Origins of Ferree and De La Warrenbere families, Various Spellings found, and Surname translation information.

Notes 1685:
After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685, half a million French Huguenots left the country. The Ferree’s (La Verree) were of the nobility of France, and orginally seated at Forchamps, in Lower Normandy. France then controlled this territory east as far as the Rhine. The founder of the family was Robert Ferree, who in A.D. 1265 was confirmed to an extensive estate. (See "Nobility of Normandy." Vol. 11, p. 357, Stapleton, p. 100-108.) "He (Daniel Ferree) and his family had come under the heel of the French government because he was a professing Huguenot, a despised Protestant in that Roman Catholic committed country. Instead of merely killing them as the Roman Catholic soldiers had done to the parents of Isaac LeFevre, his three brothers and three sisters in October 1685, Isaac alone escaping with Daniel’s family. Isaac, then a boy of sixteen, took with him his father's Bible, which his mother had concealed by baking it in a loaf of bread. This Bible he clung to and cherished during all his journeys and hardships for sixty-six years. It is believed they dragooned the Ferrees, sending a large band of perhaps 20 soldiers to live in their home. Usually under such circumstances the homes were upset, furniture broken, women desecrated, food taken or everything destoryed--all in an effort to force the Huguenots to give up their Portestant religion and return to the Roman Catholic church. The Ferrees chose not to obey the soldiers.  Instead they departed under cover of night, leaving all their possessions behind and fleeing for their lives to depart their native country." They later fled on into Bavaria in Germany, taking with them Isaac, and while living there Isaac and Catherine were married. Later they moved to Steinweiler near the Rhine River where the senior Daniel Ferree died. At this time his widow assumed her maiden name as an additional means of safety. An additional note, the Ferree's (De La Feuhre) La Verree were members of the lesser nobility since 1255. From Early History of LeFevre and Ferree Families.

Notes August 1708:
"Upon their arrival in London, Madame Ferree visited William Penn in person, to whom she made known her situation. Penn became deeply interested in the sad story of her misfortunes, and the next day introduced her to Queen Anne the Sovereign of England. The good Queen promised her substantial aid which she in due time rendered. William Penn consented to give her a tract of land, which she obtained upon her settlement in Pennsylvania.

"The party remained in London for about six months during which time the colony of Rev. Joshua Kocherthal was organized, composed of French and Palatinate refugees from Bavaria. This party which the Ferree's and the LeFevre's joined, obtained from the Queen a patent of naturalization and permission to colonize in America. This instrument, which is dated Aug. 27, 1708, contains the names of fifty-four persons, most of whom came to Pennsylvania some years later." (The ship's register shows only twenty-five sailed at this time.) (From "Memorials of the Huguenots" by A. Stapleton.)

Daniel Ferree, Jr., and Isaac LeFevre were already heads of families when in 1708 Madame Ferree's entire family joined the party of the Rev. Joshua Kocherthal in the proposed emigration to America.

It is recorded in the Pennsylvania archives that Penn secured 2000 acres of land for Madame Ferree. (Stapleton)

Notes October 1708:
Marie and her children traveled on the ship "Globe" to America via England to escape French persecution of Huguenots.  The ship they came to America on set sail October 15, 1708, and arrived in New York December 31, 1708. Isaac LeFevre and his wife Catherine (Ferree) and their son Abraham, who was two years old also came on the same ship.

Notes Property 1712:
William Penn's Commissioners granted and confirmed to Daniel Ferree and Isaac LeFevre 2000 acres of land for 150 pounds, in what was then Chester County, Pa. (Lancaster County was not organized until the year of 1729.) -- Rupp's History.

According to the above record the land was deeded to Daniel and Isaac, and not to Madame Ferree. They arrived at their destination late one summer afternoon. After all their trials and travels, it looked so good to them that they called the place "Paradise," and so the town and the township remains to this day.

From an unknown early writer we have the following: "It was on the evening of a summer day when the Huguenots reached the verge of a hill commanding the view of the valley of the Pequea. It was a woodland scene, a forest inhabited by wild beasts, for no indication of civilized life was very near. Scattered along the Pequea among the dark green hazel inhabited by wild beast could be discerned the Indian wigwams, and the smoke coming therefrom. "Suddenly a number of Indians darted from the woods. The females shrieked when an Indian advanced and in broken English said to Madame Ferree, 'Indian no harm white; white good to Indian; go to our Chief; come to Beaver.' Few were the words of the Indian. They went with him to Beaver Cabin, and Beaver, with the humanity which distinguishes the Indian of that period, gave to the emigrants his wigwam.

"The next day Beaver introduced them to Tawana, who lived on the great flats of Pequea and was a chief of a band of Conestoga Indians who occupied this region." -- A. Stapleton.

The above mentioned Tawana was one of the Chiefs who signed the famous treaty made by William Penn at Shackamaxon on Nov. 4, 1682. His remains rest in the burying ground used by the Episcopal Church in Paradise, Pa.

The 2000 acre tract was later found to contain 2300 acres. Its western boundary was near to where U.S. 30 crosses the Pequea Creek and included the area now known as Gordonville, Paradise and Leaman Place, and extended southward to the Strasburg-Gap Road. It was about 1 1/3 miles wide, its northern and southern boundaries running east and west; and almost 3 miles long, its eastern and western boundaries running slightly north-west and south-east. The tract was divided among the Ferree Children. Isaac LeFevre's share was 383 1/3 acres near the center and extended the entire width of the tract.

Notes Spring 1712:
After their arrival in new York the Ferree-LeFevre party proceeded to Esopus (now Kingston, N.Y.), about ninety miles up the Hudson River, where they remained several years with Huguenot friends who had come to America some forty years before.

In the spring of 1712 they left Esopus and traveled overland to Philadelphia, where Madame Ferree presented her letters of introduction and recommendation from William Penn to his agents. Madame Ferree's tract consisting of 2000 acres was located along Pequea creek about fifty-five miles west of Philadelphia. It was a part of the ten thousand acres granted by William Penn to a Martin Kindig and other agents of the Mennonite colony. This land had been surveyed in October 1710 and was subdivided in April 1711. ("Memorials of the Huguenots" by A. Stapleton.)

More Notes:
First riflemaker in America, an Ulster Huguenot prominent among the Hugenots of France. Prior to the revocation of the Edit of Nantes 1685, were the Le Fevre and Ferree families, who upon revocation fled thence to Palinate of Bavaria. They were met almost upon the eve of their arrival by the Germersheim Succession War, and in Lindau eight memeber os the Le Fevre Family were massacred. Isaac, the only survior fled with the family of Daniel Ferree to the village of Steinweiler in the vicinity of the Black Forest, close to the border of the Grand Duchy of Baden.  In less than two years thereafter Daniel Ferree died, leaving a widow and six children, the youngest, Phillip, an infant.  In this strange country they remained for 23 years.

In 1704 Isaac Le Fevre married Catherine the daughter of the widow (Warenbuer) Ferree, and in 1708 the entire family emigrated to America on the ship “Transport Globe”, arriving at the port of New York December 31, 1708.  They went to the Huguenot colony at Esopus, New York (now Kingston) and in the fall of 1712, with other Huguenots of this colony emigrated to Pennsylvania and settled a colony in Pequa Valley (now Lancaster County). Prior to leaving New York on March 16, 1710 was born in Esopus Philip Le Fevre (the gunsmith of the Pennsylvania Huguenot colony).  A grant of 10,000 acres of province of Pennsylvania from William Penn, was made to the Palatinates, as the Huguenots were called. Besides a grant of 2000 acres from William Penn and Queen Anne, Isaac Le Fevre (Son of Isaac) made guns or rifles from 1731 to 1766.

The French Hugenot colony was almost forgotten, having conformed to the Germans, after the manner of the Esopus French Huguenot colony which became known and distirnguised as the Dutch of Holland Colony. Other members of this family not engaged in making guns or rifles erected gunpowder mills and manufactured gunpowder.  The Ferree and Le Fevre families of french gunsmiths formed settlements in Kentucky, North Carolina, and into Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.  The gunsmith bench and tools have long since been deserted by the Le Fevre family for that of judge. No other tool then the pen exists to remind them of those used by their skillful ancestors.

Notes Marie Catherine:
The marriage is recorded in "Ecclesiastical Affairs in New Castle; History of the Emanuel Church at Wilmington, DE" by Thomas Holcamp. The banns read: Thomas FALCONER and Mary Catharina FARA, June 30, 1715. There is a letter on file at Swarthmore College in the GRIFFITH file that chronicles this material. The reference is: "Letter from Dorothy G. Harris, Asst. Librarian to Lucian V. FARRA, September 11, 1946, quoting material received from the Librarian of the Delaware Historical Society from the records of Emmanuel Church, New Castle, DE"
Immanuel Episcopal Church

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