James Gaines

The pedigree of the Gaines family in Wales goes back six generations beyond BRYCHAN to GWRALDEG, King of Garthmadryn (now Breck­nock), A.D. 230. A manuscript, however in the British Museum has him living near the end of the first century. Brecknock or Brecon­shire was anciently known by the names of Garthmarthrin or Garthomadrin and it was not until BRYCHAN, the ruling prince from 400 to 450 A.D. that the name changed, he naming it for himself "Brycheiniog", the land of Brychan .

Thus we find in the later part of the first century, there lived a "king" of Garthmadrin (Brecknock) whose name was GWRALDEG and his de­scend­ants continued to the reign of BRYCHAN, first through MORVYDD, his sole heiress and daughter who married TEITHALL or TATHALL ap ANNWN ddv. Now GWRALDEG, an adventurer, with a chosen band of friends, accompanied by his wife "Scota", took possession of that part of the country called Balloway. Among his attendants on this expedition was a young man named TEITHALL, son of ANNION ddu. This Teithall was of either Greek, Roman, or of British origin. He was introduced into the British court and attracted the notice of King Mevrig of Britain by whose interest he obtained in marriage MORVYDD, the only daughter of GWRALDEG, King of South Wales. The old manuscript states that by this marriage to Morvydd there was a son TIETHYN, who succeeded his father, left issue IRITH y BLAWD, who was followed by TEIDWALDT.

TEIDWALDT encroached upon his neighbors and was supposed to have been the first to assume the title, King of Brecknockshire. He was succeeded by his son TEWDRIG, TYDYR or TUTOR.

TEWDRIG had a daughter, MARCHELL or MARCELLA, who married AULACH who was said to have been a son of CORONAWG or CORINEVG, King of the Britains in Ireland . In a manuscript in the library of Jesus College , Oxford , this CORINEVG gives a written account of his son's marriage to the heiress, MARCHELL.

It is a strange story or legend, written in Latin in the Cottonian Library, entitled "Cognacid Brychan inde Brechenac dicta est, pars Demetiae in S. Wallia ." One day Tewdrig addressed his daughter, Marchell, "I am very uneasy lest your health should suffer from the pestilential disorders which at present ravage this country. Go, therefore, my daughter to Ireland and God grant you may arrive there in safety."

Her father appointed 300 men and 12 honorable maids to wait upon her and conduct her. On the first night, they reached Llansemin (perhaps Llansevin in Llangadock, Carmanthenshire) where 100 of the men died, whether from cold or of pestilence is not known. The English legend asserts that it was from extreme cold. On the mor­row, anxious and alarmed by this event, she rose and proceeded on her journey and arrived that night at Meidrin in Carmathenshire. Again that night she lost another hundred men.

On the following morning she rose very early and the third night brought them to Porthamawr (a harbor near St. Davids, on the modern map). From there, with her surviving hundred men and maidens, she passed over to Ireland. Upon news of her arrival, AULACH, son of King Gormac or Corineog, met her with a most princely train and cause of her coming was explained to him. He was smitten by her beauty and pleased with her high rank (for she was the daughter of a King) so he fell in love with her and married her, making at the same time a solemn vow that if she produced him a son, he would return with her to her own country in Wales. In due time, Marchell had a son whom his father named BRYCHAN. When the child was two years old, his parents took him to Wales and they resided in Benni.

The English have a different version, being that BRYCHAN was born at Benni; and placed under the care of DRYCHAN and he was the one who raised BRYCHAN and that BRYCHAN was brought to Brecon when he was four years old. BRYCHAN had numerous issue, 49 by some authorities. One of BRYCHAN'S daughters, MELARI, was the mother of St. Davis, patron Saint of Wales . Many of his issue became saints and many churches in Wales were dedicated to many of them.

It is well to keep in mind that the tradition respecting the sanctity of BRYCHAN'S family is not a creature of the dark ages; it was current in Brecon and believed in the churches in the 12th century when Giraldus de Bari traveled through those parts. As stated in his "Itinerary", Brychan had several daughters, all of whom dedicated from their youth to religious observances, happily ended their days in sanctity.

GWEN, who was BRYCHAN'S 16th daughter, married Lylr Morini, Lord of Gloucester. She was the mother of CARADOG FRAISFRAS or Cradoc Fraich Fras. Cradoc was one of the Knights of the Round Table and Lord Keeper of y Castell Dolorous or the Dolorous Tower . The tower was a dungeon where prisoners and traitors were confined.

Cradoc was one of the three beloved chiefs in King Arthur's court and of whom Arthur sang: "These are my three Kings of Battle ; Mael, and Lludd, clad in armor, and the pillar of Wales , Cradoc."

The descendants of GWEN and CRADOC, her son, became rulers of Breconshire and Wales . He married TEGAWR VRON, daughter of King Pelynor. CRADOC was killed in 546 A.D., and their son, CAWRDAFF became King of Ferreg and Brecon. After his reign, there followed a succession of many, all in the blood line, who became rulers of Breconshire, North Wales. But what should concern anyone in the Gaines family is that the succession through CRADOC is a matter of recorded history and continued until the fall of Breconshire in 1092-3.

MERFYNFRYCH and ESSYLLT governed North Wales at about 819 A.D. They were succeeded in 843 by RHODRI MAWR (Roderick the Great) who was the eldest son of MERFYN. Roderick the Great married ANHATAWD (Angharad), heiress of South Wales , and brought the entire princ­ipality under his domination.

GWENDT (or GWENDYDD) ap ANGHARAD was the next lord of Brecon followed by HYDD HWGAN or HUGANUS of West Wales, but Prince or Lord of Brecknock. HUGANUS was also called Kydd , Ky , Gy, Guy, and Hudd in different pedigrees. In the year 910, ETHELFLEDA or ELFLEDA, Queen of Mercia and daughter of Alfred the Great, sent her army into Breconshire and took the castle of HUGANUS ; his queen and 34 of her attendants were sent as prisoners to Mercia . HUGANUS took part in the battle and died of wounds.

DRYFFIN succeeded to his father's (Huganus) government, but experienced similar misfortunes and losses about 930-933. He married CRUSILLA, daughter of IDWAL ap MEURIC. The small remains of Brecknock gradually decreased and were finally torn from the unfortunate Sir Driffin, who upon his death was succeeded by his son, MAENARCH ap GRIFFIN . MAENARCH married Elnor, daughter of Einon ap Selyff. She was the 16th generation from Brychan and sole heiress to her father, who was in the 15th generation from Cradoc, Knight of the Round Table. At length after a period of nearly 600 years, Brecon­shire was united and subject to the control of one man. But this policy was not to be followed very long.

MAENARCH was succeeded by his son, BLEDDYN, after his death. He married ELINOR, daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, King of South Wales.

The princes of South Wales descended from Howel-Da, having long been excluded from their royal rights. Rhys ap Tewdwr, in 1076, put in his claim and was elected prince of South Wales by the voice of his people. The peace was of short duration as before long, the princes of South Wales plotted to again reduce Wales .

An insurrection followed but it was put down by the forces of Rhys ap Tewdwr. Einon, one of the rebels who escaped, later returned with forces acquired from a number of Norman Chieftains. They marched into the territory of Rhys ap Tewdwr and destroyed everything in the terrible battle in 1091.

In the following year, another battle was fought resulting in the death of Rhys ap Tewdwr nd Bleddyn ap Maenarch. Thus fell two Welsh noblemen and with them perished the independence of Breconshire as a British state or province.

Upon the defeat and death of BLEDDYN ap MAENARCH, his eldest son GWRGAN tried to recover his father's dominions without success. He married GWENLLIAN, daughter and heiress of Philip GWYS, Lord of Gwyston, since called "Winston", in Pembrokeshire. He had a son, Sir Walter Gwrgan (Wogan). Cadifor, another son of GWRGAN, had a lordship in Breconshire. To TRAHAERN, GWRGAN'S second son, BLEDDYN ap MAENARCH (Trahaern's grandfather) left Llanphangel (Llangorse). TRAHAERN married Joan, the daughter of BLEDDYN, lord of Cilsant. Some accounts have her also marrying Enion ap Bledri.

TRAHAERN'S son, HOWEL, married GWENLLIAN, daughter of GRIFFITY ap IVOR, Lord of Sanghenith. HOWEL'S son RHYS of ABERLLYFNI, married CATHERINE, daughter of GRIFFITH GWYR or GOWER.

EINON SAIS, the third son of RHYS of ABERLLYFNI, and grandson of TRAHAERN, was given that name after his long residence in England .

On his return to his native land, he married the rich heiress Joan, daughter of HOWEL, Lord of Miscin and Glamorganshire. Quoting from the History of Brechnockshire, "He became possessed by purchase of nearly the whole of what is now called the Hundred of Derynnock, from Llywel on the borders of Carmarthenshire to the River Tarell near Brecon. He build a castellated mansion for his residence in the parish of Llanspyddid, lately called the castle field.....It is described to have been situated on the fall of a small brook into the Usk, near Bettws or Penpont chapel: There is still an unevenness in the surface of the ground, though there are not now the smallest vestages of buildings remaining.....; it was called from the owner, Castell Einion Sais, or Einon, the Englishman's castle.....".

EINON (or EINION) SAIS married twice; his second marriage was to Gwenllizn, daughter of Howel ap Rhys Grug. His eldest son from his first marriage, wife JOAN, was HOWEL ap EINON SAIS, who married LETTICE, daughter of Calwaladr ap Griffith, Lord of Upper Gwent . His manor was called Park Lettice and his only child, a daughter, was named Lettice. HOWEL FYCHAN, their son, married a daughter of Llewelyn ap Howel Neu. The third son of HOWEL FYCHAN was LLEWELYN who married MALLT, daughter of Jevan ap Rhys ap Ivor.

LLEWELYN was the father of DAFYDD ap LLEWELYN, (David son of Llewelyn) generally referred to as DAVID GAM.

Thus appeared the origin of the name GAINES .

GAM was a nickname of David Llewelyn on account of a squint in his eyes. The name GAM endured through two generations, later "es" was added which formed GAMES and was adhered to in Wales , but in England it became Ganes, Gaynes and finally Gaines. On the other hand, according to Harrison's "Surnames of the United Kingdom" the name Gaines is a derivative of the surname Gain or Gains, which originated in the Anglo-Saxon personal name Gegn or Gen as seen in Ge(q)nesburh or Gainsborough, meaning Ge(g)n's Stronghold.

One of the most common ways in which Welsh surnames were formed was by the use of the father's baptismal name on the son's surname. Naturally, this meant that the last name would usually change from generation to generation since the baptismal name would differ between father and son. The prefix "Ap" or "Ab" which means "son of" would precede the father's personal name; thus, David ab Llewelyn means David, son of Llewelyn.

During the time of Henry VII, the "Ap" fell into disuse and the prefix was either absorbed into the name or dropped all together. Hereditary surnames were passed from generation to generation. As late as the 19th century unfixed names, names which change with each succeeding generation) were still quite common in Wales.

For one to study the Gaines pedigree, we must understand that there were rulers of Breconshire, rulers of South Wales, rulers of North Wales and rulers of smaller areas, all of whom ruled simultaneously at times. At other times, through wars or marriage, boundaries would become fluid, torn apart, or united.

DAVID GAM married GWENLLIAN, daughter of Gwilym ap Howel y Grach. Pedigrees show that he had two older sisters, Pfelis and Helen, and one older brother, Howel from whom the Powels of Castlemadoc descended. Some pedigrees state that he had another older brother next to his sister Helen. His younger brothers were Roger, Griffith , from who are descended the Bowens of Llywel, Richard, Gwilyn, from whom the Vaughans of Peytin Gwyn descended and Howel. The only recorded issue of David Gam and Wife Gwenllian, were two sons, MORGAN and THOMAS, and one daughter, Gwladis, whose first marriage was to Sir William Thomas of Raglana.

David Gam entered the military service of King Henry V of England bringing with him three foot archers from Brecon, Wales and followed the King in his invasion of France in 1415. By his personal daring and courage on the field at the Battle of Againcourt, he saved the life of King Henry V, only to become himself mortally wounded on October 25, 1415 .

He was knighted before his death as Sir David "Gam". Being such an important member of the Gaines Lineage, the life of Sir David Gam is best described in " THE DICTIONARY OF HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY,' Vol.VII, pages 832-33, edited by Sir Leslie Stephen and Sir Sidney Lee, From Earliest Times to 1900 , London , Oxford University Press.

Shakespeare's "Henry the Fifth" speaks of him "------ Where is the number of our English dead? Edward the Duke of York, the Earl of Suffolk, Sir Richard Ketly, Davy Gam, esquire, none else of name ---."

From the book, Annuals and Antiquities, by Nichols, 1872, p 93 is the following quote:

“The name of Sir David Gam will always be a name of mark in Brecknockshire, partly through the weight of the family of which he was a member, partly through the boldness and energy of his own career, and the circumstances of its termination.

He has been dead more than four centuries, but his deeds are fresh in the popular memory; and the old house of Newton, though build a hundred and seventy years after his death, serves as a memento of him and his family.”

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This is the GAINES ancestral line for the past 600 years.

1. DAVID ap LLEWELYN, (aka SIR DAVID GAM), died, 1415

2. MORGAN

3. JEUAN or EDWARD

4. MORGAN

5. JOHN of Newton , of Brecon, Wales , born 1545

6. EDWARD GAMES of Newton, Wales , died 1564

7. Sir JOHN GAMES of Newton , Wales , died 1606 (builder of manor in Brecon, Wales click to see pictures)

8. EDWARD GAMES of Newton , Wales

9. THOMAS GAMES, Esquire, THE IMMIGRANT TO AMERICA (ca 1585-1640)

10. JAMES GAINES of Old Rappahannock Co., VA (ca 1630 -ca 1705)

11. RICHARD EDWARD GAINES of Culpeper Co., VA (died ca 1755-56)

12. WILLIAM HENRY GAINES of King Queen County , VA (1705-1792)

13. THOMAS WILLIAM GAINES of Orange Co., VA (1738-1811)

14. HENRY PENDLETON GAINES of Stokes Co. NC (1779-1865)

15. WILLIAM MARTIN GAINES of Green Co., AL (1826-1911)

16. HENRY BENJAMIN GAINES of Walker Co., AL (1853-1911)

17. ERNEST WILLIAM GAINES of Comanche Co., TX (1894-1977)

18. ETHELENE GAINES of Wichita Co., TX (1919 - alive in 2006)

The Manor Home of Sir John Games at Brecon, Wales , was never the home of Sir David Gam as some researchers have come to believe, as it was not built until 1582 by Sir John Games.

It was built in beautiful surroundings with the Usk River almost at its gate. It is surrounded by green rolling hills, on which the grounds the Brecon Golf Course have been laid out. If you should find yourself in Wales, you may want to visit the home, however it is now privately owned and not open to public tours. When Meg Bannister visited in 2000, she was graciously invited inside the home, where she made the pictures you will find on this site.

http://www.lynnwright.com/GainesFamilyinWales.htm

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Ancestor of Pres. Jimmy Carter:

James Gaines

(1620-1705)

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Richard Gaines

(1686-1755)

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Richard Gaines

(1726-1802)

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Mildred Gaines

(1761-1814)

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Hollinger Brown

(1785-1859)

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Mary Marcus Brown

(1812-1859)

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Mary Elizabeth Dawson

(1836-1909)

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Mary Ida Nicholson

(1871-1951)

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Bessie Lillian Gordy

(1898-1983)

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Jimmy Earl Carter

(1924-)

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James came to Old Rappahannock Co., Virginia. ca 1653. He has generally been accepted by tradition, as the son of Thomas Games(Gaines), the immigrant, along with his brothers Robert, of Old Rappahannock Co., Virginia, Francis of Lancaster Co., Virginia and sister Catherine. Data connects James with Daniel Gaines, John Catlett (Sr), Ralph Rowzee, Thomas Hawkins and Richard Lawson. A Gaines descendant states in his family records that James Gaines married a daughter of Richard Lawson, possibly named Elizabeth after her mother. Up to this time, however, no will or other document has been uncovered where his wife or wives and children are named.

Marriage #1 - unknown - children Mary, Richard (1670)

Marriage #2 - Elizabeth Lawson - 2 children