Axtell Genealogy--Before Thomas of Sudbury

Thomas was christened in 1619 in Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England [pronounced BARK-im-stead, HART-ferd-shir]. He was the son of William (1587-1638) and Thomasine Axtell. One of William's ancestors was apparently an Augustinian monk, Johannes Axstyl, who, with the other monks at Gatesden, deeded over their monastery to the English King when Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church. Johannes apparently changed his name to John Axtell and had a family. Silas B. Axtell describes this connection in a 1952 speech he gave at a family reunion, The Axtell Heritage. He also speculates about a possible connection back to 1327. The speech (in the Conclusion) says that the monk was William's father, but the dates are too spread out for that scenario to be reasonable.

Dean C. Axtell stopped in at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (1995). According to their files, William Axtell was born in 1587 and his father, John Axstyl, was born 1561. Then again, the library also said Thomas's wife was Mary Starr, which is highly questionable (See A Myth Put To Rest). The monk signed the deed in 1534, so maybe the monk was William's great-grandfather. Any other theories out there?

See Research on the Origins of Axtell for some name ideas for tracing further back than Johannes Axstyl.

There are several wills recorded in London and reproduced in the NEGHR (Jan. 1890 p. 50-52 and Apr. 1895 p.265-267). I will make copies for anyone doing research.

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Last revised 7-31-96 by Dan Axtell