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I might have asked this before, but would appreciate more answers
What does the title Squire mean?
In doing family research, I found my g-grandfather and g-g-grandfather had this title. They were both from NW West Virginia. As far as I can tell its some sort of minor public official, like a justice of the peace. Any other possibilities?
Ok, my GF came from WV, so I suppose near KY and TN. But the first name wasn't Squire, it was Joseph. I have found large tracts of land supposedly belonging to them at one time, but its difficult to trace, since its the same first and last name going back, you don't know where one ends and the other begins!
Apparently it carried through until quite recently. When my GF parents died, his sister was the declarant on the DC. She clearly spelled out Squire----for her father's father. That was about 1940, so it wasn't too archaic a term.
I also read that Squire could mean a minor official, sort of like a Justice of the Peace. Could be, they lived in a remote area, sort of like a notary today?
Regardless, GF has always been a bit of a mystery. His records go back just so far, then, a brick wall!
In the US, it could theoretically be someone who actually came from the lower nobility, but just as likely -- or more likely -- meant that someone managed to obfuscate whatever situation brought him or his ancestors to the Americas, had acquired a tract of land one way or another, learned to read and write, and dressed up nice.
In the US, it could theoretically be someone who actually came from the lower nobility, but just as likely -- or more likely -- meant that someone managed to obfuscate whatever situation brought him or his ancestors to the Americas, had acquired a tract of land one way or another, learned to read and write, and dressed up nice.
I think it is an assistant. As in "a nobleman and his squire rode up to the fox hunt in an elegant carriage". But if you are currently a man about town....a squire is surely landed gentry.
In the United States, this style is most common among attorneys, borrowing from the English tradition whereby all barristers were styled "esquires". (Solicitors were entitled only to the style "Mr".) In earlier years in the U.S., the title squire was given to a justice of the peace, for example Squire Jones. It was also used to mean justice of the peace as in the example, "He was taken before the squire." The connection to attorneys appears to have evolved from a time when squires meeting to negotiate a duel would instead resolve the dispute.
In the United States, this style is most common among attorneys, borrowing from the English tradition whereby all barristers were styled "esquires". (Solicitors were entitled only to the style "Mr".) In earlier years in the U.S., the title squire was given to a justice of the peace, for example Squire Jones. It was also used to mean justice of the peace as in the example, "He was taken before the squire." The connection to attorneys appears to have evolved from a time when squires meeting to negotiate a duel would instead resolve the dispute.
This makes the most sense, since we still put ESQ behind the name of an attorney in correspondence.
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