Origins and Early Generations The Jerome family, known today largely through its connection to Sir Winston Churchill, traces its American origins to Timothy Jerome, a French Huguenot who settled in Connecticut late in the seventeenth century. His descendants spread through Connecticut and into upstate New York, forming several substantial branches. By the early nineteenth century, the family had diversified into agricultural, mercantile, legal, and professional occupations, and had woven itself into the regional networks of the Atwater, Murray, Hall, and Ball families. The Jeromes of this period were not uniformly prominent, but they formed the social foundation from which later generations would rise.

The Isaac Jerome Line

Parents: Aaron Jerome (1744–1802) and Elizabeth Ball (1747–1831). Principal descendant: Isaac Jerome (1786–1866), who married Aurora Murray (1786–1867).

Isaac Jerome represents the common ancestor linking both the Churchill line and the Alexandre–Rutter–Smith line. Born in Connecticut and part of the post-Revolutionary westward movement, he lived in the region around Pompey, Rochester, and Syracuse before relocating to New York City later in life. His marriage to Aurora Murray connected him to a family with notable New York political and mercantile ties. Their household produced several children who became the founders of important nineteenth-century Jerome branches.

Among their children were Thomas Atwater Jerome (1810–1896), Leonard Walter Jerome (1817–1891), and several lesser-documented siblings. These two brothers anchor the genealogical connection between the Jeromes of New York City and the Churchill family in Britain.

The Thomas Atwater Jerome Branch

Thomas Atwater Jerome (1810–1896) married Emma Vanderbilt (1818–1901) and established himself in New York City. City directories and census records identify him as a clerk or merchant, reflecting a middle-class position within the broader Jerome family. His household exemplifies the quieter, professional side of nineteenth-century New York life, without the financial flamboyance that later characterized his brother Leonard’s career.

Thomas and Emma’s daughter, Gertrude Jerome (1853–1883), married James Henry Alexandre (1848–1912) of Staten Island. Her short life ended the day after the birth of her son in 1883. Through her, the Jerome family became connected with the Alexandre family, and her descendants include Mary Elizabeth Alexandre (1894–1970), Mary Elizabeth Rutter (1920–2003), and the post–World War II Smith generation. Because Thomas and Leonard Jerome were brothers, this branch is directly related to the family of Winston Churchill.

The Leonard Jerome Branch and the Churchill Connection

Leonard Walter Jerome (1817–1891), younger brother of Thomas, became one of the most conspicuous figures in Gilded Age New York. A stock speculator, political insider, patron of the arts, and sporting promoter, he played a central role in both the financial and social worlds of the 1860s–1880s. His establishment of the Jerome Park Racetrack and involvement with opera and journalism made him one of the era’s noted personalities.

Leonard married Clarissa Hall, and their daughters were Jennie Jerome (1854–1921), Clara Jerome Frewen, and Leonie Jerome Leslie. Jennie, celebrated for her intelligence and beauty, married Lord Randolph Spencer-Churchill in 1874, thereby linking the New York Jeromes to the British aristocracy. Their son was Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874–1965), whose statesmanship during the Second World War made him one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century. Churchill was a grandson of Leonard Jerome and a great-grandson of Isaac Jerome.

Relationship Between the Two Branches

Because both Thomas Atwater Jerome and Leonard Walter Jerome were sons of Isaac Jerome, their children and grandchildren were first cousins and first cousins once removed. This means that Gertrude Jerome, wife of James Henry Alexandre, was the first cousin of Jennie Jerome Churchill. Winston Churchill, as Jennie’s son, was the first cousin once removed of Gertrude Jerome. For the descendants of Gertrude’s daughter Mary Elizabeth Alexandre, Churchill becomes the first cousin once removed of the wife of their great-grandfather.

This relationship links the Alexandre–Rutter–Smith line to one of the most historically significant Anglo-American family networks of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Winston Churchill is the first cousin once removed of wife of great-grandfather of the post-World War II Smith generation.

Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill 1874-1965 1st cousin 1x removed of wife of great-grandfather of wife

Mother of Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill

Father of Jeanette Jerome

Father of Leonard Walter Jerome

Son of Isaac Jerome

Daughter of Thomas Atwater Jerome

Husband of Gertrude Jerome

Daughter of James Henry Alexandre

Daughter of Mary Elizabeth Alexandre

Daughter of Mary Elizabeth Rutter