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Show ContentsBerres History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The ancestral home of the Berres family is in the Scottish-English border region where their ancestors lived among the clans of the Boernician tribe. They lived in or near the place named Byers in Scotland. The place-name, Byers, derives from the Old English word byre, which means cattle shed. 1 Thus, Byers is of two derivations, topographical and habitational.

Alternatively, the name could have been Norman in origin originating a "the chateau of Biars in the canton of Isigni, La Manche, Normandy. " 2 3

Early Origins of the Berres family

The surname Berres was first found in East Lothian, where they held a family seat from ancient times. One of the first records of the name related to the place name as in David de Lindsay the younger, also called David Lindsay of the Byres (died 1279), a 13th century Scottish knight and crusader. John de Pyres appears as a monk of Neubotle in 1309. Thome de Byris owned a tenement in Edinburgh in 1392, and in 1534 Thomas Byrs was admitted burgess of Aberdeen. 4 Today, Byres Road is a famous street located in Hillhead, Glasgow.

In England, the first record of the family was found in Devon where Elias de la Byare was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275. A few years later, Willelmus del Byre was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1301 and later again, John Buyres was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327. 5

Early History of the Berres family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Berres research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1309, 1392, 1534, 1593, 1639, 1653, 1681, 1690, 1694, 1733, 1750, 1790, 1817 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Berres History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Berres Spelling Variations

A lack of rules and the tendency of scribes to spell according to the sound of the word plagued medieval spelling. Not surprisingly, an enormous number of spelling variations appeared. Berres has been written Byers, Byres, Byer, Buyers, Byris and others.

Early Notables of the Berres family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Nicholas Byer (d. 1681), Norwegian painter, a native of Drontheim in Norway. He practised portrait and historical painting, and on emigrating to England found a steady patron in Sir William Temple, at whose seat at Sheen, in Surrey, he lived for three or four years. His reputation as a face-painter must have been considerable; several persons of distinction, including some members of the royal family, sat to him. Dying at Sheen in 1681 he is said to have been the first person buried at...
Another 91 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Berres Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Berres family to Ireland

Some of the Berres family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Berres migration to the United States +

Many Scots crossed the Atlantic for North America hoping to escape poverty, as well as persecution. Much of their heritage was lost along the way and overtime. This century, however, Clan societies and highland games have allowed many ancestral Scots to recover their birthright. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Berres arrived in North America very early:

Berres Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Berres, aged 42, who landed in America, in 1892
Berres Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Annie Berres, aged 42, who immigrated to the United States from Dublin, in 1911
  • Hannah Berres, aged 10, who settled in America from Dublin, in 1911
  • Josef Berres, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Viden, Austria, in 1913
  • Rosa Berres, aged 1, who landed in America from Haskioi, Turkey, in 1913
  • Sarra Berres, aged 24, who immigrated to America from Haskioi, Turkey, in 1913

Contemporary Notables of the name Berres (post 1700) +

  • Raymond Frederick Berres (1907-2007), American Major League Baseball catcher and pitching coach
  • Luis Conrado Batlle y Berres (1897-1964), Uruguayan politician, President of Uruguay (1947-1951)
  • Heinz-Edgar Berres, German fighter pilot and flying ace in the Luftwaffe, during World War II, credited with 53 aerial victories, awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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