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Chenoweth History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Chenoweth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Chenoweth family

The surname Chenoweth was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Chinouth. Cornwall was a land set apart, a land of mystique and quaint customs, more strongly related to Brittany and Wales than to England. It was not until the 10th century that they submitted to the Saxon rule of England. Since then, their influence has moved east into Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

Early History of the Chenoweth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chenoweth research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1079, 1142, 1149, 1162, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Chenoweth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chenoweth Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Chenouth, Chinouth, Chenow, Chenou and others.

Early Notables of the Chenoweth family

More information is included under the topic Early Chenoweth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chenoweth Ranking

In the United States, the name Chenoweth is the 6,272^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Chenoweth migration to the United States +

An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Chenoweth:

Chenoweth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Chenoweth, (b. 1877), aged 20, Cornish carpenter travelling aboard the ship "Paris" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 4th September 1897 en route to New York, USA 2

Chenoweth Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Francis Chenoweth, (b. 1855), aged 49, American harness maker travelling aboard the ship "Germanic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 12th September 1904 en route to Cleveland, Ohio, USA 2
Thomas Chenoweth, who landed in Alabama in 1913 3

Chenoweth migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Chenoweth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Chenoweth, aged 32, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Harry Lorrequer" 4
Joseph Chenoweth, aged 24, a mason, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Lysander" 5
Jane Chenoweth, aged 22, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Lysander" 5
John Chenoweth, aged 23, a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Fortune" 6
Ellen Chenoweth, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "South Sea"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chenoweth migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7

Chenoweth Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Mr. John Chenoweth, aged 20, emigrating from St Merryn, Cornwall to West Indies, to become an indebted servant to James Gerald, a vintner (winemaker) originally from Bishopsgate, London, England on 2nd August 1722 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Chenoweth (post 1700) +

Francis A. Chenoweth (1819-1899), American lawyer and politician
Vida Chenoweth (b. 1929), the first American professional solo classical marimbist
John Edgar Chenoweth (1897-1986), American Republican politician
Kristin Chenoweth (b. 1968), American singer and actress
Lemuel Chenoweth (1811-1887), American carpenter, legislator and self-educated architect
Oscar I. Chenoweth, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 8½ aerial victories
John Edgar Chenoweth (1897-1986), American Republican politician, Colorado Republican State Chair, 1937-40; U.S. Representative from Colorado 3rd District, 1941-49, 1951-65; Defeated, 1948, 1964 9
John Bartlett Chenoweth (1914-1966), American Democratic Party politician, Randolph County Sheriff, 1948-52; Member of West Virginia State Senate 12th District, 1955-58 9
Helen P. Chenoweth (1938-2006), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Idaho 1st District, 1995-2001 9
Harry William Chenoweth (d. 1997), American politician, Mayor of Nutley, New Jersey, 1953-54 9
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HARRY LORREQUER 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849HarryLorrequer.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LYSANDER 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Lysander.htm
South Australian Register Thursday 8th June 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Fortune 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/fortune1854.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to USA 1718 - 1759, Indentured servitude [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_america_1718_59_indentured_servitude.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html