| ![Show Contents]() Balam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Balam has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in Suffolk, where they held a family seat in the village of Baylham, from which they took their name. Early Origins of the Balam familyThe surname Balam was first found in Suffolk, in the village and civil parish of Baylham. The village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Beleham and probably meant "homestead or enclosure at a river-bend" from the Old English words "begel" + "ham" or "hamm." 1 The parish, in the union and hundred of Bosmere and Claydon, East division of Suffolk, 3 miles from Needham-Market was small but contained about 275 inhabitants in the late 1890s. 2 Early History of the Balam familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balam research. Another 287 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1212, 1275, 1500, 1568, 1577, 1600, 1635, 1642, 1684 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Balam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Balam Spelling VariationsSpelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Balam have been found, including Baalham, Balan, Baylham, Balum, Balam, Ballam, Balaam and many more. Early Notables of the Balam familyDistinguished members of the family include - Roger Balam, Rector of Walsoken in Norfolk in the 1600s
 Migration of the Balam family to Ireland
Some of the Balam family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Balam migration to the United States | + |
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Balam, or a variant listed above:
Balam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Thomas Balam, who arrived in South Carolina in 1683 3
Balam Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- William Balam, who sailed to Philadelphia in 1856
| Balam migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Balam Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. John Balam, British convict who was convicted in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada for 14 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
| Balam migration to West Indies | + |
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5Balam Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Charles Balam, who arrived in Barbados in 1679
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
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Balam migration to the United States 
Balam migration to Australia 
Balam migration to West Indies 
England
Ireland
