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Ancestors of David Earl McKercher
1352.Bros. Charles;Robert;William;Joel;John Yancey, born Bef. 1642 in Wales126; died WFT Est. 1678-1733126.
Notes for Bros. Charles;Robert;William;Joel;John Yancey:
[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree #6244, Date of Import: May 15, 1997]
Brothers Charles, Robert, William, Joel, and John Yancey
Born before 1642 in Wales
It is believed by most Family Historians that the Yanceys descended from four or five Welsh brothers.Sources are often inconsistent as to their names but the names Charles, Robert, William, Joel, and John are most often cited.Family lore and tradition states they came to America from Wales in 1642 with Sir William Berkeley, Colonial Governor of Virginia. They probably landed in Jamestown and settled along the James River. Almost nothing is known of the early history of these brothers and unless an unexpected discovery is made they are likely to remain in obscurity. Some reports state that one or more of the brothers were killed by Indians; however little evidence exists to support this claim.If any Colonial record did exist of their arrival into America it has apparently been lost or destroyed.It would seem unlikely any documentation of them will ever be found.As to their relationship to Sir William Berkeley, the theories range from cousins to stowaways.
Prior to 1642, no known use of the surname YANCEY has ever been recorded.Therefore it seems the surname is native to America.One onomatologist (one who studies the origin of names) states that the name may be related to the French name "Langley or I'Anglais,"a name given various families in France which literally means "Englishman".Another researcher states that the name is the Anglicized spelling of the Dutch name "Jantje", meaning "Little John".Both these theories lack evidence and should not be taken too seriously.
The most credible evidence, although certainly not conclusive, is from early letters, tradition, and lore that has been handed down from generation to generation in the Yancey family.According to family lore the original surname was "Nanney", a well known Welsh name of Merionethshire County. The name was apparently changed upon coming to America in Virginia.In a letter written by Samuel Shephard of Virginia, to his brother in 1805, we read the following...
My Dear Brother Robert,
"Since I last saw you, my wife has been very ill in the house
of her cousin Charles Yancey.Every attention was paid to
her, before I reached her side, and she was delivered of a
fine boy before my coming.The boy even now resembles
that old Welsh stock.Charles Yancey says he must play
astrologer and prepare the horoscope of the lad. . .While
visiting Charles Yancey's home, during the convalescence
of my wife, we discussed old Welsh stock.He tells me Mr.
William Evans of Cumberland County says he is Welsh, and
descended from some outlandish prince of that country.Mr.
Evans, who is a broadly cultivated man, says he does not
believe the YANCEY name is correct, that it was NANNEY and
got amended in transportation across the Atlantic.Charles
Yancey had heard something of this kind from his folks, and
my wife has an old arms of the Family, that Mr. Evans says
belongs to the Nanney Family.He says he has seen it in his
father's books..."
It is known that members of the Nanney family of Wales also came to America during the 17th century.Robert Nanney sailed on the "INCREASE" in 1635 and settled in Massachusetts.Hugh Nanney is found living in Virginia in 1689 in the James River area.The Yancey / Nanney story seems to be present in later generations of branches of the Nanney family.A member of the Nanney family in Virginia says:
"From my youth I have always heard that the names were the
same (my father was quite old when I was born and he had
retained many of the old legends handed down mouth-ear)
and I ran into the same information once when inquiring at
South Hill, Virginia about the Nanneys. . .The people there
. . . mentioned the Nanneys and the Yanceys in one breath
and shrugged when questioned about it, saying 'They are
the same family. . . kissing cousins' "
Sometime around 1930, a Welsh genealogist named O. E. Ruck was hired to doresearch on the Nanney family with the hope of proving the connection of the YANCEY and NANNEY families.Through the investigation of Mr. Ruck and with the help of others it was determined that the Nanney Coat of Arms was nearly identical to the Arms held by members of the Yancey family.Both Arms bear a blue lion rampart facing left on a gold shield.The Yancey Arms, however, had added a motto in French. . .
"Ne Touchez Pas Le Chat Sans Avoir Le Gant" which means:
"Touch Not The Cat Without The Glove."
There are certainly other versions of the Yancey Coat of Arms as well as the NanneyArms.While this may seem confusing it would be in keeping with the Rules of Heraldry.A coat ofarms was almost always issued to an individual and not to a family, as is commonly thought.Under most heraldic rules, only the first sons of first sons of the original recipient may legally bear their ancestor's arms.Younger sons may use a version of their fathers' arms, but it was required that the arms be "differenced" or changed slightly as to not be confused with the original coat of arms.If the possessor of the arms (called an "armiger") dies without male heirs, his daughter, if married to a possessor of arms, may combine her father's arms with her husband's arms.This combining of two arms is called "impaling".Therefore, an arms after several generations can be very different from that of the original recipient and bearer of the coat of arms.
Over the years some researchers have explored the theory that the Yanceys may have been French Huguenots.The Huguenots were French Protestants persecuted for their belief in the teachings of Calvin.It is known that the Yanceys were associated with various families of Huguenot origin namely Dumas, Dabney and Mullins.The French motto found on various renditions of the Yancey Arms is one of the few indications that the origin of the Yancey name might be something other than Welsh.It is more likely that this French influence was from a later generation and the arms differenced.There is little indication that the Yanceys themselves were Huguenots.In 1711 Charles Yancey's name is recorded among the vestry records of St. Paul's Parish in New Kent County, Virginia.Charles was most likely affiliated with the "Established Church of Virginia", an Anglican church with ties to the countries of England and Wales.While the Yanceys seem to have been a religiously devout family there is no evidence that they were ever under any religious persecution.
Sources:
1. Finding Your Roots; 1977, by Jeane Eddy Westin
2. Heraldic Design; 1965, by Heather Child
3. Surnames of Scotland; 1965, by Dr. George F. Black
4. Origin of the Yancey Family; by Dennis J. Yancey
5. Ancestors and Descendants of Capt. William Layton Yancey 1600-1900; Gateway Press, Inc.1977, by Rebecca L. Yancey
6. YANC(E)Y:A Genealogical and Historical Sketch; compiled by The Media Research Bureau, Washington, D.C.
7. Colonial Records of Virginia
Child of Bros. Charles;Robert;William;Joel;John Yancey is:
676 | i. | Charles Yancey, born Abt. 1675 in Virginia; died Aft. 1749 in Louisa County, VA.?; married Miss (Mary?) Bartlett Yancey Abt. January 14, 1703/04 in King William County, (?) VA.. |