This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Otowell research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the year 1120 is included under the topic Early Otowell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Otowell Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Ottiwell, Ottewell, Ottawell, Ottowell, Ottiwill, Ottwell and many more.
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Early Notables of the Otowell family
More information is included under the topic Early Otowell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Otowell family
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Otowell name or one of its variants: Thomas Ottawell who arrived in Virginia in 1623; Thomas Ottowell, who came to Virginia in 1624; George Ottawell, who settled in Maryland in 1754; and Bridget Otwell, who settled in New York State in 1853..
England
