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Ellery History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Ellery History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Today's generation of the Ellery family bears a name that was brought to England by the wave of emigration that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the medieval given name Hillary, which was originally derived from the Latin personal name Hilarius, which means cheerful glad, happy and joyful.

"Fr Hilaire, Hilari, Lat hilaris ‘cheerful’, the name of several saints, in particular St Hilarius of Poitiers (d. 368). The name was popular in France and not uncommon in England." 1

Early Origins of the Ellery family

The surname Ellery was first found in Worcester where the first record of the name was in Latin and as a forename: Hilarius Brunus who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1177. Following this, we found Richard Ilarie in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1227 and later, Willelmus Hillar (Ylarius) in the Pipe Rolls for Worcester in 1230. Rober and William Hillari were listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 in Lincolnshire and the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1283. 1

Hilary (fl. 1125), was a medieval Latin poet, who "is supposed to have been a native of England from the fact that one of his poems narrates the life of Eva, an English recluse, who died in Anjou, as well as from various allusions in other of his poems, some of which are addressed to English friends." 2

Hilary (d. 1169) was Bishop of Chichester, nominated to the bishopric in 1146, and consecrated by Archbishop Theobald at Canterbury 3 August 1147. "On the deposition of William, Archbishop of York, in the same year, the majority of the chapter chose Hilary, but Pope Eugenius III preferred Henry Murdac, the candidate of the minority. Hilary seems to have gone to France at this time, and to have endeavoured to defend King Stephen before the pope." 2

Early History of the Ellery family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ellery research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1206, 1722, 1734, 1752, 1758 and 1763 are included under the topic Early Ellery History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellery Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval 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. The name has been spelled Hillary, Hillery and others.

Early Notables of the Ellery family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Hillary (d. 1763), an English physician, "was a pupil of Boerhaave at Leyden, where he graduated M.D. in 1722, writing a dissertation on...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ellery Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellery migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Ellery or a variant listed above:

Ellery Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Ellery, who landed in Maryland in 1654 3
Elizabeth Ellery, who arrived in Maryland in 1668 3
William Ellery, who landed in New England in 1672 3

Ellery Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eliza Ellery, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1794 3

Ellery Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Jonathan Ellery, (b. 1825), aged 23, Cornish miner departing from Penzance aboard the ship "Mountaineer" arriving in the United States on 29th May 1848 4
John B Ellery, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Ellery Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. William Thomas Ellery, (b. 1894), aged 9, American returning from Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Etruria" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 13th June 1903 en route to New York, USA 5
Mr. John Ellery, (b. 1862), aged 42, Cornish carpenter travelling aboard the ship "Germanic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 12st September 1904 en route to Mobile, Alabama, USA 5

Ellery migration to Australia +

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

Ellery Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Peter Ellery, (b. 1805), aged 34, Cornish labourer travelling aboard the ship "Orient" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 4th April 1839 6
Mrs. Susan Ellery, (b. 1805), aged 34, Cornish servant travelling aboard the ship "Orient" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 4th April 1839 6
Johamah Ellery, (b. 1838), aged 1, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Orient" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 4th April 1839 6
Mr. Peter Ellery, (b. 1804), aged 34, Cornish farmer travelling aboard the ship "Orient" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 4th April 1839 7
Mrs. Susan Ellery, (b. 1805), aged 34, Cornish farm servant travelling aboard the ship "Orient" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 4th April 1839 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ellery migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ellery Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Jane Ellery, (b. 1839), aged 24, Cornish settler departing on 20th October 1863 aboard the ship "Tiptree" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 20th January 1864 8
Mr. John Ellery, (b. 1839), aged 24, Cornish farm labourer departing on 20th October 1863 aboard the ship "Tiptree" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 20th January 1864 8
Miss Susan Ellery, (b. 1863), aged 10 months, Cornish settler departing on 20th October 1863 aboard the ship "Tiptree" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 20th January 1864 8
Mr. William Ellery, (b. 1854), aged 20, Cornish farm labourer departing on 3rd November 1874 aboard the ship "Lady Jocelyn" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 21st January 1875 8
Mr. William Ellery, (b. 1852), aged 22, Cornish farm labourer departing on 3rd November 1874 aboard the ship "Lady Jocelyn" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 21st January 1875 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ellery (post 1700) +

William Ellery Sr. (1701-1764), American merchant and politician, 31st Deputy Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (1748-1750)
Greg Ellery, American actor, known for his work on The Room (2003), The Bike Squad (2005) and Full Frame (2014)
Kristina Ellery, American actress, known for her work on Ted (2012), Fallen Cards (2014) and 2 (2007)
William Ellery (1720-1820), American signer of the United States Declaration of Independence for Rhode Island, 23rd Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court (1785-1786), second son of William Ellery, Sr
Christopher Ellery (1768-1840), American politician, United States Senator from Rhode Island (1801-1805)
William Ellery, American politician, Postmaster at Hartford, Connecticut, 1775-78 9
William Ellery (1727-1820), American politician, Delegate to Continental Congress from Rhode Island, 1776, Justice of Rhode Island State Supreme Court, 1785 9
Robert J. Ellery, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from St. Clair District, 1962 9
Lawrence C. Ellery, American Republican politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Keene 4th Ward; Elected 1938; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1940 9
Joseph F. Ellery, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1868 9
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_bounty_nsw.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html