I am interested in English history as well as genealogy, and learning about this man and his social, geographical and historical context is a way of cutting into this particular period. Also, he was an interesting man -- he seems to have accumulated a lot of wealth in a career somehow in the merchant marine service. But also, I have a faint hope that in these records, I might find clues as to who he hung out with, and through those leads, to family connections other than his sister.
His sister, Mary Harvey, died in 1764 and is described in the St. Mary Whitechapel burial register as aged 85, which is probably not entirely trustworthy, but seems to put her birth date around 1680, which is consistent with what else I know about her. The most plausible baptism entry for her is for a Mary Harvey in Bull Run Independent church, Stepney, in 1680, parents John and Catherine. But I don't have much confidence that this is the right Mary Harvey --for one thing, I haven't found a John Harvey with the same parents, in the right time frame and place. And Catherine is not a name used by Mary for any of her children, nor does it appear as a granddaughter's name. Also, there is some family silver mentioned in a will, with the monogram sHe, which doesn't support (or disprove) the idea that her mother's name was Catherine. So, the long and short of it is, that I don't know who either of their parents are.
