Gaddis ~ Origins or What's in a Name?

Growing up a GADDIS, I was always under the impression that it was a surname of German origins. My father's family was most definitely of German descent being that his grandmother was a first generation American of Prussian born parents. This woman, born Bertha RUCKER and known to me as Granny, was an important person in my early years and spoke to me often of her parents thus cementing this idea of German origins firmly in my mind. Unfortunately, Granny was my father's maternal grandmother and her heritage, though an important part of our family's history, had nothing to do with the origins of the GADDIS surname.

This photograph is of a tombstone I found in the cemetery of Elgin Cathedral in Elgin, Moray, Scotland. It is of particular interest to me because of the name GEDDES inscribed on it. John GEDDES tombstone in the cemetery of Elgin Cathedral, Elgin, Moray, Scotland My genealogy research indicates that Gaddis was most likely derived from the Scottish name GEDDES, based on the word, ged, meaning fish. Could this John GEDDES be a distant relative of mine? This stone was erected in 1687 and bears the following inscription:

Here is the final place appointed for
John Geddes, glover burgess of Elgin, and
Issobell McKean, his spouse
This World is a City full of Streets
and Death is the Merchant that all Men meets
If Life were a thing that Money could Buy
The Poor could not Live
and the Rich would not Die.

In the beginning...

Reaching into the past is, at best, a difficult task. Written records tend to be difficult to obtain if they exist at all. And family legends and traditions can be as much a hindrance as they are a help. Everything is clouded by time and trying to piece together a family tree through the haze is like working on a jigsaw puzzle in the dark. However, the Internet has helped to lift some of this haze and it's through Internet research that I have been able to piece together this possible line of descent for our GADDIS family going back to Scotland.

Alexander Geddes: born August 1, 1624, in Elgin, Moray, Scotland. Wife's name is unknown. They had at least one child, James.
James Geddes (Alexander 1): born September 5, 1668, in Elgin, Moray, Scotland. He married Margaret Jackson. They had at least one child, William.
William Gaddis (James 2, Alexander 1): born 1715, died 1773 in Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia). He married Priscilla Bowen about 1740 in Frederick County, Virginia, the daughter of Henry Bowen and Jane Carter. (Note the change in the spelling of William's last name. This is not as unusual as it may seem and is actually quite common when researching family history. Remember, the ability to read and write was not the norm in the past and the written record often reflects phonetic attempts at spelling.)

Some secondary information sources state that William was born in Donegal County, Ireland, however I've not found any primary sources which support this conclusively. According to the "Genealogical and Personal History of Fayette County Pennsylvania, Volumes I-II," William was of Irish parentage, and probably came to Frederick county, Virginia, with the Irish immigration of 1737-40.

While the information on James and Alexander is somewhat stetchy, our Gaddis line can be traced back to the above mentioned William.

The Descendants of William GADDIS

Generation No. 1

1. WILLIAM(1) GADDIS was born about 1715, and died 1773 in Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia). He married PRISCILLA BOWEN about 1740 in Frederick County, Virginia. She was the daughter of HENRY BOWEN and JANE CARTER.

Notes for William GADDIS:
This quote was found in the "Genealogical and Personal History of Fayette County Pennsylvania, Volumes I-II:"

"This family was founded in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, by Robert, John, Henry, and Thomas Gaddis, sons of William Gaddis, who came from Apple Pie Ridge, near Winchester, Virginia, to Fayette county, about the year 1780. William Gaddis was of Irish parentage, and probably came to Frederick county, Virginia, with the Irish immigration of 1737-40; at all events he was a landholder in 1750, as transfers show. He married Priscilla, daughter of Henry Bowen, who survived him, and after her husband's death joined her children in Fayette county."

The information that I have on William and his family comes from Scott BAKER who is a descendant of William's son, Thomas, and a published researcher of GADDIS family history. Scott is the individual who connected "my" Thomas GADDIS, father of John J. GADDIS, as the son of John (William 1) and, therefore, the grandson of William GADDIS.

This is a quote from a letter written to me by Scott BAKER in May 1998 explaining the area where these GADDIS family members lived:

"The area where William GADDIS lived was in the Old Frederick County, Virginia. This was a large county that was later divided up. The part that the GADDIS family lived in became Hampshire County, West Virginia. Many of those that lived in this area came from eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The southwest section of Pennsylvania was once part of Virginia. After the Mason-Dixon Line was established the area became part of Westmoreland County. This was later broken up and Fayette County was one of those formed."

William GADDIS is buried in Bear Garden Mountain Cemetery. Priscilla BOWEN GADDIS is buried in Great Bethel Baptist Cemetery.

The Children of William GADDIS and Priscilla BOWEN are:

2. i. JOHN(2) GADDIS, b. October 07, 1741, Frederick County, Virginia; d. April 12, 1827, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

3. ii. THOMAS GADDIS, b. December 28, 1742, Frederick County, Virginia; d. June 10, 1834, Union Township, Clinton County, Ohio.

4. iii. ANNA GADDIS, b. about 1747, Frederick County, Virginia; d. 1778, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

5. iv. ROBERT GADDIS, b. about 1749, Frederick County, Virginia; d. February 07, 1834, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

6. v. HENRY GADDIS, b. December 1753, Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia); d. after 1833, Tuscarawas Township, Stark County, Ohio.

vi. WILLIAM GADDIS, b. about 1754, Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia); d. 1777, Fort Sullivan, South Carolina.

Notes for William GADDIS:
According to the information given me by Scott BAKER, William was in the 8th Virginia Regiment, Continental Line during the Revolutionary War. Being that he died in 1777, it is possible he died in battle or from wounds sustain in battle.

7. vii. REES GADDIS, b. about 1755, Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia); d. before 1820, Campbell County, Kentucky.

viii. PRISCILLA GADDIS, b. Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia); married ABRAHAM LUCAS.

Below are links to pages containing information on the decendants of William GADDIS by generation. For ease of navigation, each page will appear as a separate window. When you are finished with a page, simply close it as you would any window.

   Generation 2    Generation 3

   Generation 4    Generation 5

   Generation 6    Generation 7

   Generation 8