History of the Annis Family Crest

GULES A MULLET ARGENT and a CHIEF MASCLE OR

"This is evidence that an Annis at one time in the distant past was given a grant to bear arms, which placed him as a member of the squire class, or better, and showed the world that he was a free man. It is a very old grant.”- Burke's General Armory
"GULES" of red, denotes military fortitude and magnanimity.
"MULLET" is a star of five points and denotes some divine quality bestowed from above, whereby men shine in virtue, learning work and piety, like stars on the earth.
"ARGENT" white or silver, signifies peace and sincerity.
"CHIEF" which occupies the whole of the top and one third of the total surface area of the shield of arms, signifies dominion and authority and has often been granted as a special reward for prudence and wisdom, as well as successful command in war.
"MASCLE OR" which is a hollow diamond of gold or yellow and denotes generosity and elevation of mind. There is no motto associated with the crest or coat of arms.

The true origins and meaning of the surname Annis may never be fully uncovered from the dimness of antiquity. The surname Annis may be found in many different cultures and nations including, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, and Italy. In all likelihood it stems from the ancient Greek ‘Agnes’ meaning 'pure' or 'holy'.
The earliest surviving English records of the name Annis, and its subsequent changes and derivations, are found in the midland shires of Nottingham, Worchester, Leicester, and Huntingdon during the 11th century A.D. The Annis families residing there at that time held both large and small estates, and are recorded in the two large volumes of the Domesday Book.
There is ample evidence that these Annis families in England were of Saxon origin, and that many of them lost their lands and titles upon the Norman invasion of England.

Tracing the Lineage

“When he set sail for the New World, leaving faded, broken dreams, and an uncertain future behind him, we can imagine his fear and anticipation as he held on to the ship's rail and watched the land disappear on the eastern horizon. Cormac knew that he also held onto a new future and opportunity in a wider and more promising land. He did not leave his home in Ireland and travel to this land seeking an easy berth. He came with the full knowledge that to establish himself and raise up a new family would mean only unrelenting toil and severe hardship. This is the story of his success in establishing his family in North America. It is also the story of the many other early Annis pioneers and their legacy.”

Ship type: Mary and John made several trips to Massachusetts Bay Colony

This lineage follows the patrilineal tradition of tracing the lineage through the father. This is the dominant tradition in most modern societies. Matrilineal lineage, or tracing descent through the mother is more typical in traditional societies (such as Native Americans), although the modern-day Basques in Spain and France are also matrilineal.
Further, in the patrilineal tradition, while a man may have many sons and daughters, the direct line of descent is when there are male descendants in each generation, in order to have a continuity of the family name. If a man has more than one son, then typically it’s through the eldest son.
However, it may be that the eldest son has no male heir, in which case the lineage follows from the second son and so forth. If at any time in this progression there are no male heirs, then that lineage comes to an end.
Fortunately, in each generation proceeding from Cormac Annis, there has been at least one male heir to carry the family name. Thus there is an unbroken line of descent for 375 years, from Cormac to Austin.

First Generation:
Charles (Cormac) Annis was born 1638 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ulster Province, Ireland. In 1664 he set sail for the New World and died December 19, 1717 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts. Charles is often referred to in the early records of Essex County as "Curmac", "Curmack" or "Cormac". It has been recorded, without documentation, that he was the son of an English soldier stationed at the fortress city of Enniskillen. The fact that he went by both Charles and Cormac (the name of an ancient Celtic king) may lead to the deduction that his mother was native Irish.

It has been established with certainty that Cormac was considered an Irishman by his fellow citizens of Newbury, Massachusetts. He was not a "freeman" when he arrived at Newbury. The record of to whom he was indentured has not been discovered, but in 1678 he took the Oath of Allegiance and was made a Freeman named Cormac Annis (along with several other Irish settlers), and was among the first to introduce potatoes as a viable food crop in Massachusetts.

Cormac is recorded as a "Planter" and from evidence of his many land holdings and homesteads at the time of his death, he was a very successful one as well (e.g., he appears on the 1688 tax roles with the following holdings: "3 heads of household, 1 house, 5 acres plow land, 3 horses, 5 cows 20 sheep and 3 hogs").

He married Sarah Chase on May 15, 1666 in Newbury, Massachusetts. She was the eldest daughter of Aquila Chase and Ann Wheeler and was born on July 6, 1647 in Newbury. They had eight known children, including Abraham.

More about Cormac Annis including the Last Will and Testament