One of the
Seven Wonders of the World, the Pharos lighthouse stood
sentinel at the entrance to the harbor at Alexandria Egypt for 1,600 years. That lighthouse gave its name
to the Italian (faro), Spanish (faro), and French (phares) lighthouse.
So the question is, how could the Scots-Irish/Scottish immigrants to
America get the name
Phares in the first place?
The answer might be in the Crusades (First Crusade, 1096-1099, Second Crusade; 1146-1148;
Third Crusade 1189-1192; Fourth Crusade, 1202-1204).
During the time that the Crusaders held the Holy Land, some Crusades adopted
eastern thought, especially the Norman French
Knights Templars. It is possible that some Crusader
also adopted the name Phares, or a form of that name.
Phares would be a
knightly name, a sentinel,
a guardian,
or even a giver of light.
The name
Phares appears in both France and Scotland which would be expected since
the Knight Templars had very good relationship with the Scottish Knights, and Scotland and France were often closely
aligned.
In 1608-1609, the Ulster Plantation (now known as North Ireland) was created under the
authority
of King James I of England. The majority of the settlers to the Ulster Plantation were the Scots. Some decades
later, a considerable number of these Scots (or their descendants) migrated to America, where they came to
be known as the Scots-Irish. So the name Phares came to America.
Table of Contents
Documents, &c.
When is a Faris a Phares?
The Phares Family, 1762-1823
The Horse Case, 1790, Pendleton County Virginia
Family Records
John M. Phares
Jasper Phares
