The information in this family tree is about one branch of the Price family that are descendants from Thomas Price who sailed with Lord Calvert on the Ark & Dove and first settled in St Mary's City, Maryland. The majority of information in this tree was compiled by my grandmother, Blanche Louise (Child) Price and then taken over by my Aunt Phyllis Price. The roots of the popular name Price go back to Wales at least as far as the 11th century when a coat of arms is recorded for descendants of that name of a chieftan from North Wales, March-Withian (elsewhere given as Westhian) who served under Prince Gruffyd ap Cyan.Heredity surnames are a reletively recent development in Wales and in most instances the name cannot be considered a heredity one in those early centuries unless the bearer left Wales and settled in England or some area where surnames were passed on from generation to generation.As late as the 19th century, unfixed names (names which change with each succeeding generation) were still quite common in Wales. Many coats of arms are recorded for families named Price.One of Welsh origin shows a red shield, a silver lion with a blue tongue and claws. (The above information issued by Sanson Institute of Heraldry, Marco Island, florida, Nov 1968) The original Welsh name of Price was derived from Ap Rhys or Ap Rys (according to some sources) and later when the 'A' was dropped it became Prys.Then it went through the form of Pryce to its present form of Price. While there are earlier Prices who came to America and settled in Virginia, this genealogy is concerned only with the line which began with Thomas Price who came with the first settlers of the colony at St Mary, Province of Maryland.The following is a brief historical background of that settlement. "Maryland owes its character and establishment to the interest in colonization of sir George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, a Catholic, secretary of state under James I and a member of the East India company, the Virginia company, and the council of New England.In April 1632 he received a grant from the crown, a grant of land extending from the Potomac northward to the 40th parallel: owing to his death, the charter was given to his son Cecilius Calvert, who planted but never visited his colony. In November 1633 two ships, the Ark and the Dove, sailed with about 100 emigrants, including several Jesuit priests.Perhaps half of the emigrants were Catholics.The instructions to Governor Leonard Calvert, brother of the proprietor (George Calvert) provided for religious toleration.The first settlement was made at St Mary's in February 1634 near the mouth of the Potomac.The immigrants were independent colonists and of much better calibre than those who originally went to virginia.they made peace with the Indians and purchased land from them." (From Epochs of American History by Marcus Wilson Jernegan) See 'History of the American People' by Samuel Eliot Morison 'Annapolis, a Brief Historical Summary' by St Clair Wright, Antiques, January 1977 issue 'Maryland, Their Maryland' by William E. Wilson, American Heritage, August 1967 issue
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