Lees of Virginia Lost Lineages

For hundreds of years, the Lees of Virginia descendants of Col. Richard Lee have been denied their heritage- denied their birthright by historians and scholars that refuse to allow the truth to be known. Because of past speculation that was considered as truths, and opinions that were published as facts by outdated references that have no proven documentation, as law that governs over who descends from Colonel Richard Lee and Anne Constable by the 'majority rule' genealogy sites, and promoted on Lee Y-DNA Project false claims. The denial of the Lees of Virginia Lost Descendant lines continues on, even in these times all because of false Lee Y-DNA Project claims, although the internet has opened new frontiers of knowledge, as Federal Census records and documentation that was previously blocked from our view are now accessible - as birth, marriage and death publications are now available-making it possible to prove the existence of this lineage and that it does live on-through the thousands of GEDCOM files available on genealogy sites worldwide, through updated public use of DNA matching and tools - and even though the facts are there, the denial of these proud descendants goes on ...

In 1988, a study by William Thorndale was published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, he stated that his research proved that Col Richard Lee was the son of a John Leyes, a clothier, and his wife Jane Hancock and that Richard had been born not at of Coton Hall in Shropshire England, but in Worcester England. In this publishing, Thorndale presented what appeared to be legitimate sources and arguments which carefully and systematically dispelled the accepted ancestral lineage of Col Richard Lee from the prominent English Lee's from Shropshire. Since that publishing, it appears that most of the research today has adopted this parentage of Richard Lee from this John Lyes and Jane Hancock assertion, even though this 1988 publishing had overridden the legal and historic documented facts that stated otherwise. I have discovered that there is no evidence of historical documentation that can back up Thorndale's claim.

This probably does not surprise many of you who research the Lee family that deal with more than often heated arguments, hidden records that were available no longer visible, mis-information, lines that seem to go nowhere and let us not forget the documented lines that constantly get thrown out of the Lee family because of purportedly wrong DNA matches from DNA projects that promote DNA from individuals whose lines cannot be properly verified, which by the way is an inappropriate misuse of DNA material and possible illegal (or will be in the near future when laws about DNA are updated) regardless of what is being said.

My research concludes, as I will demonstrate, that the whole John Leys (AKA Lee, Lies, etc.) and Jane Hancock as Col Richard Lee's parents is incorrect and possibly made up from a personal GEDCOM or research as there are no legitimate parish sources or records, other than Thorndale's publishing in 1988.

I will be presenting the evidence to prove up that Richard Lee born 1677 was the son of William Lee and grandson of Colonel Richard Lee from which hundreds of Lees of Virginia descendants lines derive even though they have been denied the acknowledgment of their rightful ancestry.

Richard Lee was born 1677 Surrey County, Virginia to William Lee and Alice Felton. He married Mary Young in 1695 in King and Queen County, Richmond, Virginia. Richard Henry Lee died on 10 Dec 1726 in West Farnham, Parish, King and Queen County, Richmond, Colony of Virginia. He was the grandson of Colonel Richard Lee and Anne Constable, and the father of John Lee, Esquire.  Many previous Lee researchers failed to note that William Lee the son of Col Richard Lee was of age to inherit when his father passed away in 1664 as Will and Last Testament does not stipulate William was not of age as his younger siblings were mentioned as when probated 1664/65. Most previous researchers and genealogy references have William's birth circa 1650 per Edmund J Lee's research in Lee of Virginia setting that stage William's birth would have been more of circa 1640, as men were to be age 21 to inherit without a legal guardian, yet he would have been legally able to wed at a younger age, as was customary at that time as it appears that he did just that. A practice of when giving a 'circa' date in genealogy research as EJ Lee had done usually gave a 10-year span in general understanding not to be taken literally. The math tells us William Lee would have been born around 1640 to be more accurate to his father's probate instructions which would also coincide with marriage record date for William Lee (Lea was a phonic spelling as was often the case in records of that time as with this record) to widow Alice Felton and land transactions that they had both witnessed as well.  By following the land that the court reversed back to William Lee's sons John and Richard, as William took money and not land, taking into consideration the numerous land, and county redivisions and renaming that occurred over a 100 year period of time to that same land, confirmation of William Lee's sons can be traced.  One could literally be standing in one place in the vicinity of Richmond County, Virginia in 1677, and be standing in the vicinity of Nansemond County, North Carolina today, without taking a step. It is because of the fluidity of these land boundaries and the countless renaming that has stumped researchers for decades making assumptions the person of the research interest had moved about, which was not the case at all.  I will be presenting the evidence to prove up that Richard Lee born 1677 was the son of William Lee and grandson of Colonel Richard Lee from which hundreds of Lees of Virginia descendants lines derive even though they have been denied the acknowledgment of their rightful ancestry.

 For hundreds of years, the Lees of Virginia descendants of Col. Richard Lee's son, William Lee, have been denied their heritage - denied their birthright by historians and scholars that refuse to allow the truth to be known. I am referring to the descendants of William Lee and his wife Alice Felton as the "Lost Descendants of William Lee".  Because of past speculation that was considered as truths, and opinions that were published as facts by outdated references that have no proven documentation, as law that governs over who descends from Richard Lee and Anne Constable on 'majority rule' genealogy sites, and false Lee Y-DNA Project claims.  The denial of the William Lee line goes on even in these times because of false Lee Y-DNA Project claims, as the internet opens new frontiers of knowledge, as Federal Census records and documentation that was previously blocked from our view are now accessible - as birth, marriage and death publications are now available-making it possible to prove the existence of this lineage and that it does live on-through the thousands of GEDCOM files available on genealogy sites worldwide-- and even though the facts are there, the denial of these proud descendants goes on ...  And the denial of descendants goes beyond William Lee, it goes on to all lines, except for those associated with Ditchley, Cobb's, or Stratford, of primarily white European descent, which seem to be the only lines recognized at this time because of tainted Y-DNA projects, prejudiced genealogy sites, and non-sourced references! 

Recently I have been able to prove with Autosomal DNA the Lee descendants of General Robert E Lee and his slave Nancy Ruffin, adding their lineage proudly to our Lee's of Virginia descendancy from Col Richard Lee and Anne Constable. I am forever grateful to my Lee cousins who came to me asking for my assistance and trusted me to help resolve this rumor and prove up the truth.

For hundreds of years, the Lees of Virginia descendants of Col. Richard Lee and Anne Constable have been denied their heritage, denied their birthright by historians and scholars that refuse to allow the truth to be known all because of past speculation that was considered as truths, prejudice and opinions that were published as facts by outdated references that have no proven documentation or bearing on the truth.

The denial of what I now call the 'Lees of Virginia Lost Lineages' continues, even in these current times. All done because of false Lee Y-DNA Project claims that are promoted and on the 'majority rule' genealogy sites even though the internet has opened new frontiers of knowledge, as Federal Census records and documentation that were previously blocked from our view are now accessible - including birth, marriage, and death publications - making it more possible than ever to prove the existence of these lineages. We Lee descendants do live on - through the thousands of GEDCOMs and family tree files available on genealogy sites worldwide, through passed on family oral histories, updated public use of DNA matching and 'family finder' DNA tools - and even though the facts are there, the denial of proud Lee descendants goes on.

This is where I have focused my genealogy studies and research for many decades on righting these wrongs for my Lee cousins from these various lees of Virginia lines. I seek out the truth on our Lee genealogy and ancestry, and now with DNA, confirm these lines not only to help clarify and promote the truth but to encourage recording our lineages for our future generations.

I have always been met with resistance regardless of how many facts I present. All I can do is keep trying to promote the truth as it is the right thing to do for all of us concerned. For me this is my conscience effort to right the egregious wrong doings done to our Lee history and ancestry for there are hundreds, if not thousands of Lees of Virginia cousins that have been denied their family truths.

This is not one line that has been disconnected, but many. We all know who we are and from where we come from, we all know the truth, and our truth should not be considered offensive, and in telling these truths should not be considered being antagonistic or creating drama. It is just telling the truth about who we all are, regardless of the pressure on us to ignore the facts.

I just wanted you all to know what I am about and my 'agenda'. This is no secret; I am very transparent about my belief in righting the wrongs. This is not about me, what I have and will continue to do, but it is about US. All of us from every race, religion, background. As a genealogist, with integrity, I just see and report the facts as I find them as our shared ancestry, blood, and DNA, is our evidence we that are related and exist.

Presenting 'Richard and Anne' which is a historical biography of the lives of Col Richard Lee and his wife Anne Constable, who progenerated the famous Lees of Virginia. This published genealogy and historic accounting will encapsulate the timelines of when and how they met, the circumstances of their back stories, the background of their ancestry. Their journey to the New World, Jamestown Virginia in Colonial America. Their personal growth, the establishment of their life together in the Virginia Colony with their children, their acquisitions of wealth, and the creation of their Lees of Virginia family Legacy.

This book represents the collected research of Jacqueli Finley over a span of 40 years which has been scrutinized through documented evidence, DNA confirmations, and a culmination of compiled research, and publications. This work also includes contributions of past predecessors of the best Lee genealogist and historians that had gleamed through evidence as what was fact or disregarded as myth, which has enabled Jacqueli to have acquired one of the most accurate and largest genealogical databases of the Lees of Virginia family, descendants, and ancestors.

This publication is a necessity for the preservation of the accuracy of the descendant lineages and ancestry of the Lees of Virginia offspring as many of the Lee family descendants have suffered because of the dissection of lines, the misinformation regarding the Lee Y-DNA projects that greatly affected true Lees of Virginia descendant recognition by wrongly assigning a Y-DNA Haplogroup to the Lees of Virginia male lines from Col Richard Lee, and the purposeful misrepresentation of facts and truths regarding the entire Lees of Virginia history and genealogy.

This book presents the fact-finding efforts into the research that presents the truth discovered in the attempt to set things right and to preserve the life stories of our Lee Ancestors for our generations to come.

"Ne Incautus Futuri"