Family History by Robert Monroe Fleming (Sr.)

Nance Memorial Book Data - Part 1

Transcribed by Robert M. Fleming Jr.

Nance Memorial Book Data

Contents:                Nances of the world

The earliest mention of the name Nance as applied to a family, that the author has found, is in a communication from Padatow, Cornwall, England. Written by Elijah Nance to W E Nance Esq., of Cardiff, Wales. (See appendix, Exhibit "A"). This letter was written in 1856, and covers as it says, 790 years from 1066. When William the Conqueror in one battle at Hastings killed the King and took possession of all England and Wales. This army had crossed from Normandy, in France. The whole of England and Wales was confiscated and became the possession of the Conquieror and his army.

Under the heading, "The Norman Conquest of England, in Johnson's Universal Encylopedia, is the following, viz: Domesday Book, William's famous property-survey, divides the land in 60,215 knight-fees, 28,015 of which are in the hands of the church. Each being pledged to knight (or quivolent foot) service and to all precedental feudal taxes and tributes, liable also to escheat and forfeiture. These feoffs or fees are held from the Crown (I) by a score or so of great secular vassals, magnates of Normandy, leaders of the conquering army invested with large but scattering complexes; (2)by several hundred lesser chief-tenants or Crown vassals, nearly all Norman; (3) by the higher clergy, Norman and Saxon. From these, again held by re-enfeoffment 7,871 after-vassals-half Saxon Thanes, left in possession under Norman overlords, Half Norman soldiers, Sharing with their leaders the lands they had helped to win. These too, are sworn "men of the king", levied and led, not by their lords, but by the royal viscount constables, marshals. Instead of the earlier, irregular folk-service, stood now a strong feudal militia, Paid with land under full control of the monarch from whom they held their pay. Making England's rulers, for the first time, full lords of the islands, and England, from the side of power, at least, a thoroughtly state.

The Normans had but one name, a Christian, or given name.Coming into England where people had two names, they adopted this custom of the country. In this army was general from a valley in Normandy, called Nantes. This general took the name Nance from this valley home, for some reason changing the spelling somewhat. His share of the land was located at Padstow, Cornwall. And the family is still there, but they have lost the estate.

There is another old family in Cornwall, for an account of shich see, Appendix Exhibit "B", and still another, of which John Hobson Matthews, the author of "History of St. Ives and Other Parishes," is a descendent. See appendix (Exhibit "C"). Also see quotations from said work (Exhibit "D"). From these quotations you will see references to one "Old John Nance" by John Wesley. Said John Nance was one of John Wesley's friends and backers in his troubles at St. Ives. The author had no evidence that any ot the American Nances have descended from any of these old families. He has not even a tradition pointing that way. Some of the above families were Catholic and some were Prostestant.

The History of the family of Nance, in France, prior to their emigration to Americ, is but little known. Sufficient however has been obtained through history and tradition to establish the fact that we are of French linage. The Nances were Protestants. The protestants were called Huguenots as a reproach. The Standard Dictionary says: The Huguenots were the most moral, industrious and intelligent part of the French population.

Andrew X of Belfast, Ireland (Exhibit "E"), says: My Uncle William spent such time and money in looking up his ancestry. We found the "Coat of Arms" of the family. The motto of which is the same as that of Queen Elizabeth. And indicates that royal blood of France flows in our veins. And that the Nances appear to have been an aristocratic, noble family. And that the name was a territorial name. Thus we could call ourselves, DeNance, if we so desired. Two brothers, Andrew I and Clement, with their families fled from France at the time of the Huguenot persecutions. When so many fled to England, Germany, Switzerland, South America and North America. These brothers came to Cornwall in South England where Andrew I settled and became the head of a large family. His descendents have spread over England, Scotland and Ireland. One family went to the Scilly Islands where it is said one island is inhabited almost entirely by Nances. That Clement went North and was entirely lost to his brother Andrew.

The tradition of the family in America is that our ancestors were driven from France and settled in Wales. From which country they early came to America. Thus history and tradition seem to agree. Wales being just north of Cornwall and adjoining same. Just when the Nances came to America is uncertain. But it must have been very soon after settlement began. Judging by the very many of the name found about the tide-water in Virginia and North Carolina. It seems most reasonable that this Clement, brother of Andrew I, must have been our emigrating father. First, from the fact that no Nances are found in Wales who cannot be easily traced to a different ancestry. The family could not have remained there very long. Secondly, because of the preponderance of Clement's in nearly all Nance families in America. One writer says our emigrating father came over with Captain John Smith on his third trip. The company forming the first permanent settlement in Virginia. This was in 1607. This is erroneous.. For John Smith in his autobiography gives the lists of all who came over with him on all his trips, and no Nance appears. This same writer says that our ancestors were of the Albigenses of South France. And that "They even h*********** [remainder of line illegible because it got below the bottom of the sheet of carbon paper] **** rine, faith and practice of their ancestors, the Albigenes faith. And came to America with hope of finding a country and a home in which they might a government fraught with moderation and religious toleration. They formed the embryo of the church movement, Baptist, that spread through out the country. From whose church movement Thomas Jefferson got his first form of a democratic costitution which afterwards ripened into the constitution of the United States of America."

The author thinks he is in error in this as in the other statement. for "Albigenes" was a name applied loosely to "heretics" belonging to various sects that abounded in the South of France about the beginning of the thirteenth centrury. From France, from 1209 to 1226, a cruel war continued in which hundreds of thousands were put to death. A settlement was effectedat the latter date. The Albigenes lost their idenity long before the settlement of this country began. These same "heretics" of the Romish church of the thirteenth century were called "Huguenots" in the later centuries. The war on the Huguenots began in ernest in 1559 and kept up to the edict of Nantes in 1598. When they had comparative peace for about twenty years. Then the cruel war began again. Rochelle, the stronghold of the Huguenots fell in 1628. And of her 24,000 inhabitants but 4000 remained. The balance having died of starvation or massacre. The wars continued until the revocation of the edict of Nantes, in 1685. In the next three years it is said France lost nearly one million by emigration.

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©2009 Robert M. Fleming Jr.

This page was last revised on 30 August 2009.