French Family Association
The Official Website of the Surname French
Chart #66, Samuel French, born ca. 1750
Abington, Montgomery, PA
Montgomery and Lackawanna Counties, PA
Fannett Twp, Amberson
Valley, Franklin County
formerly Cumberland Co., PA;
and Mercer Co. and Knox Co., IL
Early French Family of Pennsylvania, all born with the surname
French
This chart updated by Mara French on 12/17/20. Numbers in brackets [ ] shows the source material and refer to the bibliography at the end of this chart. An asterisk (*) shows continuation of that line. Please send any corrections or additions to this chart to marafrench@mindspring.com. Revisions: 2008, 2012, 2020.
NOTE: Please make any corrections or additions to this chart – although this is not my family, I will be updating it from time to time. Additions concerning the French surname are greatly appreciated. You will be notified of the next revision. Although this is not my line, I make additions to it, and you will be notified when your data or someone else’s data is added. My line is FFA Chart #6. I use the Microsoft Word html format because GEDCOM was not yet invented 40 years ago when I started, and converting this entire website to GEDCOM would be quite a large task; I have chosen to do more research instead.
Contents
History and Background
The Scotch-Irish Movement to Pennsylvania
Early Settlers to Pennsylvania
Naming Conventions
DNA Testing
History and Background
The Scotch-Irish Movement to Pennsylvania
In the great Scotch-Irish movement of Presbyterians, wanting to gain religious liberty which was denied them in their own land, came to America led by ministers. The Rev. Thomas Craighead, a minister of considerable prominence with some others led the way. In 1715 he came to New England, in 1724 he removed to Pennsylvania, and in 1737, became the first pastor of the Big Spring Church where Samuel French and other members with the surname French attended. Although Samuel has not officially been connected to the earlier family with the surname French, he was undoubtedly connection to them in some way, but these documents cannot be found. Rev. Thomas Craighead was b. ca. 1695 and d. Apr 1739. See the Bibliography [40].
Some 6,000 Scotch-Irish are said to have come in 1720. Later, they are reported to have come at the rate of 12,000 from year to year, settling in Franklin County, PA, later encompassing Cumberland County. From 1786 onward, they crossed over at Harrisburg in great numbers and settled in this vicinity along the Conodoguinet Creek* and the Big Spring more numerously than elsewhere, by reason of the junction of these two streams of water at nearly right angles. Out of these sturdy, rugged Scotch-Irish people, the Big Spring Presbyterian Church was originally organized [34].
Conodoguinet Creek is a 104-mile-long tributary of the Susquehanna River in South central Pennsylvania in the United States. The name is Native American, and means "A Long Way with Many Bends". Conodoguinet Creek joins the Susquehanna River upstream of Harrisburg.
The Conococheague Creek is a free-flowing stream that originates in Amberson Valley, PA and empties into the Potomac River in MD. Franklin County was established on 9 Sep 1784, having previously been the southwestern part of Cumberland County, known as the Conococheague settlement. The old settlers pronounce this word Conny-co-jig. Samuel French and his family were in Franklin County at least between 1750-1816; in 1790 the population was 15,655. Amberson Valley is between mountains and spurs, a very narrow and fertile cove, with sources of water. See the 1843 History of Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
The original population of the county was of the Scotch-Irish hereditary, and many of their descendants still remain; but the German population gained in numbers over the descendants of the original pioneers. Samuel was most likely Scotch-Irish. Philadelphia, where most emigrants came to from the Old County, is 143 miles east of the Conococheague area. Chambersburg, the seat of justice of Franklin County was laid out in 1764, at the time shortly after Samuel’s birth, which might indicate that Samuel was living there with his parents.
Early Settlers to Pennsylvania
The greater part of Fannett township lies in what is known as Path Valley, in olden times called “Tuscarora Path”. Originally the township included what is now Metal township. Read more about Fannett Township 1761. The surname French is not listed in the early Fannett land entries; therefore, the family probably lived elsewhere in 1761, perhaps in Chambersburg.
The early surnames were Bechtel, Blair, Steel, Alexander, Baxter, Hutchinson, McCormick, Elder, Wallace, Anderson, Askey, McMichaels, Campbell (Elizabeth French m. James Campbell on 3 Oct 1809 in Big Spring Presbyterian Church, Newville, PA), Coulter, How, Ross, Doyle, Parker, Little, Elliott, Gibson, Irvin, Baker, Gamble, Moore, Urich, Baker, Harron, Long, Galbraith, Holliday, McClellan, and Ramage [23]. Furthermore, Barbara French m. George Nave on 17 Jun 1841 in Big Spring Presbyterian Church, Newville, PA. James French m. Jane Cowen on 5 Apr 1826 in Big Spring Presbyterian Church, Newville, PA.
Franklin County was formed on 9 Sep 1784 from Cumberland County and named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. The county seat is Chambersburg.
1868 map of Conococheague Creek showing the lands of S. French, William French, and J. French. The only French family who lived in the 1870 census, 2 years after this map was drawn, in Fannett, Franklin, PA, (out of 26 Frenches living there at that time), “S French” could only have been Solomon French, b. 1830; or Simon French, b. 1834 – both sons of William French. “J French” could only have been Joseph French, b. 1842; or Jane French b. 1842 after her husband David died the previous year.
These names probably stand for Simon (William’s son whom he lives next door to in the 1870 census), William, and James (son of Solomon). Neighbors are Ingan, Guston, Piper (definitely neighbors of the French family as Adam and George Piper were witnesses to Samuel French’s probate in 1816), Stewart, Emery. Apparently, this map was drawn 52 years after Samuel French died in 1816. Looking at the closest census record, 1870, help define these French ancestors.
According to the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, there are pages from the Biographical Annals of Franklin County Pennsylvania on the French family, http://www.lmhs.org/.
Because Samuel French was not on the list of early settlers and neither is the name of his wife, Woodrow, it is assumed they came from a nearby area, could have been Cumberland, PA, or Philadelphia, PA.
The surname French is not listed in the early Fannett township land entries; therefore, the family probably lived elsewhere in 1761, perhaps in Chambersburg.
If the French family emigrated to Philadelphia as seen on the map above, they would have traveled west to Franklin County, but could have first lived in Lancaster or York County first as other members of the surname French family did. The French name was another old and worthy name in Amberson. The French Land at an early date lay on the west side of the stream to the northwest of the VanScyoc Mill and neighboring land owners were Pat MaGee, McVitty, and Adam Piper (witness to Samuel French’s death). In the 1870 census of Fannett, Franklin, PA, Adam Piper as age 71 and living near the French family. The later French sites were smaller places near Laurel Grove. The Samuel French lands consisted of two tracts: a 120-acre farm and 100 acres of mountain land.
Map of Pennsylvania and Maryland. Key:
Red A – Amberson Valley and Laurel Grove, Fannett, PA
Blue Circle – Mercerburg, PA – line of Ayres and Hugh
French
Blue Square – Greencastle, PA – FFA Chart #195
Red Square – Hedgesville, WV – FFA Chart #195 and #30
Red Circle – Lancaster, PA – FFA Chart #129 and #195
Orange Square – Frederick, MD – Chart #129 and #195
Orange Circle – York, PA – Chart #129 and #195
Naming Conventions and Patterns
You will often see the same names used over and over again in families. While certain names are popular in different areas in different times in history, the repetition could represent a pattern. Many cultures believe in honoring their elders and do so by naming children after them. Angus Baxter in "In Search of Your British and Irish Roots" describes a pattern that was popular in England in the 1700-1875 period:
· The first son was named after the father's father.
· The second son was named after the mother's father.
· The third son was named after the father.
· The fourth son was named after the father's eldest brother.
· The fifth son was named after the second oldest father’s or mother’s brother
· The first daughter after the mother's mother.
· The second daughter after the father's mother.
· The third daughter after the mother.
· The fourth daughter after the mother's eldest sister.s
· The fifth daughter was named after the second oldest father’s or mother’s sister.
If this pattern would result in a duplication of names -- i.e., both grandfathers had the same name -- then they would skip to the next one on the list. Similar patterns have been suggested for other nationalities. This could be a very helpful formula, but many genealogists warn against giving it too much credence. Given human nature, it would be very difficult to follow exactly. It would be pretty hard to convince a new mother of her first-born son to name him after a drunken, abusive father-in-law rather than her own beloved father who had just died.
You will probably see names of parents and grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles repeated, but not in any strict order. It is difficult to know whom a child called Ann or Mary was actually named after. While over half of the names in a family will probably appear to be repeats, there always seems to be a few totally different ones. A child might be named after a good friend or a popular hero of the times.
DNA Testing
Administered by Julia French Wood. For any questions regarding DNA, please email Julia at juliaFWood@aol.com.
A good source for research would be for a male with the surname French of
this line to take the DNA test. It is a simple test that doesn’t involve blood.
A kit is delivered to your house with special
brushes for you to take cheek swabs and the tip is injected into the tiny test
tubes to be returned to the lab. After the tests that you ordered are
completed, in about 4 weeks, you will be notified and can log in to your
personal page at the company to view your results and your DNA matches. They
may match up with one of the tests shown here: http://www.familytreedna.com/public/french/default.aspx?section=yresults. The FamilyTree
DNA website gives a special lower price to those with the surname French. Read
about those who approve of it: http://www.familytreedna.com/testimonials.aspx. To get the discounted price for our French
DNA Project group, go to http://small-stuff.com/FRENCH/DNA/ and click at the left on "Join the
French DNA Project" then place your order. Julia French Wood suggests
the 37-marker test (Y-DNA37), but if you want to start with 25, you can upgrade
to a higher test at a later date if needed.