Last Update: 1/12/23
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Three Of Four Known Versions of Joho/Yoho Family Crests
Name Origin: Switzerland 1395
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Alsace France |
United States |
Germany |
Swiss Origin and Three Countries With Major Branches Of The Joho/Joho Family
Click on each Flag For More Information
2022 marks 18 years since I first published the Yoho Page. The first few years kept me very busy just answering emails from Yoho family members and kin who did not know the origin of the family name nor their lineage within the family. Since that time, much has been researched and published and now most family members have a better idea of their history. Many have contributed but a few early researchers deserve mention such as Denver, Iven, Hugh, and Sullivan Yoho and Richard Henthorn.
Although we now have a long and rich history of our family, there are still questions to be solved. One of these is conclusive evidence as to the origin of Johann Michael Joho (1678-1735). Johann was the father of Johannes Joho the original immingrant to America and the progenitor of most American Yoho's. Hugh Yoho and I proposed in 2018 that Johann Michael's lineage could be traced back to Switzerland,
In 2022, online research on FamilySearch.Org (Church of Latter Day Saints) revealed some coincidental data about a Johann Michael Joho who was born in Germany.
There is also new evidence (Nov 2020) that John (Johannes) Joho lived on Winchester VA land in 1755, eleven years before the 1766 deed from Lord Fairfax. In addition, John's family move to Western Va may have been related to being sued on his personal property in 1762. (John Joho New Evidence)
Looking back at my own knowledge of family history, I remember as a young boy in the 1950's, my father and others speculating about the origin of the Yoho name. The most popular story at that time was the German Hessian ancestry. Yoho's came to the U.S. with the British to fight the Americans during the Revolutionary War and as the story went, deserted and became Americans themselves.
We were also Dutch or indians. The Indian myth probably came about because of the presence of Yoho National Park in Canada. Yoho is a Cree indian word meaning awesome and beautiful. No connection however has been made to the family name. In spite of family claims and inquiries about family members being Indian or married to North American Indians, our research has not found a single verifiable example.
At the beginning of the Second World War some Yoho's living outside of the Ohio Valley had their bank accounts frozen since the name was thought to be Japanese. When I joined the Army in 1960 and left Moundsville WV, my home town, everyone thought the name was funny and was Asian. Even the Asians thought the name was funny when I served in Asia during my two years in the 14th Psychological Warfare Bn (PsyOPs) in the early Vietnam War era (1961-63).
It wasn't until I was a graduate student in the late 60's and early 70's that I decided to seriously research the family history. I made no headway with the name origin until one day at the WVU library I had an inspiration. Considering the most popular belief of a German origin, it dawned on me that the German language does not use the letter "Y" to any extent but "J" is pronounced as "Y". I searched the card catalog (no computers in those days) and to my astonishment I found several references to Joho's in Switzerland.. The rest is history so to speak since all my research after that day confirmed the name is indeed Swiss, although our ancestor Johannes Joho lived in Alsace France before he immigrated to the U.S. In the 1990's with the help of Hugh Yoho, a fellow Yoho researcher, we were able to trace the name as far back as the year 1395 in Switzerland.
I also discovered as had Denver Yoho that "our" first immigrant Johannes Joho and his father Johann Michael Joho lived in Alsace not Switzerland. However, Denver and others give Alsace as birth place of Johann Michael and Johannes without any source. In many years of research, Hugh Yoho and I have never found any evidence of Johann or Johannes being born in Alsace. Our research included hiring two professional genealogists in Europe in the attempt to determine their origin. This led to an hypothesis of a link to Switzerland.
Although of Swiss origin, the Joho/Yoho Family has been found to have three major branches in other countries: Alsace France, United States, and Germany. In addition recent research (2022) shows a number of the Joho families in Columbia South America.
In continuing research, a small group of us compiled our own database of Yohos and Yoho kin. Unfortunately three of those researchers (Richard Ferris and Terry Willis and Hugh Yoho) have passed on and only I remain..
The database along with the Yoho Index of names makes it possible in many cases to determine lineage back to Johann Michael Joho, the progenitor of most U.S. Yohos. These names are also linked to thousands of Yoho Kin.
We have also started two additional database of European Joho's leading back to the earliest known family member Routschmann Joho born in 1395. Most of these family members live in Eberbach Germany and are descendants of Conrad Joho (1673-1728). The other has been traced back to another Johannes Joho (1763-1830). Almost all of this family line live/lived in Canton Aargau where the Joho family takes its origin. Both of these databases can be viewed in the menu. We hope someday to link the lineage of Johann Michael Joho (1678-1735) the progenitor of most American Yoho's with these German and other Swiss family members.
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Because of concern for idenity theft, we do not plan to post the Johann Michael database, but will help you trace your family at no charge if you provide us with enough information. In some cases, data is lacking so that tracing your family may be difficult.
The "Yoho Index" which appears in menu below does not include all the names in our database. In some cases of the Yohos listed in the Index, the parents are unknown and there are only fragmentary records. We Urge Yoho and Yoho Kin to contact us with information about your family whether or not you find it in the Index. Any infomation may help us link to other famiies. Names of those who can be contacted can be found in the Index.
In addition to the Yoho Index, the menu below includes some of the history and lineage of the Yoho/Joho Family with interesting facts and stories. Yohos who served in the military from the Revolutionary War to present are listed with known information about many. . My own family lineage is in Menu item "Some Yoho/Joho Family Trees". Other web pages that I construct and maintain can be viewed on my HomePage. I live in Lock Haven, PA with my wife Judith and retired in 2004 after 30 years as a Professor of Biology at Lock Haven University.
For Comments About This Page Please Contact
E-Mail Tim Yoho tyoho2@comcast.net
25 Pond Drive
Lock Haven, PA 17745
