HOOPIE FEST 2015

Below are some photos from Hoopie Fest 2015. Hoopie Fest is the Youmans family reunion held nearly annually at my sister's home. It not only includes family, but also friends. It is held over Labor Day. Last year there was a great turn out, good weather, and everyone had a good time. There was no Hoopie Fest this year as a result of different events that made it difficult. Hopefully, next year it will be back. My sister Sally June (Youmans) Gednetz and her husband Rick Gednetz graciously sponsor it  every year and are grand hosts. Enjoy the photos.

This photo shows everyone with fake mustaches, even the kids and ladies. Fun.

Same photo as above but without the mustaches.

Another group photo. This might actually be 2014.

My sisters Sandra (Youmans) Meyers, left,  and Sally, right,  and daughter Krysta Joan Youmans center.

This is me and my niece Dorothy.

My Granddaughter Phoebe Rebecca Sharp showing off her prize fish.

This is my Daughter Krysta with her boyfriend Chris and our cousin Candy.

My sisters Sandra, Sally, Cousin Debbie (Carlisle) Weekly, and my wife Becky on the right.

The Infamous Sir John Yeamans

The story of Sir John Yeamans, perhaps my 8th Great Grandfather, is that of legend. It is a fascinating story with several different versions. The one I am relating today is from the Library of Congress. Some of the other versions are quite different than this one. For now, this one will do. A movie could be made about this family character.

Family Group Sheet for Sir John Yeamans

Husband:                  Sir John Yeamans

Marriage:  Bet. 2 AD–11 Apr 1661 in St John, Barbados

Birth:  28 Feb 1611 in St. Mary, Redcliffe, Bristol, England

Death:  Aug 1674 in Barbados

Father:  John Yeamans

Mother:  Blanche Germain

Wife:                         Margaret Foster

Birth:  1613 in West Nimba, British Guinea, West Africa (now Liberia)

Death:  09 Jun 1720 in Charleston, Berkeley, South Carolina, United

States

Father:  John Foster

Mother:  Margaret Gibbes

Children:

1	Name:	Robert Yeamans
M	Birth:	1664 in St. James, Holetown, Barbados
	Death:	Jul 1728
	Marriage:	, 1708
	Spouse:	Elizabeth Mellows
2	Name:	George Yeamans
M	Birth:	1667 in Barbados
3	Name:	Willoughby Yeamans
F	Birth:	1669
	Spouse:	Mr. Smith
4	Name:	Edward Yeamans
M	Birth:	1670 in Barbados
5	Name:	Anne Yeamans
F	Birth:	1671

In the early 1600s John Yeamans, Sir John's father and husband of Blanche Germain, owned Bristol's largest brewery. It was much later sold to the Saunders family, who ran it for a hundred years. It eventually became the Georges' and then the Courage Brewery. Yeamans had 13 children, John was the eldest (born in 1611) and Robert was born in 1616. Sir John Yeamans (as he later became) was one of the early settlers to prosper on the Caribbean island of Barbados. He owned a sugar plantation in Barbados. Yeamans' brother Robert was the Sheriff, Mayor (in 1669) and Chief Magistrate of Bristol, as well as a ship owner and a merchant, who had an early involvement in the Caribbean trade. Redland Court was owned by Sir Robert Yeamans in the 1680s. He died childless. Sir John's grandson, Colonel Robert Yeamans of Barbados, eventually inherited the property.

Library of Congress. Sir John Yeamans, Proprietary governor of Carolina and landgrave, was born in Bristol, England, where he was baptized at St. Mary Redcliffe on 28 Feb. 1611, the son of John, a Bristol brewer, and Blanche Germain Yeamans. He married a Miss Limp, who probably was the mother of his five sons, William, Robert, George, Edward, and one whose name is unknown, and three daughters, Frances, Willoughby, and Anne. He migrated to Barbados by 1638 and formed a partnership for land acquisition with Benjamin Berringer by 1641. In 1643 Yeamans and Berringer were living on the same plantation in St. Peter Parish, but after 1648 the partnership was dissolved.

Yeamans accumulated wealth as a successful planter and gained political prominence in the colony's assembly, on the council, and as a judge in the courts of common pleas. He acquired the confidence of John Colleton, a former royalist officer turned planter and politician. With the restoration of Charles II, Colleton successfully developed the concept, which appears to have been his idea initially, for the establishment of the Proprietary colony of Carolina. As the principal spokesman for the eight Lords Proprietors of Carolina, Colleton took the lead in trying to attract settlers to that colony.

Prior to his intense involvement in the settlement of Carolina, Yeamans married, on 11 Apr. 1661 Margaret Foster, the daughter of the Reverend John Foster and the widow of Yeamans former business partner, Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Berringer. The Berringer's were the parents of Mary, Simon, John, and Margaret, who was born after the death of her father. Evidence has been uncovered that the last years of the Berringer marriage were unhappy, that Margaret had transferred her affection to John Yeamans, and that the Berringer's were virtually separated. Berringer died in January 1661 after a prolonged and undetermined illness. Suspicion was raised at the time, admittedly by Yeamans political enemies, that Yeamans and Margaret Berringer had conspired to murder her husband. Yeamans was cleared of these accusations by the council of Barbados, and the Berringer estate passed to Margaret Yeamans and her children. For a time the Yeamans lived on Nicholas Plantation (now St. Nicholas Abbey),(Pictured Above), built by Benjamin Berringer after 1656 and considered one of the three great Jacobean houses surviving in the Western Hemisphere.

The attention of the first prospective Carolina settlers focused on the Lower Cape Fear region, which the Proprietors named the County of Clarendon. Here a colony sponsored by the Corporation of Barbadian Adventurers from Barbados and elsewhere established itself in 1664. The Lords Proprietors, however, soon shifted their interest to a more southerly site near Port Royal. Taking advantage of this interest, another group of Barbadians, led by Yeamans, Sir Thomas Modyford, and Peter Colleton, negotiated through Yeamans son Major William Yeamans a Proprietary endorsement for a colony at Port Royal. As a mark of their favor and to add to Yeamans prestige, the Proprietors prevailed on King Charles to confer upon him the honor of knight baronet on 12 Jan. 1665. On the preceding day the Proprietors had appointed him "Governor of our County of Clarendon near Cape Faire and of all that tract of ground which lies southerly as far as the river St. Mathias."

'

In October 1665 Yeamans sailed from Barbados for the Cape Fear with three ships planning to explore southward from there to Port Royal, where he hoped to found a colony. As Yeamans fleet attempted to enter the Cape Fear River, his largest vessel ran aground and sank. Though most of the passengers were saved, his supplies were lost, including the cannon with which he intended to fortify the Port Royal settlement. Shortly after this Yeamans sent another of his vessels to Virginia to obtain food, clothing, and other supplies for the Clarendon settlers, only to have it wreck on the return voyage.

 Yeamans remained on the Cape Fear from early November until shortly after Christmas. Here the governor made plans for Robert Sandford, secretary of the colony, to undertake an exploratory voyage to the south, which was later successfully carried out. Having presided over a meeting of the General Assembly of Clarendon, the governor boarded his one remaining vessel and sailed for Barbados never again to return. For another year and a half the Clarendon settlement hung on, but by the close of the summer of 1667 the last of its settlers departed, and Clarendon County ceased to exist. Its governor meanwhile was embroiled in the uncertain and often tempestuous politics of Barbados and seems to have made no effort to save his colony.

Under the vigorous leadership of Lord Ashley, soon to be created Earl of Shaftesbury, the Proprietors in 1669 renewed their efforts to settle Carolina and dispatched a fleet of three ships with colonists aboard bound for the Port Royal area. With the fleet went a blank commission as governor and commander-in-chief addressed to Sir John Yeamans, at Barbados, who was instructed to fill in the document with his own name or that of another of his choice. Yeamans took command of the expedition, hired the sloop Three Brothers to replace a vessel that had sunk off Barbados, and sailed for Carolina. A great storm scattered the fleet, and the two surviving ships sought safety in Bermuda. Here Yeamans decided, for reasons that are unclear, to withdraw from the expedition and to return to Barbados. He then appointed William Sayle, a septuagenarian and a former governor of Bermuda who had had some earlier connection with Carolina, to take his place as governor.

The expedition then proceeded to Carolina where it established a colony not at Port Royal, but at Albemarle Point on the Ashley River. This colony became the nucleus of South Carolina. Yeamans finally reached the colony in the summer of 1671 with his wife, some of his children, and about fifty immigrants from Barbados in his party. The Proprietors on 5 Apr. 1671 had bestowed upon him the title of landgrave. This was the highest rank in the colony's nobility created by the Proprietors under their new framework of government known as the Fundamental Constitutions. Yeamans expected to be immediately acclaimed as governor of the colony, for under the provisions of the Fundamental Constitutions when a Proprietor was not present in Carolina, the highest ranking member of the native nobility would become governor. Joseph West, who had been named governor following the death of William Sayle, refused to give up his office until he received orders from the Proprietors.

Meanwhile, Yeamans established a plantation on Wappoo Creek and reportedly introduced slavery to the colony. Despite repeated efforts to gain the governorship, he was stymied until the Proprietors, acting in accordance with the provisions of the Fundamental Constitutions, ordered that the landgrave be given preference to a commoner and sent him a commission.

On 26 Mar. 1672 the Council proclaimed Sir John governor. In an effort to provide needed food supplies for the colony in 1672 and 1673, Yeamans made liberal use of the Proprietors' credit without their approval. It was also charged in the colony that he had attempted to make huge profits from the food shortages and that his actions had helped bring on these shortages. Displeased at last with Sir John after years of the closest association, the Proprietors on 25 Apr. 1674 revoked his commission as governor and proceeded to appoint Joseph West as his successor. Before this news reached the colony, however, Governor Yeamans died, and on 13 Aug. 1674 Joseph West was named to succeed him.

Lady Margaret remained in South Carolina for several years securing additional land grants that she left to her daughter Margaret, who later became the wife of Colonel James Moore, the founder of a second and permanent settlement on the Cape Fear. Lady Margaret eventually married Captain William Walley and returned to Barbados, where she died.

Sir John Yeamans continues to be an enigmatic figure. He clearly deserves credit as a founder of the two Charles Townes-first on the Cape Fear and then in southern Carolina-but his terms as governor of each of the colonies were more controversial. Circumstances conspired to overwhelm the fledgling Cape Fear colony, but Yeamans initially tried to save the settlement. His interest, however, lay farther south. His tenure in the southern colony was marred by dissension, although again he attempted, even beyond Proprietary limits, to meet the colony's most pressing problems. The accusation that he alienated his friend's wife and then murdered him cannot be absolutely proven, but the circumstantial possibility seriously compromises his character. Seen in the best light, Yeamans may be viewed as an energetic and restless adventurer who was actively involved in the West Indian colonization of the mainland, playing a significant role in the founding of the Carolinas.

Sir John Yeamans

St. Nicholas Abbey

FAMILY HISTORY BOOKS

Not really sure where to begin I decided last night to start with four family history books that pertain to our related families. All four books are excellent references. One of the four is a land mark book. I'll begin with that one.

1. THE YEAMANS-YEOMANS-YOUMANS GENEALOGY

This book was written Grant Samuel Youmans in 1946. It was supposed to be the first of three books but the last two were never written, and that is unfortunate. It was written in 1946 and published by The Tuttle Publishing Company. While out of print, it can still be found. It discusses some general topics such as what does the title Baronet mean, and the use of Sir. It discusses coats of arms, the issue of double dated records as a result in the change of calendars used in the 1700's, and various genealogical forms that are used.

This books discusses the migration of the Yeamans and Yeomans families starting in the 1600's to the New World. They settled in areas from New York to the Barbados. It contains histories, stories, wills, and other documented information. The book is thoroughly sourced even though it is difficult to follow at times. There is a lot of discussion about the Yeamans family from Bristol. There are also many historic stories regarding this family especially Sir John Yeamans, the third colonial governor of the Carolinas. (He was supposed to be the first but didn't arrive in time.) If you are interested in the very early history of our family in America this is an excellent book to read.

Grant had planned two other volumes beyond this one. They were supposed to take up where the first one left off and bring the family history current to present times. He never finished them and much of his research and work have been lost or destroyed. That is truly unfortunate. It is also unfortunate that he never explored when and from where the family arrived in England. Maybe it just wasn't possible. It would have been very interesting if he did.

2. COLEY FAMILY HISTORY BOOK COLEY-RAMEY-AGNER

This is one of my very favorite books. It was written by Joan Annette (Coley) Faria. She has written three family history books about various lines of her family and is a serious and dedicated family researcher. She is also a newly found cousin for which I am very grateful. This book is full of family group sheets, pedigree charts and trees. But more importantly, it is full of great stories and family photos which help bring the history alive. Joanie self published this book and was kind enough to give me one of them. For those of us who are descended from Fred Carlisle this is very important because Fred Carlisle was born William McKinley Coley. So, this is the line of the family no one knew existed. I hope to borrow from this book extensively as we go forward with this blog and with her permission.

3. DESCENDANTS OF CHURCH SMITH AND SARAH BELL

This book was written by Kristel Kay (Harris) Neiswander. I believe this book was self published also. It contains some early history a couple photos, and an extensive family documentation through family group sheets. It is a wealth of information and laid out in a clear and logical manner. For those of us descended from Church Smith it is a valuable resource. It covers a time span from 1763-2003.

4. THIELBERG FAMILY HISTORY

This book didn't really have a title but the above is what it is about. It was written by my mother in law, Joan Rita (Thielberg) Uhlhorn. It is a very limited edition in that she only made four copies, one for each of her daughters. My wife has added some to it also. It chronicles with stories, translated letters and great photos, the history of the Thielbergs and Pollerts. Much of it is their history in Germany and their immigration to the United States. It is a wonderful book and proudly sits on my bookcase in the living room with all our special books.

Hopefully this is helpful to some of you. I enjoyed all four books and still refer to them often. Many of these books are self published. The Descendants of Church Smith and Sarah Bell may still be available for anyone who might want a copy. If you do, I will provide you with contact information. The Grant Samuel Youmans book is still available on line. Any feedback or suggestions on other books which may be available, will be greatly appreciated.

 

Sam & Becky Youmans on top of Brockway Mountain in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan August 2016.

 

Got photos? Want to share them? Let me know and we can do it.