William the Conqueror, First Norman King of England

Yes, you are the decedent of William the Conqueror, the First Norman King of England.  Before you think too much of yourself, realize that genealogist estimate that at least 25% of the entire English population is some type of decedent of William.  That also goes for Americans of English decent as well!

William was born in 1028 in Normandy, France.  Normandy was named for the Norsemen Vikings who had ruled the territory in the northern part of France for centuries.  William was the bastard son of Robert I Duke of Normandy.    As with any royal family, the competition for power and wealth lead to the death of many would be heirs.  It was not different for William.  After his father‘s death in 1035, William was left unprotected.  He was in constant danger.  For his safety, his guardians would move him to different locations in the middle of the night.  On one occasion, he witnessed the murder of his body guard in a botched kidnap attempt.   

As William grew into manhood, he became a very good military captain.  After establishing himself as Duke of Normandy, he paid the ransom of an English Earl, Harold of Wessex, who had been captured by competitors.  After receiving his freedom, Harold is reported to have sworn allegiance to William and promised that William would be crowned king of England after the death of the then King Edward.  It is not known for certain if Harold made this oath.   

The Norman Conquest started in 1066 upon the death of King Edward as Harold was crowned King of England.  William, feeling betrayed started at that moment to plan the conquest.  The first battle fought between William and Harold ended with the death of King Harold.  It was followed by a winding path of battled across southern and central England until William had completed surrounded London.  The leaders there begged him to take the English crown.

The story of this conquest is retold on the woven Bayeux Tapestry.  It is 19 inches high and 229 feet long and weights almost 400 pounds.  It is displayed in the Bayeux Seminary Bayeux, France.

William died in 1087 from an infection set in from a ruptured intestine he received during a battle when his horse reared and he was thrust back in his saddle.  The story is that his body became so bloated that those preparing him for his burial could not easily fit him into the casket.  Hence, they put a lot of pressure on his stomach.  This caused his skin to burst.  It was apparently very smelly.

After William’s death, his kingdom was divided.  William’s son Robert ruled Normandy and son William II ruled England.  Upon the death of William II, his son Henry I united the kingdoms again.   This uniting, division, and uniting cycle would be the cause of many wars throughout the next millennium.

Eliza Clayton Margetts

This is a transcription of a hand written four page letter by Eliza Clayton Margetts, younger sister to William Clayton composer of the hymn “Come, Come, Ye Saints.”  Eliza Clayton is my third great grandmother.  I have made only small changes to word spellings or punctuation in order to facilitate readability.  

Reminiscence of Nauvoo

At the age of ten years, I with my parents emigrated from England and arrived at Nauvoo in the fall of 1840.  Our family being large, father was counseled by the Prophet Joseph to go into the country.  We did so and remained away from Nauvoo until the summer of 1841 when we moved back in consequence of the persecution of mobocrats. 

I have a distinct recollection of hearing Ruth, wife of William Clayton, talk of the organization of the Female Relief Society on her return home from the meeting at which said organization took place.

We moved to Carthage in the fall of 1842 at which place we lived until after the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum.  In the forenoon of that day on which these atrocious murders were committed, some of the neighbors, disguised and with painted faces, came to our house and told mother she had better get out of the way as they were going to kill the Prophet that day.  A terrific storm arose that day and in the afternoon we heard the firing of guns and soon after saw some of the murderers run way howling like fiends.  My sister Lucy who was at this time living with the jailer’s family and was at the jail when the shooting commenced, came home and told what had happened.  

The next day, I went with my sister Lucy to the jail.  We found the doors and windows open and everything in confusion as though the people had left in great haste.  We went up stairs to the room in which the Prophet and his brother had been shot.  Everything seemed upset.  There were some Church books on the table and portraits of Joseph and Hyrum’s families on the mantel piece.  Blood in pools on the floor and bespattered on the walls, at the sight of which we were overcome with grief and burst into tears.  After becoming somewhat collected, we gathered up what we supposed belonged to the inmates of the room at the time of the murder and placed them together on a trunk that was in the room. 

About three weeks after the massacre of Joseph and Hyrum, we moved back to Nauvoo.  I witnessed the trying scenes the saints passed through until they were driven from Nauvoo.

I remember a circumstance that occurred during what is called the battle of Nauvoo.  While at the well drawing a bucket of water, a cannon ball from the enemy’s guns struck the chimney of the house in which we lived which so much frightened me that I got my finger fast in the well windlass and in extricating myself skinned my finger nearly the whole length.

 

I was among the remnants of the sick and dying saints on the banks of the Mississippi after the expulsion when they were miraculously fed by quails that alighted in their midst.  When the quails alighted, they let on our laps and everything that was around.  After we had caught enough to eat, they flew towards the west like a swarm of bees.  Before this there were some young men went out in the woods with their guns to find some game for their families to eat and while they were gone the quails came and had gone when they got back.  They had had [no] luck while they were out and killed nothing and had to come back without anything to eat for their families.  Great was their joy when they found everybody had plenty to eat. 

Eliza Clayton Margetts