A gateway ancestor transmits proved traceable ancestry from one ancestral population to descendants in another population, separated by some social or demographic divide or physical distance. In American genealogy, the term is most often used for immigrants, colonial or more recent, who provide their descendants in the New World with significant traceable pre-modern ancestry in the Old World, including descent from one or more European kings. Such gateways have been the keys to qualify for certain hereditary societies as far back as the 19th century. Compendia of such gateway ancestors, usually with lines sketched from medieval kings to modern descendants, have been published since the 1880s.

The following list has been compiled by genealogists Nathaniel Lane Taylor, FASG, and Nathan W. Murphy, AG, FASG, who have served as genealogical officers for certain hereditary societies with the most rigorous and long-established standards. This very short list consists only of gateways whose lineages have been personally researched or reviewed and accepted within the past several years. Longer lists exist elsewhere on the Internet and in modern compendia such as Gary Boyd Roberts's Royal Descents of 900 Immigrants (2018) and Douglas Richardson's Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families (2013). While most gateways listed in those two compendia have been subject to scholarly genealogical analysis published in peer-reviewed journals, some have not. Please note, also, that this list is provided as a reference aid only. The appearance of an ancestor on this list, or in one of the compendia cited above, does not guarantee acceptance of any specific line of descent by any specific hereditary society.

If you have a specific questions or comments related to gateway ancestors, please feel free to direct them here, and we will attempt to respond to them, when possible.

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  • Abbott, Anne (Mauleverer), NJ
  • Abney, Dannett, VA
  • Allyn, Margaret (Wyatt), CT, MA
  • Almy, Audrey (Barlow), RI
  • Alsop, Elizabeth (see Baldwin)
  • Alsop, George, CT
  • Alsop, Timothy, CT
  • Amiot, Anne (Couvent), QC
  • Appleton, Samuel, MA
  • Aston, Lt. Col. Walter, VA
  • Baillon, Catherine (see Miville dit Deschenes)
  • Baldwin, Elizabeth (Alsop), CT
  • Banks, Margaret (Domville) (Hatton), MD
  • Bannister, Frances (Walker), MA
  • Barham, Capt. Charles, VA
  • Barlow, Audrey (see Almy)
  • Baskerville, John, VA
  • Batte, Capt. Henry, VA
  • Batte, Thomas, VA
  • Batte, William, VA
  • Bernard, Richard, VA
  • Bernard, William, VA
  • Bevan, John — PA
  • Blakiston, George, MD
  • Blakiston, John, MD
  • Blakiston, Nehemiah, MD
  • Blount, Capt. James, VA, NC
  • Blunston, Hannah (Levis), PA
  • Bohun, Edmund — SC
  • Bolles, Joseph, ME
  • Bordley, Stephen, MD
  • Bordley, Thomas, MD
  • Boteler, Elizabeth (see Claiborne) — VA
  • Bradshaw, Sarah (Levis), PA
  • Bressey, Thomas, CT
  • Brewster, Abigail (see Burr)
  • Bruen, Obadiah, MA, CT
  • Bufkin, Leven, VA
  • Bulkeley, Grace (Chetwode) — MA
  • Bulkeley, Martha (see Mellowes)
  • Bulkeley, Rev. Peter, MA
  • Bull, Stephen, SC
  • Burnham, Alice (Eltonhead) (Corbin) (Creyke), VA
  • Burnham, Mary (Lawrence), MA
  • Burr, Abigail (Brewster), CT
  • Butler, Thomas, MD
  • Calvert, Charles, 3rd Lord Baltimore, Governor of MD
  • Calvert, Leonard, Governor of MD
  • Carleton, Edward, MA
  • Carter, Eleanor (Eltonhead), VA
  • Carter, Sarah (Ludlow), VA
  • Chetwode, Grace (see Bulkeley) — MA
  • Claiborne, Elizabeth (Boteler)  — VA
  • Clarke, Jeremy, RI
  • Clarkson, Matthew — NY
  • Claypoole, Edward, PA, Barbados
  • Claypoole, James, PA
  • Claypoole, Norton, DE
  • Clopton, William, VA
  • Codd, Col. St. Leger, VA, MD
  • Conway, Martha (Eltonhead), VA
  • Corbin, Alice (Eltonhead) (Burnham) (Creyke), VA
  • Couvent, Anne (see Amiot)
  • Craighead, Catherine (see Homes)
  • Craighead, Rev. Thomas, PA
  • Creyke, Alice (Eltonhead) (Burnham) (Corbin), VA
  • Crowne, Agnes (Mackworth), MA
  • Crymes, Dr. William, VA
  • Culpeper, Katherine (St. Leger), VA
  • Deighton, Frances (see Williams) — MA
  • Deighton, Jane (see Lugg, Negus)
  • Derehaugh, Anne (see Stratton)
  • Digges, Edward, Governor of VA
  • Dobbins/Dobyns, Daniel, VA
  • Domville, Margaret (see Banks, Hatton)
  • Drake, Robert, VA
  • Dudley, Thomas, Governor of MA
  • Duncanson, Katherine (see Glen)
  • Duncanson, Margaret (see Teller/Tayler)
  • Edwards, Agnes (Harris) (Spencer), MA, CT
  • Ellis, Rowland, PA
  • Ellis, Samuel, PA
  • Eltonhead, Agatha (see Wormeley)
  • Eltonhead, Alice (see Burnham, Corbin, Creyke)
  • Eltonhead, Eleanor (see Carter)
  • Eltonhead, Jane (see Fenwick and Moryson)
  • Eltonhead, Martha (see Conway)
  • Epes, Elizabeth (Symonds), MA
  • Epes, Francis, VA
  • Farrar, William, VA
  • Farwell, Olive (Welby), MA
  • Fenwick, Jane (Eltonhead) (Moryson), MD
  • Fenwick, John, SC
  • Fielder, Anne (see Gantt, Wight)
  • Filmer, Henry, VA
  • Fisher, John, VA
  • Fleete, Henry, VA
  • Foulke, Edward, PA
  • Fowke, Col. Gerard, VA, MD
  • Freeman, Alice (see Parke, Thompson)
  • Gantt, Anne (Fielder) (Wight), MD
  • Gerard, Thomas, MD, VA
  • Gill, Mary (Mainwaring), MD
  • Glen, Katherine (Duncanson), NY
  • Goddard, William, MA
  • Golightly, Culcheth, SC
  • Gorsuch, Anne (Lovelace), VA
  • Gye, Mary (see Maverick)
  • Harris, Agnes (see Edwards, Spencer)
  • Harrison, Dorothy (Symonds), MA
  • Hatton, Margaret (Domville) (Banks), MD
  • Hawes, Edmund, MA
  • Hind, Robert Robson, HI
  • Homes, Catherine (Craighead), MA
  • Hone, Theophilus, VA
  • Horsmanden, Warham, VA
  • Hutchinson, Anne (Marbury), MA, RI, and NY
  • Ingoldsby, Olive (see James)
  • Ireland, Capt. John, MD
  • Isham, Capt. Henry, VA
  • Izard, Ralph, SC
  • James, Olive (Ingoldsby), MA, RI, CT, and VA
  • Johnstone, Euphame (Scot), NJ and NY
  • Jones, Hannah (Price), PA
  • Keayne, Anne (Mansfield), MA
  • King, Francis, MD
  • Launce, Mary (see Sherman)
  • Lawrence, Mary (see Burnham)
  • Le Dran, Toussaint, QC
  • Levis, Hannah (see Blunston)
  • Levis, Samuel, PA
  • Levis, Sarah (see Bradshaw)
  • Lightfoot, Capt. John, VA
  • Lightfoot, Philip, VA
  • Ligon, Lt. Col. Thomas, VA
  • Lorraine, Catherine (see Lyell)
  • Lovelace, Anne (see Gorsuch)
  • Lowell, Percival, MA
  • Ludlow, Roger, CT
  • Ludlow, Sarah (see Carter)
  • Lugg, Jane (Deighton) (Negus), MA
  • Lunsford, Sir Thomas, VA
  • Lyell, Catherine (Lorraine), NJ
  • MacGregor, Margaret (Tosheoch) — NY
  • Mackworth, Agnes (see Crowne)
  • Mackworth, Arthur, ME
  • Mainwaring, Mary (see Gill)
  • Mansfield, Anne (see Keayne)
  • Manwaring, Oliver, CT
  • Marbury, Anne (see Hutchinson)
  • Marbury, Katherine (see Scott)
  • Mauleverer, Anne (see Abbott)
  • Maverick, Mary (Gye), MA
  • McIntosh, John Mohr, GA
  • Mellowes, Martha (Bulkeley), MA
  • Miville dit Deschenes, Catherine (Baillon), QC
  • Montes Vigil, Juan, MEX
  • More, Richard, MA
  • Moryson, Jane (Eltonhead) (Fenwick), MD
  • Negus, Jane (Deighton) (Lugg), MA
  • Nelson, Philip — MA
  • Nelson, Thomas — MA
  • Owsley, Maj. Thomas, VA
  • Palgrave, Dr. Richard, MA
  • Parke, Alice (Freeman) (Thompson), CT
  • Price, Hannah (see Jones)
  • Randolph, William, VA
  • Raynsford, Edward, MA
  • Reade, Col. George, VA
  • Rodes, Charles, VA
  • Rozer, Elizabeth (Whetenhall), MD
  • Saltonstall, Elizabeth (West), MA
  • Saltonstall, Sir Richard, MA
  • Sanborn, John, NH
  • Sanborn, Stephen, NH
  • Sanborn, William, NH
  • Scot, Euphame (see Johnstone)
  • Scott, Katherine (Marbury), MA, RI
  • Sherman, Mary (Launce), MA
  • Skipwith, Sir Grey, Knt., 3rd Baronet, VA
  • Smith, Maj. Lawrence, VA
  • Spencer, Agnes (Harris) (Edwards), MA, CT
  • Spotswood, Alexander, Lieutenant Governor of VA
  • St. Leger, Katherine (see Culpeper)
  • Strachey, John, VA
  • Stratton, Anne (Derehaugh), MA
  • Stratton, Elizabeth (see Thorndike)
  • Stratton, John, son of Anne above, MA
  • Symonds, Dorothy (see Harrison)
  • Symonds, Elizabeth (see Epes)
  • Symonds, Harlackenden, MA
  • Symonds, William, MA
  • Teller/Tayler, Margaret (Duncanson), NY
  • Thompson, Alice (Freeman) (Parke), CT
  • Thorndike, Elizabeth (Stratton), MA
  • Tosheoch, Margaret (see MacGregor) — NY
  • Townley, Lawrence, VA
  • Townley, Mary (see Warner)
  • Trowbridge, Thomas, MA
  • Warner, Mary (Townley), VA
  • Washington, Col. John, VA
  • Washington, Lawrence, VA
  • Welby, Olive (see Farwell)
  • Wentworth, William
  • West, Col. John, VA
  • West, Elizabeth (see Saltonstall)
  • West, Francis, Governor of VA
  • West, Sir Thomas, Knt., 3rd Lord De La Warre, Governor of VA
  • Whetenhall, Elizabeth (see Rozer)
  • Wight, Anne (Fielder) (Gantt), MD
  • Williams, Frances (Deighton) — MA
  • Worden, Peter, MA
  • Wormeley, Agatha (Eltonhead), VA
  • Wright, Richard, VA
  • Wyatt, Margaret (see Allyn)
  • Wyatt, Rev. Hawte — VA
  • Wyche, Henry, VA
  • Yarnall, Francis, PA
  • Yarnall, Philip, PA
  • Yate, George, MD
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Nathaniel Lane Taylor holds a Ph.D. in Medieval History from Harvard, where he taught for several years, also at Brown University and the University of Kentucky. He writes and speaks frequently on history, genealogy, and heraldry in the United States and abroad. Publications range from medieval Spain, France, and Britain to colonial New England and Virginia, with special topics including the history of genealogy, medieval and royal descents, and genealogical fraud. Since 2015 he has been editor of The American Genealogist, and since 2019 has been registrar of the Committee on Heraldry at American Ancestors. He serves some hereditary societies as the genealogical officer and participates in others as a member and volunteer officer. He was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists in 2011 and became its President in 2025. In 2025 his house in Rhode Island was placed on the National Register of Historic Places; he is now a resident of New Hampshire.