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Since the society was launched 25 years ago a Journal called ' POINTS EAST ' which contains many interesting facts, information and articles has been produced twice yearly.
As the Society Celebrates 25 years this year We have decided to reproduce some articles from the early journals. They will appear here on the home page and will then move to the new 'from 25 years ago....' page.
Previous articles from the archives have been moved to the 'from 25 years ago....' page.
'The Story of Mary East'
From an article found by Eric Este
From an article found by Eric Este
A member Eric Este sent us this interesting story about a woman who spent her life masquerading as a man. The subject of this article is among the numerous females who might be mentioned who have, for a long series of years, sustained the character and devoted themselves to the occupations and pursuits of men.
We have seen them attaining the highest distinction in the republic of letters, intrusted with important diplomatic conditions and rising with deserved eminence in military careers. Their examples seem to prove that, with the same education, women might be able to acquit themselves with equal credit in professions exclusively assigned to the other sex.
Mary East was born about 1715 and when very young was courted by a man for whom she conceived the strongest affection. This man, afterwards falling into bad courses, resolved to try his fortune on the highway, but it was not long before he was apprehended for a robbery, for which he was condemned to die. However the sentence was changed to transportation. This circumstance, which happened about the year 1731 so deeply affected the mind of Mary East that she determined that ever after she would remain single. In the neighbourhood of her residence lived another young woman, who likewise having met with several disappointments in her experience of passion, had formed a similar resolution. As they were intimate they communicated their intentions to each other and at length concluded to live together.
Having consulted on the most prudent method of proceeding, it was decided that one should put on man's apparel and they should live as man and wife in some place where they were not known. The only difficulty was deciding who should be the man which was decided by lot in favour of Mary East, who was at the time about sixteen years of age and her partner seventeen. The sum of money they possessed between them was about £30 with which they set out and Mary, after purchasing a man's habit, assumed the name of James How by which we shall be obliged to distinguish her. In their progress they chanced to stop at a small public house at Epping, which was to be let. This house they took and lived in it for some time.
At about this time a quarrel, the cause of which we are not informed, took place between James How and a young gentleman against whom James entered an action and obtained a verdict of £500 damages. With this sum our couple sought a place in a better situation and took a very good public house in Limehouse-hole, where they live many years as man and wife, in good credit and esteem and by their industry and frugality, contrived to save a considerable sum of money.
Leaving the last mentioned situation they removed to the White Horse in Poplar,
which as well as several other houses, they later purchased. In this manner they had lived about eighteen years, when a woman who was acquainted with Mary East in her youth and was in the secret of her metamorphosis, knowing in what creditable circumstances she now lived, thought this a favourable opportunity to turn her knowledge to her own advantage. She accordingly sent to Mr How for £10 at the same time intimating at the same time that in case of refusal, she would disclose all she knew concerning the affair. Fearful of her executing the threat James, in compliance with her demand sent her the money.
For a considerable time they remained free of any demands of a similar nature. How with her supposed wife continued to live in good credit till the year 1764. She had served all the parish offices of Poplar, excepting that of a constable and church warden from the former of which she was excused by a lameness in her hand occasioned by the quarrel above mentioned and the functions of the later she was to
have performed the following year. She had several times been foreman of juries, though her effeminacy was frequently remarked. About Christmas 1764 the woman who had practiced the former piece of extortion, resolved again to have recourse to the same expedient and with like menaces obtained £10 more. Flushed with her success and emboldened to prosecute her depredation, a fortnight had not elapsed before she repeated her demand for the same sum, which James happened not to have in the house, but still fearing discovery, sent her back £5. About this time the supposed wife of James How was taken ill and died.
The woman now planned to increase her depredations and for this purpose she procured two fellows to assist her in its execution, one of these, a coloured man, passed as a police officer and the other equipped with a pocket staff as a constable. In these characters they repaired to the White Horse and enquired for Mr How, who answered to the name. They informed her that they were come from Justice Fielding to apprehend her for a robbery committed thirty years before and they were acquainted with the secret of her sex. She was terrified to the highest degree on account of the discovery, but conscious of her innocence with regard to the robbery, and an intimate acquaintance, Mr Williams, a pawnbroker, happening to pass by and she called him in and acquainted him with the business of the two men, adding that she really was a woman but that she was innocent of the crime with which she was charged. Mr Williams, as soon as he recovered from the surprise occasioned by the disclosure, told her that she should not be carried before Justice Fielding, but before her own bench of Justices, adding that he would just step home and return in a few minutes to accompany her. On his departure the ruffians renewed their threats, but at the same time told her, if she would give them £100 they would cause her no further trouble, if not she would be hanged in six days and they would receive £40 each for bringing her to justice. Not withstanding their menaces she firmly resisted their demand, waiting with the utmost impatience for the return of Mr Williams. Persisting in her refusal they at length forced her out of the house, carried her through the fields and conveyed her Garlick Hill and the house of their employer, where with threats they obliged her to give a draft at a short date to Mr Williams. She was then set at liberty. When Mr Williams came back he was surprised to find her gone and immediately set off to the bench of justices to see if she was there. Not finding her he immediately went to Sir John Fielding and not succeeding there he went home, where James soon after returned and related what had happened.
It was now the month of July, 1763. On Monday the 14th the woman to whom the draft was given, went to Mr Williams with it to enquire if he would pay it as it would be due the following Wednesday. He replied that if she would bring it when due, he should know better what to say. In the mean time he applied to the bench of justices for advice and on the Wednesday a constable was sent with orders to be in readiness in his house. The woman punctually attended with the draft bringing the coloured man with her. They were immediately taken into custody and carried before the justices sitting at The Angel in Whitechapel, wither Mr Williams repaired, attended by Mary East, in the proper habit of her sex. The awkwardness of her behaviour occasioned by the alteration of her dress, was such as to afford considerable diversion.
In the course of the examination the woman denied having sent for the sum of £100, which the men had demanded, but the coloured gentleman declared that if she had not sent him on such an errand, he would never have gone. By their numerous contradictions they completely unfolded the villainy of their designs and the strongest proof of being adduced of the extortion and assault. They were both committed to Clerkenwell till the sessions, to be tried for the offences. The other man who was involved in this nefarious transaction, would have been included in this punishment had he not by flight evaded the arm of justice.
It should have been observed that before the supposed wife of James How died, finding herself indisposed, she went to her brothers in Essex for the benefit of the air and after some stay, perceiving that she was near her end, sent for her husband to come to her. As How neglected to comply with her request, she informed her brother that the person with whom she had cohabited was not her husband, but a woman, that they were partners in the business by which they had acquired three or four thousand pounds, part of which had been laid out in bank stock. As soon as the supposed wife was dead and buried, her relations had set out for Poplar to claim her share of the property, which was accordingly delivered to them by Mary East.
It is remarkable that during the thirty four years in which they lived together, neither the husband nor the wife was ever observed to dress a joint of meat, nor had they ever any meetings, or the like at their house. They never kept any maid or boy but the husband, Mary East, always used to draw beer, serve, fetch and carry out the pots, so extremely solicitous were they that their secret might not be discovered.
After she had disposed of her house and settled her affairs, Mary East retired into another part of Poplar, to enjoy with quiet and pleasure, that property she had acquired by fair and honest means and with an unblemished character. She died in January 1781 aged sixty four years and left her fortune to a friend in the country and a young woman who lived with her during her retirement as a servant, except for ten shillings a year to the poor of Poplar, 50 shillings to a working gardener and her gold watch to Mr Curry an eminent distiller at Poplar.
In the course of the examination the woman denied having sent for the sum of £100, which the men had demanded, but the coloured gentleman declared that if she had not sent him on such an errand, he would never have gone. By their numerous contradictions they completely unfolded the villainy of their designs and the strongest proof of being adduced of the extortion and assault. They were both committed to Clerkenwell till the sessions, to be tried for the offences. The other man who was involved in this nefarious transaction, would have been included in this punishment had he not by flight evaded the arm of justice.
It should have been observed that before the supposed wife of James How died, finding herself indisposed, she went to her brothers in Essex for the benefit of the air and after some stay, perceiving that she was near her end, sent for her husband to come to her. As How neglected to comply with her request, she informed her brother that the person with whom she had cohabited was not her husband, but a woman, that they were partners in the business by which they had acquired three or four thousand pounds, part of which had been laid out in bank stock. As soon as the supposed wife was dead and buried, her relations had set out for Poplar to claim her share of the property, which was accordingly delivered to them by Mary East.
It is remarkable that during the thirty four years in which they lived together, neither the husband nor the wife was ever observed to dress a joint of meat, nor had they ever any meetings, or the like at their house. They never kept any maid or boy but the husband, Mary East, always used to draw beer, serve, fetch and carry out the pots, so extremely solicitous were they that their secret might not be discovered.
After she had disposed of her house and settled her affairs, Mary East retired into another part of Poplar, to enjoy with quiet and pleasure, that property she had acquired by fair and honest means and with an unblemished character. She died in January 1781 aged sixty four years and left her fortune to a friend in the country and a young woman who lived with her during her retirement as a servant, except for ten shillings a year to the poor of Poplar, 50 shillings to a working gardener and her gold watch to Mr Curry an eminent distiller at Poplar.
' The Estes of Radnage & their descendants'
Radnage, Bucks. is a tiny village just inside the county boundary with Oxfordshire, about ten miles north west of High Wycombe. It is well worthwhile making a visit to the parish church, as we did one fine summer day. The lanes are extremely narrow, but navigable with care.
The church contains a fine memorial to an East whose family put its stamp on the area over many centuries. This was William, Gentleman, whose wife Sybil bore him thirteen children. They are all depicted in a set of brasses, now mounted on the wall near the pulpit. She had the memorial placed over his tomb, and some wear took place over the years that followed, before it was moved and placed in its present position.
The arms of this particular family probably go back to 1515, and the family must have been in good standing to have been granted them in the first place. A visitation by Heralds in 1560 confirmed the right to the Arms and a crest was granted. In a manuscript of 1574 relating to the visitation, the Arms and Crest were sketched ( or 'tricked' ).
Eleven descendants and five today are known. Some of the sons of William whose marriage details are not known, may have passed the name on, and we hope that eventually yet more 20th century descendants of this family may come to light.
The church contains a fine memorial to an East whose family put its stamp on the area over many centuries. This was William, Gentleman, whose wife Sybil bore him thirteen children. They are all depicted in a set of brasses, now mounted on the wall near the pulpit. She had the memorial placed over his tomb, and some wear took place over the years that followed, before it was moved and placed in its present position.
The arms of this particular family probably go back to 1515, and the family must have been in good standing to have been granted them in the first place. A visitation by Heralds in 1560 confirmed the right to the Arms and a crest was granted. In a manuscript of 1574 relating to the visitation, the Arms and Crest were sketched ( or 'tricked' ).
Eleven descendants and five today are known. Some of the sons of William whose marriage details are not known, may have passed the name on, and we hope that eventually yet more 20th century descendants of this family may come to light.
COMING SOON : Another article about Mary East a lady who spent most of her life pretending to be a man!.
The Founders Award
In Memory of John & Andrée East
In Memory of John & Andrée East
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An annual prize of £50 will be awarded to the member who submits the most interesting article for publication in the Points East Journal
The 2018 competition closes on the 1st August 2018 so please send articles for consideration to our Journal Editor. 
to contact our Journal Editor
Amanda |
£50
CASH PRIZE |
The winner of the £50 cash prize for the best article submitted for publication in the journal during 2017 is Life in Water by Deryck A East.
Click above on the
WINNER icon to read the 2017 winning article Life in Water by Deryck A East |
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Write an article telling us your story and you could be the winner of the 2018 cash prize
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The EAST Family history society was launched in 1993, to bring together people researching ancestors with the name EAST and to build a database of family tree's for EAST families worldwide.
In addition to the name EAST, we also research variants of the name such as EASTE, EASTES, EST, ESTE, & ESTES.
In addition to the name EAST, we also research variants of the name such as EASTE, EASTES, EST, ESTE, & ESTES.
In 2013 the EAST Family History Society celebrated 20 years of helping people worldwide to research their EAST ancestors.
Could we help you?
Could we help you?
Please consider joining the East Family History Society as the very small membership fee helps us to provide this website and maintain the society.
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Membership of the Society is open to anyone with an interest in the surname EAST or its variants.
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Even as a non-member you can have the complete EAST Births database free
Click the icon to get your free database
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Can you help us ?
Our aim is to compile a database of all East family trees. If you have traced your EAST family tree, please let us know the details of the earliest EAST ancestor that you have found - you may be able to help us record a new family line that we don't yet know about ! |
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In England EASTS have been traced right back to the arrival of the Normans.
The EAST FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY, was founded in England and has helped many members to trace their ancestors back to the 16th century. Some of these members live in Australia and we are sure that many EASTS living in America can also be traced back to these times. |
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Information from the Society's database is
provided to Society members and to the public. Research assistance can also be provided. Look at the database page for details of the information we have available to members. |
We are Looking for information on John Alger East or his family, Can you Help ?
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This painting of an unknown man by an unknown artist is believed to be Captain James Cook. The painting is now owned by the National Portrait Gallery in London. It was bought in 1905 from J. A. East.
John Alger East appears in the 1911 census as an Artist living in Hackney, London. Could he be the painter ? Was he the J. A. East who sold the painting ? John was married to Mary C Worth in 1843, who in the 1871 census was also recorded as an Artist. But John also had an Artistic family - His father was Henry Matthew East was a Picture Dealer in Hackney in the 1871 Census. Laura East & Gilbert East were siblings of John who became Sculptors. |
The portrait can be viewed online at : http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw08900/Unknown-man-formerly-known-as-James-Cook?
Does anyone have information on Silversmith John East ?
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This Queen Anne Silver Porringer, described as 'Rare' was made by John East in 1711 and recently listed for sale on Ebay for £990 or $1223
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This Queen Anne Silver Feeding Cup was made by John East in 1712. recently offered for sale in the United States, it was described as 'Extremely Rare' and was priced at $9,850 or £7973.
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This is the assay mark of John East which was registered in 1697 and has been seen on silverware pieces dated between 1701 and 1722
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Its a Double Mystery !
Can you help us ?
Can you help us ?
Our Society Chairman Ros and her husband David recently visited the World War Battlefields & Memorials in Northern France. While visiting the Thiepval Memorial where 72,191 missing soldiers with no known graves are listed, they noticed an inscription for “East J “ a member of the Durham Light Infantry.
Our former Research Manager Anne, found that the soldier was 28 year old Captain John East of the 15th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, who died on the 1st July 1916. He was the son of John East from Auckland, New Zealand and husband of Marguerite East (nee Jacquet), of 33, Hatherley Rd., Sidcup, Kent.
We currently have no details of this family tree in our records but we would love to know more about this family. If anyone visiting the site has any information about Captain John, his father or any relatives in the UK or New Zealand, please let us know.
We currently have no details of this family tree in our records but we would love to know more about this family. If anyone visiting the site has any information about Captain John, his father or any relatives in the UK or New Zealand, please let us know.
We were also contacted by the Llandiloes community project who asked if we knew anything about H.H. East who is recorded on the towns WW1 war memorial. Harold Henry was recorded as having been born in 1885 and he died age 32 on the 6th November 1917. He was a Private in the 1st/1st Bn. Herefordshire Regiment. His parents were Edwin and Laura East, of Newport & his wife was Edith Emily East, of "Dyfnant," Queen's Terrace, Aberystwyth. Harold's grandfather was Job Dawson EAST born in Reading about 1827 but moved to Wales by 1861, where he worked on the railway.
Unfortunately although Harold came from a fairly large family, we do not have his family or his immediate ancestors in our trees. Can anyone tell us anymore about this family ?
Unfortunately although Harold came from a fairly large family, we do not have his family or his immediate ancestors in our trees. Can anyone tell us anymore about this family ?
WE HAD AN 'EAST' ON THE UK 'X FACTOR'
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Fleur is a very talented 26 year old singer/songwriter from Walthamstow in East London who came 2nd in the 2014 competition. She became the show's first contestant to reach number one on the UK iTunes Store chart during the competition, with her performance of "Uptown Funk".
!n 2015 She was signed by Simon Cowells Syco record label and released a full-length debut album, Love, Sax and Flashbacks with lead single 'SAX' reaching no 3 in the UK charts. It also became an international hit in the Netherlands, Australia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Hungary and Croatia. Fleur's career has gone 'international' after she was signed by Sony's Columbia Records, performed in the USA on the season finale of Dancing with the Stars and appeared on the Today show & James Cordens Late Late Show. She is one of The X Factor's biggest breakout acts. She performed on The X Factor Tour 2015 & her own 'Sax' Tour this year, has produced a second single "More and More", performed at the National Television Awards, Blackpool Illuminations, Pride Festivals at Brighton, Manchester & Birmingham and Girl Guiding UK's BIG GIG at Wembley to name but a few. Fleur East has also teamed up with British dress company Lipsy (London) for the launch of her first fashion collection. We continue to watch with interest and congratulate Fleur on her fantastic success to date and we remain sure that there is still a lot more to come from her in the future. |
Music Thanks to Moodmixes.com