All I can do is respond with this info: The surname Chaffee is derived from the ancient
heritage "Chafecombe" , now Chaffecombe, near Chard , which is the "Cleaf
Cumb"(in English, light or breezy valley) of the Saxton period, and which was held by
their ancestor Hugh the Theign or Thane. The name in early history was Chafy but the
lineage goes back before the Conquest, approximately 800-1000 AD. Chafecombe or Chaffcombe
is in Somersetshire, England and was known as a parish town. Hugo or Hugh, a Norman, was a
confidential advisor of Emma of Normandy who went to England in 1002 as second wife to
King Ethelred. The grandson to Hugo held the lands of Chafecombe about the beginning of
12th century and was known as Lord of Chafecombe. It is from this Ralph that Chafys, etc,
of England took their name. My lineage(as far as I can trace) goes back to Thomas Chaffe
who is known as the first Chaffe in the New World 1635 in Hingham, MA and later lived in
Swansea(Hull) MA. I come from !
one son's desendents, Joseph Chaffe. Our coat of arms is described in heraldic terms
as follows: "Azure, a fesse lozengy argent.". This "middle"
English(middle English, French and Latin) translates to azure:blue color of clear sky or
unclouded sky, fesse:a broad horizontal bar across the middle of a heraldic field,
argent:to make clear or silver metal or whiteness and lozengy: figure with four equal
sides and two acute and two obtuse angles(diamond shape). Hope this helps a little bit.
Cheers, TW Chaffee