Back to Family Story outcomes, S22
by Jordan Mastrodomenico
This journey through discovering my family story has been deeply fulfilling and more surprisingly than I would have ever thought possible. One of the specific stories that I discovered was how I am related to many of the major players involved in the English War of the Roses. Some of these ancestors are King Edward III (1312-1377), Queen Elizabeth Woodville (1437-1492), and Lady Joan Beaufort (1379-1440). This is not only interesting as a historical event, but because I wrote my major high school history paper on that very topic. At the time, I was inexplicably drawn to the War of the Roses. Perhaps now I know why.
The research into my own genealogical connections to these royal ancestors involved traditional genealogy rather than genetic genealogy because of the number of generations that have elapsed. With each new generation, some genetic material is lost as a child only receives about 50% of their DNA from each parent. As King Edward III is my 18th great grandfather, we likely don’t share any detectable genetic material. Recognizing this, I had to use traditional genealogy to uncover the connections between myself and my ancestors. Documents like baptism records, marriage certificates, land titles, and records from the time are all used to piece together different relationships. Historically, recordkeeping in the U.K. has been better than in many other countries, especially when it comes to royalty and nobility. This was extremely helpful to find out where my ancestors because royalty, and if it happened in more than one place. However, the recordkeeping was generally more detailed when it pertained to men rather than women due to the English male pattern of inheritance. From my research, my family connections to royalty happened through women, so this did pose a bit of a challenge in terms of finding documentation. What I found in my family’s case is that in two separate instances, the daughters of princes, dukes, or kings married lower nobles and lords who happened to be members of my family. One of these women is Joan Beaufort, the daughter of John of Gaunt and granddaughter of King Edward III. The other is Elizabeth Woodville, wife and queen of King Edward IV. These women are both my ancestors and gateway ancestors to the royal family, and to the individuals involved in the War of the Roses.
At the beginning of exploring my ancestry, I would have never imagined that I am related to royalty, and certainly not in more than one way. As I studied the War of the Roses in high school, I was often considering the people involved in terms of their politics, status, and historical contributions. I saw the conflict predominantly as a fight for English succession, and it still is that. After undertaking this genealogical research, I understand not only how I am related to both sides of the conflict, but how they are related to each other. When I think about the War of the Roses now, it seems just as much a family feud that got out of hand as it does a royal war of succession. My journey with English royalty and the War of the Roses started out as a high school student with a burning curiosity. It has ended with the incredible discovery that these people are not just historical figures: they are my ancestors, and each, in a way, part of my family.
Sources
“Joan Beaufort Neville.” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16146333/joan-neville
“Elizabeth Woodville.” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8382021/elizabeth-woodville