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Founders: Descent I

The College has no obligation to give, or tradition of giving, privileges to its Founders' kin. The College's historic collections contain no primary sources about the Balliol family, and therefore we cannot provide genealogical services to those interested in exploring their own possible descent from the founders of the College.

Please note that these genealogies are posted solely as examples; Balliol College does not hold any records about any of the Balliol descendants listed, nor is the college able to validate or verify genealogies sent to us. For a good research guide on starting your own genealogical research, see The National Archives' family history pages. For secondary scholarship on the Balliol family, see here.

The descent below was compiled in 2004 by Shannon Dillon, who is a great-granddaughter of John Wesley Sutherland, Jr. and Laura Gertrude McCullough.

1) John Balliol (d. 1269) m. 1233
Devorguilla of Galloway (d. 1289/90)

2) Eleanor Balliol m.
John “the Black” Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (b. about 1245, Badenoch, Scotland – d. about 1303)

3) John “the Red” Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (b. about 1279, Badenoch, Scotland – d. 10 FEB, 1306, Church of Grey Friars, Dumfries, Scotland) m.
Joan de Valence

4) Elizabeth Comyn (1 NOV, 1299 – d. 20 NOV, 1372) m. between 24 JUL, 1326 and 23 MAR, 1327
Richard Talbot, 2nd Baron Talbot (b. about 1305 – d. 23 OCT, 1356)

5) Gilbert Talbot, 3rd Baron Talbot (b. about 1332, Ecclesfield, Herefordshire, England) m. before 8 SEP, 1352
Petronella Butler (b. about 1335 – d. between 28 MAY, 1365 and 1368)

6) Richard Talbot, 4th Baron Talbot (b. about 1361 – d. between 8 SEP 1396, and 9 SEP, 1396) m.
Ankaret Le Strange, Baroness Strange (b. about 1361 – d. 1 JUN, 1413)

7) John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury (d. 17 JUL, 1453, Battle of Castillion, France) m.
Maud de Neville, Baroness Furnival (b. around 1392 – d. 1423)

8) John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury (b. 12 DEC, 1413 – d. 10 JUL, 1460, Battle of Northampton) m.
Elizabeth Butler

9) Ann Talbot (d. 17 MAY, 1494, Haddon Hall, Derbyshire, England) m.
Henry Vernon (b. around 1445 – d. 13 APR, 1515, Haddon Hall, Derbyshire, England)

10) Elizabeth Vernon (d. 29 MAR, 1563) m.
Robert Corbet (d. 11 APR, 1513)

11) Dorothy Corbet m.
Richard Mainwaring (b. about 1499, Ightfield, Salop, England – d. 30 SEP, 1558)

12) Arthur Mainwaring (b. about 1520, Ightfield, England – d. SEP, 1590) m.
Margaret Mainwaring

13) Mary Mainwaring (b. about 1541 – d. before 1578) m. 6 JAN, 1559/60, Combermere, Chester, England
Richard Cotton (b. 1451 – d. 1602)

14) Frances Cotton (b. about 1573 – d. before 1646) m.
George Abell (b. about 1561, Stapenhill, Derby, England – d. SEP, 1630)

15) Robert Abell (b. about 1605, England – d. 20 JUN, 1663, Rehoboth, Massachusetts) m.
Joanna

16) Preserved Abell (b. around 1644, Rehoboth, Massachusetts – d. between 15 SEP and 18 NOV, 1724, Rehoboth, Massachusetts) m. 27 DEC, 1686, Rehoboth, Massachusetts
Sarah Bowen (b. 7 FEB, 1655/56, Rehoboth, Massachusetts – d. 14 MAY, 1703, Rehoboth, Massachusetts)

17) Mary Abell (b. 18 MAY, 1697, Rehoboth, Massachusetts – d. 24 JUL, 1747, Rehoboth, Massachusetts) m. 9 MAY, 1717, Rehoboth, Massachusetts
Ephraim Walker (b. 4 SEP, 1692, Rehoboth, Massachusetts – d. 2 MAR, 1731/32, Rehoboth, Massachusetts)

18) Lydia Walker (b. MAY 1724, Rehoboth, Massachusetts – d. 11 AUG, 1798, Putney, Vermont) m. 9 FEB, 1743/44, Rehoboth, Massachusetts
James Clay (27 APR, 1718, Ipswich, Massachusetts – d. 3 AUG, 1798, Putney, Vermont)

19) Ephraim Clay (1 APR, 1747, Rehoboth, Massachusetts – d. 21 JUN, 1822, Putney, Vermont) m.
Eapha (d. 6 JUL, 1814, Putney, Vermont)

20) Lydia Clay (8 SEP, 1779, Putney, Vermont – d. after 1840) m. 17 FEB, 1805, Putney, Vermont
William Comins Read (b. 20 JAN, 1775, Dunstable, Massachusetts) 1

21) Sarah Starkweather Read (17 JAN, 1807, Putney, Vermont – d. 12 MAY, 1892, Kossuth, Iowa) m. 27 NOV, 1829, Gouverneur, New York
Eli Ayres (b. 1 JAN, 1804, Johnstown, New York – d. 22 SEP, 1867, Huron Township, Iowa)

22) Mary Ann Ayres (b. 23 JUL, 1840, Iowa – d. 1921, Snohomish, Washington) m. 29 NOV, 1866
John Wesley Sutherland, Sr. (b. 9 JUN, 1837, Oxford, Ohio – d. 1867, Iowa)

23) John Wesley Sutherland, Jr. (b. 20 MAR, 1868, Kossuth, Iowa – d. 1931, Seattle, Washington) m. 26 DEC, 1894, Kossuth, Iowa
Laura Gertrude McCullough (b. 28 MAR, 1870, Iowa – d. 1 JAN, 1952, Seattle, Washington)

- John Jones