HI Jered,
Sorry to be late replying, but we've been away.

I think a lot of the theory about the Flake ancestry comes from a large volume published sometime in the 1920's where it says that Samuel Flake was "said to be Scotch-Irish," but without any sort of reference as to where that came from. Most of the book just consists of lists of known Flake families, all their descendants, etc.

"Scotch-Irish" should only refer to Ulster Scots - those Scots who were settled in N. Ireland by William of Orange - and I don't know of any evidence that Samuel was one of those. The term doesn't just refer to someone who has mixed ancestry.

I only heard my mother's quotation of what Aunt Roberta said, but I think it had to do with "He might have come from Scotland [Morven?], because he knew the MacKenzies and the [??some other family] before he came over."

I spent some time checking out Morvern in Scotland, the Highland Clearances, etc., and concluded that the MacKenzies were not from that area and the time that area - Morvern - was depopulated did not seem to agree with Samuel's appearance in the Colonies.

There are also a couple of Mt. Morvens, but I don't think it likely anyone could be said to come from such mountains, as they aren't ranges, just peaks.

I think it more likely that the reference was from another Morven - either the one also in Anson Co., NC, or possibly from more than one Morven in VA - and that he might have lived there for a bit and then "came over," meaning not crossing the ocean but simply moving.

There are a lot of early colonial references to a Robert Flake, a planter in VA. There are a couple of Flake brothers associated with a document from Isle of Wight Co., Virgina, in the early colony.

The Isle of Wight, here in England, is just off the coast of Hampshire. I have found a huge concentration of Flakes on various census returns in that area - actually the only place in the British Isles where you do find Flakes*. It would appear to me that they originated in Hampshire and possibly Isle of Wight [settlers often took their home place names with them to the colonies].

*I did find one Flake in N. Ireland, but he appeared to be an isolated case; doesn't entirely rule out the Scotch-Irish connection, I suppose.

So that doesn't entirely settle the question. I'm not sure it will ever be settled!

I'd have to try to fine a large genealogy chart to establish how far back from me Samuel was. Do you know William Jordan Flake? My mother is a grand-daughter of his.

Diane