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Carden family history


February 19th, 2007

New blog location @ 09:09 am

Because of difficulties with posting images to this blog, for the time being I will post all new entries to http://cardenhistory.blogspot.com/ and in due course transfer most of the old entries which appear here.
 

February 2nd, 2007

Karden @ 10:18 am

Walter Karden invented or improved a two-stroke engine with which the east Germans won all the motorcycle races until Suzuki stole the idea - per the BBC 23 November 1997.

I bought some bottles of wine many years ago from the small town of Karden on the Moselle, to impress my friends. Not as good as the wonderful 1995 vintage of wine from the Carden estate in Cheshire marketed by Three Choirs.
 

January 22nd, 2007

Katherine Parr's child @ 05:42 pm

Katherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII, failed to have a child by him.  After his death she soon married Admiral Thomas Seymour and they had a daughter Mary on August 30 1548, but Katherine died in childbirth.  Less than a year later Thomas Seymour  was executed.  Someone named CAWARDEN from Northumberland took the child back with him, raised her and married her off to a squire. Then she was forgotten, although both Mary and Elizabeth paid her an allowance till 1603 when records ceased.

The last two sentences are taken from a letter received in 2004 from Peg Mowat of Canada, a descendant of the Cardens of Brighton. I have not been able to find the source of Peg's information, nor any trace a Northumberland Cawarden.

At this time Thomas Cawarden of Bletchingly, knighted in 1545, was "Master of the King's Tents" and responsible for all festivals at court.  He often used the name Carden, and was probably related to the Cawardens of Staffordshire.  Perhaps it was he who arranged for someone to look after the child.

 

January 16th, 2007

Barry DNA @ 10:05 am

Perhaps my ancestor John Carden, born in Tipperary in 1699, was fathered by John Barry.

John Carden's father was disinherited for marrying Bridget Bagot, and died a couple of years after the marriage.  They had just the one child, John, born 1699, and when Bridget became a widow she immediately married John Barry. The two of them lived in the castle at Barnane, brought up the baby, and ran the relatively massive estate during the minority of the baby boy who had inherited it.  The baby's DNA was inherited by myself and two others whose only common ancestor was the baby, and is completely different from that of all other Cardens descended from the baby's grandfather.

This is pretty thin evidence for the idea that John Barry was actually the baby's father, but it is an intriguing supposition which may one day be proved if I find a Tipperary Barry descendant willing to have his DNA analysed.  The Vice-chair of the Committee of the Tipperary Historical Society is Kitty Barry, and I am waiting to hear whether she has a male Barry relative willing to help.
 
Men called Barry have participated in the Berry and Barry DNA projects in USA, but none of them matches my DNA profile. As for those with other surnames who might have fathered the baby, no matches to my profile currently appear at ysearch.
 

January 7th, 2007

CARRADINE and other variants @ 11:03 am

In October 2006 William Carradine of USA told me the first results of his Carradine DNA project. He said: "You will be interested to hear that one other Carradine and myself matched on all 12 of the FTDNA markers. And, we matched with all 9 of Taylor Cowardine's markers." Taylor had participated in the Carden DNA project and we were all disappointed to find no match, but now we have proof that Cowardine and Carradine have ancestors in common.

It is to be hoped that others bearing these or other similar names will contact me or William and submit their DNA samples. Fred Calladine of Northampton did so in 2004 and his result, though inconclusive, suggests a Carden connection.

In November 2006 I wrote to all those with similar names whose email addresses I have, but received no reply from anyone except Fred Calladine.
 

August 20th, 2006

Barnane Cannon & School @ 05:31 pm

 

A cannon on the roof at Barnane?

 

In my book “Carden of Barnane” I have suggested that A. M. Sullivan invented the story about Woodcock Carden mounting a cannon on the roof of his mansion to deter tenants who were about to plough his lawn.

 

Kitty Barry ( Mrs K Barry, a vice-chairman of the Tipperary Historical Society) has kindly pointed out that the story is also mentioned in Paddy at Home by Edmond de Mandat-Grancey, 1887, a book translated from the French, full of stories and reminiscences about a visit to Ireland a year or two before.  Kitty has kindly loaned me the book.

 

Grancey met Sullivan and tells the story in almost identical words to Sullivan’s (including the statement, known to be false, about Woodcock’s assailants being summarily hanged) except that he says (page 106) “Mr. Carden, assisted by his men-servants, immediately carried an old cannon, worked on a pivot, that he possessed, to an upper room . . .”  It seems likely that his story is based on Sullivan’s, and adds little to justify it.

 

However Sullivan was a highly respected journalist, editor of The Nation for many years, and later an M.P.  It does not seem to be in character that he would invent such a story.  His statement that Woodcock later operated Barnane as a hotel was also thought to have been invented, but convincing proof of this extraordinary fact has been found.

 

-

The Carden school at Barnane

 

Kitty Barry’s home was near J. J. Hassett’s between Barnane and Killoskehane, and she purchased many of the books in Hassett’s well-known library after his death.  She says that John Rutter Carden was very interested in education. John Fanning as a child by-passed Drom school to go attend Carden’s school (where Kitty’s late aunt Mary was a teacher) because of its excellence, and became a newspaper correspondent.

 

The following is an almost verbatim extract from an email from Kitty:

 

The Hassett and Hoare houses are on the way to Killoskehane castle and not far from Caseys or Beamishes.  My mother is almost 98 and is the oldest native of Drom parish and is blessed with a good memory.

As to the schools in Barnane - in the early 1830s the state started paying teachers’ wages and regularised the educational system. I have researched some schools but not Barnane. My brother did a bit I think and I will get what he has when he next visits.  The info would now be in the PRO in Bishop Street, Dublin. A few years ago I remember him saying that there was agro between the parish priest and the Cardens re management. There was an older school up near Hennessays.  If you are interested I will get all the data for you when I get the chance.

The folklore commission collected tales and stories from all the schools in 1938 and if a search was done on Drom, Barnane, Killea and Templemore school returns one might get Carden tales. There can be some gems in the folklore collection.

My next door neighbour who is has been dead for a number of years used to tell me fascinating stories all of which proved to be true. One which I believe is true was as follows.  A Drombane man (unfortunately I forget his name) was a "turnkey" in Clonmel jail and Woodcock promised him a farm when he got out. Mr x did not really believe him. Lo and behold some months after he was free who arrived at his Drombane home only Woodcock on horseback with the news that he had the farm ready for him. I have asked mother who in Barnane came from Drombane  but she is not sure. I will ask my brother. However woodcock was a man of his word.

 

May 11th, 2006

French Origins? @ 10:34 pm

FRENCH ORIGINS?

 

Though it is clear that most Carden branches have their origin in an ancient family which existed in Cheshire long before the Norman invasion, the East Kent branches appear from DNA evidence to have a separate origin.  The late Joan Carden of Spain speculated that they descended from a Cardon mentioned in the Domesday Book.

 

Domesday Book.

 

In about 1086 William the Conqueror instructed that the ownership of all land in England be established and recorded in what came to be known as the Domesday Book.  This mentions William Cardon several times as follows, in the Essex volume (Phillimore, London and Chichester, 1983, ISBN 0 85033 484 5):-

 

Page 10.    Hundred of Uttlesford.  From this manor William Cardon, a man of 
G(eoffrey) de Mandeville’s, wrongfully received 24 acres of woodland when Swein was Sheriff, as the Hundred testifies.

 

Page 20.    Hundred of Uttlesford.  To this manor was attached 1 Freeman with 3 virgates before 1066, whom William Cardon holds for G(eoffrey) de Mandeville’s Holding.  He paid 2p per year.

 

Page 90.    (WILLIAM CARDON’S ANNEXATION).  In the Hundred of Uttlesford.  William Cardon appropriated 1 Freeman with 8 acres.  He belongs to (Great) Chishill, of Geoffrey de Mandeville’s Holding.  Value 2s.

 

Thus it appears that at the time of the survey, 1086, William Cardon was working for Geoffrey de Mandeville, one of the many followers of William given confiscated land.

 

Joan suggested that he probably was brought from Normandy by de Mandeville, so the French origin for the name, claimed by various books, may have some foundation.  But he equally well might have been on the land before the conquest.

 

French origin of the name

 

Carden means thistle in French.  It is possible that Geoffrey de Mandeville distinguished himself from other knights when fully disguised in armour, by wearing a thistle on his helmet.  This sort of thing was very common, the most famous example being the Plantagenets.  Geoffrey, Count of Anjou (1113–1151), father of Henry II, often wore in his hat a sprig of broom, planta genista.  De Mandeville’s retainers may have been known by the name Cardon accordingly.

 

Companions of the Conqueror.

 

It is believed that in 1066 William the Conqueror set sail for England from Dives-sur-Mer near Caen in Normandy.  In the church there is a plaque, occupying an area of over 200 square feet, listing the supposed companions of the conqueror.  It was erected in 1862.  The list was drawn up by the French Society of Archaeology, with the approval of the Bishop of Bayeux and others.  The are about 500 names including Geoffroi de Mandeville and Guillaume Cardon.

 

Most such lists are rather suspect but the inclusion of de Mandeville and Carden in this list is significant.

 

Modern Cardins in France

 

A few Cardens in England and USA spell their name Cardin, which is believed to be a variant of the original Carden name.  The question is often raised as to whether there is any connection with the famous Pierre Cardin brand name, but no information exists about that.

 

In 2004 Christian Cardin of Gravelines, France, submitted a sample for DNA analysis.  The result did not show anything in common with Cardens belonging to either the Cheshire or East Kent branches of the family.  It would have been remarkable and truly exciting if it had done so, and the failure to match our English haplotypes proves little.

 

Christian Cardin wrote:

 

About my family name and ancestors, what I know is that the roots of my family is from Normandy, specially on the west coast of the Cotentin (at least until the 16th century, which is the period during which I found documentation).

Some years ago, I tried to know by telephone number (by statistics) what was the distribution of the Cardin name in France. When you report the number of the Cardin family name on a French map, you see that this name is current in three areas as follows: in Normandy on the west coast of the Cotentin (where I come from) around the town of Coutances (about 70 kilometers in the south of Cherbourg); in north Brittany around the town of St Brieuc; and in south Brittany around the town of Nantes.

It is amazing and strange to remark that we find these three groups on the west coast of France where it is believed that the Norman and Anglo-Saxon invaders came in the old time. It is why until now I think that the Cardin name was from Anglo-Norman origin (maybe from Cari-den, which could mean Cari, a Viking name, the strong ) and had a similar origin with the Carden name in England and not with a Germanic word (Richard : Ric Hard which means the strong King) as it is related in the traditional French genealogy books.

 

May 10th, 2006

Carden Schools @ 07:52 am

I have often wondered about the many Carden schools which appear in telephone directories and elsewhere, particularly in California.  Here is an extract from www.cardenschool.org

HISTORY
Mae Carden established the first CARDEN SCHOOL® in 1934 at 24 East 68th Street in New York City. Two years later she moved it to 43 East 67th Street. She demonstrated that children can gain an understanding of their own language and attain the ability to use it correctly when reading, listening, speaking, or writing. Her goal was to teach children to think; her main techniques were analysis and rhythm. Her educational philosophy and teaching techniques became an integral part of the CARDEN METHOD®. Teachers, students, and parents often shorten the name of this interrelated, eclectic group of approaches to learning. They call it Carden.

In 1949 Mae Carden closed her school in New York and with close associates, Dorothea Freyfogle and May Crissey, organized Mae Carden, Inc. The new arrangement enabled Mae Carden to give full attention to the use of the CARDEN METHOD® in other schools.

To assure the continuation of her work, she established The Carden Educational Foundation, Inc., a New York not-for-profit corporation, in 1962. After Mae Carden passed away in 1977, the Foundation absorbed all of the activities and purposes of Mae Carden, Inc., and dissolved that organization. All rights, title, and interest in the CARDEN METHOD®, including Carden and the Carden Curriculum, are vested in the Foundation.

 

May 3rd, 2006

Death of Bill Carden @ 08:07 am

An announcement of the death on 26 April of Derrick Charles Carden CMG ("Bill") appeared in the Daily Telegraph on May 2.

There will be a memorial service at St Lawrence Church, Winchester, at 2.30 pm on Friday 7th July.  My brother Michael will go, I expect, and perhaps I shall do so too.

Bill, born 1921 and a distinguished diplomat, was next in line for the Tipperary baronetcy, currently held by Sir John Carden, born 1926.  Bill's son, John Craven Carden born 1953, is now the heir.
 

April 15th, 2006

A Black Carden @ 08:29 am


On April 11 2006 I posted the following note to the CARDEN-L mailing list.

 

Names of ex-slaves

 

Those who have read my report on our Carden DNA project will have seen that
one of those whose DNA matches the Cheshire (England) haplotype exactly was
James Eugene Carden, who wrote  "I am African American and have never met
another 'Black' Carden except for my immediate family until about 2 years
ago when I visited Halifax County (Scottsburg) Virginia. I think this is
where my Great Grandfather, James H. Carden was born."

I had supposed that James' family took their surname from that of their
former owner at the time they obtained their freedom.  But discussing our
DNA project recently with Jane Reid (who is descended from a sister of the
Eleanor Arbuthnot whose attempted abduction by John Rutter Carden in
Tipperary in 1856 is a well-known story), Jane drew my attention to "The
Black Family in Slavery and Freedom, 1750-1925" by Herbert G Gutman, Oxford
1976.  It has an absolutely fascinating chapter about the surnames used by
ex-slaves, from which it appears that they very seldom used the name of
their most recent owner, and the name they used often showed a great
interest in their own family background right back to their earliest known
ancestor who arrived from Africa, and the name chosen was often that of the
original owner or even of the man who transported them from Africa.

Of course it is possible, even probable, that in the case of James' family a
white Carden took a black wife and married her formally, and they gave their
surname to their children in the normal way.

I am sending this note to the list as well as to James, as I think it may be
of general interest.  I hope James does not mind, and will respond with
further information.

It might be a good idea, incidentally, were he to agree to upgrade his DNA
analysis from 12 markers to 25 or more in order to obtain more definite
proof that he is a member of the ancient Carden family of Cheshire, and
perhaps link him to a particular branch.

I think, also, that James and the rest of us would like to hear of any
Carden slave-owners.  Perhaps quite a number of those who fought for the
south in the Civil War came from slave-owning Carden families, and listers
will be able to tell us about them.

 

Reply from James E Carden

 

James replied almost immediately as follows,to me but not to the mailing list, and I am reproducing his reply with his permission.

 

Arthur,

 

I will certainly follow-up on your suggestion to have the 25 marker DNA analysis accomplished.  Following is my conclusion of my family history.

 

As I stated earlier, My Grand Father was James H Carden, who apparently was born in Halifax County (Scottsburg) Virginia.  When I started my research, I found his name in the Virginia (Halifax) census of 1900.  (Roanoke; ED 56 sheet 3).  It appeared his mother's name was "Bady", which created a problem with further research.

 

After more records became available on the Internet, I discovered that there was a Bettie (Bady?) listed in the Halifax County 1870 census.  In that census, she and her sister Frances were listed as "Black" and were living in the household of Bryant Carden (Black).  

 

In the 1880 census, she and Frances were enumerated as "White" and were living in the household of John Carden (White).  It also listed John's brother as Peter Carden, a Physician.

 

Earlier I had found a Planter, John B. Carden, who was listed in the 1860 Slave Census as owning 20 slaves (9 male and 11 female).  The plantation was located on land along Key Fork and Boston Road in Wilmoth tract, as identified in deed book 66, page 507, Halifax Co. Virginia (1873). 

 

When I visited Halifax County in 1999, I found about 50 black Carden families in the same area.  I was told these were the descendents of two Carden lines that they referred to as the "Black and White" Cardens.

 

I currently live in Birmingham Alabama and in the 1950's, there were about five Carden families listed in the phone directory.  This was my family and about four other in Shelby County Alabama.  Now there is one half of a page, mostly in Shelby County Alabama in addition to me and my son.

 

This is what I have so far.  Any further information that other Cardens may provide will be greatly appreciated.  I would surely like to verify my family origins.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

James E Carden
CardenJE@aol.com

 

James also sent the following, including the photograph of his grandfather

 

Grandfather James H Carden, born Apr 1885 in Halifax County Virginia.  Listed in 1900 Virginia Census with mother Bettie (Bady?) Carden. 

 

Bettie Carden was born in approximately 1860 in Halifax County.  Apparently was born a slave on the plantation of John B Carden, located at Key fork and Boston Road in the Wilmoth tract, Halifax County Virginia.

 

 

Carden family history