Remember: The Drury Family I

About the Book

Remember is the story of the Drury family in England, from the years before the Norman Conquest to the time of John Drury the Recusant (ca. 1530–1598). For hundreds of years, the Drurys prospered as the landed gentry of Suffolk and Norfolk, faithfully serving their God and their kings. As knights, the Drurys bore a shield with the coat of arms: argent, on a chief vert, two mullets, pierced or. The family motto was Remember. But by 1581, Elizabeth I’s penal laws labeled John Drury a recusant because he stood tall as a Roman Catholic in refusing to attend the prayer book services of the Church of England. He was convicted of treason and heavily fined. For centuries, the Drury men and women had lived, loved, and died as loyal English and reverent Catholics, a heritage that John Drury would not cast aside. This book tells their story.

About the Author

Patricia Bishop Obrist is a freelance genealogy researcher and author. She developed an interest in her ancestry when as freshman at Nerinx Hall, she interviewed her grandfather. Thirty years later, she found a letter from Tim O’Rourke about his book Maryland Catholics. That hefty green book inspired her, and ever since, she has been drawn to exploring the stories of her ancestors and of the greater forces shaping the times in which they lived. Patricia was born in St. Louis, was a member of the Sisters of Loretto for twelve years, during which time she attended Webster University and Loretto Heights College. She served as an educator for more than twenty years and pursued a graduate degree at a half-dozen other universities. She lives in the St. Louis area with her husband Ira. She has two children, two grandchildren, and a number of dear step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Robert William Dora owns and operates a hotel management company and has been in the hospitality business since becoming a bellboy at the age of nine in his father’s roadside motor lodge. Much of his genealogy work is built upon the very extensive work done by his cousin Joseph Chester Drury dit Dora. Joseph was a contemporary of Timothy O’Rourke, and they worked closely together on the Maryland Drurys. After Joseph’s death and at his request, Robert spent the better part of twenty years compiling Joe’s work, doing further research, and starting the task of writing the book that Joe always hoped to write and that never would have been finished without Patricia Obrist. Robert was born in Vincennes, Indiana, and grew up there. He graduated from the University of Colorado in 1975. He lives in the Indianapolis area and continues to do research and writing regarding his family history. He has three children and lives with his wife, Melissa.