While the information on American Gardiner/Gardner lines is quite well developed, there is some question about George Gardiner’s relationship to Rev. Gardiner of the Holy Cross church. The questions posed by genealogical researcher G. Andrews Moriarty (click here for his paper) are significant and well worth consideration in researching this line. The burden of proof of relationship has yet to be filled.

The first Gardiner to come to America was George Gardiner, thought to be the 5th son and  youngest child of the Rev.  Michael and Margaret (Browne) Gardiner.  Rev. Gardiner oversaw the Holy Cross church, Greenfield, Magna, Middlesex, England and George was baptized in that church on 15 February 1599 (old style date) or 26 Feb 1600 (new style date).  George married Sarah Slaughter at the St. James parish church in the parish of Clerkenwell, London, and they had one son,  Benoni (Ben).  George came to New England (Boston) in about 1637.  The  first mention of his name in public records is when he went to Rhode Island to  settle in Portsmouth in 1638.  There is no record of  his wife Sarah  in the Americas.  George and most of his children generally identified with  the Quakers, but his son Henry was baptized into St. Paul's Episcopal church 27 February 1721.

George married Horod (Herodius) Hicks Long in the American colonies in about 1640 and a dispute over their common law union 20 years later resulted in a trial and in the adoption of a new marriage law requiring formal marriage. For more information about the resulting trial, click here.

George and Horod had six children, Henry, George Jr., William, Nicholas, Dorcas and Rebecca.  All the sons settled in the part of Narraganset called Pettaquamscot (now mostly in South Kingston, Washington County, Rhode Island) and became land owners there.

George's third and final wife was Lydia Ballou, and together they had three sons and one daughter:  Joseph, Peregrine, Robert and Mary.

Nicholas Gardner, George and Horod's 4th son, was born about 1653 and died in 1712.  He married Hanna Palmer, born 10 October 1663, died about 1690.

Nicholas and Hannah's son Nicolas, was born 2 April 1688 and died 6 April 1743 in Rhode Island.  He married Mary Eldredge, born about 1682 in Rhode Island.

Nicholas III was the son of Nicolas and Hannah.  He was born 6 December 1710 and died 20 June 1801 in Rhode Island.  He married Dorcas Gardiner, born 31 January 1714, died 23 Mar 1775.  Nicholas' and Dorcas' son James is the one who left Rhode Island and came to Massachusetts.

Sir Thomas Gardiner, of West Riding, Yorkshire,  England, was born about 1449 and died in 1492.  He married Elizabeth  Beaumont, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Neville) Beaumont about 1457.   Through this marriage, Gardiners may be able to trace their lineage to Charlemagne.   In addition to the lineage of Charlemagne, Gardiners-Gardners are apparently descended from 15 of the 25 Sureties for the Magna Carta, assuming that genealogical data is accurate.  These 15 Barons were related to  each other by either blood or marriage.

Sir Thomas and Elizabeth had three children while living in West Riding:

1. Thomas, born about 1475, died 1520.  Married to Joan.
2. William, born about 1476, died 14 October 1535.  Married Anna De La Grove.
3. Edward, born about 1477.

Thomas Gardiner, son of Sir Thomas and Elizabeth, married Joan of Standon Parish, Herts., England.  Joan died 1559.  They had three children while living in Hertfordshire:

1. John, born about 1501, died 1555
2. Henry, born about 1503
3. Edward, born about 1505

Henry Gardiner, son of Thomas and Joan Gardiner, lived in London.  His wife's name is unknown, but he had two sons:

1. Henry Gardiner, born about 1500, died 1564.  Married to two women, an unknown wife, and Mary Howard.
2. John Gardiner of Thundridge, buried 1547.  No issue.

Henry Gardiner, son of Henry of London, was M.A. of Oxford, 19 February 1520 or 1521.  With his first wife, he had three children:

1. Henry Gardiner (who also had a son Henry, a fishmonger of London, that died in 1558, leaving another Henry, age 16 as an heir
2. James Gardiner, who died without issue
3. Elizabeth Gardiner, who married Simon Gardiner of Thundredgebury

Henry Gardiner and Mary Howard, daughter and heiress of Michael Howard of Jenyngsbury, Hertfordshire, England, had four children:

1. John Gardiner, married Mary Spring.  Their son Henry was born in 1629.
2. Mary Gardiner, married Arthur Sheeres
3. Anne Gardiner, married Robert Smyth
4. Michael Gardiner, born 1552, died 22 August 1630. Married Margaret Browne