The Manx DNA Project (Teare and Cross sides)

For my Manx family: an extensive DNA project is being conducted on the Isle of Man, giving new insight into the origins of several uniquely Manx surnames. "Teare" and "Cottier" are both on the list, though nothing conclusive has been published yet about these names. You can follow the project on this blog, "Manx Research": http://manxresearch.wordpress.com/ .

Our Saint Patrick Connection (Teare Side, Cross Side)

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, family! I have not been able to write in quite some time, and may not pick it up for awhile. However this project is still alive and I hope to be back to writing sooner rather than later!

For a quick break in my hiatus, here is our Manx connection to Saint Patrick, in honor of his saints day: 

Saint Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to the Isle of Man in the 5th century. According to legend, he was returning to Ireland from Liverpool and stopped over in what is now Peel. He was so disgusted by the use of pagan magic on the Isle that he apparently remained for three years, converting many and establishing the Celtic Church at Peel (the ruins of this church are still visible at Peel Castle, which is situated on what is called Saint Patrick's Island). By the time he left, Christianity had taken over as the dominant religion on the Isle, which Saint Patrick had fully toured during his stay. 

Today there are two Parish churches that bear Saint Patrick's name: one at Patrick, and the other at Jurby, where our Teare relatives are buried. 

So wear your green with pride today- and not just for Michigan State's victory! 

The South Dover Cemetery (Cross Side)

I'm attempting to work my way backwards along the Cross line. I haven't made it back to an immigrant ancestor yet, unfortunately. In the meantime, here's some information on the Cross and Vedder (Alice Cross's great great grandparents) families who first came to Michigan.

Samuel S Cross and his bride Sarah Liebolt Cross hailed from New Jersey, moved to New York, and eventually settled in Lenawee County, MI. Both are buried, along with several of their children, at the South Dover Cemetery near Clayton, MI.

Their second son, David, married Cordelia Vedder, whose parents (Harmon and Annie Bordine Vedder) are also buried at the South Dover Cemetery.

Here are some pictures from the Cemetery:

The Cross Family Stone with individual markers.

Harmon and Annie Vedder

Samuel S. Cross Marker.

Entrance to the South Dover Cemetery

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Cross-->Vedder, Cross

WHERE TO GO: The South Dover Cemetery, Clayton MI

The Cottier Surname (Cross Side)

This is my second post on the origin of Manx surnames within our family. Today I'll be looking at the Cottier name (the maiden name of Alice Noble's grandmother).

The Cottier name (Americanized to Cotcher) is of Old Norse descent (proof that there is Viking blood within me!). In A. W. Moore's The Surnames and Place Names of the Isle of Man, he states that "Cottier" is to be pronounced "Cotchier", making the spelling change in the US less surprising. It is said to be a contraction of "MacOttarr"- Ottarr's son. Ottar is old Norse for "Twilight Sword", according to Moore.  

There is documentation of that name, or the Anglo-Saxon "Ohthere" as far back as the 11th century. In the 1098 Chronicon Manniae, it is said that a battle between two groups of Manxmen left the Earl Other, leader of the Northern Manxmen, slain. 

Even names of Old Norse origin were given the prefix "Mac", and this was the case with the variant forms MacOttir, MacOttar, MacOttarr, and later MacCottier. The form "Cotter" was most common through the 17th century, when "Cottier" overtook it. According to Manx legend, two French Huguenot families by the name of Cottier settled on the Isle of Man in the late 16th century in Lezayre. In this case, "Cottier" would have most likely been an Anglicized form of the French surname, "Gauthier".

If this story is true, this may have influenced the "Cotter" name's evolution on the Isle, however it is worth noting that "MacCottier" was recorded before then. 

Our Cottier family was from Marown Parish. I searched the Manorial Roll from 1511 and found record of John McOtter and his son William. They were living in "Trolby"- literally "Farm of Trolls". It comes from the Scandanavian "Trolla-byr". According to the Manx notebook: There is a little stream here running down through the glen which one might well imagine as being the supposed abode of 'trolls,' or goblins.

This may or may not be a family connection, but it is still cool to see that there is a long history of Cottiers in Marown Parish. The location described above is located in what is now Crosby. See below for a link to Google Maps.  

Cottiers were coming to the US in the first part of the 19th century, settling almost exclusively in New York and Ohio. By the 1920s Cottier families could be found in over 30 states, though Ohio retained the largest single population. Obviously, some made it to the superior state to the North, and from that our family line can be traced! 

WHERE TO GO: Marown Parish, Isle of Man and Trollaby Lane. Click here for a Google Map.

Click here for Trollaby Farm. 

Family Line @ A Glance: Cross-->Cotcher-->Cottier 

The Gerow/Giraud Line (Cross Side)

(Thanks to cousin Kris for sharing this family tree information!).

Doesn’t everyone long to be a little French, after all? If you’ve ever caught yourself scarfing down baguettes or admiring your own chicness (as my French host mother often would), it may not be your fault. It could be your genes.

As a former French teacher, this bit of family history particularly excites me. I knew I had some ties to France on both sides of my family, but with all immediate family surnames pointing so squarely at the UK, I never had much inspiration to dig deeper. However, since beginning my family history research over a year ago, I’ve found we are all a little more French than I’d thought!

Alice Cross Noble’s maternal grandmother was Minnie Gerow. Her surname, like many, became distanced from its original form in the United States (immigration has a way of doing that, it seems). The French surname Giraud (“au” makes an “o” sound in French and the final consonant is typically silent, hence Gerow) was associated with great political and economic influence in medieval France, with the family seat located in Languedoc.  

Our Gerow ancestors have been in North America since the 1600s, settling first in New York and later in Eastern Canada (New Brunswick and Prince Edward Co.- not to be confused with the island). Our immigrant ancestor was Daniel Giraud, born 1664 in Poitiers, France. Poitiers is known for two famous battles: one leaving Charles Martel victorious in 732, and another a key victory for the English during the Hundred Years’ War. During the 17th century, many left Poitiers for the French settlements in the New World. As a result many Acadians and Cajuns (I could go on about this- it was one of my final paper topics in grad school!) trace their ancestry back to Poitiers or other areas in Northwestern France.

It is worth noting that the Gerow family were Huguenots- French Protestants. This explains why our group went first to New York, as there was a large Huguenot population living there at the time. Apparently our Huguenot ancestors traveled with friends, and Daniel was one of the first settlers of New Platz, NY. You can find records of our Gerow ancestors at the Huguenot Historical Society, located (conveniently on Historic Huguenot Street) in New Paltz, approximately an hour and a half north of the city.

Still, the line does jump to Canada before finally descending into Michigan!  Our first Michigan settler, Freeman, was born in Prince Edward County (what was then Sophiasburg Township) and settled in Linden Township, MI. Interestingly, Freeman’s father died when he was very young, and he was raised by his mother and her family, the Christy family, who were Quakers!

WHERE TO GO:

Historic Huguenot Street in New Platz, NY. Click here for a link to their website and a blurb about the Gerow family.

Historic Sophiasburg Township in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Click here for the Prince Edward County Historical Society blog.

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Cross-->Warden-->Gerow

The Cottier Family (Cross Side)

This line begins with Alice Cross Noble's grandmother, Kitty.

Glen Cross's mother was Catherine (Kitty) Cotcher, "Cotcher" being the Americanized spelling of "Cottier". She died in childbirth and not much was known about her. The Michigan Census has her residence as West Bloomfield, Oakland County.

Her parents were James Cotcher, the son of Manx immigrants, and Louisa Simpson, the daughter of an Irish immigrant. James Cotcher was born in the 1830s in New York to John Cottier (Cotcher) and Isabella Looney Cottier. After marrying, John and Isabella most likely took advantage of a government deal (a 10 pound ticket to the US) and journeyed to New York before joining other Manx families in Michigan.

The Cottiers and the Looneys are northern Manx families. I'll begin with the Cottier side.

John Cottier (our immigrant ancestor), was son to John Cottier Sr, born July 16, 1769 in Marown Parish. I am not certain of John Cottier Sr.'s wife's information, but I suspect based on my research of Parish records that he moved to Maghold and wed Catherine Callow in 1798 (remember, Kitty's real name was Catherine, and this would be her great-grandmother. Plus the dates all add up!). His parents were Alexander Cottier and Anne Kelly Cottier. Both of these surnames are very prominent on the Isle, even today. Alexander died and was buried May 14, 1814 in the old Marown Parish churchyard. Though there is record of his burial, there is no record of a tombstone (not uncommon- many were buried without a marker). The church has not been in use since 1859, but volunteers maintain it and it is open to the public. At present, I have no information on Anne other than her maiden name and her marriage to Alexander. They were both most likely born and raised in Marown (pronounced Muh-ROWN, as in 'down) Parish.

Sheep friends we met while hiking up to the Marown Parish church.

Now for the Looneys (there are some in every family!):

The Looneys were from the seaside village of Maughold, which to this day is hardly anything more than farms, a beautifully maintained historic church, and nice sea views. Isabella was born to Robert Looney and Jane Creer Looney (Creer being another old Manx name). Robert and Jane married at the Maghold church in 1802, and Isabella was born later that year. Jane was buried at the Maghold church in 1858, though records show that the family had moved to Ramsey sometime before then. I have no burial record for Robert at this time. Interestingly enough, many Looneys did immigrate to the US, and a large number settled in South Carolina! You may also see this name spelled as Lodney (a change that occured after arrival in the US).

The church at Maughold was established by the 12th century!

WHERE TO GO:

The Old Marown Parish Church Graveyard (Trust me, rent a car instead of attempting the walk like we did!).

The Old Maughold Parish Church (feauting 6th century crosses!).

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Cross-->Cotcher/Cottier

The Howlands (Cross Side)

The Mayflower gets all the glory. 

It is considered a privilege to be able to trace one’s line directly to a Mayflower passenger. Well, we may not be direct Mayflower descendants, but our family was an important part of the Plymouth colony.

We are direct descendants of Arthur Howland (the 9th great grandfather of Alice Cross Noble), brother of Mayflower passenger John Howland, and eventual inhabitant of the Plymouth Colony. Arthur arrived in Massachusetts in 1640, and from him we have over 100 years worth of early Massachusetts and Rhode Island settlers. You can visit A. Howland's impressive resting spot in Marshfield, MA.

Arthur Howland Memorial Site

Our Howland line is also well documented in England. Arthur was born to Henry and Ann-Margaret Howland in Huntingdonshire, England. I have confirmed that Henry Howland was buried in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire, England in 1635, though no headstone was located.

But wait! That’s not all! Henry’s parents were John and Emma Howland. John is buried at St. Mary Whitechapel Parish Graveyard, in London, England. He was buried in 1611, and his wife was buried there in 1614.

Finally, the furthest I’ve traced is his parents, John and Agnes Howland. This couple died in 1568 and 1586, respectively, and are confirmed to be buried in Essex, England. These are all places that you can still visit today, though they may not exist in the same way!  

WHERE TO GO:

The church at St. Mary Whitechapel (London) has been demolished, but the street still exists. Click here for the address.

The St. Peter and St. Paul Churchyard in Fenstanton, England is located here. 

Arthur Howland is buried at Winslow Cemetery in Marshfield, MA. Click here for more information.

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Cross-->Warden-->Gerow-->Christy-->Bull-->Closson-->Williamson-->Howland