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Our Mayo Line -
English?
MAYO FAMILY TREE
MAYO is the name of an ancient English family, so ancient in fact that by
1600 they had scattered to many places in southern England. They were in
Wiltshire, Dorset, London and Bristol to name a few. It was variously
spelled Mayo, Maho, Maio, Mayoe, May, nad Mayroe. This was due in part to
the inability of clerks to spell correctly, and in part to differences in
speech dialects. It began to evolve into its final form, Mayo, about 1650.
The word Mayos generally believed to mean "son of Matthew" and is of English
origin. Many believe the Mayo family came from the County of Mayo in
Ireland, But no evidence of this has been found. The word "Mayo" in that
area was an adjective meaning "rolling green hills." No doubt there have
been individuals who called themselves Mayos after leaving that area, but
that does not apply to this family. A search of records in the Public
Records Office in Dublin reveal only one Mayo prior to 1750. That was the
record of an ensign departing from service. After that time there were Mayos'
in Ireland, but since this particular Mayo family was already in the New
World, no further search was made.
The Mayo Coat of Arms is a shield, the background color being red
representing fire. In military application it signifies fortitude. The three
coronets are gold representing the finest metal and used to show value,
purity, and fineness, the bearer surpassing all others in valor. The chevron
is supposed to have been adapted from the bow of the war saddle which rose
high in front. The design on the chevron is black and gold-the lack
associated with might and repentance and gold with valor. In ancient times,
coats of arms served as a means of identification in battle, tournament, or
as a mark of position or status: and through the years has become an exact
art.
The above information was obtained from
Denise Clark who is also researching the Mayo line.
| The following was taken
from an article on the Mayo Family of North Carolina, compiled by Hugh
B. Johnston, Jr., and William Perry Johnson, as found in the
Spring/Summer 1971 issue of "North Carolina Genealogy," p.2617- 2622.
See this article for additional details and sources.
"Edward Mayo,
Esquire, settled by 1684 in Perquimans County, NC, and was from the
beginning an active and respected member both of the Colony and of the
Quaker Meeting. His parentage and ancestry have not yet been proven,
but he was probably the immigrant ancestor, and may well be a scion of
the ancient and respectable Mayow family of Wiltshire, England.
On the
first Monday in February 1693/4, Edward Mayo proved thirteen headrights for the taking up of land (50 acres per person): Edward
Mayo, Sr., Edward Mayo, Jr., Sarah Mayo, Ann Mayo, Elizabeth Mayo,
John Nixon, Em Nixon, Ann Nixon, Samuel Pike, Africa Pike, and three
slaves. Em Nixon and the two Pikes were natives of England, where the
father of the latter had died in 1681.
It is estimated that Edward
Mayo, Sr., was born about 1650, married (first) about 1670, and died
late in 1700 or shortly thereafter. The Rent Roll of Albemarle (actual
title: "Rent Roll of land upon Record according to their Several
Precincts in Albemarle County with ye Rent of 2 per 100 acres"),
undated, but around 1696, listed: "Edward Mayo, Pascotank, 277 acres."
The very last record located for Edward Mayo was dated 1700 and
mentioned Edward Mayo as a juror. The foregoing list of headrights
proven by Edward Mayo in 1693/4 would indicate that he was a widower
at the time he came into North Carolina. A "Hephsibah Mayo" and a
Sarah Mayo appear on record and one or both are wives/daughters of
Edward. A torn page in the Berkelely Parish Register, which was
omitted by Hathaway, showed that "Hephsibah Mayo y---- (torn) died
middle or late 1680's." A Sarah Mayo was a witness to the 1689/90 deed
from Thomas and Alice Long to Edward Mayo, and this was several months
after Edward's daughter Sarah had married. However, this Sarah could
scarcely be other than Edward's daughter; perhaps there is a
discrepancy in dates somewhere, and it is interesting that Edward
later married the Em Nixon who also witnessed the 1689/90 deed.
About
1693 Edward Mayo, Sr., married Em Nixon, already twice widowed, but
had no children by her. The four known children of Edward Mayo, Sr.,
appear to have all been by his first wife, whose identity is at
present unknown. Em Mayo, last wife of Edward Mayo, Sr., died sometime
between 1694 and 1702. From loose papers in the courthouse at Edenton:
"Hugh McGregory and wife Africa, Administrator of Em Mayo, late wife
of Edward Mayo deceased (no date). There is evidence that Edward held
the office of Clerk of Court in Albemarle variously from August 2,
1688, until August 16, 1698. At a Court held in Perquimans Precinct on
the first Monday in May, 1693, the following record appeared: "I will
well and truly as Clarke of this Court enter all such orders as shall
be directed to me, and will be truly faithful in all such records as
shall be committed to me in charge, I will be secret in what shall be
required of me by this Court to be kept and according to the best of
my skill and knowledge execute the office aforesaid so help me God.
Edward Mayo." On February 20, 1693/4, Edward Mayo was named executor
of the will of ex-Governor Thomas Miller of Pasquotank Precinct.
During the same Court he probated the will of ex-Governor Seth Sothell
of Albemarle County. No will or administration has been found for
Edward Mayo, Sr., probably due to the loss of so many North Carolina
records in the 1600's and early 1700's."
Birth* s 1650
Child;
Marriage* 02 Sep 1666
Groom; Bride:
Sarah
Maggs;
Christ's Church, Barbados
Dau-Bio* c 1672
Sarah
Mayo
Death* c 1701 Deceased; Albemarle Co., NC
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First Generation
Edward MAYO. Born abt 1650. Edward died in Perquimans Co., North Carolina. On 2 Sep 1666 when Edward was 16, he
married Sarah MAGGS, daughter of George MAGGS & Ann UNKNOWN,
in Christ Church, Barbados. Sarah died
AFT. FEB 1689/90. There is no more information on the George
Maggs line at this time.
They had the following children:
| i |
Sarah Mayo (~1666->1726)
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| ii |
Ann Mayo |
| iii |
Elizabeth Mayo |
| iv |
Edward Mayo |
Second Generation
Sarah MAYO. Born abt 1666 in Berkeley Pct. Perquimans Co., NC. Sarah died in North
Carolina aft 1726, she was 60.
Abt 1692 when Sarah was 26, she married Patrick HENLEY, son of
Henley HENLEY?. Born in 1664 in England. Patrick died in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania on 20 May 1698, he was 34.
They had the following children:
| i |
Elizabeth Mayo |
| ii |
John Mayo (-1728)
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| iii |
Ann Mayo |
From here see the
Henley line.
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