"The Douglas Register"
- containing parish records for various early Colonial Virginia families including YANCEY
 

For anyone researching the  information concerning the earliest Yanceys of America,  the origins of the Yancey family, especially in looking at any possible FRENCH connections that the early Yanceys may have had - one resource that should NOT be overlooked
is the "DOUGLAS REGISTER".   Published in 1928 by W. M. Jones   it is a transcription of a record maintained by Reverend William Douglas of Goochland County, Virginia for the period of about 1750 to 1800.

You can download a free copy of the entire book by clicking here   (1st item on page)

Information on members of the early Yancey family of Virginia can be found on its pages.
This includes info on  Yancey families that lived in that region that ultimately became Louisa County Virginia - such as Stephen, Charles, and Jemima Yancey.

The first thing you will note is that the name is consistently spelled throughout the book as "YAUNCEY"

One wonders, is this really because it was spelled this way on the original documents? Or was it just that it was rather hard to read and whoever transcribed it - wrote it consistently as YAUNCEY.    Anyone who has done any indepth research in similar documents of the time period - knows that consistency in spelling of names  is not very common - even by the same writer concerning members of a given family.  Spelling variations on documents of this nature - is very common. If the spelling on the original Douglas register was indeed YAUNCEY - one would wonder if the spelling is an indication of how the name was pronounced?  Could it be an indication of the origin of the name as originally  JAUNCEY or HAUNCEY ??
One avenue of further research would be to determine if the original Douglas Register manuscript still exists - so as to be able to re-check the spelling.

Also in the volume is information concerning the French Huguenots who settled the site of "Manakintown" - very near to where early Yanceys lived.  Never have I seen the Yancey name show up on any list of French Protestant of Manakintown - but the Yanceys did intermarry or associate with families like Dumas, Mullins, Dabney and others.

In the "Douglas Register"  you will find points of interest as follows:

• The "Forward" gives a lot of good background info the place and people mentioned in this book.
• On page 52 and 97 - you will see various marriage records of members of the Yancey family.
• On pages 157, 234, 329  you will see various christening (baptism) records
• On page 346 you will see various Yancey funerals that the Rev Douglas preached at.
• On pages 354-363 - you will see some interesting notes concerning people of prominence.
• On page 365 - you will read about Manakintown in King William Parish - where French Huguenots settled - and you will even find a list of some of the French refugees. The name Yancey doe snot appear on this list.
• Also note as you read the names of the French Refugees - you will note the vast majority of them have very FRENCH names. Such French names - that are NOT found among the early Yanceys - except maybe Jeremiah Yancey - named after his French maternal grandfather Jeremiah Dumas.  (see page 358)
• Also note that the Rev. Robert Yancey of Louisa County Virginia - also held a very similar position as did the Parson Douglas.  None of Robert Yancey's church records are known to be extant however.

Another avenue of further research are OTHER records of the time period  where early Yanceys had their name transcribed as YAUNCEY. 

Note the Yanceys were closely enough connected to William Douglas such  that Charles Yancey was one of his Executors of  estate. see below. 
Also note William Douglas was an immigrant from Scotland coming over about 1748.   He was a tutor for the yet to become President Thomas Jefferson.   Douglas's only daughter Margaret married Nicholas Merriwether - connected to the famous Merriwether Lewis of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition..