A Little Bit of History – Watson Reunion

The earliest ancestor of the Seatons was Saher de Say, a nobleman living in Normandy (now part of France, of course). During one of the many Norman wars, he was on the losing side and forced to flee his native country. He fled to Scotland early in the 12th century and founded the town of Saytoun between Tarant and the sea, about ten miles below Edinburgh. This was apparently the home base from which the Seytouns (there were at least 29 different spellings of the name) multiplied and spread over the next 600 years.
Mary, Queen of Scots, married one of the French kings, and the Seatons were loyal to Mary. My father always told me that we were either related directly to her or to one of her hand-maidens (no kidding, he wasn’t sure which). To date, I’ve found no actual lineage that verifies that, but I haven’t ceased looking either (everything is all a matter of available time). I’ve attached a one-page biography of Mary. The Seatons were great supporters of Mary, Queen of Scots, and it was to Lord Seaton that she turned when in trouble. In fact, the Seaton clan played a large part in her escape from imprisonment in Lochleven Castle. This is why I believe we may indeed be related to one or more of the people who directly served her in her castle (such as a lady in wating or others she trusted).
Back to Saher de Say. He was succeeded by his son, Dougall de Saytoune from 1107-1124. Dougall was known as the “Black Stranger,” one of the first warriors to wear a complete Coat of Mail in battle. He married Janet, daughter of Robert de Quincy. Lineage through each succeeding generation of sons until the last one, where a daughter in an interesting manner kept the family lineage going:

Saher de Setoune, 1124-1153
Phillipe de Saytoun, died 1179
Alexander, died 1211
Bertrand de Setoune, died 1230
Adam de Seatoune, died 1249
Sir Christopher I, died 1270
Sir Christopher !!. Killed in the Battle of Dillacarew, 1298
Sir Christopher III. He was an associate of Robert Bruce (or Robert the Bruce, information also attached). Married Lady Christian Bruce, suster of Robert, 1301. Captured and beheaded by the English, 1307.
Sir Alexander Seton of Seton. First time the name changed to Seton and English “of” used instead of French “de.” Fought with Robert Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn 1314.
Sir Alexander Seton of Seton III. Was Governor of Berwick, besieged by the English. Lost one son in battle, two executed by the English. Two sons left.
Sir Alexander Seton IV, Knight. Had no sons. Daughter Margaret was abducted by Alan de Winston in 1347. Bloody war ensured. When Alan de Winston was captured, Margaret was given a ring and a dagger, to choose his her fate. She chose the ring and married him. Alan chose the Seton name and became Alan of Seton.

For the next 300 years, the Seton-Seaton branches played important roles in Scottish history, each generation having anywhere from six to ten, sometimes more, children and intermarrying with other prominent Scottish families. I haven’t yet discovered the link to our direct ancestors from the list above, but there were three Seaton brothers — James, John, and Andrew — in the late 17th century from which our own Seaton branch descended. These three brothers were very active on the Scottish side of the War of the Stuarts, and when the English defeated the Scots, they had to flee the country or forfeit their lives. They fled to Ireland in the early 1700s and, from there, emigrated to the what would become the United States.

James Seaton – John Seaton – Andrew Seaton, born in Scotland between 1685-1690
James emigrated in 1726, John in 1729, and Andrew in 1740.
We are directly related to John Seaton, presumably the second oldest and the second brother to emigrate.
John married Jane Edwards about 1712, either in Scotland or Ireland. They had seven or so children, one of whom they named James after John’s brother.
James was born in 1718 and married Elizabeth Robinson on May 5, 1748. Again, many children were born to this couple. One of them was Kenner, born on March 13, 1753.
Kenner Seaton married Elizabeth Sliger in Andover, Massachusetts, about 1775. They moved to Kentucky, where Kenner founded Seatonville. He also served as a soldier in the American Revolution.
George Seaton was born to Kenner and Elizabeth on April 23, 1781. He died on July 6, 1835.
On February 3, 1803, George married Sarah Drake (reputed to be related to Sir Francis Drake, but I have found no confirmation of this).
One of George and Sarah’s sons was Charles Drake Seaton (born October 1803, died April 1872).
Charles married Elizabeth Payne in 1827. They moved to Adams County, Illinois, in 1844.
George Kenner Seaton is a child from the union of Charles Drake Seaton and Elizabeth Payne. He was born on August 6, 1828, and died July 24, 1901.
We do not know who George Kenner Seaton married, but one of his sons was William Henry Seaton, who was born about 1855 and died in 1920.
William Henry Seaton married Martha Smith about 1875. They lived in Quincy, Illinois, where William Henry served as a bridge foreman for the Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy (CB&Q) Railroad.
One of their daughters was Lula Pearl Seaton, the matriarch of our immediate family. She was born August 12, 1880, and died April 18, 1945, in the ancestral home we occasionally visit during reunions in Galesburg, Illinois.
Lulu Pearl, of course, married Edward Everett Watson, the patriarch of our immediate family, on January 28, 1903.
Edward was born on September 26, 1883, and died on December 6, 1953. There is a bit of mystery surrounding his death. Was he, or was he not, poisoned by his second wife, Ivy, who many in the family believe was after Edward’s weath?
Edward lived in Galesburg, Illinois, virtually all of his adult life and served as the Chief Clerk and General Superintendent of the CB&Q Railroad in Galesburg.
We know that Edward and Lulu Pearl’s children comprise the many branches of the Watson family that join together each June for the Watson Family Reunion. I will be helping Dusti post the lineage of all of the generation following Edward’s and Lulu Pearl’s on the eWatsons.com website.