Family History

Ancestral Lineage

Origins of

the Surname

Variations of

the Surname

Armorial Bearings, Symbols and Mottoes

Researching

by Location

Migrations of the

American Family

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Family history

       We believe that the father of our 3^rd great-grandmother, Nancy Lucynthia Gardner, was an Isaac Gardner who died in Tuscarawas County in 1827.   This is primarily based upon locational evidence commencing in 1823 when Nancy married Disbury Johnson in Guernsey County, Ohio.  It is known that Nancy’s Gardner family as well as Disbury’s Johnson family were both living at that time in that area of  southwestern Harrison County, Ohio which bordered upon both Tuscarawas County, as well as the aforementioned Guernsey County.  Therefore we are certain that her father was the Isaac Gardner who died in Wayne Township, Tuscarawas County as proven by his last will and testament written there in 1826.   As such we are sure that our Isaac is not the same person as the Isaac Gardner born c. 1756-58 in Maryland and died 1823 in Greene County, Indiana.

     Our research shows that our Isaac Gardner may have been born around 1766 also in Maryland and as such may be a cousin of the aforementioned Isaac who passed in 1823.  Our Isaac is reported by many researchers to have been married twice during his lifetime.    The name of his first spouse is not known at this time.   Between 1786 and 1794 a total of four children were produced of this union.  Their names were Miley, Pemelia, Isaac, and Ann. Research in area of Ohio where Harrison, Guernsey, and Tuscarawas converge shows these names as such were are assured that Isaac’s first family migrated with him from Maryland to Muskingum County, Ohio around 1803. This part of Muskingum County became Tuscarawas County in 1808, part of Harrison County in 1813.   After Isaac’s first wife died in Maryland some time about 1794-95, he then married Mary Culp Vinnell, a native of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, in 1796.  This marriage yielded possibly another nine children born between 1799 and 1819.  The three eldest of these off-spring are reported to have been born in Maryland, most notably the aforementioned Nancy Lucynthia Gardner born 1802 in Frederick County.  The remainder were born in Ohio.    Isaac Gardner is found in the 1820 census as living in Monroe Township, Guernsey County, next to his son Miley.

     Isaac’s daughter, our 3^rd great-grandmother, Nancy Lucynthia Gardner was born 1802 in Frederick County, Maryland.  She married Disbury Johnson on 29 January 1823 in Guernsey County, Ohio.  She was the mother of our 2^nd great-grandmother Mary Vinnel Johnson.  Nancy bore 10 children between 1824 and 1844.  4 boys and 6 girls.  She is buried in Union Township, Lewis County, Missouri.

Direct ancestors

Additional information about the persons in our database  as   well  as   a   complete

listing of individuals with this surname may be reviewed by clicking on this LINK.

Descendant Register

Generation 1

Isaac Gardner Sr.-1 was born on Abt. 1775 in Maryland. He died on 22 Jan 1827 in Wayne Twp., Tuscarawas Co., Ohio. He married Mary Culp Vinnell on 23 Jan 1796 in Maryland. She was born on 1778 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. She died on 1840 in Ohio.

Children of Isaac Gardner Sr. and Mary Culp Vinnell are:

2.                  i.         William Gardner, B: 1799 in Maryland, M: 29 Jan 1823 in Guernsey Co., Ohio.

ii.     Nelson Gardner Sr., B: 06 Jun 1800 in Maryland, D: Jun 1870 in Washington  County, Oregon.

3.                  iii.       Nancy Lucynthia Gardner, B: 05 Jun 1802 in Frederick County, Maryland, D: 09  Jan 1883 in Union Twp., Lewis Co., Missouri, M: 29 Jan 1823 in Guernsey  County, Ohio.

iv.               Wilson Gardner, B: 1804 in Muskingum County, Ohio, D: 1850 in Lee County, Iowa.

v.                 Benjamin Gardner, B: 1806 in Muskingum County, Ohio.

vi.               George Gardner, B: 1808 in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.

6.                  vii.   Mary Vinnell Gardner, B: 15 Oct 1815 in Harrison County, Ohio, D: 21 Mar 1893  in Staplehurst, Seward Co., Nebraska, M: 24 Dec 1833 in Tuscarawas County,  Ohio.

viii.           Henrietta Gardner, B: Abt. 1817, M: 07 Mar 1839.

7.                  ix.     Abner Davis Gardner, B: 05 May 1819 in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, D: 26 Feb 1885  in Marion County, Oregon, M: 08 Aug 1842.

Children of Isaac Gardner Sr. and First Nm. Unk. Gardner (nee?) are:

i.                   Miley Gardner, B: Abt. 1786 in Maryland.

ii.                 Pemelia Gardner, B: 18 Nov 1787 in Maryland, D: 02 Oct 1844 in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio.

2.                  iii.      Isaac Gardner Jr., B: Abt. 1790 in Maryland, D: 20 Aug 1853 in Moorefield Twp.,  Harrison Co., Ohio, M: 12 May 1818 in Harrison County, Ohio.

3.                  iv.      Ann Gardner, B: 16 May 1794 in Anne Arundel Co. Maryland, D: 17 Aug 1883 in  Tuscarawas County, Ohio, M: 19 Aug 1817 in Harrison County, Ohio.

Generation 2

Nancy Lucynthia Gardner-2(Isaac Gardner Sr.-1) was born on 05 Jun 1802 in Frederick County,  Maryland. She died on 09 Jan 1883 in Union Twp., Lewis Co., Missouri. She married Disbury  Johnson on 29 Jan 1823 in Guernsey County, Ohio, son of Griffin Johnson and Sarah Mary  Wright. He was born on 01 Nov 1799 in Jefferson County, Ohio. He died on 25 Feb 1883 in Union Twp., Lewis Co., Missouri.

Children of Nancy Lucynthia Gardner and Disbury Johnson are:

i.                   Isaac Johnson, B: 10 Jan 1824 in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, M: 16 Apr 1843 in Crawford Co., Missouri.

ii.                 Sarah Johnson, B: 10 Dec 1826 in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, M: 04 Feb 1844 in Osage Co. Missouri.

iii.               Mary Vinnell Johnson, B: 17 Nov 1827 in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, D: 15 Jul 1906 in Baucum, Jackson, Oklahoma, USA, M: 22 Jan 1845 in Osage Co., Missouri.

iv.               Emiline Johnson, B: 17 Jul 1830 in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, M: 27 Jul 1851 in Maries Co. Missouri.

v.                 Anna Elizabeth Johnson, B: 09 Jul 1832 in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, D: 20 Jan  1852 in Maries Co., Missouri, M: 22 Feb 1849 in Maries Co., Missouri.  More About Anna Elizabeth Johnson:

vi.               Joseph Johnson, B: 24 Nov 1834 in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio.

vii.             Ellen Johnson, B: 27 Feb 1837 in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, D: 01 Oct 1894 in Burlington, Iowa, M: 10 Nov 1857 in Lewis Co. Missouri.

viii.           Griffin Johnson, B: 15 Jun 1839 in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, D: 21 Jan 1852.

ix.               Abner Browning Johnson, B: 05 Aug 1841 in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, D: 24 May 1919.

x.                 Nancy Lucynthia Johnson, B: 21 Mar 1844 in Osage Co., Missouri, D: 27 Dec 1919 in Weber Co., Utah, M: 04 Jan 1866 in Lewis Co. Missouri.

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Origins of the surname

An Introduction

to the Surname

Source/Meaning

of the Surname

History of

the Surname

More About Surnames

An Introduction to the Surname

The practice of inherited family surnames began in England and France during the late part of the 11^th century.     With the passing of generations and the movement of families from place to place many of the original identifying names were altered into some of the versions that we are familiar with today.  Over the centuries, most of our European ancestors accepted their surname as an unchangeable part of their lives.  Thus people rarely changed their surname.  Variations of most surnames were usually the result of an involuntary act such as when a government official wrote a name phonetically or made an error in transcription.  Research into the record of this Gardner family line indicates that the variations, meanings and history of this surname is most likely linked to that area of Europe where English traditions are commonly found. 

Source(s) & Meaning(s) of the Surname

Most of the modern family names throughout Europe have originated from with of the following circumstances: patronym or matronym, names based on the name of one's father, mother or ancestor, (Johnson, Wilson). Each is a means of conveying lineage; occupation (i.e., Carpenter, Cooper, Brewer, Mason); habitational (Middleton, Sidney, or Ireland) or topographical (i.e. Hill, Brook, Forrest, Dale); nicknames (i.e., Moody Freeholder, Wise, Armstrong); status (i.e. Freeman, Bond, Knight); and acquired ornamental names that were simply made up.

     The Gardner family surname is of English origin, and is a reduced form of Gardener.  Gardener is from the Anglo-Norman French word gardinier ‘gardener’.  In medieval times this normally denoted a cultivator of edible produce in an orchard or kitchen garden.  The use of the word "gardener" in reference  to one who tends ornamental lawns and flower beds, is a later application.     This name is both a status and an occupational name, and relates to the head gardner of a noble or even royal house. 

History of the Surname

     Surnames as we know them today were first assumed in Europe from the 11th to the 15th century. They were not in use in England or Scotland, before the Norman Conquest of 1066, and were first found in the Domesday Book of 1086. The employment in the use of a second name was a custom that was first introduced from the Normans who had adopted the custom just prior to this time.    Soon thereafter it became a mark of a generally higher socio-economic status and thus seen as disgraceful for a well-bred man to have only one name.  It was not until the middle of the 14^th century that surnames became general practice among all people in the British Isles.

     The Gardner surname and it many variants have been found recorded widely in England, Ireland, and Scotland.  It was originally derived from the Northern French word "gardin" and introduced into the British Isles after the Norman Invasion of 1066, it is itself a diminutive of the pre 7th century Germanic word "gard", meaning an enclosure.   This surname was first found in Oxfordshire where the earliest recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of William del Gardin as found in the charters of Oxford in 1183.  Other examples of early surname recordings include: William le Gardinier of the county of Rutland in 1199, William Gardin of Huntingdon in 1218.  John atte Gardyne of Sussex is found in the Subsidy Tax Rolls of that county in 1296.  Later recordings include Richard Gardiner, who was a seaman aboard the famous ship "Mayflower" which carried the Pilgrim Fathers to the New World in 1620, but it is understood that he returned to England with the ship.  Another is Peter Gardner who emigrated to the Virginia Colony on the ship "Elizabeth of London" in 1635. 

Variations of the surname

Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to unfold and expand often leading to an overwhelming number of variants.  As such one can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames because in early times, spelling in general and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized.  Later on spellings would change with the branching and movement of families.  Spelling variations of this family name include: Gardener, Gardenner, Gardinor, Gairdnar, Gairner, Gardiner, Gardner, and many others.

The complexity of researching records is compounded by the fact that in many cases an ancestors surname may also have been misspelled.  This is especially true when searching census documents.   The Soundex Indexing System was developed in an effort to assist with identifying spelling variations for a given surname.  Soundex is a method of indexing names in the 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 US Census, and can aid genealogists in their research.  The Soundex Code for Gardner is G635.  Other surnames sharing this Soundex Code:  GARDENER | GARDINER | GARTHON | GARTMAN | GARTNER | GARTON | GIORDANO | GIRTON | GORDEN | GORDON | GORTON | GRATON | GRATTAN | GRATTON | GREATON | GRODNO | GROWDON | GUARDIAN | GUERTIN | GURDEN | GURDON | .

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Amorial bearings, symcbols and mottoes

In the Middle Ages heraldry came into use as a practical matter. It originated in the devices used to distinguish the armored warriors in tournament and war, and was also placed on seals as marks of identity. As far as records show, true heraldry began in the middle of the 12th century, and appeared almost simultaneously in several countries of Western Europe.  In the British Isles the College of Arms, (founded in 1483), is the Royal corporation of heralds who record proved pedigrees and grant armorial bearings.

Gallery of Images

Descriptions of the

Armorial Bearings

Motto(es) of

this Surname

More About Hearldic Bearings

Image gallery

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ARMORIAL BEARINGS

The associated armorial bearings for this surname and close variant spellings are recorded in Burke’s General Armorie and Reitstap’s Armorial General.  The additional information, presented below, is offered with regard to the armorial bearings depicted above:

FIGURE 1: These arms were granted 24 April, 1680 to a Gardener of Berwick-on-Tweed in Northumberland, England. The black shield is described as containing an ermine chevron between three white bugle-horns with gold strings.  The crest, (not shown), features a golden clasped book and a falcon in full flight. Similar arms were granted to a Gardner of Middlesex, England.  These arms feature a silver reindeer's head as the crest.  A Gardner of Kirton, Lincolnshire has a blue shield with a chevron between three white bugle-horns.

FIGURE 2: Armorial bearings similar to this coat of arms were bestowed upon Gardiner of Berkshire and neighboring Buckinghamshire. These arms feature a red shield containing an embattled chief of gold and a chevron between white three griffins' heads.  The crest is a blue griffin's head charged with three yellow bends.

FIGURE 3: This coat-of-arms belongs to a Gardner of Torwoodhead, located in Stirlingshire, Scotland. The silver shield contains a fret of four red pieces with four blue hearts and in every interstice a rose. The crest, (not shown), is a griffin's head.  The motto is “In virtute et fortuna.”  Similar arms were granted in 1789 to a Lord Gardiner of Madras, India.  The silver shield with a blue border featured a red fret with a rose in every interstice of the second between four gold hearts.  The crest contains a golden crown and seven battle axes.  The motto of this Gardiner is “Omnia supcrat virtus”.

FIGURE 4: This distinctive shield is a portion of the arms bestowed upon a Baron Gardner.   It is described as gold in color and containing a red chevron between three blue griffin’s heads.  Within the chevron is an anchor between two guarding lions.   The crest (not shown) would be the upper half of a blue griffin collared and lined, with a gold anchor within its claws. The supporters, (the figures placed on each side of the shield to support it), show two blue griffins, wings elevated and collared with a golden naval coronet, each resting the interior hind foot on an anchor.  The Motto with these armorial bearings is, “Valet anchora virtus”.

FIGURE 5: These armorial bearings were granted in 1683 by Sir Richard Carney, Ulster King of Arms, to William Gardiner, a merchant, of Dublin, Ireland.  The gold shield features a blue griffin with wings expanded.  In the black chief are three silver pheons, (head of a dart), the points down.  The crest, as shown, features a gold griffin’s head, with a green collar, between two blue wings.  The motto that accompanies these arms is, “Honor rewards industry”.

FIGURE 6:  This coat-of-arms is purported to belong to a Gardner of Ireland.  The black shield contains a gold chevron with two black facing lions within.  The crest appears to be a black boar’s head encircled with a golden chain.

FIGURE 7: These armorial bearings have been attributed to a Gardner of Scotland.  The distinctive and intricate shield is red and contains continuous white fretting holding four blue hearts. Between the fretting are eleven white roses.  The crest shows a red griffin’s head with gold ears.

FIGURE 8: This coat-of-arms was first bestowed upon Richard Gardner of Hertfordshire.  This Gardner was the Sergeant-at-Arms to Henry VIII of England. These arms were also utilized by his brother, William Gardner, of Bermondsey Street, in London.  When William died in 1597 these arms were passed on to his sons, who resided in the aforementioned Hertfordshire.  The shield is blue and holds a golden griffin.  The crest, (not shown) has a silver lion on a ducal cornet of gold.  Another slightly different crest of this family shows the upper half of a silver unicorn with a black mane crowned and horned in gold.  A Gardiner of Haling Manor and Peckham in Surrey, England is purported to also have used a shield of this design. 

FIGURE 9: These arms have been attributed to a Gardner of Germany.  A similar coat-of-arms was granted to a Gartner of Bavaria.  The shield is divided into a black pale and a red pale with a scallop in the center.

FIGURE 10: these armorial bearings were bestowed in 1670 upon Richard Gardiner, D.D., and Canon of Christ Church Oxford. The shield is black and contains an ermine chevron with two golden griffin heads in the chief, and a golden cross in the base.

FIGURE 11: These arms were granted to a Gardiner of Tollesbury, Essex, England.   The silver shield features a black Griffin.  The Crest, (not shown), is a black griffin looking back.

FIGURE 12: This shield design was utilized by many Gardners who made changes in the colorations and crest.  The following are some of the variations of this design: (1) arms of Gardner, or Gardener of Willingham and Bishop's Norton, both located within the West Lindsey District of Lincolnshire has a differing crest that shows a red Saracen's head full faced, erased at the neck, and wearing a golden cap.  (2) a Gardener of Calais;  (3) a Gardener of Northall, Lincolnshire had the same arms with a crest showing a Turk's head topped with a gold and blue turban; (4) the Gardiner Baronetage at Roche Court, near Farnham, Hampshire has similar arms with a silver shield.  The crest is also a Saracen's head; and (5) arms belonging to a Gardiner of Wigan, Lancashire.

MOTTO(ES)  

     A motto is a word or sentence usually written upon a scroll and generally placed below the shield, but sometimes, especially in Scotland, above the crest.    Many ancient mottoes were war-cries such as the Douglas motto of “Forward.”    Many mottoes refer to the name of the bearer, for example “cole regem” for Coleridge.   In general most mottoes convey a sentiment, hope, or determination, such as the Cotter motto “Dum spiro spero” where the meaning is “While I have breath I hope“.     Mottoes are often used by several successive generations, but may be changed at any time by the grantee. The languages most in use are Latin, French, and English.  Exceptions are seen in Scotland where they are often in the old Lowland dialect, and in Wales, often in the language of the principality.   

 The following listed mottoes and their translations are attributed to Gardner: “In virtute et fortuna”, i.e., “In valour and fortune “;   “Valet anchora virtus”, i.e., “Virtue our anchor is strong”;  “Fide et amore”, i.e., “By fidelity and love”;  “Nil desperandum”, i.e., “Never despair”;  “Deo non fortunœ”, i.e., “To God not fortune”;  “Artibus haud armis”, i.e., “By arts, not arms”;  “In ferrum libertate ruebant”, i.e., “Through liberty they rushed to the sword”;  “Labore et virtute”, i.e., “By industry and virtue”.

Heraldic bearings

The art of designing, displaying, describing, and recording arms is called heraldry. The use of coats of arms by countries, states, provinces, towns and villages is called civic heraldry.   A Coat of Arms is defined as a group of emblems and figures (heraldic bearings) usually arranged on and around a shield and serving as the special insignia of some person, family, or institution.  Except for a few cases, there is really no such thing as a standard "coat of arms" for a surname.  A coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, is a design usually granted only to a single person not to an entire family or to a particular surname.  Coats of arms are inheritable property, and they generally descend to male lineal descendents of the original arms grantee.  The rules and traditions regarding Coats of Arms vary from country to country. Therefore a Coat of Arms for an English family would differ from that of a German family even when the surname is the same. 

Some of the more prominent elements incorporated into a  coat of arms are :

Crest - The word crest is often mistakenly applied to a coat of arms.  The crest was a later development arising from the love of pageantry.  Initially the crest consisted of charges painted onto a ridge on top of the helmet.

Wreath or Torse – The torse is a twist of cloth or wreath underneath and part of a crest. Always shown as six twists, the first tincture being the tincture of the field, the second the tincture of the metal, and so on.

Mantling – The mantling is a drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. It forms a backdrop for the shield.

Helm or Helmet - The helmet or helm is situated above the shield and bears the torse and crest. The style of helmet displayed varies according to rank and social status, and these styles developed over time, in step with the development of actual military helmets.

Shield or Arms - The basis of all coats of arms.  At their simplest, arms consist of a shield with a plain field on which appears a geometrical shape or object.  The items appearing on the shield are known as charges.

Motto - The motto was originally a war cry, but later mottoes often expressed some worthy sentiment. It may appear at the top or bottom of a family coat of arms.

Searching for more information about heraldry? Click on the button at the  right to take a look at our webpage featuring links to websites having images

of a wide variety of arms, crests, and badges.  They may also feature additional heraldry resources as noted in the accompanying descriptions.

Ancestral locations

Researching the locations where our ancestors lived has provided us with valuable evidence needed to fill-in the gaps in our family trees.  It has also led us to many interesting facts that enhance the overall picture of each family group.

Locations of

Direct Ancestors

Locational Distribution

of  this Surname

Where In the World

are my Ancestors?

Locatiof Direct Ancestors

The names of states and counties on the following list were derived from the known places where the Direct Ancestors in the “Ancestral Lineage” (see above) were born, married, and / or died.

COUNTRY

STATE

COUNTY / SUBDIVISION

UNITED STATES

MARYLAND

MISSOURI

Lewis County

OHIO

Tuscarawas County

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about the locations listed above.

Locational distributionstors

     Knowing the geographical areas where the surname you are researching is clustered and distributed is an indispensable tool in deciding where to focus your research.  We believe that the “Public Profiler” website will open up to you a wide range of solutions which implement current research in spatial analysis.  This site provides an array of local spatial information tools useful to the genealogist.

          The information presented below shows where the McVICKER surname is distributed within the United States as well as in the British Isles, the country of origin of this family.      Statistics show that there are approximately 25 persons per million of population with this surname, within the British Isles, and 15 persons per million within the U.S.A..  The United States is found to be the country in the world where this surname is the most highly clustered having over 10 persons per million of population.

United States of America

Key

European Country of Origin

Click on the LINK to the right to see more information about the World distribution of a surname.  You can

get greater detail for any of the following maps by clicking on the area, i.e state, county that you are interested in.

Wjere are my ancestors Ancestors

Resources which enhance our knowledge of the places inhabited by our ancestors are almost as important as their names. The LINK to the right will take you to Maps, Gazetteers,   and  other  helpful   resources 

that will assist in discovering Ancestral Locations.  These web sites comprise only a small portion of what is available for researchers interested in learning more about where their ancestors lived.

Migration routes

       Tracing our own family’s paths of migration can prove crucial in identifying previous generations and eventually, figuring out where and how they arrived in the “New World” as well as where they eventually settled.  Knowing the network of trails American pioneers traveled can help you guess where to start looking.  The trail map(s) provided below may assist you in understanding the routes that our direct ancestors of this family may have taken to find new homes and opportunities in the vast area now encompassed by the United States.

      During the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries hundreds of thousands of Europeans made the perilous ocean voyage to America.  For many it was an escape from economic hardship and religious persecution.  For most it was an opportunity to start over, own their own land, and make a better future for their descendents.  Immigration records show a number of people bearing the name of Gardner, or one of its variants, as arriving in North America between the 17^th and 20^th centuries.    Some of these immigrants were:  Lyon Gardiner who settled in Saybrook, Long Island, after sailing in his 25 ton ketch called "Bachelor" in 1633. He purchased the island from the Indians, and this famous island was first known as Gardiner's Island. His daughter, Mary, was the first white person born on Long Island.  Christopher Gardiner, came to New England in 1630.

Use the following links to find more early immigrants with this surname:

$ Search Ancestry.com Immigration Records; or Free Ship’s Passenger lists at OliveTreeGenealogy.com

The Development of an Historical Migration Route

It is understood that in many if not all cases we do not know exactly what routes our ancestors took as they migrated throughout the United States.   As such certain assumptions have been utilized to re-create the migration path presented above.  With regard to 18^th and 19^th century land routes we assume that they travelled along few trails and roads that were in existence at the time.  Research shows that a great many of these old paths and trails are today designated as U.S. Highway Routes.  For example, a major east-west route of migration known as the National Road is now U.S. Route 40, and a primary north-south migration route of the 18^th century followed the Great Indian War and Trading Path is now U.S. Route 11.  In some situations the re-created migration route may travel along state routes that connect or run through the seat of a county as that populated place is probably the oldest settlement in the area. The use of water as a migration route is also likely.  For example, during the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries many families travelled west on the Ohio River as they moved on the new lands in Missouri or the Old Northwest Territory.  As such when applicable water routes have been included as the possible migration route.   

Isaac Gardner 1803 Migration Route

     In 1803 the Ohio Territory and was admitted to the Union as the seventeenth state (and the first under the Northwest Ordinance). As a result Isaac and Mary Gardner decided to join the throngs of pioneers who sought out the new land as well as the promise of prosperity.  It is most likely that they migrated from Maryland to southeastern Ohio via a route that would be known as the famous National Road.  They probably gathered supplies for the journey in the town of Frederick, along the Cumberland Road and seat of Frederick County.   After exiting Frederick County they would have passed through the major communities of Hagerstown and Hancock, Maryland before arriving at Cumberland, Maryland.  Cumberland was built on the site of the old Fort Cumberland, a launch pad for British General Edward Braddock's ill-fated attack on the French stronghold of Fort Duquesne (located on the site of present-day Pittsburgh) during the French and Indian War.  From Cumberland the Gardner family followed the trail built by Braddock 48 years prior into Pennsylvania.

     The first settlement in of any size they would encounter in Pennsylvania would be Uniontown founded some 27 years earlier.  The National Road, was routed through Uniontown in the early 19th century and the town continued to grow along with the road.  After crossing the Monongahela River, the trail led to the present-day town of Washington, and finally to Wheeling. (Today this is route US Highway 40). At first, this cut-off from Braddock’s old route was no more than a path, suitable for pack teams only but an important overland route to the Ohio River.  But by 1796, the pack trail was improved to allow wagon traffic to pass. At this time the town was only about eight years old.   In 1793, Ebenezer Zane divided the town into lots, and Wheeling was officially established as a town in 1795 by legislative enactment.  As a result of its location on the Ohio River and with this overland road access, Wheeling began to rival Pittsburgh as the "Gateway to the West".

     In the Ohio they would follow a route known as “Zanes Trace”.  Seven years earlier, in 1796, Ebenezer Zane contracted with the Federal Government to construct this route as first wagon road into the Ohio country. The road began at the Ohio River opposite Wheeling, then moved West on the same route as current U.S. Highway 40.  They would eventually leave Zane’s route west of St. Clairsville, move northwest to the area around present day town of Freeport, now located in Harrison County, Ohio. 

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Source documents

The documents contained within this “Source Documents Archives” have been located during our research of this family, and used as evidence to prove many of the facts contained within the database of this family’s record.   We have source documents related to the following persons within our database with this surname.

·            Isaac Gardner, Sr.

·            Abner D. Gardner

·           Miley Gardner

·           Gardner – Land Records

This Link will take you to our

archive of source documents.  

You are welcome to download any of the documents contained within this archive that does not cite a copyright.  Should you encounter a problem obtaining a copy you may get in touch with us via the contact information found at the end of this web-page.

     Most of these documents can be considered as primary or secondary evidence.  Primary evidence is usually defined as the best available to prove the fact in question, usually in an original document or record.  Secondary evidence is in essence all that evidence which is inferior in its origin to primary evidence. That does not mean secondary evidence is always in error, but there is a greater chance of error.  Examples of this type of evidence would be a copy of an original record, or oral testimony of a record’s contents.  Published genealogies and family histories are also secondary evidence.

     Classifying evidence as either primary or secondary does not tell anything about its accuracy or ultimate value.  This is especially true of secondary evidence.  Thus it is always a good idea to ask the following questions: (1) How far removed from the original is it, (when it is a copy)?; (2) What was the reason for the creation of the source which contains this evidence?; and (3) Who was responsible for creating this secondary evidence and what interest did they have in its accuracy?

SOURCE:  Greenwood, Val D., The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 2^nd edition, Genealogical Publishing  Co., Baltimore, MD 21202, 1990, pgs. 62-63

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provide you with additional

information to assist with

your research about this topic.

·             Our Surname Locator And Resources web page contains the following: (1) links that will take you to an updated listing of all surnames as posted in our three databases at the Rootsweb WorldConnect Project; (2) the Surname List Finder a tool that finds sound-alike matches for a given surname from among RootsWeb's thousands of surname lists; (3) the Soundex Converter that can be used to find the soundex code for a surname, plus other surnames/spellings sharing the same soundex code;  (4) Surname Message Boards the world's largest online genealogy community with over 17 Million posts on more than 161,000 boards; (5) Surname Mailing Lists of all surnames having mailing lists at RootsWeb, as well as topics that include (6) Surname Heraldy, and  (7) Mapping a Surname. 

·             Your genealogy research of this surname can be facilitated by use of Surname Web. This website links to the majority of the surname data on the web, as well as to individual family trees, origin and surname meaning if known, and many other related genealogy resources. 

·             Surname Finder provides easy access to free and commercial resources for 1,731,359 surnames. On each surname specific "finder" page, you can search a variety of online databases all pre-programmed with your surname.

·             Use All Surnames Genealogy to get access to find your surname resources .  There are almost 1300 links in this directory.

·             SurnameDB Free database of surname meanings - This site SurnameDB.Com contains a large FREE to access database (almost 50,000 surnames) on the history and meaning of family last names.

·             Public Profiler / World Names - Search for a Surname to view its Map and Statistics.

·             Linkpendium Surnames - Web sites, obituaries, biographies, and other material specific to a surname.

·             Cyndi's List - Surnames, Family Associations & Family Newsletters Index - Sites or resources dedicated to specific, individual family surnames.

Free Records & Databases

All of the records and databases we’ve collected are FREE and can be accessed and searched online without having to pay for a subscription.   We have divided our collected into 14 record types as follows: Biographical; Birth; Cemetery; Census & City Directories; Church; Court; Death; Immigration & Naturalization; Land; Marriage; Military; Newspapers; Occupational; and Tax Records.    We try not to list any sites that have only a few records for the purpose of getting you to a website that will charge a fee to actually see the record beyond just a name.  

This Link will take you to our

collections of FREE Records.  

The following Link will take you to our library of genealogy reference books.   Here you will find bibliographies, family histories and books about names.  In addition, there are texts that pertain to ethnic and religion groups, history, geography as well as other books that will assist you with your research.

This Link will take you to our

collections of reference books.  

Images gallery

During our research we have collected images and photographs that are of general interest to a particular family.  Some of them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors past lives.

This Link will take you to our

collection of family photographs.  

Use the power of Google™ to find more interesting images about this topic. This button will link you to the Google Images Search   page.   Enter   the   topic   you   are

searching in the box and click “Search Images”. At the “Images” display page you will see the image, as well as the website of which it is associated.

About this webpage

CONTACT INFORMATION

-- Email us with your comments or questions. 

We do like to hear from others who are researching the same people and surnames.

We need your help to keep growing!  So please Email us your

photos, stories, and other appropriate information about this topic.

RULES OF USE
You are welcome to download any information on this page that does not cite a copyright. 

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-- This webpage was last updated on --

01 October 2011