Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your Farthest Flung Ancestor

 From Randy (my cousin) over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  Our family trees contain historical persons who came from places all over the world. Each of our ancestral lines came from somewhere.

2)  Can you identify your Farthest Flung Ancestor? Who in  your ancestral tree came from the most geographically distant place from where you live now? What brought them (or their descendants) to where your family ended up?

3) Please share!

Here's mine:

  Like Randy, I don't know exactly who my Farthest Flung Ancestor is.  I live in Augusta, Georgia, USA, and my ancestry is 100% European, spread out among England, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and France with some Finland and Norway sprinkled in.  I have not identified where all of my ancestors were born, but I do know about England, Germany, and Scotland.  Therefore, here are my top 4 candidates, the furthest flung first:

    *  Johann Conrad Hesser was born in 1725 in Palantinnate, Germany (which is now part of the Rhineland-Palatinate region). This area is approximately 4,450 miles from Augusta.  He immigrated to the new world in 1752. 

    *  John Drake was born in 1647 in South Petherton, Somerset, England and came to America around 1658 and settled in Virginia.  His birthplace is 4,160 miles from here. 

    *  Hosea Tapley was born 04 Jan 1691 somewhere in England.  This is approximately 4,122 miles from Augusta.  He came to the colonies early on - just before 1708-1710 when his first child was born in Virginia.

    *  Thomas Rany (later generations Ranney) was my earliest ancestor to arrive in this land.  He was born 1616 in Montrose, Angus, Scotland.  This is 3,960 miles from here.  He immigrated about 1657.  

(I used Google Search to find the approximate mileage between locations.)

  Unfortunately, I do not know the reasons any of my ancestors chose to come to the New World.  Perhaps for religious reasons.  Maybe to have a better life.  The chance to own land.  All of the above.  I do believe the Tapleys and the Drakes found their way south because of opportunities to own land.  The Hessers and the Ranys (Ranneys) migrated to the Midwest for the same reason.  

Surname Saturday: Ranney, Ranny, and Rany

The name Ranney, along with its variants of Ranny, Rany, Rannie, Rainy, Ranye, Raynie, Reny, and Ryne, are found in Scottish records as early as 1453.  They were Septs to the MacDonnell Clan of Keppoch.  (Scottish Clans contained septs or branches, which were founded when powerful or prominent clansmen established their own important families.  Clans often had many septs that were often related through marriage.  During difficult times, the families sought to ally themselves with larger, more powerful clans for protection from enemies and other feuding clans.  This practice was effective in building respect, devotion, and familiarity between different families within the same clan.  Nowadays, this relationship is all but lost, but today septs often proudly wear the Clan tartan.  - From www.houseofnames.com/wiki/Septs)

The Clan tartan:

I have information about 12 generations of my maternal Ranney line:

- Thomas Rany

My 10th great-grandfather.  Birth and date information unknown, except the assumption that he was born in Scotland.  His spouse is unknown and the only child I know about is:

- Thomas Rany

My 9th great-grandfather.  He was born in 1616 in Montrose, Scotland and died 21 Jun 1713 in Upper Houses, Middletown, Connecticut.  He married May 1659 in Middletown, Connecticut, Mary Hubbard, born 16 Jan 1642 in Hartford, Connecticut and died 18 Dec 1721.  They had the following children:

  Thomas Ranney
  John Ranny
  Joseph Ranny
  Mary Ranny
  Elizabeth Ranny
  Esther Ranny
  Hannah Ranney
  Margaret Ranney
  Ebenezer Ranny
  Mercy Ranny
  Abigail Ranny

- Thomas Ranney

My 8th great-grandfather.  He was born 01 Mar 1661 in Middletown, Connecticut and died 06 Feb 1726.  He married 29 Mar 1691 in Hartford, Connecticut, Rebecca Willett, who was born about 1663 in Hartford.  They had the following children:

  Thomas Ranney
  Willett Ranney
  George Ranney
  Rebecca Ranney
  Nathaniel Ranney
  Ann Ranney
  Margaret Ranney

- Nathaniel Ranney

My 7th great-grandfather.  He was born 17 Jun 1702 in Upper Houses, Middletown, Connecticut and died 25 Sep 1766.  He married 16 Jan 1734, Rachel Sage, born 01 Jan 1708 and died 24 Feb 1755.  They had the following children:

  Nathaniel Ranney
  Ozias Ranney
  Rachel Ranney
  Naomi Ranney
  Abraham Ranney
  Amos Ranney

- Nathaniel Ranney

My 6th great-grandfather.  He was born 16 Jul 1735 in Upper Houses, Middletown, Connecticut and died 13 May 1800.  He married 10 Mar 1757, Prudence Willard, date of birth unknown and died 24 Sep 1803.  They had the following children:

  Thomas Willard Ranney
  Comfort Ranney
  Nathaniel Ranney
  Prudence Ranney
  Rachel Ranney
  David Ranney
  Daniel Ranney
  Alle Ranney
  Hannah Ranney
  Anne Ranney
  Huldah Ranney
  Willard Ranney

- Comfort Ranney

My 5th great-grandfather.  He was born 19 Dec 1759 in Upper Houses, Middletown, Connecticut and died in 1859 in Buffalo, New York while en route to the Western Reserve of Ohio.  He was married to Ruth Lenora Treat, date of birth unknown and died before 1812.  They had the following children:

  Comfort Ranney
  Jacob Ranney

- Comfort Ranney

My 4th great-grandfather.  He was born 20 Mar 1788 in Upper Houses, Middletown, Connecticut and died 14 Jul 1823 in Hudson, Summit County, Ohio.  He married 25 Dec 1808 in Haddam, Connecticut, Elizabeth Hubbard, a distant cousin, who was born 02 Apr 1790 in Haddam, Connecticut and died 04 Jan 1868.  They had the following children:

  Luther Boardman Ranney
  Laura Maria Ranney
  Julia A Ranney
  Eliza Samantha Ranney
  Ruth Leonora Ranney
  Elizabeth Jerusha Ranney
  Moses Ranney
  Sarah Florilla Ranney

- Luther Boardman Ranney

My 3rd great-grandfather.  He was born 28 Nov 1809 in Hudson, Summit County, Ohio and died 10 Nov 1890.  He was married to (1) Sarah Maria Carter, born 1812 in Ohio and died 29 Jul 1846.  They had the following children:

  Martha Ann Ranney
  Mary Elizabeth Ranney
  Comfort Ranney
  Harriet Sophia Ranney
  Sarah Maria Ranney

Luther married (2) Carolinne Clapp, born 03 May 1821 in Westhampton, Massachusetts and died 26 May 1895.  They had the following children:

  Julia Ann Ranney
  Luther Kelsey Ranney
  Carrie May Ranney

- Comfort Ranney

 My 2nd great-grandfather was born 07 Feb 1838 in Boston, Summit County, Ohio and died 18 Sep 1920 in DeWitt, Clinton County, Michigan.  He married 18 Dec 1868 in Nevada, Wyandot County, Ohio, Mary Margaret Hesser who was born 17 Jul 1842 in Ohio and died 06 Oct 1920 in DeWitt.  They had the following children:

  Luther Boardman Ranney
  Sarah Marie Ranney
  Luella S Ranney
  James Comfort Ranney

- Luther Boardman Ranney

My great-grandfather was born 11 Mar 1870 in Chapin, Saginaw County, Michigan and died 9 Oct 1943 in San Bernardino, San Bernardino County, California.  He was married to Bessie Alice Carter who was born 09 Feb 1883 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and died 14 Apr 1960 in Redlands, San Bernardino County, California.  They had the following children:

  Baby Boy Ranney (died at 4 days old)
  Kenneth Carter Ranney
  Alice Lucille Ranney
  Ethel Irene Ranney

- Ethel Irene Ranney

 My grandmother was born 06 Jul 1913 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan and died 12 Nov 1973 in Dublin, Laurens County, Georgia.   She married (1) 11 Feb 1934 in Redlands to Avery Hazel Plumlee, born 04 Dec 1911 in Texas and died 06 Jun 1997 in Orange County, California.  They had one child:

  Robert Avery "Bob" Plumlee

Ethel married (2) 03 Dec 1939 in Redlands, Charles Morgan Tapley, born 27 Jun 1907 in Johnson County, Georgia and died 12 Nov 1973 in Swainsboro, Emanuel County, Georgia.  They had one child:

- Linda Irene Tapley (my mother)

- And that leads to ME. 

Tombstone Tuesday: Thomas Rany (Ranny or Ranney)

Thomas Rany

born 1616 in Montrose, Scotland

died 1713 in Middletown, Connecticut

Married to Mary Hubbard in 1659

daughter of "Middletown George" Hubbard and Elizabeth Watts

"Thomas Ranney was admitted an inhabitant of Middletown and granted a home there, February 9, 1658, next to that of Thomas Hopewell; who lived on the corner of Main and Church Streets.  In 1663 he had located to what is now Cromwell Ct.; he frequently held town offices."
    Source:  The Hamlin Family, A Genealogy of Capt. Giles Hamlin of Middletown, Connecticut, 1654-1900 by Hon. H. Franklin Andrews, 1900.

Thomas is the first Ranney of my direct line to come to the United States.  According to the book, "A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to the U.S.A." by Donald Whyte, page 366, Thomas came to the New World in about 1657.

He is my 9th Great Grandfather.

Surname Saturday: Ranney

Since it appears that I am starting my Tapley blog with references to Ranney, I figured I would continue the trend on this, my first "Surname Saturday" post.

The surname Ranney is from Scotland.  It is a variant of Rannie, Rainy, Rany, Ranye, Raynie, Reny, and Ryne.  The family's origin was as a sept during the 15th century of the clan MACDONELL of Keppoch in Scotland.

"Clan" was the name applied to a group of Kinsman united under a chief and claiming a common ancestry.  They lived as one great family on the lands they possessed.  The clansmen or septs supported their chief with remarkable loyalty.

Clan Septs comprise those who were descended from the Chief through the female line and consequently bore a different surname; and those who sought and obtained the protection of the Clan and became dependents. Anyone who has an ancestor bearing a Sept name, or the Clan name itself, has the privilege of wearing or displaying the Crest Badge and the tartan of the clan.
   Sources: The Surnames of Scotland, The New York Public Library, p. 684; Scots Kith & Kin, Albyn Press Ltd., Publisher, p, 41, 49, 65-66; and Septs of the Scottish Clans web site at http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Heritage/FSCNS/Scots_NS/About_Clans/Sept_Clan.html.

The first Ranney ancestor in my family's line to come to America was Thomas Rany, born 1616 in Montrose, Scotland.  He "was admitted an inhabitant of Middletown (Connecticut) and granted a home there, February 9, 1658, next to that of Thomas Hopewell; who lived on the corner of Main and Church Streets.  In 1663 he had located to what is now Cromwell Ct.; he frequently held town offices."
     Source:  The Hamlin Family, A Genealogy of Capt. Giles Hamlin of Middletown, Connecticut, 1654-1900 by Hon. H. Franklin Andrews, 1900.

Thomas Rany was my 9th Great-Grandfather.