Alexander Samson, d. 1643

[Sitric]

Does anyone have any information about Alexander Samson (probably born in Reading, d. 1643 in Trondheim, Norway)? He was a well-to-do Englishman engaged in shipping and trade between London and Trondheim, Norway, in the early 17th century. According to most Norwegian genealogical sources I've seen, he was the son of Humphrey Samson (b. ca. 1560, Reading). Humphrey Samson's parents: Alexander Sampson (1535 - 1606) and Elenor (d. February 8th 1620, Reading).

I'd be grateful for any information about sources and where to search for more information about this family.

[MarkCDodd]

There are plenty of trees with him on Ancestry and Rootsweb,

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=Search&includedb=&lang=en&ti=&surname=Sampson&stype=Exact&given=Alexander&bplace=&byear=1580&brange=20&dplace=&dyear=&drange=0&mplace=&myear=&mrange=0&father=&mother=&spouse=&skipdb=&period=All&submit.x=Search

All of them seem to be a bit sparse on documentation.

I can find an Alexander Simson christened 26 Jan 1588 at Uxbridge, Middlesex but his father is Edmund.

If you wish, you can scroll through the Norwegian digitised parish registers here....

http://digitalarkivet.no/cgi-win/WebFront.exe?slag=vis&tekst=skannakb-eng.htm&spraak=e

They are in the middle of indexing them so at the moment it is the old fashioned manual slog to find the record you want.

[Sitric]

Thanks, MarkCDodd. As a Norwegian, I'm already familiar with the Norwegian sources available. The Norwegian parish registers will not be of any help when we're talking about the 16th century. Besides, Alexander Samson is first registered in Norway (Trondheim) in 1607. He was obviously born in England, not in Norway. Samson may also have been written Sampson.

The many genealogies available online are often unreliable. I'm looking for some more serious sources. I'm not even 100% sure about the parents of Alexander Samson, so the link you mentioned with Edmund is interesting. How did you find it?

Is there any genealogical or at least historical literature on 15th and 16th-century Berkshire/Reading?

Is there any historical literature on 16th-/17th-century Anglo-Norwegian trade relations?

[cid]

There is this one from Family search

Alexandre Sampson

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 christening:
residence: 1585 CALNE, WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND

name: Alexandre Sampson
gender: Male
baptism/christening date: 1585
baptism/christening place: CALNE, WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND
father's name: Humfridi Sampson
indexing project (batch) number: C39064-2
system origin: England-VR
source film number: 1279348

[cid]

Also from family search

https://www.familysearch.org/search/rec ... 1570-1590~

Humfridus Sampson
England Marriages, 1538–1973 marriage: 1584 Calne, Wiltshire, England
spouse: Elinora Segar Or Psons

groom's name: Humfridus Sampson
bride's name: Elinora Segar Or Psons
marriage date: 1584
marriage place: Calne, Wiltshire, England
indexing project (batch) number: M15283-1
system origin: England-VR
source film number: 1279348

[cid]

Humphrey's death

Humfry Sampsonne
England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991 burial: 27 Jan 1635 Wiltshire, England


name: Humfry Sampsonne
gender: Male
burial date: 27 Jan 1635
burial place: Wiltshire, England
marital status: Unknown
indexing project (batch) number: B39064-6
system origin: England-EASy
source film number:

[cid]

More children of Humfridi

Humfridi Sampson
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
child: Johes Sampson


Humfridi Sampson
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
child: Anna Sampson


Humfrys Sampson
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
child: Anne Sampson


Humfridi Sampson
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
child: Anna Sampson


Humphrey Sanson
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
child: Myles Sanson


Humfridi Sampson
England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991
child: Jacob Sampson

[cid]

All the info is from the family search website, which is transcribed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The info is very reliable, but as in all cases it's always best to check the info out for yourself.

As your in Norway I'm not sure if you could get the fiches sent to a church near you, but I'm sure someone will come along and tell us.

[Sitric]

Thank you, cid. Very interesting information! Perhaps Wiltshire then, not Berkshire, should be the starting point.

As for Alexander Sampson, the Anglo-Norwegian merchant, he became a very rich man in Norway. In 1619 he owned a (probably Dutch) ship by the name "De Orianenborg", and in 1633 he had a ship called the "Samaritan". Does anyone know where to look for English ship's registers, especially London?

[MarkCDodd]

I was suggesting the Norwegian site for the death but also possible marriage...not the birth as I was already looking in the London records for him....

The records certainly cover the period of his death.

That birth, including the original page in the register, is available on Ancestry.

[peterd]

Thank you, cid. Very interesting information! Perhaps Wiltshire then, not Berkshire, should be the starting point.

As for Alexander Sampson, the Anglo-Norwegian merchant, he became a very rich man in Norway. In 1619 he owned a (probably Dutch) ship by the name "De Orianenborg", and in 1633 he had a ship called the "Samaritan". Does anyone know where to look for English ship's registers, especially London?

try the national archive

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/reco ... -books.htm

[Sitric]

I was suggesting the Norwegian site for the death but also possible marriage...not the birth as I was already looking in the London records for him....

Thanks, MarkCDodd and peterd. Regarding his marriage, I found something interesting (if we assume that this Alexander Sampson is the same person):


http://www.archive.org/stream/canterbur ... t_djvu.txt

Alexander Humphredson Sampson's (of Eastchurch) marriage with Elizabeth Napleton 21.07.1608, the daughter of "Thomas Napleton of Faversham, yeom., bonds." I assume that "yeom." = yeoman. What about "bonds"?

If this Alexander Sampson is the same person, he must have remarried in Norway in 1610 with the daughter of Caspar Arctander in Trondheim.

[Sitric]

I found some interesting additional information that might be helpful. According to this source, the information is from the english archives, gathered by the english genealogist Peter Turvey of Offton, Suffolk.

http://newsarch.rootsweb.com/th/read/GE ... 0978902743

"I am searching for information on a family SAMPSON from Reading in Berkshire, England, late 1500'es. This is what I have:

1. Alexander Sampson, merchant (mercer) in Reading, where he is mentioned 1567-1607, burgess from 31 May 1588, juror in 1586 and 1594. His will is dated 9 Sep 1607 (Berkshire Record Office, document reference D/A1/117/11) . According to the inventary of his goods, of date 10 Nov 1607, he was dead by then. He left 159 lb 15 sh.
Wife: Elinor (her family name is not mentioned). Her will is dated 6 July 1619 (Berkshire record Office, D/A1/118/15). She was buried in Reading (St.Lawrence parish) 5 Feb 1619/20 (Berkshire Record Office, D/P97/1/1). Her goods were registered 22 Mar 1619/20. She left 13 lb.
Children:
a) Humphrey, mentioned in the wills of both parents. No.2.
b) Elizabeth, wife of James Edmonds. They are mentioned in the will of her father, but not of her mother. They had two children mentioned in the will of 1607, James and Joseph Edmonds.
c) Anne, wife of John Maulthus. They are mentioned in the wills of both of her parents. They had a daughter Anne who is mentioned in the will of 1607, and other children not named in the will.

2. Humphrey Sampson. He is mentioned only in the wills of his parents (1607 and 1619). Nothing of his where-abouts is known. His wife is also unknown. But in his father's will, one son of his is mentioned: Alexander (no.3).

3. Alexander Sampson, mentioned 1607 in the will of his grand-father, who gave him 5 lb to be paid him within 6 months after the death of his wife Elinor. However, Alexander is not mentioned in the will of Elinor.
However, he may be identical with that Alexander Sampson, who is mentioned 12 Oct 1607 in the customs accounts of Trondheim, Norway, as a skipper of London. Within three years he had settled in Trondheim as a merchant. Later he became member of the city council and mayor of the city 1629-31. He died in 1643 leaving 5 daughters.

The reason for connecting the Trondheim mayor to the family from Reading is, that a grand-son of the mayor of Trondheim (Ulrik Bryggmann) wrote in his family records that his maternal grand-father Alexander Samson was born in London as son of Homfred (i.e. Humphrey). Ulrik wrote in his autobiography that he stayed in June1649 in London with his relatives, "who were with one of the Lords of the Parliament, Joas Burchin, Everson". I have imagined that this MP might be identified with Sir John Bourchier (died 1660). However, "Everson" seems to mean "Edward's son", and Sir John was son of William Bourchier, son of Ralph Bourchier of Benningborough . As Humphrey is a name occurring among the Bourchiers, I have also imagined that there might possibly be a relationship here."

Perhaps someone here knows more about, for instance, the Burchin/Bourchier-connection?