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My mother's maiden name is Kyer also and she had always heard that her family was French. We have never been able to prove this, but this is what she was always told.
My great great grandfather was William Kyer. He jumped off a bridge in Cornwall sometime around 1893. His son George hired a rowboat to cross the St. Lawrence when he was 12 to come to the us (that was in 1898). I'm currently trying to find information on who his parents and siblings were.
Where is your family from?
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Thank you for your prompt reply. I've heard that Kyer could be either a German name or a French name.
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Matthew, I think there are quite a few variations of the name Kyer. My line now uses Kyre and I have seen in my research the same individual go by Kyar,Keiger,Kaiger, Kyer, Kiah,and Kyre.There are some direct french canadien links with the spelling Kyer, and some suggestion that it is also the angelicized form of the french name Cayer, but also there are true German links. A lot depends on where your family is and was. Your best bet on finding your heritage is to go back one step at a time and just see where it leads you. We can tell alot just by where our ancestors lived as immigrants usually stayed with people from similar backgrounds.Good Luck.
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That's interesting spellings of the name Kyer. I have seen only a few of them. Here are a couple more for you. Keyer and Coir. I was told about 4 years ago that Coir or Cayer might be the original name because Kyer or Kyre was not original. I have found Coir in some church records where I already had Kyer in my notes. The other names and dates match perfectly. On all census, the nationality so far that I have discovered has been French but I would not be surprised if it was another nationality and to survive in Canada, you had to change to a French name or you could not find work or be accepted in the French communities.
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Noella,that is very interesting to me thank you. I had also seen the cayer but not the other. Can you tell me what church records you were in? I am reseaching along the Augustain and Catherine line of Kyre and the trail has me in Augusta Va. so far but no more. Are you also decended from that line?
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Noella, Thanks for the note. I have found Methodist so far in my research and yes I have seen some postings for canadien Kyer/Kyre. I will look for them and let you know where. My line is stuck at Augustain Kyre/Kyar..and other variations. Both the first and last name are spelled differently. I have his birth around 1760 in Virginia but no hard proof of that. My thinking is his family did come from Canada,possibly the Quebec area. Have you come across this name anywhere? What time frame are you working on? What are the names you are finding? I would love to be able to contine back with this line but so far I am at a brick wall. Well write back as I would love to hear more on your research, and finds. I am from Ohio where my line moved around 1818. I guess they finally found a spot they liked. Jennifer
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Hi, Matthew -
There are probably a few different ethnic backgrounds from which the spelling "Kyer" might have derived. My own Kyer family name comes from Denmark. The original spelling was Kjær when they immigrated. The word "kjær" is an outdated Danish word referring to a small lake or pond.
Since there is no special character in English to represent the "æ", it evolved into "Kyer". Perhaps this might be worth checking in your family history as well.
Good luck!
Susan
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My grandfather William Coir (b1864) Imigrated to the US from the Dundas Country of Ont (Morrisville area), Canada sometime around 1898 He became a citizen in 1904. His father was Charles Coir. I have also heard that the name was formally spelled Kyer or something similar. My oldest living relatives deny this. I have found many Coir's in the current phone listings of Germany and Holland.
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