Research Files
Core notes, error review, and lineage diagrams.
Plaster Genealogy
Static genealogy site built from the family-line work in this repo.
Family Line Infographic
Research Notes Preview
# Plaster Great-Grandfather Line Research Notes Compiled for the line ending with **Michael Plaster Jr.** (born **August 22, 1986**). ## How to use this file - `Documented / high-profile historical figure` means the person is well known in mainstream history. - `Lineage link needs verification` means the person existed, but the parent-child chain into your line still needs record-level proof. - `Legendary / highly uncertain` means the figure may come from medieval tradition, saga material, or reconstructed genealogy rather than securely documented descent. - `FS` links below use the FamilySearch IDs from your notes in the format `https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/<ID>`. ## Quick assessment Your notes mix three different categories: 1. Historically secure rulers and nobles whose biographies are easy to source. 2. Genealogical descent claims that may be true but still need each generation documented. 3. Very early medieval and ancient royal lines that are often **traditional, legendary, or speculative** in modern genealogy. That distinction matters. A person can be historically real while the claimed descent path to a modern family remains unproven. ## Core Scottish / English royal line ### Sir William Wallace - Relationship in notes: `22nd great-grandfather` - Dates: `1270-1305` - FS: [LZK9-SK6](https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZK9-SK6) - Status: `Historical figure is secure; direct descent claim is doubtful` - Why he matters: Leader of Scottish resistance during the First War of Scottish Independence. - Time-period context: Wallace lived during the wars triggered by the English crown's attempts to dominate Scotland after the death of Alexander III and the succession crisis of the late 1200s. - Research note: Major histories generally do **not** treat Wallace as having a documented legitimate line of descendants. This is one of the first claims I would treat cautiously. - Sources: - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: William Wallace](https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Wallace) - [National Records of Scotland: Wars of Independence overview](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/wars-of-independence) ### Henry I, King of England - Relationship in notes: `24th great-grandfather` - Dates: `1068-1135` - FS: [9CS3-646](https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/9CS3-646) - Status: `Historical figure secure; lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: Youngest son of William the Conqueror, king during the consolidation of Norman rule in England. - Time-period context: His reign sits in the generation after the Norman Conquest, when Norman rulers were restructuring English government, aristocratic landholding, and church-state relations. - Sources: - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Henry I](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-I-king-of-England) - [Britannica: Norman Conquest](https://www.britannica.com/event/Norman-Conquest) ### William I "the Conqueror", King of England - Relationship in notes: `25th great-grandfather` - Dates: `c. 1028-1087` - FS: [9H17-VTZ](https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/9H17-VTZ) - Status: `Historical figure secure; lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: Norman duke who conquered England in 1066 and permanently changed English kingship, land tenure, and aristocratic lineage. - Time-period context: The Norman Conquest introduced a new French-speaking ruling elite and reset much of the English political order. - Sources: - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: William the Conqueror](https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-the-Conqueror) - [The National Archives (UK): Domesday and Norman England](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/domesday-book/) ### Walderne de St. Clair - Relationship in notes: `26th great-grandfather` - Dates in notes: `0993-1090` - Status: `Lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: Early St Clair / Sinclair ancestor in the family tradition. - Time-period context: This is the Norman-Scoto-Norman era when noble families moved across Normandy, England, and Scotland after 1066. - Research note: This generation usually requires specialized medieval genealogy references rather than general history sites. Keep this line, but mark it as needing charter-level proof. ### William I St Clair, 1st Lord of Rosslyn - Relationship in notes: `21st great-grandfather` - Dates in notes: `1230-1297` - FS: [LR71-QRB](https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LR71-QRB) - Status: `Historical noble figure plausible; lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: Important Sinclair lord associated with Rosslyn. - Time-period context: This is the same late-13th-century Scottish noble world that produced the Bruce, Stewart, Comyn, and Douglas power blocs. - Sources: - [Rosslyn Chapel: St Clair family history](https://www.rosslynchapel.com/history/st-clair-family/) - [Historic Environment Scotland: Rosslyn Castle](https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/rosslyn-castle/) ### Lord Robert de Brus of Annandale - Relationship in notes: `20th great-grandfather` - Dates: `11 July 1243-7 June 1304` - FS: [L8MB-67G](https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L8MB-67G) - Status: `Historical figure secure within Bruce dynasty; lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: Father of Robert the Bruce, later king of Scots. - Time-period context: The Bruce family was central to the Scottish succession crisis and the struggle against Plantagenet intervention. - Sources: - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Robert I](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-I-king-of-Scotland) - [National Records of Scotland: Wars of Independence overview](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/wars-of-independence) ### Baron Henry Sinclair, 7th Lord of Rosslyn - Relationship in notes: `20th great-grandfather` - Dates in notes: `1255-1336` - FS: [GZGX-WVV](https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GZGX-WVV) - Status: `Lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: Another major Sinclair generation in the Rosslyn branch. - Time-period context: The Sinclair family operated in a Scotland deeply shaped by wars with England and competition among magnate families. - Sources: - [Rosslyn Chapel: St Clair family history](https://www.rosslynchapel.com/history/st-clair-family/) ### Henry Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Orkney - Relationship in notes: `17th great-grandfather` - Dates in notes: `1345-after 1404` - FS: [LJY7-LY3](https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LJY7-LY3) - Status: `Historical figure secure; lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: Major Norse-Scottish magnate in the Northern Isles. - Time-period context: Orkney sat at the intersection of Scottish and Norwegian influence, which makes this line especially interesting for a Scottish-Norse branch. - Sources: - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Orkney and Shetland history](https://www.britannica.com/place/Orkney-Islands-council-area-and-historic-county-Scotland) - [Rosslyn Chapel: St Clair family history](https://www.rosslynchapel.com/history/st-clair-family/) ### Sir Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland - Relationship in notes: `19th great-grandfather` - Dates: `1296-9 April 1326` - FS: [L8MB-CP1](https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L8MB-CP1) - Status: `Historical figure secure; lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: Married Marjorie Bruce and fathered the future Robert II, establishing the Stewart royal line. - Time-period context: This is the generation in which the Bruce and Stewart houses fused politically and dynastically. - Sources: - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Stewart dynasty](https://www.britannica.com/topic/house-of-Stuart) - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Robert II](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-II-king-of-Scotland) ### Robert II, King of Scotland - Relationship in notes: `18th great-grandfather` - Dates: `2 March 1316-19 April 1390` - FS: [LHW6-FV7](https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LHW6-FV7) - Status: `Historical figure secure; lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: First Stewart king of Scotland and founder of the royal Stewart line. - Time-period context: His reign marks the consolidation of post-Bruce Scotland under the Stewarts. - Sources: - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Robert II](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-II-king-of-Scotland) - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Stewart dynasty](https://www.britannica.com/topic/house-of-Stuart) ### Robert III, King of Scotland - Relationship in notes: `17th great-grandfather` - Dates: `14 August 1337-4 April 1406` - FS: [LZ86-T6V](https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZ86-T6V) - Status: `Historical figure secure; lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: Stewart king during a period of factional instability and Anglo-Scottish pressure. - Time-period context: Late-14th-century Scotland was shaped by noble rivalries, regencies, and contested royal authority. - Sources: - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Robert III](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-III-king-of-Scotland) ### James I, King of Scotland - Relationship in notes: `16th great-grandfather` - Dates: `30 December 1394-21 February 1437` - FS: [LZ6T-WZ8](https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZ6T-WZ8) - Status: `Historical figure secure; lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: Returned from long English captivity and attempted to reassert strong royal government in Scotland. - Time-period context: His reign belongs to the wider late-medieval period of dynastic violence, ransom politics, and centralizing monarchy. - Sources: - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: James I](https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-I-king-of-Scotland) ### James II, King of Scotland - Relationship in notes: `16th great-grandfather` - Dates: `16 October 1430-3 August 1460` - FS: [MK6G-G9X](https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MK6G-G9X) - Status: `Historical figure secure; lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: Continued the Stewart effort to break overmighty noble families and strengthen the crown. - Time-period context: Mid-15th-century Scotland saw repeated conflict between the crown and magnate houses such as the Black Douglases. - Sources: - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: James II](https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-II-king-of-Scotland) ### James III, King of Scotland - Relationship in notes: `15th great-grandfather` - Dates: `10 July 1451-11 June 1488` - Status: `Historical figure secure; lineage link needs verification` - Why he matters: Stewart monarch whose reign ended in rebellion and death at Sauchieburn. - Time-period context: His reign shows how unstable later medieval kingship could be even inside a well-established royal house. - Sources: - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: James III](https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-III-king-of-Scotland) ## The George Washington surveying note Original note: `Great grandfather who was Tutor to George Washington for surveying - 1776` ### Current assessment - The date `1776` does **not** fit George Washington's surveying education. - Washington's surveying training is usually placed in the **late 1740s**, not during the American Revolution. - The person most often identified as his early surveying mentor is **George William Fairfax**, while the family in whose orbit Washington learned practical surveying at Belvoir and western expeditions included the Fairfaxes. Some historical and genealogical discussions also connect the Scottish mathematician and surveyor **George Hume / Home** to Washington's instruction. - If your family tradition points to a specific ancestor, that person would not be your literal `great-grandfather` in a modern generational sense if the event happened around **1748-1749**. It would be a much earlier ancestor. ### Sources - [Mount Vernon: George Washington the Surveyor](https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/surveying/) - [Library of Congress: George Washington Papers timeline and early career material](https://www.loc.gov/collections/george-washington-papers/about-this-collection/) - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: George Washington](https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Washington) ### Follow-up research target Search your tree for an ancestor connected to: - `George Hume` - `George Home` - `Fairfax` - `Culpeper County / Shenandoah surveying` - Virginia records from roughly `1747-1750` ## Earlier continental and ancient royal claims These are the lines from your notes that should be treated as **provisional** until checked against specialized medieval genealogy: - Duke Dagobert I of the East Franks (`0246-0317`) Research note: the dates given do not fit the well-known Merovingian king **Dagobert I**, who lived in the **7th century**. This entry likely reflects a conflation or a non-mainstream genealogy tradition. - Clovis Magnus / Clovis I (`c. 466-511`) Historical figure is real and very important, but direct descent chains this far back require very careful proof. - Karl Martell / Charles Martel (`688-741`) Historical figure is real and heavily documented in broad terms, but not every claimed descent line is reliable. - Theodoric "the Great" (`454-526`) Historical correction: **Theodoric the Great was king of the Ostrogoths, not the Visigoths.** - Gundioc de Geneve Lombardi (`about 323-?`) This looks too early and too uncertain for confident use without a specialist source. - King Fridleif Frodasson, Frodi Fridleifsson, Ottar Egilsson, Gudröd Eriksson II, Harald the Black of Islay These names appear to come from saga, legendary, or semi-legendary Scandinavian royal traditions. They may be meaningful family hypotheses, but they should not be presented as documented descent without stronger evidence. ### Good background sources for these early figures - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Clovis I](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Clovis-I) - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Charles Martel](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Martel) - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Theodoric](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theodoric-king-of-the-Ostrogoths) - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Dagobert I](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dagobert-I) ## Suggested organization for your ongoing family project Use four labels for every ancestor entry: - `Historically documented person` - `Direct-line relationship documented` - `FamilySearch / tree-only connection` - `Legendary or disputed` For each person, keep this format: ```text Name Relationship to Michael Plaster Jr. Birth-death Why the person matters How the lineage is claimed Historical context for the period Links Citations Confidence level Open questions ``` ## Existing stories worth attaching later These are the strongest story-clusters in your current notes: - `Scottish independence story`: William Wallace, the Bruce family, and the rise of the Stewarts. - `Rosslyn / Sinclair story`: Rosslyn Castle, Rosslyn Chapel, Orkney, and later Templar/Freemasonry legends. - `Norman conquest story`: William the Conqueror and the Norman reshaping of England. - `Merovingian / Carolingian story`: Clovis, Charles Martel, and the formation of early medieval Europe. - `Norse-Scottish story`: Orkney, Isle of Man, and Scandinavian claims moving into Scottish genealogy. ### Named stories and texts you can cite - **William Wallace** - *The Wallace* by Blind Harry. Important as the major legendary literary life of Wallace, but not reliable as straight history. - Reference: [National Library of Scotland: 1488 manuscript of *The Wallace*](https://manuscripts.nls.uk/repositories/2/resources/19337) - Historical grounding: [Encyclopaedia Britannica: William Wallace](https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Wallace) - **Robert the Bruce / Bruce dynasty** - *The Bruce* by John Barbour, the foundational literary epic tied to the Bruce story and the Scottish wars of independence. - Reference: [Encyclopaedia Britannica: John Barbour and *The Bruce*](https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Barbour) - **Sinclair / Rosslyn line** - *The Da Vinci Code* by Dan Brown is not evidence for lineage, but it is one of the most cited modern stories linked to Rosslyn and the Sinclair orbit. - Reference: [Rosslyn Chapel: The Da Vinci Code](https://www.rosslynchapel.com/about/the-da-vinci-code/) - **Stewart royal line** - Standard royal histories of the House of Stewart/Stuart are the main narrative sources rather than one single “story text.” - Reference: [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Stewart dynasty](https://www.britannica.com/topic/house-of-Stuart) ## Recommended next pass The best next step is not to add more famous names. It is to build the **documented parent-child chain** from: - Michael Plaster Jr. (1986) - to father - to grandfather - to great-grandfather - back through the first ancestor for whom you have birth, marriage, death, census, probate, land, or church records Once that modern-to-early-American chain is solid, the medieval and royal branches become much easier to evaluate responsibly.
Error Review Preview
# Genealogy Error Review This review separates the people in your notes into three buckets: - `Likely solid`: the historical person is real and the entry is broadly plausible as a profile reference - `Needs verification`: the person is probably real, but the lineage claim, dates, relationship count, or title needs source-level checking - `Probably incorrect or legendary`: the entry contains a likely factual error, conflation, or a lineage that is usually treated as legendary/speculative Important distinction: a figure can be historically real while the claim that they are your direct ancestor remains unproven. ## Likely solid | Person | Why this is likely solid | Remaining caution | | --- | --- | --- | | Henry I, King of England | Major historical figure with stable dates and identity. | Direct descent still needs generation-by-generation proof. | | William I "the Conqueror" | Major historical figure with stable dates and identity. | Direct descent still needs generation-by-generation proof. | | Lord Robert de Brus of Annandale | Real Bruce dynasty figure with well-known historical placement. | Need to confirm the exact path into your line. | | Sir Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland | Real historical Stewart ancestor. | Relationship count needs checking. | | Robert II, King of Scotland | Historically secure first Stewart king. | Descent path must still be documented. | | Robert III, King of Scotland | Historically secure. | Relationship count and parent-child chain need proof. | | James I, King of Scotland | Historically secure. | Same caution on direct-line proof. | | James II, King of Scotland | Historically secure. | Same caution on direct-line proof. | | James III, King of Scotland | Historically secure. | Same caution on direct-line proof. | | Clovis I | Historically real and important. | Very early descent claims require expert-level source support. | | Charles Martel | Historically real and important. | Direct modern descent is easy to overstate without a proven chain. | ## Needs verification | Person | Why this needs verification | Main issue | | --- | --- | --- | | Walderne de St. Clair | Early Sinclair generations are often unstable in online trees. | Needs medieval genealogy sources, not just tree repetition. | | William I St. Clair, 1st Lord of Rosslyn | Likely a real noble figure, but titles/dates vary between trees. | Confirm exact identity, dates, spouse, and child links. | | Baron Henry Sinclair, 7th Lord of Rosslyn | Plausible Sinclair line figure. | Verify title numbering and the specific parent-child chain. | | Henry Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Orkney | Real figure in Scottish-Norse history. | Often surrounded by myth-heavy material; verify exact descent path. | | Gundioc de Geneve Lombardi | Name appears in some trees, but this era is difficult and often reconstructed. | Too early and too uncertain without specialist sources. | | King Gudröd Eriksson II of the Isle of Mann | May reflect a mixed or tree-reconstructed Norse identity. | Needs careful source comparison. | | King Harald The Black of Islay Godredson | Could reflect a real Norse-Gaelic tradition or a merged profile. | Needs independent historical support. | | Generation labels like `20th great-grandfather`, `17th`, `16th ggr` | These can drift as trees are merged or corrected. | Count every generation from you upward before trusting the labels. | | FamilySearch IDs generally | Useful for tracking profiles. | FamilySearch is collaborative and can repeat unsourced assumptions. | ## Probably incorrect or legendary | Person / claim | Why it is probably incorrect or legendary | Likely correction | | --- | --- | --- | | Sir William Wallace as a direct ancestor | Wallace is historical, but a documented legitimate line of descendants is not generally accepted. | Treat as a possible family tradition, not a secure direct ancestor. | | “Great grandfather who was Tutor to George Washington for surveying - 1776” | The date does not fit Washington’s surveying education, which was around 1748-1749. | This would need to be a much earlier ancestor, if true at all. | | Duke Dagobert I of the East Franks, `0246-0317` | These dates do not match the well-known historical Dagobert I. | Likely conflated with another figure or from a nonstandard genealogy. | | Théodoric I “the Great” listed as King of the Visigoths | Theodoric the Great is historically associated with the Ostrogoths, not the Visigoths. | Correct the ethnic/political identity before using the entry. | | King Fridleif Frodasson of Denmark | Usually appears in legendary Scandinavian royal traditions. | Treat as saga/traditional material unless stronger evidence appears. | | Frodi Fridleifsson / King Frodi IV | Usually part of legendary Scandinavian king lists. | Treat as legendary unless supported by specialist sources. | | Ottar Egilsson, King of Sweden | Looks like saga-era or reconstructed tradition. | Treat as legendary or semi-legendary. | | Norwegian kings lineage as a whole in the very early period | Online trees often extend Norse royal lines far beyond what can be securely documented. | Keep as hypothesis, not proof. | ## High-risk problem patterns in the notes | Pattern | Why it matters | | --- | --- | | Famous-name clustering | Royal and noble trees attract copied relationships that are repeated without proof. | | Ancient/early-medieval precision | Exact birth/death years before solid record culture are often artificial or tree-generated. | | Mixed historical and legendary lines | Once saga or chronicle material enters a tree, later users often mistake tradition for documentation. | | Relationship inflation | “Great-grandfather” labels and generation counts are often wrong even when the person is real. | | Shared-tree confidence illusion | Multiple matching trees can still reflect one original unsourced claim. | ## Best next verification order 1. Verify your modern Plaster line backward from Michael Plaster Jr. 2. Identify the first ancestor in the colonial or early American period who connects to a documented European immigrant line. 3. Verify each parent-child link before reusing medieval branches. 4. Mark medieval royalty as `tree-supported only` until a record-backed chain is established. 5. Treat pre-1000 royal claims as provisional unless confirmed by specialist medieval genealogy.