Surname Saturday: A Few More of My Surnames

It's Surname Saturday again, time for more surnames.

Messenger

My Messengers are found in Virginia  and West Virginia, coming there from Connecticut. It is believed they came from England in the 1600s.

Neal

My Neal research to date has the family in Virginia and West Virginia starting around 1800. I haven't extended that line beyond that point yet.

Radcliff

The Radcliff/Radliff/RadcliffeRatcliff/Ratliff/Ratcliffe lines are found in West Virginia and Virginia. There is a branch of Ratcliffs in North Carolina not far from where I currently live, but I don't know how, or if, they connect to my line. It is my understanding that the family originated in England.

Register

The Register family came to south Georgia from North Carolina, stopping very briefly in South Carolina between the two states. I haven't found records beyond North Carolina yet.

Rice

The Rice family has roots in south Georgia, coming there from South Carolina. Prior to moving to the Carolinas, they were in Virginia. In one of those odds twists, my sister married a Rice, which was the maiden name of my maternal 2nd great grandmother Minnie Rice Hayes.

Sanders

My Sanders were found primarily in Kentucky, coming there from North Carolina. Like my Boling line, the Sanders have a connection to Pocahontas. For me, it comes through the marriage of my maternal 2nd great grandparents Lore Boling and Eva Mae Sanders and the marriage of my maternal 5th great grandparents Delaney Sanders and Nancy Alcott Boling. The Sanders and Bolings lines have intermarried so the cousins on either side are related to me in more than one way.

Sandy

I haven't had any luck with my Sandy line. According to the death certificate for my 2nd great grandfather Riley Neal, his mother's name was Mary E Sandy. This is the only place I found her name. I was unable to find a birth, marriage or death record for her. Riley was born in 1887 and I haven't been able to locate a birth record for him either. I suspect that his parents weren't married and for whatever reason, his mother passed away or moved on and he stayed with his father.

Sleeth

My Sleeths are found in Virginia and West Virginia. They are believed to be from Scotland, but I haven't proved it yet.

Smith

I have more than one Smith line in my family tree. Alta Edith Smith King was my paternal 2nd great grandmother. I have been unable to trace her family very far yet, but they came from Ohio to West Virginia around 1880.

On another line, my maternal 3rd great grandmother was Isabel AD Smith. Other than knowing she was born in Indiana, I don't have information on her family. Last but not least is another maternal 3rd great grandmother Louetta Smith. She and her father were both born in Kentucky. I've run into difficulty going any further back because Thomas Smith is an extremely common name.

Sweat

My Sweat line is one of my heaviest researched ones. The family eventually settled in south Georgia and many of the descendants still live there today. Before that they were in South Carolina, coming there from Virginia. As I understand it, the line originated in England.

Sturgill

Ellen Sturgill was my maternal 3rd great grandmother. I believe her father was Fielden Sturgill, who was born in Virginia. Despite his unusual name, I haven't had a lot of luck with tracing the family.

Vanzandt

I've struggled with my Vanzandt lines. It appears they bounced back and forth for several generations between Indiana and Kentucky. I have not been able to find them in any other places yet. My husband has a Van Sant line. So far I haven't connected the lines.

Wyant

The Wyant/Wiant lines are found in a couple places on my paternal line. Most appear to be from the Virginia and West Virginia areas, but there are some that have birthplaces in Pennsylvania and Ohio.