Jan Fransse Van Husum was the emigrant ancestor of all the Van Hoose’s in America as well as some thirty variations of the surname. Originally he was known only as Jan Fransse, meaning “John, the son of Francis.” In the early days of history before the emergence of surnames, the patronymic system of naming was used. In this case, the second name was the father’s first name. Fransse or Frannssen was a Danish name. The Suffix “se” or “sen” meant son of.
Jan Fransse was born in Husum, a city in Schleswig in 1608. Husum lies in the northern duchy of Schleswig, which was once an independent duchy ruled by princes of the old Roman Empire. The dukes of Holstein ruled the Kings and Dukes ruled a ducal portion and a common portion jointly.
When Jan Fransse left Husum in 1639, the Dutch Domunine (pastor) changed his name from the Danish of Fransse to the Dutch name of Frantz. The suffix “tz” means the “son of “ in Dutch. His name was further changed by adding “Van Husum”, which distinguished him from any other Jan Frantz indicating he was from the town of Husum. “Van Husem, Van Huysen, Van Huisen, Van Hoese and Van Hoesen.
When Johannes Van Hoesen left the Hudson area of New York and moved to Pennsylvania and settled among a predominant group of Germans, his name was entered in the church records as Von Huss and Von Huize. When he made his will in Anson County, North Carolina in 1763, he signed it John Vanhosen, but on deeds there his name appears as John Vanhouser and John Vanhooser. This is the first place where the spelling of this surname appears. Also, his first name had been anglicized from Johannes to John.
After the second and third generations in this county, the descendants of the emigrant, Jan Fransse, has selected for themselves many different variations for the spelling of the surname. Some of the clergymen or court recorders, who were of different ethnic backgrounds, changed the surname in an attempt to interpret the name phonetically as they heard it.
Some of his descendants who moved to Eastern Kentucky retained the Dutch spelling of Van Hoese, but changed it phonetically to Van Hoose.
