So, I have had information in my files about being a descendant of Charlemagne for a number of years. With last year’s project of finalizing and locking down my pedigree to members of the Mayflower passengers of 1620, it was time to leap the pond.

My 10th great grandfather, Thomas Lawrence, is a documented Gateway ancestor to Charlemagne. This is the main line of research. And, I have found the full pedigree back to Charlemagne with the help of the Crown of Charlemagne Society. In this lineage, the Emperor Charlemagne is my 40th great grandfather. There are a nmber of minor kings and princes along the way, but I finally ended up at the big guy!

But, of course, there is a second line that appears to walk its way up as well. But, there is no member of that line that appears in the Crown of Charlemagne Society list of Gateway ancestors. This line goes up through my 10th great grandmother, Alice Tomes, the wife of Thomas Welles, the colonial governor of Connecticut. Where the sanctioned lineage goes up through the sister of William the Conqueror (Adelaide of Normandy), this line goes through William, himself. The two lines meet at their father, Robert, the Duke of Normandy. Thought this second line, I move up in the line for the throne and Charlemagne is my 37th great grandfather.

The pivot between the two lines occurs at my 3rd great grandparents, Morris Jenks and Almira Botsford. Through Morris, I climb through Thomas Lawrence, the accepted gateway ancestor, and Charlemagne is my 40th great grandfather. But, through Almira, I take the alternate path to Charlemagne being my 37th.

For a chunk of that crown, I have better get to work and flesh out GGG Grandmother’s line!