Blackstone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Blackstone family

The surname Blackstone was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Blaxton, a township in the parish of Finningley, union and soke of Doncaster. 1

"Of William Blackstone, one of the earliest episcopal clergymen resident in New England (d. 1675) a biographer writes: 'His name was variantly spelled Blackstone, Blackston, and Blaxton." 2

"But it is not likely that Blaxton in Yorkshire is the sole parent of Blackstone and its variants. Doubtless other places in South England of the same name have had their share in making up the list of surnames found in our modern directories." 3

Continuing this direction, "Blackstone, Devon, was held [in the Domesday Book of ] 1086 by Alured le Breton (from Bretagne), who appears to have been succeeded by his grandson Payne Fitz-Serlo, who granted the church of Breton to Plympton Priory " 4

Following the aforementioned first record of the family, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists Agnes Blacston, as holding lands in Cambridgeshire. 3

Early History of the Blackstone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blackstone research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1582, 1589, 1595, 1603, 1620, 1623, 1630, 1631, 1649, 1650, 1659, 1673, 1675, 1691, 1692, 1698, 1702, 1723, 1771 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Blackstone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blackstone Spelling Variations

During the era when a person's name, tribe and posterity was one of his most important possessions, many different spellings were found in the archives examined. Blackstone occurred in many references, and spelling variations of the name found included Blackstone, Blakiston, Blakistone, Blaxton, Blackiston, Blackistone and many more.

Early Notables of the Blackstone family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Reverend William Blaxton (Blackstone) (1595-1675), an early British settler in New England in 1623, and the first European settler of modern-day Boston and Rhode Island. According to the records of Ma...
Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780), was an English judge, jurist and professor who produced the treatise on the common law entitled "Commentaries on the Laws of England" often referred to as "Blacksto...

Blackstone Ranking

In the United States, the name Blackstone is the 8,964^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Blackstone migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of illness and the elements, were buried at sea. In North America, early immigrants bearing the family name Blackstone, or a spelling variation of the surname include:

Blackstone Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Blackstone, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1620
William Blackstone, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1626 6
Tho Blackstone, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 6
John Blackstone in Virginia in 1635
John Blackstone, who landed in Maryland in 1661 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Blackstone Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Matthew Blackstone, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 6
John Blackstone, who settled in Virginia in 1720

Blackstone 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:

Blackstone Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Joseph Blackstone, aged 38, a mason, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dallam Tower" in 1875
Annie Blackstone, aged 38, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dallam Tower" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Blackstone (post 1700) +

Harry Blackstone Sr. (1885-1965), American magician known as "The Great Blackstone"
Thomas W. Blackstone, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1924 7
Suzanne Blackstone, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 2012 7
Stephen F. Blackstone, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Madison County, 1813-14 7
Ron Blackstone, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 2nd District, 1992 7
Lorenzo Blackstone, American politician, Mayor of Norwich, Connecticut, 1867; Member of Connecticut State Senate 8th District, 1879-80 7
L. E. Blackstone, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 22nd District, 1897-98 7
John W. Blackstone, American Republican politician, Member of Wisconsin State Senate, 1880-81 7
James Blackstone, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Branford, 1825-26, 1830, 1832; Member of Connecticut State Senate 6th District, 1841 7
J. August Blackstone, American politician, First Selectman of Branford, Connecticut, 1888 7
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
"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 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html