Penny
The WHITTEN group seem to be real sure that Thomas CECIL b 30 Dec 1578, the
Engraver, is the 5th son of Thomas CECIL, 1st Earl of Exeter, and Dorothy
NEVILLE. Burke's Peerage says this 5th son married an Ann LEE, daughter of
Lord Mayor of London LEE. Research also show that a Thomas CECIL (and they
are convinced it is the same Thomas CECIL) married Susan OXENBRIDGE, b 2 Dec
1617, daughter of Thomas OXENBRIDGE, m c 1634. Their children, Henry,
William and John Baptist were immigrants to Maryland and form our branch of
the CISSELL family. Henry may have been a Protestant minister, William's
line seems to have been Catholic (this is the line that intermarried with
the WHITTEN folk) went into Prince George's County, MD, and John Baptist
CECIL CISSELL (b c 1639 in England-London?) began our Catholic line. He
married both Mary CALVERT b c 1624 in Yorkshire? (daughter of John CALVERT
of Moorsham, Yorkshire, England and immigrant to Movaverty, Ireland, and
Grace Unknown) and then Mary SHIRCLIFFE and had children with both. Now,
both Sir Thomas CECIL, 1st Earl of Exeter, and his 4th born son Edward were
investors in the 2nd Virginia Company, Second Virginia Charter, May 23,
1609, and Edward did show up in VA (although he did not die in America).
Another signer of this document was a William OXENBRIDGE, Esquire, inferring
that Susan OXENBRIDGE's family was well connected and connected to the VA,
MD area.
Burke's peerage is real sparse about the 5th son of the Earl of Exeter. I
have had some say he wouldn't be an engraver, but why not? He would not be
in line to inherit any land or the income from the land. If he didn't go
into the ministry, how did these 4th, 5th, 6th sons support themselves and
their families? It was also the norm that most of the immigrants to the
Virginia and Maryland Colonies were sons of gentry not in line to inherit
the family lands. We know that the immigrant John Baptist CISSELL was a man
of means because he purchased several tracts of land upon his arrival in
Maryland. His first wife was a CALVERT, also a well connected family. It
appears John and family had a sailing vessel called the "Martha Constant"
that plied between Barbados Colony and the Maryland Colony, plus visits to
Nevis, Virgin Islands. (Thanks to all of those who helped me compile this
information.)
Does anyone out there have better information that the Thomas CECIL who
married Ann LEE is/is not the Thomas CECIL who married Susan OXENBRIDGE?
Melissa Thompson Alexander
mada(a)cmc.net
www.familytreemaker.com/users/a/l/e/Melissa-T-Alexander/
"From the people of the wandering feet who seldom died in the same state
they were born in-and plan to keep it that way!"