The Severance Family
"Bob" Burdette, the well-known humorist, and preacher once said; "you better not trace your genealogy, you may find your ancestor hanging on a tree." A southern gentleman hired an expert to trace his pedigree. His friend met him on the street one day and hailed him with "What's the matter old man, are you feeling seedy?"
"No, not exactly that," replied the gentleman, "but I'll admit I've been worried of late. You remember I hired a man to trace my pedigree?" "Yes," replied the friend, "What's the trouble, hasn't he been successful?" "Successful!" "I should say he has. I'm having to give him hush money." "So far as my investigations have been carried, I have failed to find an ancestor who was not an honorable patriotic citizen. John Severans of Boston born in 1609, in England, was a man of parts and of influence in Boston. His forefathers belonged to the landed gentry in England. His descendants have been Professional men, artisans, merchants, and laborers." "An account of the origin of the name Severance has been given by Rev. John F. Severance. He has traced the name back through England to France, and Germany and on to Roman times in Italy. While he has not been able to verify his statements with printed documents, still he is reasonably and morally certain of the several links in the chain. Without going into the discussions, I have given below an historical account drawn from several sources."
"The root of the name is Se-ver from which came the various modifications, Severin, Severinus, Severns, Severans, Severens, Severeans, Severance. The first man to bear the name so far discovered, was the father of Lucius Septimus Severus, born 146 A.D. at Sepsis, an African coast town. He was a Roman citizen and spoke the Punic tongue. Many Roman families carried the name, - a poet under Augustus; an orator under Tiberius; the emperor Septimus Severus, and others. The Gregorian calendar names a Saint Severin. A church founded in mediaeval Paris carries the name Saint Severin. The mediaeval outer walls of cologne, Germany has some very fine gate towers one of which opens upon Severins Street, a main thoroughfare at the head of which stands the Saint Severins church, where Saint Severins, a learned and a prominent bishop officiated for many years. There was also a John Severans in Germany in 1580. Marcus Aurelius Severins born 1589 was a distinguished physician who at the age of twenty-five was elected to the Chair of Anatomy and Medicine in the University of Medicine in Paris. He soon became Surgeon in Chief of La Hospitale Incurables. Pierre Severinus was a noted Danish physician who received the title of doctor of Medicine from the King on his return from the study of medicine in Paris."
"There are many Severin families in France. Rachel Severin, Foutet, France, wrote me that a noted agriculturist and beet sugar specialist lives in the Aisne department and that there were many landowners and landworkers in the valley of the Garoone near the Pyrenees Mountains by the name Severin and that several districts of France and many families carry the name Severac."
"In England, we probably find our direct ancestors. There is a record in Burke's Landed Gentry, page 1247, stating that "there are ancient and broken records tracing the ancestry of the Severans of Shrawley to a remote period." John Severans of Shrawley had a son, Thomas, of Broadway and Powick, who married Mary, daughter of Richard Langley. He begat three daughters and two sons, one of which died unmarried. The other, the youngest son, named John, was probably the patriarch of the Severances in America, although there is no positive proof of it. Our record, therefore, begins with John Severans of Ipswich, England, who was in Boston in 1637, a freeman, and a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery in 1640. He was one of the founders of Salisbury, Massachusetts. His name appears in the list of names of men to whom lots and acreage's were assigned in 1639. He was a "prudential Man" (Selectman) often put in charge of public trusts of various kinds, of which "there can be no better evidence of a faithful discharge of the duties so imposed upon him; all of which proves that he was a man of sterling integrity and especially fitted for the various trusts placed in his hands."
"Burke's Landed Gentry gives us no further information on this point. The name here is spelled Severne, but the form of spelling is not important. However, the changes are interesting. John of Boston signed his name Severans, so also his eldest son, John, and his second son, Joseph, and it is probably true that his other sons, Ephraim and Benjamin did also, but the descendants of Joseph kept the variations - Severans first and second generations, Severens, third generation, then Seaverns for the fourth generation. On the other hand, the other branches of the family changed the form from Severans to Severance in the third generation, about 1700."