Otowel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Early Origins of the Otowel family

Early History of the Otowel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Otowel research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the year 1120 is included under the topic Early Otowel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Otowel Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Otowel are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Otowel include Ottiwell, Ottewell, Ottawell, Ottowell, Ottiwill, Ottwell and many more.

Early Notables of the Otowel family

More information is included under the topic Early Otowel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Otowel family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Otowel, or a variant listed above: Thomas Ottawell who arrived in Virginia in 1623; Thomas Ottowell, who came to Virginia in 1624; George Ottawell, who settled in Maryland in 1754; and Bridget Otwell, who settled in New York State in 1853..