FIVECOAT NAME STORIESFIVECOAT NAME STORIESThe most logical story I have heard is that the name was anglicized when a family or some families of Finefrocks (which I believe is pronounced fin-a-frock) immigrated to the U.S.A.. from Germany through Philadelphia. The story goes that an English immigration officer decided that FIN meant five and FROCK meant coat, and thus the new name. I say this seems most logical because there are a number of Fivecoats and Finefrocks in central Ohio where my Great Grandfather lived.
Our most recent contribution to the Fivecoat tree puts more detail on this possible derivation. Here is an email letter from Sue Templin which I am sure you will find interesting:
From: smkt65@webtv.net (Susan Templin) Date: Fri, 28 Nov 1997 07:59:03 -0600 To: jim@fivecoat.net Subject: Another Story Jim: My great-great grandmother was Anna Margaret Fivecoat Rizor. Her father was Michael Fivecoat (Wayne and Holmes Counties in Ohio). The family legend is similar to yours. The family immigrated from Alsais, then part of Germany, now France. The name was then Funfrock,but was changed at immigration to 5coat. A distant cousin of mine claims to have a copy of the ship's passenger list showing this change. Can you build a link between your line and my Michael or Anna Margaret? Would be fun to know if we are related. Sue Templin North Liberty, Iowa
Following the receipt of her letter I did some research and found some details on the Funfrock name. I found a site by Jane Torres which has a branch starting with a Johannes Funfrock born about 1530 in Saargemund,(Sarreguemines),Lorraine,France. As we continue the search these links may become a key piece of information.
Larry Ames has a Fivecoat in his family tree also. His research has turned up the following:
The name Fünfrock is composed of two German words: Fünf = five and rock which is derived from the Old High German hroc meaning a long men's overcoat (from which we get the word frock). The following history was researched by Ellen Stanton of West Des Moines, IA. Three young men came from South Germany by steerage passage sometime between the late 1600's and early 1700's. They were very poor and were indentured by merchants at Farmersburg and Philadelphia for 2 years to pay for their passage. These 3 young men were the Fünfrock brothers. After the end of their 2 year indenturement, 2 of the brothers migrated south. George Henry Fünfrock (the 3rd brother) took the Wilderness Trail north and crossed the Ohio River into Ohio at Steubenville. George Henry Fünfrock Americanized his last name to Fivecoats thinking it an improvement. He was the only one of the brothers to Americanize his name, the other 2 remained Fünfrock. He married and settled into Harrison County, Ohio. One of his descendants, a George Fivecoats, worked on the Eerie Canal. He married a woman named Rachel, and moved to Dover Hill, IN, where they had 3 children: a son (named either Patrick or Michael), and 2 daughters, Rachel and Sarah Catherine. Rachel never married and is buried with her parents at Dover Hill, IN. Sarah Catherine Fivecoats married John Mansfield Chaney, Sr. The brother married and had at least 2 girls named Edyth and Bertha. He may also have had other children.
My Grandfather claimed the name was from the family name of Fiensus (not sure of the spelling) and that our ancestors came from Belgium. When they entered the States the name became fivefrock (or maybe Finefrock) and was later changed to Fivecoat by someone who did not like Fivefrock. He also said these ancestors where gypsies and horse thieves. Grandpa apparently like to spin a yarn.
In an email note to Morris Fivecoat, Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell wrote the following:
Fivecoat was my fathers name, so although my mother does American Indian Art, she herself is not Indian. My father was Frank Fivecoat and was 1/2 Cherokee. My relatives come from Tennesee, Arkansas and many are now located in Utah. My grandfather was born on a reservation in Tennessee, but all efforts I have put into finding roll numbers have failed. I actually met another 'Kerry Fivecoat' at the same company I used to work at and she claimed her husbands version of Fivecoat was English. The only other thing I know is that my brother ran into a Cherokee Indian while serving in the Vietnam war and he claimed that the name derived from the number of 'Blue Coats' or Union Army soldiers that the brave brought back from battle-since Cherokees were known not to scalp. I don't know how much truth there is to this. Sorry I couldn't tell you more, but due to the stigma of being a non- white in the south, my father's family tried desperately to hide their heritage thus taking most of the truth with them to their graves. There are many Fivecoats throughout the United States, some claiming English heritage and some with American Indian heritage. Thanks for your inquiry-if you ever find out more, please let me know too!
Kerri's line of the Fivecoat Page
If you know of a Fivecoat story or can lend some validity to one of the two above please send me an email. I will add the story to the page. Who knows one of these days maybe we will have a good idea of where the name came from. Or, if nothing else, have a couple of more ways to answer the constant questions about our name.
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