Surnames
Individuals
PhotosThe Serven Family
In 1933 Abram Ralph Serven compiled the genealogy of this line and titled the publication "The Serven Family in America". While the connection is several family lines away, it eventually links with my Hoyt line through the marriage of Joseph Webb, Sr. and Mary Hoyt.
Daniel L. Serven and his sister, Marcia, have provided both a copy of "The Serven Family in America" and pictures of their father, James Tyler Serven. Their mother, Uldene, supplied much of the data on generations after Abram R. Serven's work was done.
The foreword of "The Serven Family in America" is very interesting in that it shows how surnames become changed over the course of time.
"In the summer of 1905, Mr. Frederick Serven, a mining engineer, of Groningen, Holland, called on me and stated that he had been in this country for some time during which he had visited more than twenty of our principal cities. In each place he had consulted the city directory to see if there was any one residing there of his family name, as he knew that a member of their family had come to America in the early New Amsterdam days and he thought probably he would find some descendants, but that I was the first one of that name he had found. He was looking for the name spelled S-e-r-v-e-n, the same as the family name has continued to be spelled in Holland. His statement excited my interest and I wondered who this early ancestor was and where his descendants resided. Then I recalled that my father said some members of the family in the United States spelled their name S-a-r-v-e-n and that very frequently other people spelled the family name with a "t" at the end of it. On looking into the matter a little I found that what seemed to be our family name was spelled in a great variety of ways. In fact, I discovered that even the stone-cutter in cutting the inscription on my father's tombstone, had spelled his name S-e-r-v-e-n-c. Dr. David Cole, in his book entitled "Isaac Cole and Catherine Serven," (1876), refers to several different ways of spelling the name which he had found in compiling the information about the Serven family for his book. My brother, George J. Serven, had collected very complete information about the descendants of my grandfather, James H. Serven, who spelled the family name S-e-r-v-e-n, and my father told me that grandfather always said that was the correct way of spelling the family name."
So whether Serven, Sarven, Servent, Servenc, or any other variation, I hope you will find something of use on these pages and hopefully a connection. If you do find a connection, please let me know so that we can try to further the line for others.
As with all other compilations that I present, I make no claims as to authenticity. Other than that of my direct line, I have no proof of any data. While some of it seems plausible, I leave the responsibility of proving the truth to each person. I have source document originals and copies of some data and will gladly mail copies of these to interested individuals. When a seeming connection is made, I urge each to start digging for the real, positive, and tangible records that will make that connection reality and not mere speculation.
Bigelow Connections
Hoyt
Connections
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