Vick One-Name Study

(Click on picture to enlarge) The Vicksburg Civil War Battlefield in Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA

Vick
One-Name Study

Topics

About the Vick One-Name Study
Variants
Origin of the surname
Historical occurrences
Frequency of the name
Distribution of the name
Data
DNA project
Links
Contact Details

About the Vick One-Name Study

While I joined the Guild of One-Name Studies in 2006, the Vick One-Name study did not commence until October 2007. My interest in my Vick family history started in 1991 when my daughter asked me where our family came from. My uncle, Robert Edward Vick, Sr., drew up a pedigree chart for my daughter. A passion to learn about the Vick family’s earliest origins sprang from my daughter’s question about what came before the earliest entry in the Vick line on the chart.

Variants

The registered variants of the name are Veck, Vicke, Vik, Vyck, and Vycke. LeVick was already registered for a one-name study though it is a variant.

Other possible variants include Fick, Ficke, Fecke, Veack, Veak, Veake, Veckes, Veeck, Veecks, Veke, Vesgue, Vesk, Vesque, Vic, Vicks, Vicq, Vieck, Viek, Viik, and Viks.

Mac Vick, MacVick, and McVick also appear in various records in Scotland, Canada, and the U.S.

Origin of the surname

'The Dictionary of English Surnames' by Reaney & Wilson says that the Vick surname is a variant of Veck. Veck comes from the Old French name le Eveske meaning the bishop. Dr. Andrew Millard told me “Vic is found as a placename and a surname in France, with the surname concentrated in two areas: around Vic-en-Bigorre in the Pyrenees, and in the Département de l'Hérault, around Montpelier. Given the historical links between England and Aquitaine (which included Bigorre) there is the possibility of a connection with English VICKs.”

Hudson John Powell found what may indicate a locational origin of the Vick surname in England. Mr. Powell found an entry in 'Abstracts of feet of fines relating to Gloucestershire 1199-1299' (The Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society; Gloucestershire Record Series Vol. 16; Edited by C.R. Elrington; 2003; ISBN 0 900197 58 7) that references John de Wyk (Wick) of Randwick (page 185, entry number 913 for the year 1287). Dr. Andrew Millard said “The Old English term for a settlement or a market or trading place was wic pronounced either witch (as in Ispwich) or wick (as in Hardwick).” Dr. Millard said the “de” means “He is 'of' Wyk, which could mean he lives there, or his ancestors did, or that he is lord of the place. There are a number of places with this name in Gloucestershire and neighbouring counties.” Dr. Millard also said “As most medieval legal documents in England were written in Medieval French or Medieval Latin, it is frequently used in them where in everyday speech the Middle English 'of' or 'at' might have been used, as well as a direct transcription of what was spoken in the names of the nobility who used French as their first language. So someone described as 'de molendarius', meaning 'of the mill', probably had a spoken name 'at Mill' or 'Miller'. 'de' as a prefix to surnames formed from English words rarely, if ever, became part of the name. So John De Wyk's decendants, if they inherited his name, probably did not use 'of Wyk', but just Wyk. Eventually this is reflected in Latin documents, as scribes wrote what they were told. If a man was stated to be called John of Wyk, it was written down as Johannes de Wyk, but his descendant a few generations later when surnames had become fixed, would be called John Wyk and recorded in written Latin as Johannes Wyk.”

Mr. Powell also found the following on page 81 of “A History of Standish Gloucestershire:” “Two other small transactions are of local interest. In 1549, William Sawle and William Bridges paid into the Court of Augmentations (a sort of clearing-house for Monastic plunder) the sum of £1,228 16s. 6d., in exchange for sundry properties, including 'the land, one acre, called Norfeld in Randwicke, within Standishe, in the tenure of Thomas Wike, given to a lamp in the Parish Church (of Standish)' and also 'the land, one acre in Alkeley Felde, in Hardewicke, in tenure of Thomas Haresfeld, given to a lamp in the Parish Church.' In the Hardwicke Return this appears as 'Certein land given to finde a lamp there. To the yerelie value of xjd., the whole (now) Distributed to the poor.' Is (sic) is probable that the name Wike became Vicke a century later.” Mr. Powell believes it is probable that this Thomas Wike is the Thomas Veke that was buried in Randwick in 1574.

A Thomas Vick had a son named James (born about 1575 in Randwick). According to Mr. Powell, James married Elizabeth MYLL. Mr. Powell also found that “Men & Armour for Gloucestershire in 1608,” by John Smith (Republished by Alan Sutton; 1980; ISBN/ISSN: 0904387496) lists on page 308 “under Oxlinge (Oxlinch) James Bycke, mason one pike. Also listed is John Bycke his servant.” Mr. Powell also found on page 199 of “A History of Standish Gloucestershire” the following “…Elizabeth Vick did not surrender her interest in the place till 10th May, 1642; she was the widow of James Vycke, mason to Sir Ralph Dutton” and on page 200 “By an earlier grant, James Vicke of Oxlinche in Randwicke, masson, had handed over lands to Sir Ralph, including Conygeare, Greate Combe, and Calfestyles Grove, and on 10th May, 1642, Elizabeth Vick, his widow had surrendered a pasture called Cleve (p. 149), and a little grove in Oxlinche.”

The quotes Mr. Powell found show how the surname Wyk could have evolved to Wike, Veke, Vycke, Vicke, and Vick. However, Dr. Millard said “As to whether this could be the origin of the name, I am doubtful. To get from a place called Wick to the surname Vick requires a W to V sound transition that I think is unlikely in an English context….” Dr. Millard said further, “The letter W in an English context, from as far back as the first written Old English, is pronounced as it is today.”

According to information from the The Isle of Man Family History Society, Vick on the Isle of Man is derived from Ficke. All the Fickes on the Isle of Man prior to 1850 appear to be descendants of Johann Danael Ficke who was originally of Lubeck. He married Elizabeth Stone/Oliver of Peel in Germany on 9 Apr 1761. “Vick was used post 1820 as John Fick was given as John Vick in Malew.” A Fick family in Canada traces its origins to Johhan on the Isle of Mann.

Dr. Rita Heuser of Johannes Gutenberg-Universitat Mainz wrote “The surname of Vick definitely goes back to a person's name, namely the Old Germanic name of Friedrich. It displays the dithematic structure typical for Germanic names, combining the parts fridu- 'peace' and -rihhi 'mighty, powerful'. Those names were in Germanic times probably meant as a kind of metaphorical blessing for the child. By sound change and regional orthographic conventions, Friedrich became Vick/Fick in some areas… A broad variety of surname variants emerged from the Germanic name of Friedrich, e.g. Fick(e), Vicke, Feck(e).” Roger Kenneth Vick’s great great grandfather, Hans Christian Fredericksen, lived on the boarder of Denmark and Germany. Hans’ son, Hans Peter, took the Vick surname. Hans Peter died in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Vik is a Norwegian word meaning an inlet or cove. There are at least four cities in Norway with the name Vik – Buskerud, Nordland, Rogaland, and Sogn Og Fjordane.

Some immigrants to the United States changed their surname to one more familiar in America. For example, Jan Nepomuk Vich (born 11 Jun 1869 of the district of Vysoke Myto, of what is today the Czech Republic) changed his name to John Vick by the time he appears in the 1910 U.S. Census of Benton Co., Wisconsin (Source: Frank Wolniak – great grandson of Jan).

Historical occurrences

• Thomas Wyk is mentioned in 'Abstract of Feet of Fines relating to Gloucestershire 1199-1299,' (The Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society; Gloucestershire Record Series Vol. 16; Edited by C.R. Elrington; 2003; ISBN 0 900197 58 7) page 185, entry number 913 for the year 1287. (Source Hudson John Powell)

• John Veke is listed on page 182 of 'Gloucestershire Military Survey 1522,' (The Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society; Record Series Volume 6; R. W. Hoyle; 1993; ISBN 0 900197 36 3). He is listed under Whitstone Hundred, Standish, with a worth of £3-6s-8d. This John could provide a sword. (Source Hudson John Powell)

• “A History of Standish Gloucestershire,” by H.T. Lilley (Charpentier Ltd; 1932) says on page 81 in referring to a land transaction in 1549 involving Thomas Wike, it “is probable that the name Wike became Vicke a century later.” Page 199 says “…Elizabeth Vick did not surrender her interest in the place till 10th May, 1642; she was the widow of James Vycke, mason to Sir Ralph Dutton.” While page 200 says “By an earlier grant, James Vicke of Oxlinche in Randwicke, masson, had handed over lands to Sir Ralph, including Conygeare, Greate Combe, and Calfestyles Grove, and on 10th May, 1642, Elizabeth Vick, his widow had surrendered a pasture called Cleve (p. 149), and a little grove in Oxlinche.”

• A letter of May 30, 1550, from “John Vicke to Mr. Ridge, the mayor of Southampton” is mentioned in “The corporation of Southampton: Letters and loose memoranda, The Manuscripts of the Corporations of Southampton and Kings Lynn:” Eleventh report, Appendix; part III (1887), pp. 97-134.

• “Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants” says on pages 3 and 4, “The earliest records of English Vicks are found in only Gloucestershire and begin around the middle of the sixteenth century. A Richard Vicke of Kings Stanley, Gloucestershire, left a will dated 21 February 1565/6 that was proved in the Consistory Court.” As Hudson John Powell pointed out to me this is probably just the earliest parish record.

• The Ancestral File lists Adolf Vick as being born in Weitersweiler, Bas-Rhin, France about 1588 (AFN: MFCK-9K).

• “Men & Armour for Gloucestershire in 1608,” by John Smith (Republished by Alan Sutton; 1980; ISBN/ISSN: 0904387496) is a muster role of “fit and able bodied men” according to GENUKI, UK and Ireland Genealogy. The “Vick Family Newsletter,” Vol. XIII, No. 4, October 1997, p. 39 says “In Smith’s ‘Men and Armour for 1608,’ the first Gloucestershire census, there are recorded only three members of the Vicke family at King’s Stanley and two at Eastington.” Hudson John Powell told me that on page 308 under Oxlinge (Oxlinch) there is a James Bycke, mason one pike, listed with John Bycke his servant.

• The will of Thomas Vicke of Killbrogan, County Cork, Munster, Ireland was probated in 1619, according to “Index to Irish Wills, 1536-1857, Vol. II – Chapter Calendar of Wills in the Diocese of Cork and Ross, 1548-1800,” page 111.

• The earliest record of a Vick in America is for Joseph Vick, probably born 1640-1650 and most likely in England. According to page 5 of “Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants,” Hodges Councill gave Joseph 50 acres in Beaver Dam Swamp in Isle of Wight County, Virginia on 20 December 1675.

• Lütke Vicke was born 21 Feb 1669 in Eyendorf, a municipality of Harburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.

• “The Bristol Register of Servants” says “Mary Vick of Berkely, (Glos), spinster, to William Whetston, 9 yrs Barbados by Mary” on 20 Feb 1686

• “Four Shillings In The Pound Aid 1693/4: The City of London, the City of Westminster, and Metropolitan Middlesex” (1992) lists a Phillip Vicke.

• The International Genealogical Index (IGI) shows a Catherine VICK of Stormont, Ontario, Canada born about 1750.

• About Johann Danael Ficke arrived on the Isle of Mann from Lubeck, Germany, according to “Our Fick Family”.

• According to Wikipedia, in 1754 William Vick was the inspiration for building a bridge across the Avon Gorge. He was a Bristolian who “left £1,000 invested with instructions that when the interest had accumulated to £10,000, it should be used for the purpose of building a stone bridge between Clifton Down (which was in Gloucestershire, outside the City of Bristol, until the 1830s) and Leigh Woods (then in Somerset).”

• Newit Vick was born on 17 Mar 1766. The city of Vicksburg, Mississippi was named after him. Vicksburg was the site of the Battle of Vicksburg during the American Civil War.

• According to “Minchinhampton: Charities for the poor”, A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 11: Bisley and Longtree Hundreds (1976), pp. 205-207, “Rebecca Vick of Clifton by will proved 1768 left £200 for poor housekeepers.” In 1759 she “settled a rentcharge of £5 4s. to pay a poor woman to teach 15 poor girls of Minchinhampton town to read. The charity was being applied as intended in 1826 but it is not known how long the school survived. £300 was given by Wm. Vick of Bristol for bread for the poor and a sermon.”

• Deborah Vick was born about 1779. She was an African slave living in Kingston, Jamaica in 1817 according to “Slave Registers of former British Colonial Dependencies, 1812-1834.”

• Private Mathew Vick served in Captain Arthur Applewhite’s Company from September to December 1794 in the expedition against the insurgents in Pennsylvania during the Frontier Wars.

• John Vick, an African American, was born about 1790 in Virginia according to the 1850 U.S. Census of Wayne, Clinton County, Ohio.

• Donald Mac Vick, born about 1791 in Glenelg, Inverness-shire, Scotland, who was a “cottar pauper” was listed in the 1851 Scotland Census as living in the parish of Glenelg, Sealsaig, Inverness, Scotland.

• Robert Vick, born about 1796 in Scotland, lived in St. Andrew, Tindale (West Division), Northumberland County, Scotland, according to the 1841 England Census.

• John Vick, an iron founder, was born about 1806 in Scotland according to the 1841 Scotland Census. He lived in St. Mungo Parish, Glosgow, Lanarkshire County, Scotland.

• James Vick, founder of the Vick Seed Company and “Vick’s Illustrated Monthly Magazine,” was born on 23 Nov 1818 in Portsmouth, England. He immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1833 and eventually lived in Rochester, New York.

• A George John Vick, born in 1824 in Thebarton, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, appears in the IGI.

• Henry Vick, a convict from Gloucestershire, England, was transported for a life sentence to Tasmania, Australia, on the Emporer Alexander. He was convicted on 16 Oct 1832, and he arrived on 6 Apr 1833 according to “All New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia Convict Musters, 1806-1849 Results” and “Australian Convict Transportation Registers – Other Fleets & Ships, 1791-1868.” He was sent to Van Dieman’s Land colony.

• “Inward Slave Manifests for the Port of New Orleans Roll 12, 1837-1839,” transcribed by Alma McClendon shows that a black slave named Ben Vick, age 18 and 5 feet 10 inches tall was shipped by his owner, George W. Barnes, to the Port of New Orleans from Richmond, Virginia. Ben was manifested on the Brigatine Orleans on 21 Oct 1839.

• Hans Peter Vick was born 21 Jan 1842 in Kelby Sogn, Praesto Amt, Denmark.

• Newitt Vick, born about 1806 in the U.S. and of African ancestry, lived in the Chatham sub-district of Kent in Canada West (Ontario) according to the 1851 Census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Newitt also appears on the 1881 Canadian census.

• Private Walter Vick enlists in Company K, First Regiment Kentucky Infantry, Kentucky Volunteers, Confederate States Army on 17 June 1861 in Keysburg, Kentucky.

• Wesley Vick, born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, about 1825, enlisted at Vicksburg on November 10, 1863 in the 3rd U.S. Colored Cavalry.

• Jonas Jonason Vik (born 23 Jan 1841 in Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway, according to a descendant John S. Houselog) immigrated to the U.S. in 1868 according to the 1880 U.S. Census of Lincoln County, Minnesota. His surname was “Americanized” to Vick.

• Carl Heinrich (Charles) Vick (Vicke) left Bremen, Germany on 21 Nov 1847 on the barque Pauline and arrived with his wife and two children on 31 Mar 1848 at Port Adelaide, Australia. Charles was born about 1808.

• Charles Vick immigrated to the U.S. in 1870 according to the 1900 U.S. Census of Wyandotte, Wayne County, Michigan. Rich CAPEN believes Charles was born Charles GIPPEN in Germany and that Charles “was raised by the Vick family who came over from Germany on the same boat.”

• A B. Vick was in born in South Africa on 14 Jan 1887 according to the IGI.

• Vicks VapoRub was invented in Greensboro, North Carolina, in the 1880s by Lumsford Richardson. He named it after his brother-in-law Joshua W. Vick. VapoRub led to the creation of the Vick Chemical Company which was sold to Proctor & Gamble in 1985.

• Samuel “Sammy” Bruce Vick was born 12 Apr 1895 in Batesville, Mississippi. He was the only man to ever pinch hit for Babe Ruth.

• Private T. Vick of the 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment died of disease in the South African War (1899-1902).

• In 1908, land for The Vick Ranch in Youngsport, Texas was purchased by Robert Lee Vick and his son William Edgar Vick. The ranch celebrates its 100 year anniversary in 2008.

• Lance Corporal Bernard Charles Vick of Chichester, England was killed in action on October 14, 1914 in World War I at the Hohenzollern Redoubt in France.

• Private James Frank Vick, U.S. Army, 138th Field Artillery Regiment, 38th Infantry Division, died October 20, 1918. He is buried in the Brookwood American Cemetery in England.

• In 1930, Layton C. Vick and his wife Edna started Vick’s Corner in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

• Harold Vick, jazz saxophonist, was born April 3, 1936 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

• Private Paul B. Vick, of Texas died in Japanese captivity on May 27, 1942 in the Philippines.

• Brigadier General James L. Vick, United States Air Force (not the Guild member), was born 27 Jul 1943 in Sturgis, Michigan. He flew 276 combat missions during the Vietnam War piloting F-4D’s and B-52D’s.

• Sergeant James Albert Vick, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, died on June 3, 1944 in the crash of a Halifax LL307 (NF-J), 138 Squadron, at Tholen, Holland.

• Private First Class Gordon R. Vick, of Edgecombe County, North Carolina died on August 19, 1950 in South Korea.

• Specialist Fourth Class Roscoe L. Vick, of Rocky Mount, North Carolina died on March 4, 1966 near Tuy Hoa, South Vietnam.

• Michael Vick, at one time the highest paid professional football player in the United States, was born June 26, 1980.

• In the 1990s Chris Vick was the Communications Director, Office of the Premier Gauteng Province, South Africa, for Premier Tokyo Sexwale. Chris became the Sexwale family spokesman when Sexwale left office.

• John Allen Vick appeared in several movies. In 1980, he was in “The Fog.” In 1985, he appeared in “Hard Traveling.” He appeared in “The Principal” in 1985. Then in 1988 he appeared in the “The Presidio,” “Whisper Kill,” and “The Dead Pool.” In 1992, he appeared in “Passenger 57.”

• Kenneth Thomas Vick, II, and Richard Earl Griffin were married on February 16, 2004 at San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco, CA. Their story is depicted in the movie Justly Married.

• “Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants” by John D. Beatty and Di Ann Vick was published by Genus Publishing in 2004.

• ”The Innocent Man” by John Gresham is a non-fiction story about the conviction and sentencing to death of Ron Williamson for the 1982 murder and rape of Debra Sue Carter in Ada, Oklahoma. A witness in the trial that was mentioned in the book was Tony Vick.

• Staff Sergeant Eric R. Vick of Spring Hope, North Carolina died on April 1, 2007 in Bagdad, Iraq.

• The Joseph Vick Family of America (JVFOA) family reunion will be held June 20 through 22, 2008 near the town of Salado, Texas.

Frequency of the name

Based upon U.S. Census Bureau estimates, there were about 21,140 people with the surname Vick in the U.S. in 2007. Vicks comprised about .007 percent of the U.S. population.

Using the German Telekom's telephone extensions from the year 1995, Dr. Rita Heuser of Johannes Gutenberg-Universitat Mainz estimated there were 1,702 actual bearers of the Vick surname in Germany, or about .002 percent of the German population. The website verdandt.de in February 2008 showed 540 directory entries or about 1,440 persons with the Vick surname.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) database says there were about 1,147 people with the surname Vick in England, Wales, and the Isle of Mann in September 2002, or about .002 percent of that population.

Canadian White Pages contained 120 household listings for Vick in 2007. At 2.8 members per household, there would have been about 336 surnamed Vicks in Canada, or about .001 percent of the Canadian population.

The Australian White Pages had 107 listings for Vick in 2007. Using 2.8 members per household, that would equate to about 300 Vicks, or about .001 percent of the population in Australia.

In New Zealand there were 13 Vicks in the White Pages. At 2.8 members per household there would be about 36 Vicks, or less than .001 percent of the population of New Zealand.

There was one Vick household listed in the White Pages in South Africa.

Distribution of the name

According to the National Trust, in 1881 the largest concentration of people in the U.K. with the Vick surname was in Gloucestershire. The next largest concentrations were in Hampshire and Isle of Wight. The 1891 England and Wales census shows 35 percent of VICKs lived in Gloucestershire, 12 percent lived in Hampshire, and 9 percent lived in London.

U.S. Census records for 1880 show people with the Vick surname were most concentrated in the following states (percent of total Vicks in the U.S.) North Carolina (21 percent), Tennessee (10 percent), Texas (9 percent), and Kentucky (8 percent).

In Germany the greatest frequency of Vick is in the north in the area between Hamburg and Schwerin. verdandt.de shows the following concentration of Vicks in Germany based upon directory enteries:

1. Harburg (80)

2. Hamburg (44)

3. Luneburg (37)

4. Bad Doberan (25)

5. Ludwigslust (23)

6. Rostock (16)

7. Herzogtum Lauenburg (15)

8. Schwerin (14)

9. Parchim (12)

10. Lubeck (12)

The 1911 Census of Canada lists 147 people with the surname VICK. Of those, 74 (50 percent) lived in Ontario, 24 (16 percent) lived in British Columbia, and 22 (15 percent) lived in Saskatchewan.

Data

“Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants”. Los Angeles; Genus Publishing, 2004. ISBN 0-9748672-0-9.

Vick Family Newsletter. Vols VIII – XIX. The Joseph Vick Family of America.

Gloucestershire Family History Society Journal, Issues 1 to 100 with Indexes 1979 – 2004

“A History of Standish Gloucestershire” by H.T. Lilley (Charpentier Ltd; 1932)

DNA project

The Vick Y-DNA Surname Project has identified eight major clans in seven haplogroups. These clans trace their ancestry to England, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Virginia, and Alabama.

• The descendants of Lutke Vicke (born 21 Feb 1669 in Eyendorf, Germany) are haplogroup G2a.

• The descendants of Joseph Vick of Isle of Wight County, Virginia (born about 1640-1650), are haplogroup Q1b. The birthplace of Joseph is unproven but believed to be in England. Dr. Stephen Oppenheimer of Oxford University examined Joseph Vick’s Y-DNA signature and said Joseph’s ancestors were “most likely in northern Norway and ultimately from Asia.” Similar Y-DNA signatures have been found in Shetland and Orkney.

• The descendants of John George VICK (born 17 Jul 1846 in Germany are haplogroup R1b.

• The descendants of Elihu Vick (born about 1759 in Standish, Gloucestershire, England) are haplogroup R1b1b2.

• The descendants of James Vick (born about 1785 in England and lived in Portsmouth, England) are haplogroup R1b1b2.

• The descendants of Hans Peter Vick (born 21 Jan 1842 in Kelby Sogn, Praesto Amt, Denmark) are haplogroup R1b1b2g.

• The descendants of Cicero Vik (born 15 Dec 1909 in Alabama), are haplogroup E1b1a. Cicero was no doubt the descendant of an African slave.

• Finally, the descendants of Neil Vik (born about 1910 in Norway and immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1920s) are haplogroup I2b.

In May 2008, the Vick Y-DNA Surname Project had 47 members. Forty-six of the members lived in the U.S. (although one was born in England). One member was born in Canada where he still lives. One VICK who is not a member of the formal project has test results available in the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation Y-DNA database while two others have Y-DNA results pending at SMGF.