| ![Show Contents]() Gamson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The ancient roots of the Gamson family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Gamson comes from when the family lived on the bank of a river or stream named the of Cam. The surname Gamson is topographic in nature, the type of surname that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a river or stream. The surname also refers to the camb, which is the crest of a hill or a dike. Early Origins of the Gamson familyThe surname Gamson was first found in Gloucestershire, where the name is associated with the village of Cam, a parish, in the union of Dursley, Upper division of the hundred of Berkeley. "This place is distinguished as the scene of a battle fought between the Saxons and the Danes, in the reign of Edward the Elder. The parish takes its name from a rivulet that divides it into Upper and Lower, and falls into the Severn at Frampton." 1 In the Domesday Book survey of 1086 Cam was recorded as King's land. 2 Early in the history of the family name it branched to Lincolnshire, where Ralph de Caham was registered in 1162, to Norfolk, where Osbert de Cam was living during the reign of King Henry II, and to Hampshire, where Fabian de Cam was recorded in 1184 and William Cam in 1205. By the 13th century the name was established in Somerset, where William de Camme was living in 1214. Hugh de Camme was a resident of Gloucestershire in 1221. 3 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists the following: Henry del Cam, Suffolk; and Robert de Cam, Oxfordshire. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus Cambe, conttabularius; Johannes Cambe; and Nicholaus Cambe as all holding lands there at that time. 4 Early History of the Gamson familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gamson research. Another 258 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1326, 1399, 1415, 1500, 1604, 1627, 1633, 1641, 1656, 1705, 1707, 1716, 1733 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Gamson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Gamson Spelling VariationsOne relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Gamson has appeared include Cam, Camm, Camme, Caham, Cahm, Cahme and others. Early Notables of the Gamson familyNotables of this surname at this time include: John de Cam, the Rector of Kirkby-Cane in Norfolk in 1326. David Gam (d. 1415), was a Welsh warrior, "more properly styled Davydd ab Llewelyn. 'Gam' is a nickname meaning 'squinting,' which, like other Welsh nicknames, became equivalent to a surname. David's father was Llewelyn, the son of Hywel, the son of Eineon Sais. Llewelyn possessed fair estates in the parishes of Garthbrengy and Llanddew,which lay within the honour or lordship of Brecon, a dependency of the earldom of Hereford, and after 1399 lapsed to the crown by the accession of Henry IV...
Another 140 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gamson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Gamson migration to the United States | + |
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Gamson arrived in North America very early:
Gamson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Joseph Gamson, aged 14, who immigrated to America, in 1895
- Sara Gamson, aged 12, who landed in America, in 1895
Gamson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Chaim Gamson, aged 5, who settled in America, in 1902
- Joseph Gamson, aged 22, who landed in America from Coatbridge, in 1904
- Isabel Gamson, who landed in America, in 1905
- Nenche Gamson, aged 16, who immigrated to the United States from Radzilowska, Russia, in 1906
- Emil Gamson, aged 42, who immigrated to the United States, in 1912
| Gamson migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Gamson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
| Contemporary Notables of the name Gamson (post 1700) | + |
- Annabelle Gamson (1928-2023), born Annabelle Gold, an American dancer and choreographer, mother of music producer and songwriter David Gamson
- William Anthony Gamson (1934-2021), American professor of Sociology at Boston College
- Stephen Gamson (b. 1965), American artist and art collector
- Arnold U. Gamson (b. 1928), American conductor, Music Director and principal conductor of the American Opera Society (1950 to 1960)
- David Gamson, American keyboardist/musician
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
|
Gamson migration to the United States 
Gamson migration to Australia 
