Research of ship's passenger records of early Colonial times shows Applebys leaving England for the colonies.  Ships records show the names of the passengers, their trade, where they sailed from and their port of entry and other information.

    Our first known  ancestor was James Preston Appleby.   We have records of Applebys living in

Westmoreland County, England as early as 1143.   As this is written, we have not been able to find the immediate ancestor of James Preston.  If we could find this one person we might be able to go much further back with our lineage.  We will continue our efforts and if we are successful, all who receive this paper will be notified.  Dr. Gavin Appleby, practicing physician in St. George, South Carolina.  Dr. Appleby is a direct descendant of James Preston), says that he has searched for James Preston's Ancestors for twenty-five years and has not been able to find this information.  One record says that James Preston came to Colleton County, South Carolina from Virginia about 1775.

   Old history records show that the Applebys migrated to the Colonies from the town of Appleby, England, (county seat of Westmoreland  County) and also from New Castle, England.  When Ralph Appleby was a boy, Aunt Susie Appleby Donaldson told him that James Preston, at the age of seven, came with his father to the colonies from Appleby, England.  Also, the family settled in Virginia and James Preston attended William and Mary College in Virginia.  This, we have not been able to verify as William and Mary records of that time were destroyed by fire.

   Ralph and Ann Appleby made two trips to Appleby, England, one in May of 1972 and one in June 1976.  They were not able to find any record of the Applebys, but were told that the church did have records.  St. Laurens Church in Appleby, England, had a tablet that recorded the names of people from the fourth century to date.  A Sir Richard Appleby is listed there as rector for about 40 years.

   Ralph and Ann were not given permission to look at the church records.  However, old history books in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., contain many pages of the history of Appleby, England, and of the people who lived there who were named Appleby.  Forrest and his wife, Jewel, found in these records an Appleby Crest of the Applebys of  Linton.    A copy is reproduced on another page.  

   Before Ralph's trip to England, Bernice Fentress Keats visited Appleby, England, and searched for the Applebys family history and failed to find any history of the Appleby family.   Mrs. Forest Burgess of Phoenix, Arizona, visited Appleby, England, in 1974 and failed to find any records of the Appleby family.  It's obvious today there are no family records available of the Applebys in Appleby, England.  Ralph and Ann Appleby found Appleby, England, to be a very lovely place, very interesting and rich in English history.

   Appleby is located in a bend of the river Eden.  It is a fortified city surrounded by an old Roman wall built in the fourth century.  The main street of Appleby runs approximately three blocks from church to the foot of the hill, then up a hill where the Appleby Castle can be seen.   This was built in the seventh century.  Historians of that city say that Appleby existed through many ancient wars.  Appleby, England changed hands many times during the Scottish-English wars in which Mary, Queen of Scots was involved.  Appleby is in Northern England, 30 miles south of the Scottish borders.  Only a mountain range separates Appleby from the famous lake district of North England.

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21 July 2004