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In the early invasion of England's ancient history as recorded by Claudius, a powerful tribe of Belgic Gaul named Suessiones was mentioned. The location of this tribe in the first century was called Noviodunum Suessionum, which was the chief town of the Gauls. The town became Augusta Suessionum in the second century, Ougusta Suessionum in the third and fourth century and Suessio by 561 AD, and finally Soissons as we know it today. Soissons was about the center of the Frankish state of Neustria from 486 to 555. The Frankish King Clovis defeated Sygrius in 486. Charles Martel defeated the Neustrians 716-717, Robert I was defeated by Charles the Simple in 923. In 1661 AD it was still called Suessio and finally Soissons, France. The town is located on the Aiane River, 18 miles south west of Laon and approxinitely 65 miles north east of Paris.
There are two considerations when they first came to England. One is that they were part of Normandy's William the Conqueror who took over England 1068-1071. Records of Esueillardus Sessons living in Cambridgeshire in 1180-1190 have been found. The other consideration is that in ancient Angle-Saxon tongue there appears a name that may be best expressed in modem English by the word "Sass". In this old language it means a dweller on or a tiller of the soil.
King Henry II granted the manor house of Astonto Riulf Sessums in 1154 but the land was returned in 1166. This was recorded in the book of fees. Records indicate that there was a Riulfiis de Sessuns in 1212 HY2 fees (Berks) From Soissons (Aisne).
The second consideration is that when a father died the eldest son inherited the estate. Three brothers who were left out of the inheritance decided to go to England, hoping for a better way of life.
We do know, however, that there were many Sessons, Sisson, Cysson, Cisson, Sesson, Sisson and Sessions listed on poles and other records. Due to the fact that most people did not know how to write at that time, all spelling of the names above could be from the same name. These names may indeed represent branches of the original Suessiones tribe.
The name Sessum derives from a different background. It is German in origin, meaning a dweller in or around swampy or reedy land. However, since the Suessiones were overrun by barbarians of German background, any number of postulates may be presented rationalizing the origination and ethnic relationship of Sessions. The Sissons were in Yorkshire, the Sessions in Berkshire and the Sessums in Cambridgeshire, about the same time, just prior to and during the 1630 English migration to the Colonies.
Esueillar las de Soissuns or Seussuns is recorded in Cambridgeshire in 1180-90.
The earliest spelling of Sessions was found to be in Berkshire. In 1410, Alexander Sessions, farmer of Dudley Manor, is recorded in Wantage, Berkshire, England. During the time span of 1500-1600 many Sessions are recorded in the towns of Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, England. During this period of time it seems "farmer" had the special meaning of supervisor of the large manors or estates of the landed gentry. On the basis of this meaning, we can understand why Governor Dudley asked an Alexander Sessions to accompany him to the colonies as supervisor of his plantation. Early Massachusetts records show Alexander, Nathaniel and Samuel Sessions associated with Governor Dudley in Massachusetts, supposedly coming over with the Winthrop fleet. Samuel was a bodyguard to the king. He was 6 feet 3 inches tall, and weighed over 250 pounds. He received an honorable discharge or he would not have been permitted to come to America with Dudley.
William Sessions was granted a "Coat of Arms" in Milton, Oxford by Queen Elizabeth in 1601. This is recorded in Burke's General Armory. The family seemed to have been originally of Oxford, England. The design for the Coat of Arms is a shield divided by a crenelled edge. This is the French term for embattled. The upper part of the shield is golden and the lower part is blue. On the golden part are two griffins heads of blue and on the lower blue part is one griffin's head of gold. This is called in heraldry, counter-changing. The griffin's head is depicted with ragged edges, as if torn from the bodies. The griffin is a legendary beast derived from ancient mythology and is depicted with foreparts of an eagle and the hind parts of a lion. A griffin, according to ancient legends will suffer death rather than be made captive.
"Coat of Arms" originated to identify knights of opposing armies in battle since their armor obscured their identity. It was first painted by knights on their battle shields. Later designs were woven into cloth curcoats which were worn over a suit of armor. Thus the term, "Coat of Arms". Records were kept that granted a particular design to a certain knight so that there would be no duplicates. The knight's family shared his right to display his arms. These records were printed in book form. The fact the Sessions family had it's own Coat of Arms suggested it was a noted family in English history.
In 1558 Queen Elizabeth (who died in 1603) ordered visitations in Oxfordshire to establish the validity of arms. It was a convenient method of raising a little money. There was resistance to this method of taxation and many did not acknowledge the arms, or costs pertaining to this tax. The 1603 to 1649 reigns of James I and his son Charles were also of incredible conflict in religion and illegal taxation.
Thomas Sessions, son of William Sessions, and known at the time as Sessions de Bledington, was the victim of Charles I visitation commission in 1634. It is assumed that Thomas resisted the taxation of "ship's money" because Charles I declared Thomas "off" or in terms of the day "no Cent". This means he took away the right to bear arms. When Queen Elizabeth was still alive there were 120 families listed in 1574 with the right to bear arms as compared to only 29, which reappeared in 1634. There was also turmoil surrounding the change of Catholic rule followed by Protestant rule. The Sessions were Puritans, Quakers, merchants' etc. At the end of Elizabeth's rule many smaller gentry sold their lands and put the proceeds in mercantile enterprises. We can now better understand in 1630 why so many Sessions' families emigrated to America.
In the 1665 Hearth tax returns, which were available for the entire county of Oxfordshire, only four Sessions were recorded. These could have been one family. They were located in Chadlington Hundred. In 1641-2 there were 22 Sessions in the Protestation Returns in West Oxfordshire, 17 in Chadlington Hundred and many in Bampton Hundred. There were Sessions listed in 8 other places in the county. The one family left in 1665 and was not of exceptional wealth. Sessions still existed in the southwest part of Oxfordshire in the 18th century. (above information taken from "The Surnames of Oxfordshire".)
There are records of Sessions in Churchill Oxfordshire in the 17th century. They were substantial farmers there in the early part of the 17th century and many were able to send their sons to Magdalen College, Oxford, to graduate and subsequently to take 'Orders' (that is those of deacon and priest) and become a rector. One who became a rector was named James Sessions who died in 1670. However, his three brothers each produced families at Churchill in the 1630's. One of the three sons was named Gyles. His son, Hercules Sessions, moved to Shipton under Wychwood parish by 1684 where he was producing his own family. He died there in 1726 at a good age, having been born in 1641 in Churchill, which is 5 miles north of Shipton under Wychwood.
Sessions are recorded in Charlbury, Shipton and Wantage in Oxfordshire. A William Sessions died in London in 1648. Reference to a Thomas Sessions of Asselby 1743, Richard Sessions of Barkston 1719 are towns located in Yorkshire.
One branch of Sessions lived in the South of Lincolnshire in villages between the towns of Grantham and Newark. Robert Sessions lived in Churchill before his death in 1791. All indications are that there are still many Sessions in England. We know that one Sessions was mayor of Bath in the recent years.
Patrick King of York, England, whose wife is of Sessions descent has done a lot of research on this line. He has produced a pedigree sheet which includes the following: John Sessions buried 1569 at age 70; son, Thomas 1551 married Agnes Chapman (will 1577, her will 1579); had a son, Richard, 1567 married Jane; they had a son William 1594 and a son, George in 1596, who went to America. He has not found another 17th century George Sessions, so feels this is the George Sessions our family is descended from. George Sessions died in Yorktown, Virginia, in 1575.
The mention of a Richard Sessions in Virginia in or before 1648 is interesting, as no burial of Richard Sessions is recorded in the Shipton under Wychwood register. He was baptized in 1567, and was the father of George. It could be possible that he emigrated in his later years to be with his son.
Much work is still to be done to determine the correct line of decent from the English records. Some of you who read this may want to accept this challenge. It's a great one.
The following was given to us by Rupert Sessions of Florida. He is a descendant of Thomas Broady Sessions. We wish to thank him for this information.
Thomas Sessions was born in 1526 at Milton -Shipton, Under Wynchwood, England Agnes Chapman was born in 1530 at the same place. They were married 1551 at same place. They had a son, Richard born 1567 at the same place. He married Jane about 1587, same place. Richard had a son, George born 1594 in the same place. George sailed from port of London aboard the Bonaventure merchant vessel, bound for Virginia on 2 January 1634, arriving at Jamestown, Virginia about March or April 1634. A Philadelphia, Pa. Register shows George arriving and taking a stage down to Virginia Colony. He had a son, Thomas born 1640 in Yorktown, Virginia. George died in 1675 in Yorktown.
George's son is probably the Thomas Sessions who built the oldest house now existing in Yorktown. It was built by Thomas Sessions before nails were invented. (A history of this beautiful Dutch Colonial home is included with history in this section of the book.) Thomas sold the house on March 20, 1692 and went to South Carolina. Thomas died in 1708 in Kingston, Conway, South Carolina.
There was also a Thomas who had a son, John, born 1680 in Kingston, Conway, South Carolina. John died in 1740 in North Carolina. John also had a son, John, born 1710 in Georgetown, South Carolina, who died in 1780.
Thomas Sessions was born abt 1730 in Willmington, Bladen, North Carolina. His father was John. Of interest to us is that Thomas was listed on the 1800 census as having a wife by the name of Martha Wingate. Thomas and Martha's fifth child was a son, Solomon, born about 1768 in Willmington, Bladen, North Carolina. He married Mary Hargraves about 1794 in the same place and died about 1840 in Wayne County, Illinois. Thus the ties are made to Richard.
Another researcher has it this way: William Sessions born 1560 England, son George born 1595, son Thomas born 1640, son Thomas, son John 1685, son John born 1711, son Thomas 1730, son Solomon 1768.
Another research shows George Sessions born abt 1714 in Graven, North Carolina who married Jeanne Mansfield who was born abt 1716, in Graven, North Carolina. They married abt 1742, had a son; Thomas, born 1743 in South Carolina. He met Martha Wingate born about 1738 in North Carolina. They married 1794 in Wilmington, N.C.
We need more research to confirm for sure our right line. Do you accept the challenge?
This we know: There are two branches of the Sessions family in America. One branch is an Alexander Sessions who came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. George Sessions arrived four years later and went South. Probably most Sessions in the South are distant cousins.