585-1650) from England circa 1635, in his own ship the "Benediction" to KITTERY, MAINE, where he built the first permanent home along the Shapleigh River. He returned to England and died there. He married a Mary. This is from the coompendium of American Genealogy vol.7, 1942, page 880.



Kittery is the oldest town in Maine! Find out how the town got it's name!--> Kittery  .
And one final significant fact! 









Yep, Shapleigh, Maine! ---->SHAPLEIGH
We took a detour this morning to Shapleigh Maine.
What a quaint little town!

How could we pass these up???? 






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