First found in Yorkshire where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Shorthouses to arrive on North American shores: Thomas Shorthouse who arrived in Philadelphia in 1797; another Thomas Shorthouse arrived in New York in 1822; Michael Shortis settled in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1845..

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