Filmore History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe present generation of the Filmore 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 Kent, where they took their name from some spot no longer known. However, the etymology of the name can be determined. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old English roots fille, which means full or fertile, and mere, a word which meant lake. 1 "This family formerly wrote their name Finmere, Fylmere, Filmour, and Filmor, temp. Edw. III., but of late, Filmer, and were seated at Otterinden in Kent, at a place called Finmore." 2 Early Origins of the Filmore familyThe surname Filmore was first found in Kent where they held a family seat from very ancient times at the manor of Herst, in the parish of Otterden, since the rteign of Edward II." 3 "Filmers belong to a distinguished Kentish family that had its home at East Sutton during the 17th century; some of its members were baronets, and others were sheriffs of the county." 4 Early History of the Filmore familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Filmore research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1622, 1632, 1648, 1653, 1657, 1676, 1683, 1688, 1689, 1707, 1720 and 1755 are included under the topic Early Filmore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Filmore Spelling VariationsUntil 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 Filmore include Fillmore, Filmore, Filmer, Filmere, Filmour and others. Early Notables of the Filmore familyDistinguished members of the family include Henry Filmer, a 16th-century English Protestant martyr, one of the Windsor Martyrs, during the reign of Henry VIII; William Fulman (1632-1688), an English antiquary 'the son of a sufficient carpenter'; Sir Robert Filmer (c. 1588-1653), an English political theorist who defended the divine right of...
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 Filmore were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Filmore Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
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