Show ContentsChesebro History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The present generation of the Chesebro family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in Cheshire, a county in the northwest of England on the border with Wales. It is from the name of the county that the family name is derived. The name meant "a dweller in a town in Cheshire." This is because the suffix -borough indicated residence in a town.

However, one source disagrees. Reaney claims the name is from Cheeseburn, Northumberland, originally known as Cheseburgh in 1286. 1 Today Cheeseburn Grange survives near Stamfordham, Northumberland (Newcastle upon Tyne) and was the traditional home of the Widdringtons.

Early Origins of the Chesebro family

The surname Chesebro was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Chesebro family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chesebro research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1427, 1430, 1431, 1526, 1594, 1611, 1649 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Chesebro History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chesebro Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Chesebro include Chesbrough, Cheesebourgh, Cheesbrough, Cheseborough, Chesebrough and many more.

Early Notables of the Chesebro family

Notables of this surname at this time include: David Cherbury or Chirbury (fl. 1430), Bishop of Dromore, a Carmelite friar, possibly a member of the Oxford house of his order, since he is recorded to have built its library. "He was made Bishop of Dromore, probably in 1427, but he must have...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chesebro Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chesebro family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Chesebro were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: William Cheesebrough who settled in Boston Massachusetts and later moved to Salem, with his wife Anne, daughter Sarah, and three sons, Peter, Samuel, and Nathanial, in 1630..



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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