V. Maddy and Daniel: the British Connection
After welcoming Maddy into the Winstead family at the Rehearsal Dinner 6/18/2021, the groom's father Ray Winstead walked from table to table giving a talk, as outlined below, to the entire group. Table centerpieces were the flags as pictured in the outline below. 3' x 5' flags of Surrey County and Sussex County were displayed at the front of the room.

Note the flags. Click for larger image.

Maddy grew up in the town of Woking in Surrey County , just southwest of London in England , a part of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . Maddy and her family then moved to Texas , before she moved to Pennsylvania to attend The Pennsylvania State University.

Daniel grew up in Pennsylvania , also attended and graduated from The Pennsylvania State University, where he met Maddy through their church.

A fascinating note is that Daniel also has English ancestral roots, since Daniel's great¹¹ grandfather John Winston (born before 1555) grew up in Yapton, Sussex County , England . Yapton is only about 42 miles away from where Maddy grew up in Woking in Surrey County ! Sussex County is the county just south of Surrey County! John Winston's great grandson Daniel (!) was baptized in Chichester, ten miles west of Yapton, June 6, 1647. Daniel moved to the British Crown Colony of Virginia. Daniel Winston's son was born in 1671 in Lancaster County, Virginia and was named Samuel Winstead, the first Winstead and great⁷ grandfather of Daniel Jefferson Winstead (1997).

What bird is on the Sussex flag ? The answer is "Martlets."

"Many of the proposed designs incorporated the charge of six martlets (a mythical bird found in heraldry, essentially representative of a swift) that have been traditionally associated with Sussex for centuries and that have appeared on the various forms of arms used in the county." "A martlet in English heraldry is a mythical bird without feet which never roosts and is continuously on the wing. It is a compelling allegory for continuous effort, expressed in heraldic charge depicting a stylised bird similar to a swift or a house martin, without feet." (Swifts belong to the family Apodidae - without feet, but they actually do have small feet.) "The martlet may also be a symbol of hard work, perseverance, and a nomadic household."

(For another coincidence, see Daniel's recently published scientific article about aerial insects and swifts, published by The Pennsylvania Academy of Science. http://raywinstead.com/JPAS-Winstead.shtm )

Daniel Winstead Online Family Tree

Direct-line Winstead Genealogy (Download Word document)

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