History of the Breedlove Family

In addition to the circulating theories, genealogist studying the Breedlove name, have published their opinions of the origin. The following on the origin of the name Breedlove was furnished by C.R. Humphrey-Smith, Esq., B.S.C, F.H.S., a member of the Heraldry Society of England and a certified Genealogist. He was the director of The Heraldry Centre, 58 Northgate Canterbury, Kent, England.

• "The origin of the surname Breedlove is very obscure but it probably belongs to the small group which contains Catchlove, Pretlove and Truslove. In each case the second element, Love, is derived from the Anglo-French Love or Louve meaning 'wolf' (modern French Loup). The first elements of these names are respectively, Old Norman French CACHE "chase", Middle English PRIKKE "prick" and Old French TROUSSER or TRUSSER "to truss, bind, carry off" so that all the surnames mean "wolf-hunter" or "wolf-killer". The surnames Bindloes, Bindloss, Bindless - from Old English BINDAN "to bind" and Old French LOU "Wolf" - also belong to this group. In the case of Breedlove the first element proves a difficulty for although Breed may be traced to several sources in surnames none of these make sense when compounded with love and it is therefore tempting to regard the L as representing an original double letter and the first element as being derived from Old English BRIDEL (the I is long and pronounced as EE) meaning "bridle". The use of the word "bridle" might allude to the method by which the wolves were caught or have the more general of "to check, to curb" and hence "to render harmless". In the days when communities were small a person was identified by a single name only, but with the increase in, and movement of, population, confusion arose and it became necessary to adopt an additional cognomen, which was coined from one of four sources - the name of an ancestor, a place (usually of origin or residence), an occupation or some personal characteristic or nickname. Thus a man named John who was a trapper of wolves might be known as "John Bridellove (bridle-wolf)" in order to distinguish him from others of the same Christian name. In the course of time the cognomen became hereditary in what we now term surnames, ceasing to have any reference to the bearer's occupation."

In his accounts and records of the Breedlove family in the 1965 book "Breedlove Genealogical History", Hope Perry Breedlove of Stone Mountain, Georgia, offers the following observations.

• "I have noticed a remarkable resemblance in the facial features and statue of all Breedloves that I have met in my travels. One feature particular is outstanding and that is most have blue eyes; another is the that most Breedloves seem to have an inherent love of the soil and the ability to work with their hands. Most are of the Protestant faith and extremely independent. In my research, I have found that Breedloves have some time or another occupied almost every field of endeavor, such as Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers, Soldiers, Teachers, Ministers, Statesmen, Politicians, Scientists, Missionaries, Veterinarians, etc., but most that I have known or that I have researched, have in some way been connected with the soil."

Several accounts of learned scholars concerning the origins of the Breedlove name have been published. While each in their own right have valid opinions of the origins of the name, no one to date can say for certain where the Breedlove clan originated. Aside from the extensive research from credible genealogists, two theories have surfaced that I think deserve consideration.

The first is a somewhat simple theory. Our ancestors arrived in America in 17^th Century British Colonies. If they did not have the ability to read or write (which is highly probable), the name Breedlove could have been a phonetic translation given to officials when our ancestors arrived at their destination. Given the wide spread accounts of our probable origins, our ancestors may have had a thick accent from their native land and gave the name Breedlow (German), Bredelou, Bredelouue, or Breedlaugh (England). When the clerk scribed the name into official documents, the name Breedlove was born.

The second is a highly credible theory. Again, our ancestors arrived in America in 17^th Century British Colonies. Many of our puritan ancestors "escaped" to the British Colonies to pursue religious freedom and some were even given the alternative of colonization over imprisonment. One account related the story of a young man (a Breedlove) who was walking down a county road in England with his rifle. He spotted a rabbit and shot it. The rabbit hopped onto a neighboring property where the land was "posted." Fearing prosecution for hunting on posted land (a serious offense), he fled England for the new colonies. For whatever reason, in order to truly get a fresh start, a young man could assume a new identity. This could explain why the parents of our earliest ancestor, Charles Breedlove cannot be located in any books or registers, although I have read at least one account that his mothers name was Kindness Breedlove, however, this is unconfirmed.

What has been discovered by tracing the family back to Charles Breedlove is that our Breedlove ancestors were involved in helping to shape this country. Breedlove's have given supplies to the army of the rebellion during the Revolutionary War and served honorably in the ranks of its military units. Breedlove's helped pioneer the untamed west all the way to California, and Breedlove's have served as both Union and Confederate soldiers during the great Civil War.