My Website | My Twitter| My Facebook| My Blog | MyLinks| My Work

James Retson Genealogy Website

Last revised
September 18, 2024

If interested in receiving my monthly Retson Genealogy Newsletter please send me a request at jretson@shaw.ca

My Introduction to Genealogy

Genealogy 101

Latest Updates

Family Roots may be accessed from links on the left side of this page. An outline of many of the roots may be found at http://retson.ca/retsonroots.html. Surnames can then be found along left hand sidebar. (15/Jan/2017)

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Retson-7 my Wikitree

Maternal Line mtDNA Haplogroup: H11a2a1 See http://retson.ca/themotherline.html (I am just commencing research on this line.)

Retson DNA Info

Retson Family House

2031Pic

Picture by Paulette Yorke presented to Mavis York in July 1981 on the occasion of her marriage on the property.. Property in Salmon River, Colchester County, Nova Scotia was owned by the family from 1951 to approximately 1996.            2010             

2031

2031new

Retson Virtual Cemetery

Some Direct Ancestors of Interest

    Top 10
  1.  Francis Cooke, 10th Great Grandfater of James C. Retson born about 1583, His son John Cooke and Richard Warren, first ancestors in North America arriving on  the Mayflowers.
  2. 8th Great Grandfather John Hoar born in Situate, Massachussetts in 1622 (relative of Nova Scotia Retson's either through Beatrice Clifford-Agnes Hoar or through Bessie Johnson-John Lutes Hoar and then the common ancestor David Hoar) and
  3.  8h Great Grandmother Sarah Lord Wilson b. April 24 1678 at Andover, Massachusetts. m. Joseph Wilson July 4 1670, charged at Salem, Massachussets on Septber 7 1692  as an alleged witch and jailed until January 13 1693 and aquitted January 13 1693 along with her daughter Sarah Wilson Junior.         .
  4. Richard Ratson b. about 1730 earlest Retson found to date.
  5. Jeremiah Belcher born in September 1613 in Wiltshire, Lincolnshire, England, one of the earliest if not the earliest ancestors of this website 's designers, James C. Retson to touch foot on the North American continent in 1634. He also bears the distinction of being simultaneously our 9th and 10 great grandfather as one of Jeremiah's daughters, Abigail direct descendent, Grace Retson, married the direct descendent of her sister Dorcus, Cliff Retson in 1941.
  6. Samuel Archibald (1719-1774) Patriach of first ancestor to arrive in Nova Scotia and Canada
  7. Janet Armstrong, b. in Dumfries-shire, possibly in Annan, in 1779, our earlest maternal ancestor and hence the carrier of mitochondria from Haplogroup h11a2a1
  8. John Clifford - probably born in 1801 in Ireland, Grandfather of Beatrice Clifford emmigrated from ireland. Beleived to be a Catholic, all his chidren joined protestant churches.
  9. Petticoat Preacher
  10. James Clifford - namesake

The Retson Surname

There are many derivation of the family name Retson.  By far the most common root is for descendants from Western Europe who can trace their name ultimately to son of Richard, but bore various spellings Rattson, Ratson, Ritson but also Richson, Richardson and variations.  A second common root is through the Greece "Retsos".

Retson Ancestor Timeline

Retson's Ancestor's Occupations

Retson Ancestor's Land

Ancestral Indigenous Relations

Retson Traditional Candy

Ancestors and Justice

Ancestors of Cliff and Grace Retson

Ancestors of Cliff Retson (PDF Format)

Ancestors of Grace Retson (PDF Format)

Siblings of James C. Retson