Direct Ancestry is from IRISH Kings, an AUSTRIAN Hessian soldier, PRUSSIANS, a FRENCH Filles des Roi, FRENCH Royalty, a METIS Voyageur, ACADIANS and a Gangster ... including and descending from ... plowmen, seamstresses, nurses, WWI and WWII CANADIAN & USA military personnel, a couple of blacksmiths, railroad workers, a semi-pro hockey goalie ... and possibly a rum-runner!

Oldest O'KANE direct ancestor photo

Oldest O'KANE direct ancestor photo
GREAT GRANDPARENTS ... Thomas O'Kane & Catherine Walsh with sons William, Leslie and John

CANADIAN Ancestors

The origins and descriptions of the first 16 SURNAMES, in order of their appearance, in this O'KANE family history.
~

O'KANE ... from the Old Gaelic O'CATHAIN
Recorded as O'Kane, O' Keane, O'Cane, O'Caine, Kane, Keane, Kean, Cane, Caine, and possibly others, this is an Irish surname. It derives from the pre 10th century Old Gaelic O'Cathain, meaning the male descendant of Cathain, the later being a personal name from "cath", meaning battle. Traditionally, Irish family names are taken from the heads of tribes, revered elders, or some illustrious warrior, and are usually prefixed by "Mac", denoting "son of", or "O", grandson, male descendant of. The principal O'Cathain sept originally spelt O' Cathan, belonged to the ancient Ulster territory of Tir Eoghain, and a powerful and important family of O'Kane resided at Keenaght and Coleraine in County Derry. Prior to the 12th Century they ousted the O'Connors of Dungiven from their territory, and occupied the area around the River Roe until the advent of the Ulster Plantation. The O'Cahans are frequently mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters from the late 12th Century, and Teag O'Cahan was one of the inaugurators of O'Neill, Prince of Tyrone. It is said that the MacCloskeys of County Derry descend from one Bloskey O'Kane, slayer of Murtagh O'Loughlin, heir to the throne of Ireland in 1196. A second main sept of O'Cathan belonged to Thomond counties of Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, where the name is (O') Keane and (O') Kane. A notable bearer of the name was Echlin O'Kane (1720 - 1790), one of the most famous Irish harpers of the 18th Century who played in several European courts. 


LANCE ... from the Austrian LENTZ 
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Current information regarding Johannes Lentz points to him being a Hessien soldier. During and after the American Revolution of the 30,000 Soldiers supplied by six German principalities, an estimated 6,000 men were discharged or deserted from the ranks, and quite a number returned later from Germany. Of those men, approx. 3500 remained in the new United States of America, and the rest selected to settle in Canada, mostly in the French-Canadian part, a few hundred in either Nova Scotia or Ontario, only a very few in the Provinces of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. 

Family history suggests that Michel Lentz and/or Maxime Lentz changed their name to Lance when immigrating to Canada during the great war. Our surname Lance is not of French or French-Canadian origins.

VINCENT
This fine name, with variant spellings Vincett, Vinsen, Vinson, and Vinsun , derives from the Latin "Vincentius", a personal name of victory from "vincere", to conquer. The popularity of the name in medieval Europe was partly due to the veneration in which the 3rd Century Spanish Martyr, St. Vincent, was held. In medieval England, Vincent occurs in documents from 1200 onwards, usually in the Latinized form "Vincencius" as in the 1206, Curia Regis Rolls of Norfolk. One Vincentius Filius (son of) Wuluiet, witness, was noted in the 1222, Assize Court Rolls of Warwickshire. The surname first appears in the early part of the 13th Century (see below). Other early recordings include Roger Vincent (Berkshire, 1273), and Agatha Vincent (Sussex, 1296). In 1626, one William Vincent, an early settler in the New World, was granted 100 acres of land near Charles city, Virginia. Another William Vincent (1739 - 1815), dean of Westminster, Superintened restoration works in Westminster Abbey from 1807. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Vincent, which was dated 1230, in the "Cartulary of Oseney Abbey", Oxfordshire, during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. 

BIEDERMAN ... GERMAN nickname for "an honest man"
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
German: nickname for an honest man, from a compound of Middle High German biderbe ‘honorable’ + man ‘man’. Associated with it is the surname Biedermeier (see Mayer), adopted in 1853 by a group of German humorists as the name of a fictitious writer, Gottlob Biedermeier, satirized as an unimaginative bourgeois philistine. The name came to be used to refer to the stolid style of furnishing and decoration that was popular in mid 19th-century Germany. Jewish (Ashkenazic): surname adopted because of its honorific meaning, from modern German bieder ‘honest’, ‘upright’ + -mann ‘man’.

WALSH 
This famous national locational and descriptive nickname surname derives from the pre 7th Century Olde English and Anglo-Saxon word "waelisc", meaning "foreigner" or perhaps more likely in the passage of time, "stranger". Be that as it may it is one of the ironies of history that the invaders from North Germany and even the later Vikings, should apparently refer to the people that they conquered or at least drove from their original homes, as 'The Foreigner" and even more so that the name should have stuck. The surname is popular in many areas and countries, there being a large "Walsh" contingent in Ireland, where it is the fourth most popular surname, and even a small number in France, originally in the Nantes area. The modern surname is recorded in a wide variety of spellings, including Welch, Welche, Welsh, Walsh, Walshe, Walch, and Wellish. The early surname development includes examples such as Walter Walsheman of London in 1279, Simon Welshe of Bedford in the year 1279, John Walsh of Roxburgh, Scotland, in 1330, Margery Wellis in the 1327 Pipe Rolls of the county of Essex, and Lawrence Walsh of County Mayo, Ireland in 1588. The first recorded spelling of the family name is from Ireland. This is believed to be that of Haylen Walsh, the son of Phillip the Welshman, and dated 1171. He is recorded as being with Strongbow, earl of Pembroke, in his initial invasion of Ireland in that year.

GODIN ... from ENGLAND, GERMANY, FRANCE, SPAIN and ITALY
Recorded in many forms including Godel, Goden, Godin, Gohin, Gohn, Gouin, Godden, Godino, Godinho, Godineau, Godinez, and Godwin, this surname is Northern European, being found in England, Germany, France, Spain and Italy. It derives from a Germanic and later Anglo-Saxon baptismal name of the pre 8th century, of which the principle element was 'god' meaning 'good', plus a varied range of suffix, most of which are simple patronymics and diminutives, or are compounds and descriptive as in the surname "Godwin" meaning good-friend. As a personal name only (there were no surnames at this time) it is recorded as Goduini in the famous English Domesday Book of 1086. The name had already achieved some popularity through the exploits of Godwin, the earl of East Anglia, whose son Harold was chosen by a council of nobles as King of England in January 1066. However the crown had in fact alread been promised to Duke William of Normandy, amd perhaps justice was done as Harold was slain by the Normans at the Battle of Hastings, after a reign of nine months. There are many early examples of the surname recording including: Heinz Godel of Cannstatt, Germany, in 1357, Petrus Goderinghe of Hannover in 1360, The first recorded spelling of the family name is belived to be that of Walter Godwin. This was dated 1177, in the "Pipe Rolls" of the county of Norfolk, during the reign of King Henry 11nd of England, 1154 - 1189.

SOULIERE 
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Records indicate that the Souliere name in the region of Ontario where my ancestors originated from is Metis; of French and Indian origin. Family members may have been fur-traders.

RUTZ

O'GORMAN ... from MAC GORMAIN
This interesting surname has two distinct possible origins one English, the other Irish. From England the surname is believed to be a patronymic of the pre Middle English male given name 'Gormund', itself deriving from the Old English pre 7th Century "Garmund". This was composed of the elements "gar", meaning a spear and "mund", meaning protection. This type of compound was very popular in England in those early times. The second origin is Irish, and to have originated as Mac Gormain, which translates as 'The son of the son of Blue'. Quite why anybody should be called 'blue' is unclear, unless it be a reference to the wearing of wode, which was blue. In the 16th century the Mac and O prefixes sometimes fell into disuse. When the spirit of the nation was revived in the 19th century, the prefixes were gradually restored. Some namebearers, when resuming their prefix, assumed the wrong one (!), and became O' Gorman in County Clare. The other spellings are to be found as MacGorman in County Monaghan, and as Gorman in County. Tipperary. Examples of the Irish recordings include on October 4th 1860, John Gorman of Woodford, County Galway, who married Elizabeth Martin of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan at University Church, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin. Four children were born to them between 1861 and 1867, being Lorcan, Nial, John Paul, and Elizabeth Mary. The first recorded spelling of the family name anywhere in the world is believed to be that of William Gormund, which was dated 1273, in the 'Hundred Rolls' of the county of Wiltshire. This was during the reign of King Edward 1st of England, and known by the nickname of "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax.

SHERIDAN ... from the Old Gaelic O'SIRIDEAIN
This is an Anglicized form of the Old Gaelic name O' Sirideain. The Gaelic prefix "o" indicates "male descendant of", plus the personal nickname Siridean composed of the element "siride" meaning "elf", plus the diminutive suffix "an". In Irish mythology, the elf was usually looked upon as a rather mischievous creature, so we can presume that the first name bearer was a mischief maker. The family originated in County Longford where they held church property. Later they moved to County Cavan - the county in which the name is most prevalent today. The Sheridans distinguished themselves in the field of literature. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751 - 1816) was a successful Dublin-born dramatist and author of "The Rivals" and "School Scandal" General Philip Henry Sheridan of Cavan (1831 - 1888) was a Commander in the American Civil War. The birth of Bernard Michael Sheridan, son of Patrick Sheridan and Anna McNerney, on February 18th 1920, was registered at Clonfin in the district of Granard, in the county of Longford. A famine immigrant, William Sheridan (aged 24 yrs.,), departed from Liverpool aboard the "Kalamazoo", bound for New York on March 24th 1846. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Denis Sheridan, of County Cavan, which was dated 1612, assisted Bedell in translating the Bible into Irish, during the reign of King James 1 of England and V1 of Scotland, 1603 - 1625.


ALLARD ... from NORMAN (English) or FRENCH origins
This interesting surname, with variant spellings Allard and Adlard, may be either of (Norman) English or French origin, and derives from the Anglo-Norman French male given name "Alard", itself coming from the Old French "Adelard", a compound of the Germanic elements "adal", noble, and "hard", hardy, brave, strong. Alard (above) is believed to have absorbed the Olde English names "Aelfheard" and "Aethelheard" meaning respectively "elf-brave", and "noble-brave", and the Domesday Book (1086) names "Ailardus" and "Aelard" may derive from either source. The Pipe Rolls of London, dated 1198, mention Alard the Fleming, and in 1212 Rogerus filius (son of) Alardi or Adelard was recorded in the Feet of Fines for Lincolnshire. Early examples of the surname include: Richard Alard (Gloucestershire, 1209); Nicholas Adelard (Worcestershire, 1275); and John Allard (Sussex, 1332). A Coat of Arms granted to the Allard family is a silver shield with three red bars, on an azure canton a gold leopard's face. The Canton stands very high among honourable bearings, and symbolises reward for the performance of eminent service. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger Aillard, which was dated 1205, in the "Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire", during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216.


VARRIN

CONVENCHIERE

LAROCQUE ... from Rocbrune dit Larocque

SCHNEIDER ... "one who sews", a tailor, a  seamstress.
Recorded in several spellings including Schneidau, Schneider, Schneidar, Schnieder and Schnitter, this is an occupational German surname, although also recorded in Austria, France and Belgium since the medieval times. It derives from the word "snitare", itself a derivative of the pre 8th century "snidden", and translates as "one who sews" - a tailor. This relatively humble, but highly important origin, does not seem to have been a bar to the success of the name holders, there being at least eight coats of arms granted to various members over the centuries. In addition the name received world-wide publicity in the years between 1912 and 1932, through the international air race, the Schneider Trophy. Early examples of the surname recording taken from authentic charters and registers of the period include Johann Christoph Schneidar, who married Maria Emig at Pleuzhausen, Rheinland on April 30th 1754, and Johann Gottlieb Schneidau who married Anna Marie Philip at Danzig Stadt, West Prussia on April 17th 1842. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that Rotcher Sniter from Greifswald, Germany, in the year 1302.This was during the reign of Emperor Albert 1st of the German Empire, 1298 - 1308.

PEETZKE








No comments:

Post a Comment