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Plaskett, Plasket- Cumberland, England UK, St. Croix and St. Thomas Danish West Indies, Denmark, Canada, USA

I am the grandaughter of Victor Augustus Plaskett b, March, 1888 in St. Croix, Danish West Indies and d. August, 1984 in St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands. Based on research it is my understanding that all Plasketts are related regardless of where they are from. There is a black side and a white side of the family which some may not know.

It appears that John Plaskett c. 1751 and Isabel Sergeantson, c. 1749 of Cumberland England had at least 8 children that we know of. There was John, Wilfred, Timothy, Mary, Sarah, Joseph (who became a Major), Isaac, and William. Major Joseph Plaskett was stationed in St. Croix in the English military. St. Croix was own by Denmark at the time and there were several countries fighting for ownership. Later some of Major Plaskett's relatives joined him in St. Croix. It appears that Sarah and Mary remained in England or that area. Some eventually moved to Denmark and some to Canada. I remember as a child a Danish man and his wife located my grandfather showed him a photo and in their best English asked if he knew the man in the photo and my grandfather responded, "Yes of course! This is my uncle Timothy." The man replied that that was also his uncle Timothy too. This uncle Timothy could have been his uncle or his great uncle. We have since lost contact with that couple. I know Major Plaskett was married and had children in St. Croix, Timothy and Wilfred and John also had children that lived on St. Croix and some remained and had families of their own. Some relocated to Canada, Denmark, the USA and some returned to England. The Landmark Society at the Whim Museum in St. Croix has some historical information regarding the Plasketts. I know of someone that has been able to link herself back to the Major as his will was found in some Danish archives. Each of us have a piece of the puzzle. I am hoping that this blog can help me find which of the 6 sons of John Plaskett I am linked to.

Victor A. Plaskett's father's name was Joseph Plaskett c. 1868 in St. Croix, Danish West Indies. The problem is there are quite a few Joseph Plasketts born around the same time. Names are repreated which makes the search more challenging.

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Comment by Caroline Hewett on December 8, 2021 at 4:25pm

Hi...Just joined! I'm related to the Plaskett family in Cumberland. My Gx4 Grandparents were John Plaskett (1751 - 1824) & Isabel Serjeson (1749 - 1836).

My line is from Mary Plaskett (1784 - 1865) who married Daniel Crosthwaite. I have DNA links to the Plaskett family. Mary stayed in Cumberland.

I have completed as much of John & Isabel's son John's tree (wife Ann Stamper), except 'Grace' Plaskett as hit a brick wall. Maybe she was called Anne? 

Now my attention is turned to Wilfred......... 

I'd love to hear from anyone with information about the Plaskett & Serjeson family in Cumberland .....

Caroline

Comment by Sonia Jacobs Dow on October 3, 2020 at 7:03am

Dear Karne Driver Nelmes:

I hope you are still active on this site.  As Lisa mentioned in her original post, there are many Joseph Plasketts!  I wonder if your g-g-grandfather is Joseph Plaskett (1838-1881) born on St. Croix, son of Timothy Plaskett b. abt. 1799 son of Wilfred Plaskett who died on the voyage to St. Croix?  That Joseph had at least 10 children including a daughter, Annie Josephine.  The family left St. Croix for Canada.

I look forward to hearing from you, Cousin!

Comment by Sonia Jacobs Dow on October 3, 2020 at 6:56am

Dear Eddie Wren:

I am Lisa Williams Phillips' cousin, though we have not traced the exact connection.  I interviewed her grandfather in the 1980s and gleaned a lot of information, including about my paternal grandfather who married my Plaskett grandmother.  I also corresponded with the Danish Plaskett descendant who visited Cousin Victor.

Thank you for your kind offer and the information you sent about Cumbria (Cumberland).  A photo of the memorial you describe was sent to a cousin around 2000.  At this moment, I do not recall the name of the generous person who sent it, but perhaps it was you.  

The memorial proved to be a gold mine, as records from that period are available at the St. Croix Landmarks Society Library & Archives where I work.  Another cousin led the way in tracing the Plaskett brothers on St. Croix.  We now know who their children are with the exception of 2 Plaskett brothers who are named only as owners (enslavers) in the baptism records of enslaved Africans.  We suspect that the baptized may have been their children as they later used the surname "Plaskett".   Perhaps DNA will some day confirm, but we all consider ourselves cousins.  The recipient of the memorial photo, the principal researcher and I are all g-g-g-granddaughters of the son, Joseph Plaskett, who commissioned the memorial.

Mary Plaskett Croswaithe was still alive in 1848 when Joseph commissioned the memorial.  At least one of her sons followed his uncles to St. Croix as did sons of Sarah Plaskett Hewitson.  Three sons of "Wilfred Plaskett who died on the Passage" also migrated to St. Croix.  One later emigrated further with his wife and children to Canada.

Thank God, there is still a lot of research to be done, as that is what keeps family history addicts going!  I hope some day to visit Cumbria.  

God bless you for your generous offer to transcribe the Plaskett Memorial.  Perhaps my visit to Cumbria will coincide with yours.  May you and your family be safe and healthy in this COVID-19 pandemic.

Comment by Eddie Wren on August 22, 2012 at 8:28pm

Hi, Lisa and Karen.

I know it's a couple of years since you posted your respective comments so I hope you are still in this group and receive this reply.

 

Although I now live in the USA (New York State), I am from Threlkeld, a small village in  Cumbria, England -- the county that until 1974 was called Cumberland -- and on the outside wall of St. Mary's Church in Threlkeld there is a very large and no-doubt expensive memorial to the Plasketts of St. Croix (listing the full family, their respective year of death, and their age at death)!

 

It is such a lengthy memorial that I will wait to see whether either of you respond to this message before I take the time to type it out in full.  However, the parents are shown as: "JOHN PLASKETT late of LONGSCALES & BRUNDHOLME in the parish of Crosthwaite, FARMER, who died on the 10th of March 1824, aged 75 years. Also of ISABELLA his wife who died on the 10th of December 1836. aged 87 years...."

Wilfred is shown as having died in 1810, aged 34, "while on his passage to St. Croix."

Isaac is shown as having died in 1819, aged 27, "late of St. Croix, who died in Keswick" (a town four miles west of Threlkeld).

 

Also on the memorial is this: "Joseph Plaskett of the Island of St. Croix their only SURVIVING SON, caused this Tablet to be erected as a memorial of his affection and esteem, Nov. 2nd. 1840. Also of the above named Joseph PLASKETT who died at St. Croix on the 5th. Sept. 1848, aged 58 years."

 

Having read through your notes, I should add that no 'Mary' is listed but all of the other siblings you mentioned are there.

 

You need to know that the 'Longscales' referred to above is nowadays spelled 'Lonscale'. Only a short distance away is Brundholme.  Both are (or at least were) working farms.

 

A few years ago, before I left England, I did rather a lot of local history in connection with Threlkeld so I can also tell you that:

1. Anne Plaskett of Lonscale was buried at Threlkeld (St. Marys) on 1st April 1808, aged 28 years.

2. Anne Plaskett of Birketfield (another farm perhaps 3 miles east of Brundolme/Lonscale) was buried at Threlkeld on 14 December 1809, aged 2 years.

I have no other Plaskett records.

I hope that this is exciting news for you, to be able to trace your ancestors back to two specific farms in what is now the Lake District National Park (a very beautiful area) in the N.W. of England.

 

If I hear from you, I will send the rest of the details from the memorial.

 

Eddie

 

Comment by Karen Driver Nelmes on September 8, 2010 at 10:31am
I have a lot more info on the family. I'll need to read it over to make sense of all of it though. Let me know if you're interested.
Comment by Karen Driver Nelmes on September 7, 2010 at 10:22pm
I've read your blog and immediately called my Dad. We are definitely descended from the same Plasketts of St.Croix. My Dad has a detailed account that a cousin of mine put together years ago. It lists all the same names and dates that you have in your blog. My Dad's great grandfather (if I have it counted right) would be Joseph Plaskett. We live in a small town in British Columbia, Canada where Joseph's daughter Annie Josephine settled with my great grandfather in the early 1900's

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