Heishman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Heishman is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from the son of Heysham.In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Heishman family

The surname Heishman was first found in Lancashire, at Heysham, a coastal village near Lancaster. The village dates back to the Domesday Book 1 when it was listed there as Hessam derived from the Old English words haes + ham and meant "homestead or village among the brushwood" 2

"Under the Normans, the manor of Heysham, anciently Hessam, was held by the service of cornage, where the lord was bound by his tenure to meet the king on the borders of the county, with his horn and a white wand, introducing him into the county, and attending him on his departure. From this tenure, it is probable that a branch of the family, de Hessam." 3

Today the village is a thriving community, but historically the ancient St. Patrick's Chapel, close to St. Peter's Church holds stone graves in the ruins and is home to many Saxon and Viking remains. The church itself contains an ancient Viking hogback stone. According to legend, St. Patrick landed here after crossing from Ireland and established the chapel.

Early History of the Heishman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heishman research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1682, 1697, 1700, 1702, 1704, 1714, 1723, 1724, 1733 and 1738 are included under the topic Early Heishman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heishman Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Heishman has undergone many spelling variations, including Heysham, Haysom, Hessam, Heshen and others.

Early Notables of the Heishman family

Distinguished members of the family include Richard Helsham (1682?-1738), "friend of Swift, was born probably in 1682 at Leggatsrath, co. Kilkenny. He was educated at Kilkenny College, entered Trinity College, Dublin, 18 July 1697, obtained a scholarship in 1700, graduated B.A. in 1702, was elected fellow in 1704, and was co-opted a senior fellow in 1714. He was lecturer in mathematics 1723-30, and was the first to hold the professorship of natural philosophy...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Heishman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Heishman family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Heishman were among those contributors: William Heysham, who sailed to Pennsylvania in 1773; and Michael Heshen to Philadelphia in 1858.

Contemporary Notables of the name Heishman (post 1700) +

C. C. Heishman (b. 1884), American Democratic Party politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Hardy County, 1939-42 4

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html