Blach History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Blach is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Blach was a name used for a person associated with the color black. The name Blach may have referred to someone with black hair or clothing, or to somone who worked in a profession such as chimney sweeping, which left its practitioners covered in soot.

Early Origins of the Blach family

The surname Blach was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. It is said that the first family of Black were converted to Christianity by Paulinus, the head of the family being Prefect of Lincoln, about 628. They moved northward, however, and were well established in Scotland by 1175 A.D.

Early History of the Blach family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blach research. Another 165 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1756, 1760, 1778, 1797, 1854, 1886 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Blach History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blach Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Blach include Black, Blacke and others.

Early Notables of the Blach family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blach Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Blach family to Ireland

Some of the Blach family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blach migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Blach were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Blach Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Blach, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1773 1

Blach Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Blach, aged 20, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1850 1

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)