Fletcher - Davidson Family Genealogy Project
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The Fletcher Branch
Through DNA testing and documentary research, we have traced our Fletcher line to the Pickering area of North Yorkshire, England. Our earliest documented ancestor is John Fletcher (born 1633/34).
Genetic evidence, however, reveals that our paternal line does not originate in England. Our Y‑DNA matches the Schankweiler/Schonkwiler surname, which is associated with the village of Schankweiler in the Eifel region of Bitburg‑Prüm, Rhineland‑Palatinate, Germany.
Based on this evidence, we are working with the theory that John’s father was a German immigrant who arrived in England during the early 1600s. This period coincides with the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648), a conflict that devastated the Rhineland‑Palatinate, where some communities lost more than half their population through death or migration. It is likely that John’s father left the region to escape the destruction and resettled in North Yorkshire, where the family adopted the English surname, Fletcher.
Fletcher Branch Surnames - BARKER - FLETCHER - MCKAY - - - SCHONKWILER - Ackerman - Baldwin - Bolin - Bridges - Brydges - Carroll - Coffey - Crane - Edison -Haines - Jones - McDonald - Martin - Moser - Ogden - Purdy - Rasmussen - Robinett - Roosevelt - Saxton - Snyder - Summer - Smith - Treat - Ward - Yates
All Saints Church - Thorton Le Dale, Yorkshire, England
(Stephen Fletcher (1807-1875)
was baptized here on the 21st of January 1807)
The Davidson Branch
Through DNA testing and traditional genealogical research, we have traced our Davidson line back to colonial North Carolina. Our branch is directly descended from Brigadier General William Lee Davidson (1746–1781), the youngest general to serve in the American War for Independence.
General Davidson commanded North Carolina militia forces during the Southern Campaign and was killed at age thirty‑four at the Battle of Cowan’s Ford on the Catawba River. His leadership and sacrifice left a lasting legacy: a town, a college, several schools, and counties in both North Carolina and Tennessee bear his name in recognition of his service.
Davidson Branch Surnames - DAVIDSON - FRENCH - JOHNSON - ODERFIELD - - - Baker - Brevard - Brooks - Campbell - Clark - Dill - Ewing - Gillespie - Kirkendall - Lott - McClure - McKnitt - McWorter - Packer - Porter - Raynor - Thompson - Ware - Warren - White
Davidson College - Davidson, North Carolina, USA
Named for our great grandfather
William Lee Davison (1746-1781)
