Garrett Family Genealogy

John E. Garrett as illustrated by Kevin Sprouls

My name is John E. Garrett. My father's name was also John E. Garrett (technically I am a Jr.). My mother's maiden name was Millie Prediger Hubbard. My wife's maiden name is Frances Marie Bates. Her father was Emmett Holland Bates and her mother was Lois Eastes.

I was born in 1927 close to the Stateline between Oklahoma and Arkansas. I endured the depression years until the war years came. I was 14 when Pearl Harbor was hit. After working two years in various defense facilities I joined the Navy. While in the Navy I attended the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA and the University of California in Berkley. After flight training, I finished college at Oklahoma State. Upon receiving my BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, I went to work for a major oil and gas company in Dallas Texas where I have remained ever since. Without leaving Dallas, I founded several companies, the most notable of which was Garrett Computing Systems. Here we provided computing services to the petroleum industry throughout the U.S. plus several foreign countries. I am now retired and spend my time on my computer or in my work shop.

This site has genealogy data for the four branches of my family. It has not been published in book form. However, individuals who have an interest in one or more of the families may print or save a copy for their own use. It is in PDF format for easy saving or printing. The info is in the following links:

1000 Years of Garrett Family History
My oldest known Garrett ancestor was Duke Otho Gheraldini who traveled from his home in Tuscany to Normandy where he was associated with Prince Edward (who would become King Edward the Confessor) and William the Bastard who would become King William the Conqueror. The Gheraldinis followed Edward and William to England where the name was shortened to Gerald. From Gerald it went to FitzGerald, Gerard and Garrard before becoming Garrett. In this time some of my ancestor's experiences include: Walter FitzOtho Gheraldini was made Castellan of Windsor (Castle) by King William I; Gerald FitzWalter Gheraldini was made Constable of Pembroke Castle, built Carew Castle and married the mistress of King Henry I; most of Gerald's offspring's were involved in the invasion of Ireland and generally went under the name of FitzGerald; Gerald's descendants who called themselves Gerrard repeatedly married into wealth becoming Lords, Barons and Knights; three of the ancestors became Lord Mayor of London; one of the Garrett's immigrated to Pennsylvania as a Quaker and another immigrated to Virginia to become a farmer; two Garrett brothers fought in the Civil War, one on the Confederate side and one on the Union side.

The Garretts Before America
This work examines how the Garretts evolved during the generations that they spent in England, Wales and Ireland from the time the first ancestor landed in England until the first Garrett came to America.

800 Years of Hubbard Family History
Hubbard was my mother's maiden name. These ancestors were also from England, first immigrating under the name of Hobart and settling in Massachusetts and Connecticut. In the early 1800's the Hubbards and Miners married. The Miner branch is similar to the Hubbards in length and origin. My grandfather, Miner Davison Hubbard married Georgiana Grasham who were also English.

500 Years of Bates Family History
My wife's maiden name is Bates. This study starts with the first Bates (John Isaac) immigrant to Jamestown as an indentured servant. His immediate descendants became well known Quakers and settled in and around the Skimino, VA a few miles from Jamestown. His grandson was John Bates the well documented "Quaker Merchant." whose place was subject of an archaeological dig in 1994.

John Bates had two grandsons, Fredrick and Edward Bates who were both politically connected in the Thomas Jefferson and Lincoln administrations. My wife's branch of the Bates descended through Georgia to Texas.

500 Years of Eastes Family History
My wife's mother was an Eastes. The Eastes' were from the same county in England as the Bates and in fact probably knew of each other before separately immigrating as indentured servants. As with most all ancestors, their surname has had many spellings including Eastes, Estes, Eustice, Eustace and Estis.