Theads. Not Threads.

Theed is the capital city of the Naboo... "May the force be with you."

It was also a particular Christopher's last name when he married Elizabeth Carterledge in St. George Chapel in England, in 1748.

It is also--according to the Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, by Bardsley--"almost certain that Theed is a nickname of Thedric. The name was very popular."

It was sometimes written as "Thede," as in this mention from the year ca. 1095: "Goduuine Thede filius." Or, from 1166: "Willelmus filius Thede." (These both from A Dictionary of British Surnames, by P. H. Reaney.)

And, unfortunately for many who bear this name, it is frequently and irritatingly misread as "Thread"--as this photo snip shows:

Got George's name right...got the town wrong.

Some time back my own daughters grew up. It happened gradually, but not. They were adults suddenly, it seemed to me; and, just as I had wondered about my own surname, they began to look at the reams of material about the Theads (and branches of that family) which I had accumulated over the years. And I wanted them to be able to understand how it all fit together.

At one time, not long ago, actually, you had to type information out on--first--typewriters; then word processors (which were really just dolled-up typewriters); and, later on, glitchy early computers. You had to copy your documents using Xerox machines; and then, if you wanted somebody else to see the material, you had to mail the pages here and there, all over the place. Big manila envelopes. Lots of stamps.

Now you go to the Internet and start a blog.

So this one will attempt to distribute photos, documents, papers about the Theads, the Harmons, the Whites and so on. I'm grateful every day to have the Internet. I hope everybody for whom this blog is relevant shares it with another family member so that we can get our lines traced out better.

The first thing I want to post--just for the sake of interest!--is an inventory of property owned by Richard Thead, made in 1783 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. 

Inventory of Richard Thead estate, Westmoreland County, VA, July 29,1783

The valued amounts were figured in pounds and pence, not dollars. Richard--whoever he was--owned some books and writing utensils, so he must have been literate. He had a fair amount of livestock; he had knives and forks (they didn't use spoons much at that time) and pottery. And, look! Thread!

I wish I knew the circumstances of why this inventory was made, but I don't. It may serve as a reminder that in genealogy, you just have some things you can't ever find out for sure.

In the meantime, enjoy it, and take a look at this OLD, roughed-in possible family tree. 

I'm inviting controversy. I want anyone who has information to add to or disprove anything posted above in the chart--especially the places where I have question marks--to join the comment section at the bottom of the page. Hope to hear from you all!

Ælfwine