Posted by Joan ARTHUR Beasley on 2007/9/2 22:48:04

Please help me I know fro m family stories about Gagerial Arthur..Joanie Arthur Beasley

Originally posted Jan 10 2007, 02:38 AM

Posted by richard on 2007/9/3 21:05:06

Joan,

I've looked into the stories of Gabriel Arthur for reasons I'll cover later. The one thing I have found is that there seem to be more questions than there are answers. I'll be happy to give you a recap of what I have found.

The central story of Gabriel's adventures are laid out in a letter from Abraham Wood, written in 1674. There is an excellent transcription including the original text as well as an edited version with modernized spellings and grammar. It is available here, from the University of North Carolina.

One big problem with most accounts of Gabriel's linage is the amount of time that elapses in the earlier generations. This comment in another forum touches on a theory for an explanation. There are several published lineages on the web, but beware. I've seen some that have single generations that span 120 years, and another that had only 14 years from a person's birth to the birth of her grandchild.

My interest in the Gabriel Arthur story came from this article by Gene Elmore on the RCHS site. I have been unable to personally verify this information, but it may be useful to you. The James Keen mentioned in the article is my 3rd great grandfather, so the topic has a personal relevance to me.

I wish I could help answer your questions, but the best I can offer is the advice to write down what you remember of your family stories. Share those with your family, and add what they remember, too. This is a puzzle that may never be completely solved, but the pieces you and your family hold my be unique and irreplaceable.

Good luck in your searches!

Originally posted Jan 13 2007, 03:56 PM