Fitz-Urse

De Bereham

Bereham

Berham

Barham

Site Updated: April 1, 2009

February 2, 1141, King Stephen of England is defeated by the Earl of Gloucester and his army at the Battle of Lincoln. “They charged the king's troop, slew some, wounded others, and made others prisoners. A most powerful knight rushed upon the king and seized him by the helmet crying with a loud voice, 'I have taken the king!' King Stephen, foaming at the mouth in his rage, surrendered. The rest fought on with no hope of escape till all were killed or surrendered. Baldwin Clare, grievously wounded was taken after a vicious struggle, as too was Richard Fitz Urse. In one short day all had been lost for the royalists." Richard Fitz Urse was my 22nd Great Grandfather.

December 29, 1170, King Henry II was in Normandy with his Court when he heard of more trouble being caused him by Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry, in his outrage, asked, "Won't anyone rid me of this troublesome Priest?" (or words to that effect.) Four Knights of the Court took him quite literally and returned to England where they galloped to Canterbury and murdered Becket, hacking him to death with their swords at the alter of the Cathedral. The cowardly act was done by William de Tracy, Hugh de Morville, Richard le Breton and Reginald Fitz-Urse. Reginald Fitz-Urse was the brother of my 21st Great Grandfather, Richard Fitz-Urse.

November 26, 1243, "Pardon to Gilbert de Bereham for the death of Richard de Tapinton whom he killed by disadventure with a lance in jousting; on condition that he make his peace with the relatives and stand in trial if anyone will proceed against him. Mandate of Sheriff of Kent to permit him to remain in his bailiwick to restore to him any goods he may have taken.". Gilbert de Bereham was my 19th Great Grandfather.

Joseph Kauffman kept a diary that, far more than any work of fiction, opens a window into the drudgery and the horror experienced by the average line soldier. He was killed at the Battle of Second Manassas and his last entry was on August 28 1862. It is terribly poignant and speaks volumes about war: "It is now sundown. They are fighting on our right. Oh, to God it would stop" "At the fatal moment he was to the rear of Philip Printz and by the side of Ben Barham. He was lying on the ground behind a stump loading his gun when he looked out to fire. Mr. Barham saw him drop. Barham called to him but got no reply and later went to him and found he had been fatally shot in the forehead. He was buried on the battlefield." Benjamin Franklin Barham was my Grandfather.

The above passages are not taken from works of fiction. They are moments in the life of real people....my ancestors. Discoveries like these are what keeps me motivated and excited about genealogy. In fact, I find it hard to believe that anyone could open such windows into their past without becoming a genealogist.

This site is dedicated to my ancestors; from Richard Fitz-Urse, my 22nd Great Grandfather, to Captain Charles Barham, my 6th Great Grandfather, who arrived in Jamestown in the colony of Virginia in 1653, to my son, Daniel Barham, lll, who sadly is the last of our direct line. If these pages are helpful or entertaining to you I am more than pleased.

Here are just a few of the family lines I and my siblings have researched thus far. For a complete descendancy click on the link at the bottom of this page.

• Barham (of course)- the line directly to my son, my brothers and my sisters
• Reichenbach - The line to my mother, including the surnames of Degenhardt, Kamm and Suter
• Woodard - My grandmother's direct line which includes the surnames of Fincham, Cleveland and Denham

Below are links to ancestry charts, family group sheets, photographs and special pages about my father, grandfather, great-grandfather and so on. Each page is a short history of the person and those around them. I believe that these pages cover many of the important times in their lives.

My Family Genealogy A brief history of Captain Charles Barham, my 6th Great-Grandfather Francis Barham: my Great-Grandfather Benjamin Franklin Barham: my Grandfather Daniel Barham: my Father The Children of Daniel Barham New! A Complete Descendancy, from Richard Fitz-Urse to the Present. A Very Large File!	A Glorious Sunset over Surry County from the James River Ferry "God has planted Eternity in the Human Heart." Ecclesiastes 3:11 "Surely God would not have created such a being as man to exist only for a day! No, No, man was made for immortality." Abraham Lincoln "Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless." Bertrand Russell, atheist	Documents & Anecdotes A Chronology of all References to Captain Charles Barham in the Virginia Colonies A Petition to the House of Burgesses regarding the sale of land by Charles Barham, III A Poignant Letter from Carrie Lee Woodard to her Brother, Isaiah Jesse Courtney Suter's notes Regarding his Father, George Jacob Suter Jacob Albert Fox Journal regarding the Woodards of Rappahannock County, Virginia My Genealogy Photograph Albums
	A Rebel's Journey by Gary Bruner In the July, 2004, issue of Gettysburg Magazine a fine history writer named Gary Bruner wrote an excellent story about my grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Barham, called "A Rebel's Journey - from Gettysburg to Arlington National Cemetery." As the title suggests the story follows Ben from his early years in Luray, Virginia, to his interment in the Confederate Circle at Arlington. Thank you, Gary, for allowing me to re-print it here.	New! My short stories - true stories (with embellishments of course) about my ancestors and other stories of pure fiction
	The Point Lookout Confederate Memorial Ceremony

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