|
|
|
|
Families and Areas Searched In addition to the William Fancy and David Faucher Families, and the Colonial Fanchers, the following areas and families have been searched extensively, and brief notes about the research have been included below.
Foshay Family of Philipse Manor By Glenna See Hill John and Peter Foshay (Faucher/Foucher) were the founders of two branches of the Foshay Family in Philipse Manor according to Glenna See Hill, and were living there before 1700. Philipse Manor was located in Westchester County, New York. Based on the French pronunciation of the surname, "Foshay" became the accepted variant spelling of the Faucher/Foucher surname in this area. John Foshay, born about 1674, married Eva Matthews. Children: Matthew, Elizabeth, Judith, David, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Peter Foshay, born about 1683, married Abigail De Puw. Children: Jan, Pieter, Elizabeth, Judith, Eva, Sara, Williem, and Susanne. Current Conclusion: None of the children of these two Foshays appear to be related to the Colonial Fanchers. There are no other Foshays in the manor and church records of that period and place. Mrs. Hill, a well-respected authority on the French Huguenots, the Faucher (Foshay) family, and New England research, has unequivocally stated that the Fancher family were English, were not Fauchers, and were not of French origin. Mrs. Hill has recorded all of the variant spellings used for the Faucher surname. Not one of these numerous spellings has ever appeared for a Fancher. While Registrar of the New Jersey Huguenot Society, Mrs. Hill had received several inquiries from Fancher descendants seeking proof of Huguenot ancestry in order to join the Society, however she said no evidence exists to suggest a connection. She stated that from her research she knows that Faucher is a distinct and different family, and that Fancher is not a variation of that name. In a recent telephone conversation (July, 2003) Mrs. Hill reiterated her long-held opinion that the Fanchers could not possibly be French Huguenots and entirely agreed with our conclusion that Fancher was a colonial spelling variant originating from the English surname Fanshawe. Fanshaws of Virginia and North Carolina Richard Fanshaw Born 1612. Transported July 1635 to
Virginia on Ship Merchants Hope Henry Fanshaw, 1569-1616
Mary Fanshaw, Daughter of Sir Henry Fanshaw William Ranshaw (Fanshaw? May be Renshaw) Thomas Ranshaw (Fanshaw? May be Renshaw) Sarah Fanshaw Thomas Fanshaw Thomas Fanshaw2 Currituck County NC Tax Records
1714—1723
*Richard Fanshaw
Current Conclusion: Henry Fanshaw and George Coppin appear in compiled VA Colony census records, but these records are probably taken from their participation in the Virginia Charters in 1607 and 1611. (A Coppin Fanshaw was found in Newport RI in 1704.) There is no evidence that indicates Sir Henry Fanshaw’s presence in Virginia. There is evidence to suggest Henry’s daughter Mary (Fanshaw) Newce was in Virginia with her husband. For Henry Fanshaw’s participation in the Virginia Charters he would have received a large land grant, but no record appears in Nugent’s Cavaliers and Pioneers. The land may have been passed down to his heirs in a later generation, as was the common practice at the time. It appears that Richard Fanshaw came into Virginia on ship Merchants Hope in 1635 and disappeared. He may have been the father of Thomas whose Will was proved in Norfork, Virginia in 1669 naming only one child as Thomas. Thomas Fanshaw, the child named in Thomas’ 1669 Norfolk Virginia Will, moved to Currituck County, North Carolina and was the forefather of the Fanshaws there. Norfolk County, Virginia and Currituck County, North Carolina are adjacent counties on the Virginia-North Carolina line. From the numerous records, it is readily apparent this family’s surname was Fanshaw. For more than 100 years Fancher spelling variants appear regularly in the records of this Virginia-North Carolina Fanshaw family. No connections have been found to the Colonial Fanchers. John Fanshaw (Thomas2) was murdered in Currituck North Carolina in 1720 and cannot be the same person as John Fancher of Stamford, Connecticut and Pound Ridge, New York. Richard Fanshaw (Thomas2) died in Currituck in 1763, left a Will naming his children, and cannot be the same person as Richard Fancher of Stamford, Connecticut and Morris Co. New Jersey. There are some similarities and coincidences between the Colonial Fancher family in Connecticut and the Virginia - North Carolina Fanshaw family, and the possibility of a relationship remains. For additional information, please see "Fanshawe – The Origin Of The Fancher Surname in America" on page 26. Coppin Fanshaw Born 1664 Affidavit
In Virginia in 1607 and 1611, there were Henry Fanshaw and George Coppin. In 1609, Sir George Coppin signed the Second Virginia Charter with Sir Henry Fanshaw. Current Conclusion: Rhode Island records have been thoroughly searched. No other record has been found of this man, or of another Fanshaw, Fancy, or Fancher in Rhode Island during this period. It is thought that Coppin Fanshaw probably had some relationship to Thomas Fanshawe of Hartlip, as the given name Coppin only appears in this family. It is also believed that there was some relationship between the Coppin and Fanshawe families in England besides the Virginia Charters. Both families had shipping interests in London, near London Bridge. Manakintown, Virginia Many records exist for the1700 French Huguenot settlement at Manakintown, Virginia and the families are well documented. Fauchers were among the first settlers, or founders, of this settlement. Current Conclusion:
Fincher in USA, 1683-1900 By Evelyn Davis Fincher and Ann Wilson
Fincher According to this book, only six Fincher immigrants have been found in America. Five of them came from England and the origin of the other is not known. Of these six, only three came before 1730 when the Colonial Fanchers were established in America. Francis Fincher, a Quaker, left Worcester, England with his wife and children and came to America, arriving at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 28, 1683. Much information has been accumulated about this man and his numerous descendents in America. Seven children: Francis, John, Armil, Caleb, Joshua, Rebecca, and Sarah. Henry Fincher, age 25, bricklayer, single, left Worcestershire, England, July 6, 1728 and came to Pennsylvania, 4 years indenture. (Page 78, Immigrants from England to America 1718-1759 by Jack and Marion Kammkow). Nothing more has been found about this man. Joseph Fincher was discovered in Volume XLIX, Maryland Archives, pages 290, 303, 311, 332, and 436. Apparently, he lived at Rhode River, located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, where he owned and worked a 350 acre farm. In December 1664, he was brought to court in St. Marys where he was on trial, being suspected of murdering a servant. Joseph Fincher was found guilty and sentenced to hang. In March 1665, a copy of the Estate Inventory is listed, leading to the conclusion that he was executed. During court proceedings, Joseph Fincher’s wife was mentioned, but not named. No children were mentioned and it is not known whether he had descendents. It is not known what happened to his wife. Current Conclusion: Francis Fincher’s children are known and Henry Fincher was too young to be parents of the Colonial Fanchers. No trace of any children of Joseph Fincher has been found and no link to the Colonial Fanchers has been found. "Fincher" is one of the common variant spellings for Fanshawe found in more modern English records. The Fincher spelling is also found for known Fanchers in documents such as census records. There is only a one vowel difference between Fincher and Fancher, and an American surname expert stated that he believed the Fancher and Fincher surnames must be somehow related. As Fancher originated as a variant spelling of Fanshawe, and in spellings vowels were inter-changeable during that time, it seems likely the Fincher surname probably also originated as a variant spelling of Fanshawe. Today in America, the Finchers and Fanchers are two distinct families. Central Bureau for Genealogy, The Hague, Netherlands There is an extensive Huguenot index in The Hague that includes many references to French Protestant refugees who fled France. There are several references to Faucher and Foucher, it seems that the most commonly used male name was Jean. In a Bouton Family file, there is an ancestor chart starting in the Thirteenth century with a person named St. Fauche. It only shows five generations. Current Conclusion: There appears to be no link in these records with the Colonial Fanchers or with David Faucher and Martha Des Fontaines. No information could be located which might shed any light on the migration of these Fauchers to another place. William Footcher, Sussex County, Delaware William (Footcher) Futcher and family, found in Sussex County, Delaware about 1674. Administration asked for him by Mary, his wife in 1689. Children: William, Sarah, Elizabeth, Richard, John, and Henry. Later entries to county records used the name Futcher consistently, sons William, Richard, and John married and remained in the area. Current Conclusion: William, Richard and John Footcher cannot be the same men as William, Richard and John Fancher. Fouche Family of Loudoun County, Virginia The progenitor of the Fouch-Fouche family in Loudoun Co. Virginia was Hugh Fouch. He married Mary Perkins. Hugh Fouch’s Will was dated September 24, 1780, and probated November 14, 1780. Sons named in his Will were Isaac, Jacob, Jonathan and Abraham. No daughters are mentioned. Current Conclusion: Hugh Fouch’s sons are the same generation as the Colonial Fanchers, and there appears to be no connection to this family. Records of the Dutch Reformed Church, New York City/New Amsterdam Current Conclusion: There were no records located for the New York Fancy/Fanshaw family or the Colonial Fancher/Fanshaw family. A few records directly related to the Foshay (Faucher) family of Philipse Manor do appear. Thomas "Fancy" (Fossey) of Ipswich, MA Surname
recorded as "Fancy" in the Hammatt papers, page 108: Rayner, Elisabeth Spouse
: Fossy, Thomas "Fossey, ffaccy, ffacie, Thomas, married Rayner, Feb 4 1685. He died March 27, 1700. He kept the herd 1673. March 7, 1692. Thomas Fossey petitions the town that they would be pleased to grant him liberty to set p a little house by the prison during the time of his life and his widows during her widowhood, and then leave it to the town. Granted about 4 rods; he was keeper of the prison, 1696. 1700, April 12. Inventory of Thomas Fossy, late deceased, exhibited by his widow, Elisabeth, total estate, Li 85.11.3. House and land Li40; appraised by William Baker and Edward Dear. Children, Elisabeth, aged 13, Lydia, Hannah, aged 6. Elisabeth the widow, guardian." Current Conclusion: Thomas "Fancy" was a transcription error for "Faucy", a spelling variant of the Fossey/Fossee surname. There is no relation to the New York Fancy/Fanshaw family, or to the Colonial Fancher/Fanshaws. George Fancy of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia George "The Colonist" Fancy’s estimated date of birth is 1735; he died in 1818 at the age of 83. He was a weaver by trade, and was in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia around 1750. In 1752, he is recorded as a soldier in Captain Floyer’s 5th Company of Governor Hopson’s 40th Regiment of Foot, British Army in Nova Scotia. On April 29, 1755, he married Susanna Elizabeth Hirtle (St. Johns Anglican Church). Children: Elizabeth Catherine, Johanna and John Andrew. Between 1756–1760, Susanna Elizabeth (Hirtle) Fancy and two of their children, Elizabeth Catherine and John Andrew, died. George then married Maria Barbara (surname unknown), and had children: John Michael, George, and James. In 1760 George moved to Liverpool (NS) and became a Proprietor, acquiring 247 acres consisting of a House Lot, a Wood Lot and a Fish Lot. He is back in Halifax in 1761, 1764. Current Conclusion: All of the Fancys in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia descend from George Fancy. He would have been the same generation as the children of the Colonial Fanchers. Extensive investigations by several Fancy-Nova Scotia researchers have found no information on George Fancy’s origins, or anything that could connect him to the American Fanshaw/Fancy/Fancher family, or to the English Fancy family in Dorset. On the LDS website, someone has submitted George Fancy’s birthplace as Wales, but there is no source reference given, and there has been no information located that can substantiate it. (There is a tradition in the family of Colonial William Fancher, that the Fanchers came from Wales.) |