Last Update: 3/9/13
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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
As a young boy in the 1950's, I remember 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 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. 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. Hugh Yoho and I have done considerable research including hiring a professional genealogist in Europe in the attempt to track Johannes and his father back to Switzerland. So far we have not made that connection but feel confident we will in time. We consider this link to be of great importance to complete the chain back to our origins.
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 continuing research, a small group of us has compiled our own database of Yohos and Yoho kin. Our group consists of:
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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At this time 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. We have posted the Conrad Joho database in the menu below.
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". My personal biography can be viewed on my HomePage.
Other Yoho Family Items Of Interest
For Comments About This Page Please Contact
E-Mail Tim Yoho
25 Pond Drive
Lock Haven, PA 17745
