Parkhurst History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Parkhurst is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in the region of Parkhurst or wood in the park. Parkhurst is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Parkhurst family

The surname Parkhurst was first found in Herefordshire where Sir Osbern Pentecost (died 1054), a Norman knight who followed Edward the Confessor to England built the castle at Ewyas, one of the first Motte and Bailey structures in England. He like many other Normans was banished from England so he secured safe passage to Scotland in 1052 but was later killed at the Battle of Dunsinane.

"The Bishops of Exeter held Ashburton, [Devon] until it was assumed by the Crown under James I., and subsequently sold in moieties to Sir Robert Parkhurst and the Earl of Feversham. " 1

Early History of the Parkhurst family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Parkhurst research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1511, 1560, 1569, 1574, 1603, 1625, 1635, 1636, 1651, 1659, 1674, 1743, 1797 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Parkhurst History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Parkhurst Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Parkhurst has been spelled many different ways, including Parkhurst, Pankhurst and others.

Early Notables of the Parkhurst family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

John Parkhurst (c. 1511-1574), an English Marian exile and later Bishop of Norwich in 1560
Sir Robert Parkhurst (c.1569-1636), an English merchant who was Lord Mayor of London (1635-1636)
Sir Robert Parkhurst (1603-1651), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1625 and 1651

Parkhurst Ranking

In the United States, the name Parkhurst is the 5,698^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Parkhurst migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Parkhursts to arrive in North America:

Parkhurst Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Parkhurst, who settled in New England in 1630
Anthony Parkhurst, aged 42, British settler who settled in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Abraham"
Antho Parkhurst, who landed in Virginia in 1642 3
George Parkhurst, who arrived in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1643 3

Parkhurst Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Parkhurst, who settled in Maryland in 1774

Parkhurst Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J F Parkhurst, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
L Parkhurst, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Parkhurst (post 1700) +

John Adelbert Parkhurst (1861-1925), American astronomer
Helen Parkhurst (1887-1973), American educator, author, lecturer, founder of The Dalton School
Frederic Hale Parkhurst (1864-1921), American Republican politician, 52nd Governor of Maine (1921) 4
Charles Percy Parkhurst (1913-2008), American museum curator best known for his work on the Roberts Commission, tracking down art looted during World War II
Carolyn Parkhurst (b. 1971), American New York Times Best Seller author
Charley Darkey Parkhurst (1812-1879), born Mary Parkhurst, American stagecoach driver and early California settler, who having posed as a man for most of her life, may have been the first woman in the U.S. to vote
Michael Parkhurst (b. 1984), American soccer defender
Charles Henry Parkhurst (1842-1933), American clergyman and social reformer
Edward S. Parkhurst, American politician, Mayor of Gloversville, New York, 1900-01 5
Donald Parkhurst, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Peterborough, 1938 5
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2013, January 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html