Hi,
For what it's worth, there is a school of thought that Brees + variants is in
fact an English name, which turned up in Wales in the 16th c and has no
connection with "Welsh" Rees variants.
http://www.embetech.demon.co.uk/gene/immig.htm also Rowlands "The Surnames of
Wales"
This would make it contemporary with Bebb, about which similar claims are made
and which, according to Rowlands, had a very similar distribution around
Newtown and Llanbryn-mair. The Bebb and Brees families of Llanbrynmair,
together with Jervis and a couple of other names, had long associations
including intermarriage. On the 18th c Bebbs who emigrated to Ohio married a
Brees, and there are later marriages.
I have a couple of references in 1731 and 1784, but these are notes from the
Bebb side.
Website Notes:
I was browsing the Summer 1999 copy of the Montgomeryshire Genealogical
Society's 'Record' magazine when the name Bebb caught my eye. An article by
David Peate refers to the will of Elizabeth Brees, June 1584 (proved January
1586) of Llanbrynmair. The will refers to a number of relatives, and the
names include Bebb, Jervis and of course Brees. Elizabeth's daughter
(Beatrice?) married Morris Bebb and they had two children at the time, John
and Jane. Obviously the families had been in the area together for some
time.
We hear further (above) of Bebbs and Jervises emigrating together
from
Llanbrynmair to the US over 150 years later, indicating a long relationship
and long residence in the area, and the same applies to Bebbs and Brees.
Morris and John show up as "Bebb names" even after 1900...
Other names include Jane Bradley (sister), Margaret Milde (sister) , Margery
Wood (daughter), Robert Wood (the younger - ??) and William Turner, John
Burry and John Pickin (witnesses). David Peate refers to ALL of the names in
the will as "foreign", primarily English. The Rowlands' book The Surnames
of
Wales also suggests that Brees (otherwise spelt Breeze) is (possibly 12C)
English in origin, despite its resemblance to the Welsh "Rees" derivatives.
This suggests a picture of a group of families being transplanted into an
area, and perhaps not being too popular with the natives, being thrown into
each others's company thus forming associations which would last hundreds of
years. Or perhaps they knew each other before then, even?
Not that this helps you find your relatives, but I hope as background you will
find it of interest.
Cheers,
Malcolm
--
Malcolm Bebb bebb(a)embetech.demon.co.uk Tel/Fax (44) 01202 772162
Test Solutions ATE User Documentation Mobile 07768 377456