Hello everyone 

 Good to be back on the email list after a long leave. :) 



In the last 2 years, an interesting twist has come of my family tree research. DNA testing started me down a new path that was totally unexpected, but I won't go in to any great details about that topic. 



I have found a connection with my Richard Lock of Calvert County Maryland 1728 who migrated to Frederick County Virginia by 1755. 

Apparently Richard Lock was a British Romany Gypsy who we now believe was transported to Maryland by 1726 likely on a convict ship. 



Richard Lock wasn't alone apparently as we have now identified multiple families from Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina, who are very likely Romany. Lock, Hite, Carter, Ingram, Bailey, Ruffin families of Virginia are all very likely Romany descendant of England. 



Lock, Carter, Ingram, Bailey are for sure known Romany surnames in England. Ruffin is a mixed family who's ancestor was a female slave in Virgina, but must be part Romany on the male side of the family. Hite is not a known Romany surname to our knowledge. 



There are multiple Bailey branches of South Carolina who are no doubts Scottish Romany descendants, who are likely a part of the Faa clan. 

They are known as the Boarder Gypsies, who were traveling between England and Scotland. 



England's first recorded reference to the Gypsies was in the late 1500's, England had created anti Gypsy laws. 

As England's anti Gypsy laws grew harsher, many fled to Scotland only to have Scotland create even harsher anti Gypsy laws. 

So many fled back to England, and others fled to the new world, the Colonies. I have been sent multiple sources which clearly show Romany Gypsies being transported out of England and Scotland for the Colonies, mainly Maryland and Virginia. 



Here is one such reference that was just sent to me from a researcher in England who got this source from Scotland. 



"Privy Council relating to George Hutcheson. 

The Registers of the Privy Council of Scotland have been published in The Registers of the Privy Council of Scotland (HM General Register House, Edinburgh). The particular entries relating to George Hutcheson came be found in the third series, volume 2, 1665-1669 p. 101 and 111. I am afraid that we do not supply copies of pages from published sources. However, the entries are not very long, so I have copied them out for you: 

p.101 

Supplication by George Hutcheson, merchant in Edinburgh, “for himself and in name and hebalf of his copartners, merchands of the ship bound for Germaica and Barbadoes,” as follows:- Out of a desire “to promote the Scottish and Inglish plantations in Gemaica and Barbadoes for the honour of their countrey,” as well as “ to frie the kindom of the burden of many strong and idle beggars, Egiptians, common and notorious whores and thieves and other dissolute and louse persons banished or stigmatized for grosse cryme,” they have been by former acts of Council authorised to seize upon such persons and transport them to the said plantations; and though of late they have by warrant from the sheriffs, justices of the peace and magistrates of burghs. Where the said persons haunt, apprehended some of them, yet without authority of the Council they may meet with some opposition in this good work. The Lords, having considered the petition, grant warrant to the petitioners to transport all such person delivered to them by the magistrates “providing always that ye bring the saids persons before the Lord Justice Clerk, to whom it is hereby recommendit to try and take notice of the persons that they be justly convict for crymes or such vagabonds as by the lawes of the countrey may be apprehendit to the effect the countrey may be disburthened of them.” 

p.111 

“The Lords of his Majesties Privy Council, taking to their consideration that there are severall prisoners within the tolbuith of Edinburgh who of their oune are desirous to tbe sent to Barbadoes, doe therefore give warrand and command to the magistratts of Edinburgh to sett at liberty all prisoners for crymes who of their oune frie will are content to goe to Barbadoes; and ordaines them to be delivered to George Hutcheson, merchand in Edinburgh, in order to their transportation.” 


The researcher in Scotland had this to say 



" The Privy Council of Scotland seized to exist in 1708 so you will not find any details relating to the transportation of people to Virginia in 1715. Information relating to the transportation of the border gypsies to America in the early 18th century will be found in the Records of Glasgow Burgh, I think it should be the Glasgow Burgh Court books. Extracts from the Records of Glasgow Burgh have been published in Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Glasgow, 1573-1833) (Glasgow, 1908). The particular entries relating to the transportation of the gypsies can found in Volume 4 (1691-1717) pp.529-530 and p.642 for the listing of the payment." 



The statement : "to frie the kindom of the burden of many strong and idle beggars, Egiptian" 
This is a very clear reference to the Romany Gypsies who were mistakenly called Egyptians in Europe. The Romany Gypsies are actually from 

 India and Pakistan originally. 



The term Gypsy was derived from Europeans believing they were Egyptians. But they prefer to be called Roma or Romany people, as the term 

Gypsy has a negative condintation to it. 





Here is yet another source: 



"in 1665 at Edinburgh the Privy Council gave warrant and power to George Hutcheson, merchant, and his co-partners to transport to Jamaica and Barbadoes Egyptians and other loose and dissolute persons; and on 1st January 1715 nine Border Gypsies, men and women, of the names of Faa, Stirling, Yorstoun, Finnick , Lindsey, Ross, and Robertson, were transported by the magistrates of Glasgow to the Virginia plantations at a cost of thirteen pounds sterling (Gypsy Lore Journal, ii. 60-62)." 



This is only but a small bit of information being collected in England and Scotland right now. Many British Romany are doing all they can to help better document the Romany who willingly migrated to the Colonies, and or those who came here by force. 



Besides the paper trail proving the Romany Gypsies were a part of the Colonies pre 1800. Genetic Genealogy clearly confirms the existance of the Gypsies in Virginia, Maryland and South Carolina. 



Just this week, I found a likely connection between the Ingram's of Pittsylvania County and Halifax County Virginia to my Lock lineage. 
I am still working on that Ingram connection to be 100% certain of the connection, but with what I have already collected, it looks to be a pretty good connection. Lock and Ingram families are well known Romany families in England, so it didn't much surprise me to fing this connection in Virginia. 



My theory is starting to form up pretty nicely, but we still have a long way to go, but my theory is, there are far more Romany Gypsies in the USA who have been here since the late 1600's. Some came on their own, others were forcefuly transported as criminals. 

 Some of the Romany we believe were likely sold as slaves in Barbados and ended up in Virginia, Maryland and South Carolina. 



The Romany took on English surnames once they got to England and Scotland, so it is difficult to tell a Romany just by their surname alone. 

I can say DNA wise, the Romany are clearly very different then the average European. And because of this genetic difference, it is helping to identify Romany descendants in the USA. I think this is only the tip of the iceberg so to speak. We are just now discovering this early Colonial Romany population in the Colonies, and I believe there are far more Romany families in the USA then anyone really knows about yet. 



It is very interesting to note that of the suspected and proven British / Scottish Roma families, all have direct ties back to Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina pre 1800. 



Another interesting aspect of the Romany is, it is a taboo to marry outside the clan, though many did so anyway. 
 But it is Romany tradition to marry with in the Romany clan, and much like the Germans who migrated to the Colonies, the Romany would have done the exact same thing when they came to the Colonies, they would have tried all they could to be with their own kind. 
My Lock family has very close ties to the Hall, Harper, Griffith, Chapman, Edwards, Harvey, Ingram surnames, and amazingly all are known 

Romany / Traveler surnames in England. So if my theory can ever be proven, and if I can prove the paper trails back to England and Scotland one day, this maybe one of the earliest Romany Gypsy clans in the Colonies and mainly from Virginia pre 1800. 



It appears a good many finally settled in Barren County Kentucky by 1800, and moved on to Hart County Kentucky and other areas of Kentucky before going their seperate ways. 



In the last year, I have been transcribeing the Romany / Travelers who migrated from England 1840 to 1900's in the USA census records. 

As you will see from this link 
http://lockeroots.home.comcast.net/~lockeroots/GypsyCensusRecords.html 
Many surnames on this list are very common English surnames, but most on this list are British Romany or Irish Tinker Travlers from England. 



The Irish and Scottish Travelers mingled with the Romany as they lived very similar traveling life styles, so today they are all closely related to each other. Some of the later Romany immigrants did pass through Virginia during their travels. 

Most historians acknowledge the later 1840-1900's Romany migration, but no one seems to be acknowledging the much earlier migration pre 1800. 



 But I am very certain Lock, Ingram, Carter, Bailey families of Virginia are in fact some of the early Roma immigrants to Virginia. 
The genetics of the families clearly identifies them as Romany descendants. 
And it appears there are very likely even more that I can not account for yet. Part of the key to helping identify the Romany families is genetic genealogy. 

 And if the list admin ok's the DNA discussion, I can go in to better details on this part of the study. 



I am 90% certain that my Richard Lock of Calvert County Maryland to Frederick County Virginia, is one and the same 

Richard Lock who married Mary Eldridge in Ampney Crucis, Gloucestershire England 1698 and their son Richard Lock Jr was christened 

in Ampney Crucis 1699. The names and dates fit in well with what I know of my Richard Lock and the Romany Gypsy Lock family that 

I am a genetic match to a Mr. Locke in England who is a Romany Gypsy, his lineage traces back to Henry Lock of South Cerney, Gloucestershire England 1770's. 

South Cerney is less then 5 miles away from Ampney Crucis, so we are pretty confident our 2 Lock lineages are directly connected. 



So Mr. Locke in England and I are sharing records in hopes we can figure out who our common male ancestor was. Right now as it stands, we only have about an 80 year gap between our 2 branches, so we are fairly close. 

It wasn't just genetics that helped identify my Lock's are Romany. There was much to my family history that didn't fit in to "typical" American family history, which I won't go in to details about. But lets just say my Lock's didn't always act like a typical American family, most were quite the travelers who rarely settled down in any one place for long. And there were other things in my family history that highly suggested they were Romany, genetics only helped confirm what was already suspected. 



If my theory can ever be proven, I highly believe there were far more British Romany in the Colonies then anyone knows about. 

And for you who have noticed the same families having married one another over and over again and are related to each other in many multiple ways, helps suggest you may have Romany ties in your tree. It is very common to find 6 or 7 families who are all closely related to each other, and over a 100 year time span, the same families kept marrying one another over and over again. If you have such a tree, and your tree has ties to Virgina, Maryland and South Carolina, you just may have a Romany connection because it is a Romany tradition to marry with in the clan. 



In my next email, I will share a list of known Romany Gypsy and Irish Traveler and some Scottish surnames who are all in some way related to each other in England and Scotland. Only a few on that list are known to be direct male Roma lineages, like Lock(e), Lee, Burton and others. 



Donald Locke 


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