Caleb Trantham Mrs. Raymond UWRT-1103-E01 10/27/2015 MLA 27 etoler 2018 ‘Trantham ee? ‘The name Trentham originated from a hamlet on the Trent River near stoke! Iwas able to trace the Trentham lineage all the way to England during the 1500’s. There I found that the Trenthams were wealthy land owners, they also were devout Catholies. During this time, King ‘Henry VILL was in power and was trying to marry another wife. The catholic church would not allow him to do this. The King went on to start a new church, the Church of England or Anglican Church. The king also developed a hate for Catholics and sought to persecute them. The ‘Trenthams were stripped of their land and wealth. For years they lived in poverty. When the New World was being colonized, the Trenthams were some of the first settlers sent by Queen Elizabeth I. Martin Trentham, my 6" great-grandpa, came to America during the mid-1600"s, He met Elizabeth Margar Eppinger, a German woman, on the boat over to America, They married and landed in Massachusetts together. They continued their journey south to North Carolina. There they settled in Lillington North Carolina, were they three children. Their children grew up during Mire oe ak the revolutionary war time and many fought against the British. sth © Martin Trentham I, my 7 great grandpa, married Elizabeth “Betsy Margar. They had four children and dwelt in Rowan County North Carolina. Elizabeth lived on to be over onean hundred and forty nine years old. Jeptha I Trentham, my 5S" great-grandpa, married Hannah ‘Smith in 1788. They begot one child, Joseph Trantham. For some reason the name changed from Trentham to Trantham in the history books. © aed * Joseph Trantham, my 4" great-grandpa, married Marry Whitaker in 1816. Joseph had hundreds of acres of land in Fairview County, North Carolina. They had several children, one of which being Jeptha Herman Trantham. Jeptha left his father’s home at an early age and stole a horse from him. In Joseph’s will, he gave all his land to his children, except Jeptha. Jeptha was given, “Unto my son Jeptha I give the young mare he took away with him.” a Jeptha Herman Trantham, my 3° great-grandpa, married more than one wife. He had six wives. He also had as many as thirty eight children, Jeptha was not known to be good looking, in fact he was quite ugly. But, for some reason the women adored him. He also was very poor, he ‘owned almost nothing. He would leave for months and randomly return. If children were born within the same year, he would name them the same names. The people said, “Jeptha himself did not know how many children he had, nor did he give a damn.” §° 10 your Geneation3 00 Cite Works Meyers, Bonnie. Best Yet Life and Lore of the Smokies. Leadership Options, 2002. Print.