Goldfinch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Goldfinch family

The surname Goldfinch was first found in Cambridgeshire where they held a family seat. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1260 when William Goldfing was recorded as a taxpayer in that shire.

Early History of the Goldfinch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goldfinch research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1277, 1455, 1487 and 1888 are included under the topic Early Goldfinch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goldfinch Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Goldfinch, Goldfinche, Goldfink, Goldspink, Goldfynch and many more.

Early Notables of the Goldfinch family

Distinguished members of the family include

R Goldfinch who discovered a fossilized elephant in Yorkshire in 1888

Goldfinch migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Goldfinch Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Goldfinch, who settled in Virginia in 1658
Jone Goldfinch, who arrived in Virginia in 1658 1
Peter Goldfinch, who landed in Virginia in 1696 1
Peter Goldfinch, who settled in Virginia in 1698

Goldfinch migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Goldfinch Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary Ann Goldfinch, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1838 2
Henry Goldfinch, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1838 2
Henry Goldfinch, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Recovery" in 1839 3
Richard Goldfinch, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 4
Eugenie Goldfinch, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Goldfinch migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Goldfinch Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Robert Lynch Goldfinch, who landed in Wairarapa, New Zealand in 1840
Mr. William Goldfinch, (b. 1849), aged 30, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 5
Mrs. Emma Goldfinch, (b. 1855), aged 24, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 5
Mr. Robert H. Goldfinch, (b. 1875), aged 4, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Goldfinch (post 1700) +

Stephen Goldfinch (b. 1982), American politician, Member of the South Carolina Senate (2016-), Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives (2012-2016)
Flight lieutenant Bill Goldfinch (1916-2007), English Royal Air Force pilot who co-built a glider in an attic of Colditz Castle, one of the most audacious of escape attempts from the famous World War II prison camp
Sir Philip Henry Macarthur Goldfinch KBE (1884-1943), English-born, Australian politician, Member for Gordon NSW (1935-1937)
Lt-General Henry Goldfinch KCB (1781-1854), British officer in the Royal Engineers who served during the Peninsular War of 1807 to 1814
Murray Goldfinch (b. 1984), Australian Paralympic bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games
Duncan Goldfinch (1888-1960), South Australian painter, noted for his watercolors of Central Australia.
Sir Arthur Horne Goldfinch (1866-1945), British businessman and Liberal Party politician, born in Valparaiso, Chile

Citations +

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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LLOYDS from London 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Lloyds.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RECOVERY from London 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Recovery.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The HARPLEY 1848 - PASSENGER LIST. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848HarpleyPassengerList.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html