Finding Adam Shipley's roots in England has long been a goal of our organization. Colonial records indicate he arrived in February 1668, transported by John Pawson of the City of York. Unfortunately, our many attempts to locate his birthplace and family in England were all inconclusive. The breakthrough came in 2018 when Connie Sparrow engaged The City of York & District Family History Society (UK) to search for Adam. Their research uncovered Adam's family records at Kirby Fleetham. In 2019, Thom Shipley and Chris Taylor traveled to the UK, visiting Kirby Fleetham and other areas connected to the Shipleys. They were able to further confirm the research findings and review the church records of Adam's family. We are pleased to be able to share this information with our members.

Kirkby Fleetham located in an area of North Yorkshire that is 45 miles north of the town of Shipley in West Yorkshire. Once two very small neighboring villages, Kirkby and Fleetham shared only one church — St. Mary’s Church of England. The two became one town about 1670, just after Adam Shipley left for the New World. Another piece of the puzzle is the village of Scruton, which is located near Kirkby Fleetham, and is served by a church named St. Radegund's.

St. Mary's Church, Kirkby Fleetham

Adam’s father was named Richard and his mother was named Elizabeth. There are no birth, baptism, or marriage records yet found for Richard or Elizabeth, primarily due to the scarcity of verifiable records for most residents of this area prior to the 1650s. It is reasonable to assume his parents were born around 1625.

However, church baptismal records from both St. Mary's and St. Radegund's have been located that show that Richard and Elizabeth had five sons. Their first son, Adam, was baptized at St. Radegund's, apparently because of the absence of a vicar at St. Mary's during this period. The record indicates that his father Richard is from Kirkby Fleetham. The remainder of their family records are located at St. Mary's. The records show baptismal and burial dates, but birth and death dates are not recorded. Tradition indicates that parents had their children baptized soon after birth, primarily due to the high infant mortality rate. As such, we have used the baptismal month as the birth month for purposes of discussion. Likewise for the burial and death dates.

Adam (Born October 1648)
John (Born March 1650 and died April 1650)
Robert (Born March 1651)
George (Born June 1655)
Thomas (Born and died November 1658)

Elizabeth was buried at St. Mary’s on December 7, 1658, one month after the death of her youngest newborn son, Thomas. Richard died and was also buried at St. Mary’s on “Januarrie” 8, 1659, one month later, leaving three orphan boys.

We provide images of the original records in the links below. You'll find it takes a great deal of scrutiny to read the information!

The tragedy of these deaths meant that Adam, the eldest son at age 10, was now in charge of his two younger brothers: Robert, age 6, and George, age 3. No evidence has been found of what happened to the three boys over the next decade. After exhaustive research by several separate researchers, we can find no trace of the two younger boys. (Because there is no record of them being put in a public orphanage, as would be common for that time, one speculation is that they were taken in by relatives or neighbors and may have assumed their adopted family’s name.) When our Adam showed up in the Colonies in 1668, leaving England at age 19, his brothers were left in England at ages 15 and 12. Further research is needed to find out what happened to these two brothers of Adam. Unfortunately, there are no Shipleys remaining in Kirkby Fleetham; only church records verify their existence.

The process of finding Adam's English roots and the documentation of his birth and family is provided in the files which can be downloaded below.

The Search for Adam Shipley's Roots in England

2023/2019- On the Road to Kirkby Fleetham, by Thom Shipley and Chris Taylor

>>READ THIS DOCUMENT FIRST<< This file provides our most up-to-date research on Adam Shipley's roots in England. The information presented in this report will enable you to better understand the other material provided in this section. In 2019, Thom Shipley and Chris Taylor visited the UK to follow up on Connie Sparrow's 2018 research, seeking to obtain a more detailed understanding of Adam Shipley's roots. They visited Pam Elliott, of The City York & District Family History Society, who in 2018, had located Adam's family records at Kirby Fleetham. They visited Kirkby Fleetham, and other areas connected to the Shipleys. This engaging and well illustrated report provides our most extensive and up-to-date information on Adam Shipley's English roots. (Please note that this report corrects/supersedes some earlier research information in this website section). (39 pages)

2018- How I Researched Adam's Roots in England, by Connie Sparrow

Detailed step-by-step report by Connie Sparrow describing the process by which she successfully located Adam Shipley's roots in England (2018). (1 pg)

1993- Research on Shipley Family Roots in England, by Dr. Neal Shipley

In 1993, Dr. Neal Shipley, Professor in the Department of History at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) published the findings of his extensive research conducted in the UK. His information greatly expanded our understanding of the Shipley family's English roots, but again, was not able to pinpoint Adam's ancestors or birthplace. (7 pages)

Please note that this document was written prior to the 2019 discovery of Adam's records at Kirkby Fleetham/Scruton. As such, some information may be inconsistent with and/or superseded by the information provided in "On the Road to Kirkby Fleetham."

1979- English Researches- Pamphlet by Emily and L. Parks Shipley

Pamphlet published Nov 1979 summarizing the status of ongoing English Research searching for Adam Shipleys roots. Excellent summary of both geographic information and notable individuals. By Emily and L. Parks Shipley (13 pgs)

Please note that this document was written prior to the 2019 discovery of Adam's records at Kirkby Fleetham/Scruton. As such, some information may be inconsistent with and/or superseded by the information provided in "On the Road to Kirkby Fleetham."

1977- Pilgrimage to England- Pamphlet by L. Parks Shipley and Dorothy Granger

In 1977, a group of members journeyed to England. The trip was not for genealogical research. It was for the satisfaction of walking streets and roads where our forefathers had trod; to breathe air which had nourished countless generations of our lineage, and to behold the places and scenes where those early members of our family had participated in the shaping of history. With those objectives so gratifyingly realized, the quest continued for the immediate English family of ADAM 1668. (18 pages) (See accompanying photos as well).

Please note that this document was written prior to the 2019 discovery of Adam's records at Kirkby Fleetham/Scruton. As such, some information may be inconsistent with and/or superseded by the information provided in "On the Road to Kirkby Fleetham."

1977- Pilgrimage to England- Photos

Zip file containing photos of trip (large file, 47Mb)

1973 English Research- Progress Report, by L. Parks Shipley

Article from March 1973 Newsletter providing a status report on research into Adam Shipley's English roots. Provides interesting overview of a novel approach undertaken. (2pgs)

Please note that this document was written prior to the 2019 discovery of Adam's records at Kirkby Fleetham/Scruton. As such, some information may be inconsistent with and/or superseded by the information provided in "On the Road to Kirkby Fleetham."

Documentation of Adam Shipley and His Family in England