Over the past several months, I've been doing a lot of research on my ancestry. Until a few days ago, I couldn't find much for the Ketcham side of my family. I thought it was really ironic because I really wanted to know where the Ketcham name came from.
I could find the Williams side (my dad's mother's father's side), and the Troyer side (my dad's mother's mother's side), and the Freet side (my dad's father's mother's side), but I couldn't find the Ketcham side (my dad's father's father's side). It was what I was honestly most curious about, but I couldn't get back any further than my great-great-grandfather. And, that was only because my grandmother had up to that point written in the family Bible (which is now in my possession).
Anyway, a few days ago, I got a few leads and when I followed up on them, Bam! I found my great-great-great-grandfather. And, today, I found clear back to my great to the tenth power grandfather (haha). Here it is.
* Edward Ketcham was born in England. He came to the U.S. in 1635. He first arrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts, but later settled in Connecticut. He was the first of the Ketcham name to arrive in the U.S.
Edward was a Puritan. His first wife died while he still lived in England, and he remarried immediately upon arriving in the U.S. He and his wife, Sarah, had a daughter named Sarah in 1640. She was likely the first of the Ketcham name to be born in the U.S.
Before Edward, the line is a little hazy. There are a few different possibilities as to who his father could have been. One of them was Sir Ronald Ketcham. It would not have been his real name. He was named so because he was the one to "ketch" Guy Fawkes.
(If you're not quite sure where you've heard that name, think V for Vendetta... "V" wore a Guy Fawkes costume because Guy Fawkes attempted to bring "The Gunpowder Plan" to fruition. "V" actually gets to follow through with his own "Gunpowder Plan" in the movie. And, so I think it's definitely cool that I could be related to the man who caught Guy Fawkes.)
Another option is from a line in England whose last name was Chetcham (most likely James Chetcham would have been Edward's father). It could also be that the name was chosen because the family came from Kitchenham or Kitcham in England (it was common to choose a last name based on a former residence).
As you can probably tell from the list, the spelling of the name changed back and forth from Ketcham and Ketchum, I guess based on simple preference.
Anywho... I'm just really wowed by all of it. I'm so excited that I've finally figured out where the Ketcham name came from. It's English! I'll have to blog later about my other ancestors. I just really wanted to share my Ketcham roots. ;)
Oh, also of minor significance, one of my cousins very far back is actually Thomas Edward Ketchum. He is also known as "Black Jack" Ketchum. He was actually a famous cowboy-turned-trainrobber. So, probably not the most likable guy, but he's one of the few famous people that I've found in my family tree.
Oh, and in case you're curious, I do most of my research on http://www.ancestry.com. It's a wonderful website!
I could find the Williams side (my dad's mother's father's side), and the Troyer side (my dad's mother's mother's side), and the Freet side (my dad's father's mother's side), but I couldn't find the Ketcham side (my dad's father's father's side). It was what I was honestly most curious about, but I couldn't get back any further than my great-great-grandfather. And, that was only because my grandmother had up to that point written in the family Bible (which is now in my possession).
Anyway, a few days ago, I got a few leads and when I followed up on them, Bam! I found my great-great-great-grandfather. And, today, I found clear back to my great to the tenth power grandfather (haha). Here it is.
| Tara Lyn Ketcham | 1985- | ||
| Terry Lee Ketcham | 1964- | Tammy Kay Milton | 1966- |
| Ernest Jay Ketcham | 1933-1999 | Wilma Jean Williams | 1934-2005 |
| Ernest Alfa Ketcham | 1895-1973 | Charity Olive Freet | 1901-1980 |
| George Washington Ketcham | 1869-1934 | Anna Cedochca Shock | 1869-1954 |
| Simmons (Simeon) Ketcham | 1835-? | Amanda Kimble | 1839-? |
| Andrew Ketcham | 1810-1861 | Esther (Hester) Barnes | 1811-1890 |
| Holmes Ketcham | 1772-1846 | Mary Van Sickle | 1784-1842 |
| Danial Ketcham | 1753-1829 | Alice Holmes | 1753-1781 |
| Ebenezer Ketchum | 1722-1777 | Mary Sherwood | 1725-? |
| Nathaniel Ketchum | 1678-1738 | Sarah Wakelee | 1683-1738 |
| Joseph Ketchum | 1646-1730 | Mercy Lindall | 1658-1683 |
| Edward Ketcham* | 1590-1655 | Sarah Salman | 1608-1672 |
* Edward Ketcham was born in England. He came to the U.S. in 1635. He first arrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts, but later settled in Connecticut. He was the first of the Ketcham name to arrive in the U.S.
Edward was a Puritan. His first wife died while he still lived in England, and he remarried immediately upon arriving in the U.S. He and his wife, Sarah, had a daughter named Sarah in 1640. She was likely the first of the Ketcham name to be born in the U.S.
Before Edward, the line is a little hazy. There are a few different possibilities as to who his father could have been. One of them was Sir Ronald Ketcham. It would not have been his real name. He was named so because he was the one to "ketch" Guy Fawkes.
(If you're not quite sure where you've heard that name, think V for Vendetta... "V" wore a Guy Fawkes costume because Guy Fawkes attempted to bring "The Gunpowder Plan" to fruition. "V" actually gets to follow through with his own "Gunpowder Plan" in the movie. And, so I think it's definitely cool that I could be related to the man who caught Guy Fawkes.)
Another option is from a line in England whose last name was Chetcham (most likely James Chetcham would have been Edward's father). It could also be that the name was chosen because the family came from Kitchenham or Kitcham in England (it was common to choose a last name based on a former residence).
As you can probably tell from the list, the spelling of the name changed back and forth from Ketcham and Ketchum, I guess based on simple preference.
Anywho... I'm just really wowed by all of it. I'm so excited that I've finally figured out where the Ketcham name came from. It's English! I'll have to blog later about my other ancestors. I just really wanted to share my Ketcham roots. ;)
Oh, also of minor significance, one of my cousins very far back is actually Thomas Edward Ketchum. He is also known as "Black Jack" Ketchum. He was actually a famous cowboy-turned-trainrobber. So, probably not the most likable guy, but he's one of the few famous people that I've found in my family tree.
Oh, and in case you're curious, I do most of my research on http://www.ancestry.com. It's a wonderful website!
