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**** The Ancient History Of the
Distinguished Surname - Yuill ****
Also, for more information regarding the Yuille name, visit www.yulefamily.com
The Viking settlements in the 9th Century on the northern Isles of
Scotland injected a fiercely aggressive ethnic group into Scottish
society. Despite many attempts to repel these intruders, Scottish
Kings finally came to accept them as part of society. It was from
this Viking group that the family name Yuill emerges.
Your name, Yuill, occurred in many references. From time to time
the surname was spelt Yell, Yul, Yuel, Yule, Youll, Yulle, and these
changes in spelling frequently occurred between father and son. It
was not uncommon for a person to be born with one spelling, married
with another, and yet another to appear on his headstone.
In researching the origin of this surname Yuill the historians
probed such documents as the Viking Saga, the Orkneyinga Sagas, the
Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, the Inquisition and translations of local
manuscripts, parish records, baptismal, and tax records, found in the
north at Dingwall, and in the Orkneys and Shetlands.
The first record of the name Yuill was found on the Island of Yell
in the Shetlands.
The family name Yuill emerged as a Scottish Clan or family in this
northern territory of Shetlands on Yell, the principle island of that
group. By the 13th Century they had branched south and became
established as a Perthshire family name, and may have been a branch of
the celebrated Dal-Yel Clan. They became merchants of Edinburgh and
Haddington and John Yule was recorded in Haddington in 1374. Another
John Yule was a Chaplin in Aberdeen in 1391. By the mid 15th century
the Yules had established branches, one in Aberdeen, and one in
Haddington where they were seated at Gladsmuir. In 1503 Sir Robert
Yule was a Taxman in the Orkneys, and Inza Yule held lands in Firth in
the Orkneys. In 1676 the Yules emerged with two senior houses, the
Yule of Darleith, and the Yule of Leyhouses. In later years James
Yule was a poet in Paisley, and Sir Henry Yule was a military engineer
in 1870. Darleith is their present family seat in Dumbartonshire.
Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Sir Henry Yule.
In North America, one of the first migrants which could be
considered a kinsman of the family name Yuill, of that same Clan or
family, was Alexander Yuill who settled in New York in 1774.
Campbell Chronicles and Family Sketches (Virginia)
Charles Yuille (or Ewell, as a branch of this family is now called)
came to Virginia from England in 1690 under contract to build the
capital at Williamsburg, accompanied by two brothers. They were said
to be the sons of John Yuille, of the clan Buchanan. A stone in
Bruton church-yard is inscribed to the memory of John, son of Thomas
Yuille of Darleith, Scotland, Dumbarton County. John died in 1746,
aged 27 years. Thomas, a descendant of Thomas Yuille of Darleith,
married Lucy Fletcher, of England, settled in a place now called
Clarkton, in Halifax County (Virginia). Children:
- -Frances, born 1806.
- -George, built a home, Prospect Cottage, at Lawyers (Virginia) in
1840; married Amanda V. (daughter of John Payne, of White Hall).
- -Jane, married Winston Henry, lived in Charlotte County, near
Brookneal, Campbell County.
- -Mary, married ______ Hairston.
- -Antoinette, married Colonel John McCraw.
- -Melvina, married Colonel Daniel Easley.
- -Alexander unmarried.
In 1770 Thomas Yuille patented 473 acres on the south side of
Troublesome creek and in 1780 patented 1180 acres on the north side of
Otter, both sides of Troublesome creek.
-Capt. Thomas Yuille served in the Revolution from 1777 to 1781.
Children of George and Amanda V. Payne-Yuille:
- -William Murdock, married Lillian Winfree, lived in Lynchburg.
- - Thomas, married Miss Hunter, moved to Kansas, lived for some
years in Campbell County.
- - Sue, married Colonel Richard Burks of Rockbridge County.
- - Andrew, unmarried.
- - John Matteau (named for Dr. Matteau, friend of the family, of
Prince Edward County), married, 1st, Susan Burks of Rockbridge County;
2nd, Nancy Coleman Hundley (his first cousin) and lived in Halifax
County; A son of the first marriage, Thomas Burks Yuille, of New York
City, was Vice-president of the American Tobacco Company, until its
dissolution, President of the Universal Tobacco Company, now owner of
Prospect Cottage, his great-grand father's old home.
- - Phillip Payne, married Nannie Wyatt, lived near Lynch's Station.
- - Alexander Campbell, married, 1st, Sally Moon of Halifax County;
2nd, Sue Massie of Nelson.
- - Helen, married, S. Flynn of Culpeper County, lived Danville and
Washington, where she died.
- - Horace, died.
- - Fletcher Campbell, married, 1st, Sally Butler Scott, 2nd, Addie
Armistead, Great-grand-daughter of Patrick Henry, resided at Prospect
Cottage.
John Matteau, Philip Payne and Alexander Campbell Yuille served in the
Confederate army, and in engagements around Lynchburg; John Matteau
with General McCausland's command.
Five generations of Yuilles have lived in Campbell County. An old
diary written by Thomas Yuille 1785-87 is preserved by the family.
George owned a great deal of land and many Negroes; he died in 1961
aged 51 years. His wife lived to be 90 years old and died in 1905.
both died at Lawyers where they were buried in the family graveyard.
YUILLE
Until 1100 A.D., most people in Europe had only one name, and this
is true in most primitive countries even today. As the population
increased it became difficult to live in a village where 1/3 was named
John or William. To solve this problem, it was decided to add a
second name (surname) to the first. There were four ways that people
chose to accomplish this:
- occupation
- location
- the father's name
- some characteristic peculiar to the person
The builder, farmer, tailor, carpenter, cook, miller were part of
the first (a) group. Over the hill, near a stream, on a moor, near a
brook became Overhill, Stream, Moore and Brook and were part of the
(b) group. Fitz, son, von, sen, ben, abu, ap and mac meant son and
were added to the first name for the (c) group. Small, large, fox,
long, longfellow, short, grand became the (d) group.
Surname
It is the consensus of opinion that this name (Yuille) began for
children born on Christmas Day. Then children born within the two
week period of Christmas. The name is spelled Yuill, Yuile, and
Yule. Johannes Yhole was burgess of Haddington 1374, and Aberdeen
1391. The origin of the name is definitely Scotch in this spelling,
but was originally Zuille. This later was changed to Idill and later
to Yuille. The family seems always to have been in Aberdeen and is
very ancient in origin. The Greek meaning for this word is a wood or
forest.
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