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Adventurer; Colonist; Planter; Gentleman; Progenitor of practically all Gaithers in America; Believed born in Lamberhurst, Kent, England. The Society of John Gaither Descendants is a family organization, founded in 1984 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. We believe John Gater I, born 1599, died in the 1600's, was the first Gater/Gaither in America, arriving on the ship "George" in Jamestown, VA, in 1620, where he appears on the Muster in 1623, sixth on the list under Sir Francis Wyatt, Governor and again in 1636 on the "Assurance" resettling in Maryland at the invitation of Lord Baltimore. We believe the Gaither familiy in America can trace their ancestry back to John Gater I, in most instances. It is believed his first wife was named Joan, perhaps Joan Morley, and they had two children,viz: Elizabeth, born 1632, who married first John Freeman and second Robert Proctor, and John, born 1634, who married Ruth Beard, daughter of Richard and Rachel (Robbins) Beard. The family remained in Maryland until about the time of the Revolutionary War when some members moved south or west. Our goals and interests are the continued preservation and documentation of the familiy in the United States.
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