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![Show Contents]() Pearshall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The name Pearshall was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Pearshall family lived in Staffordshire, at Pearsall, from whence they took their name. "The family are of Norman origin, having been founded, at the place referred to, by Robert, a follower of Robert of Stafford, early in the reign of the Conqueror. He was son of Gilbert, son of Richard, Count of Corbeil in Normandy." 1 Early Origins of the Pearshall familyThe surname Pearshall was first found in Staffordshire where they held an estate now known as Pearshall, Peshale or Pershall. 2 Robert Fitz Gilbert de Corbeil, acquired the manor of Peshale, and his son Robert was the first to begin calling himself de Peshale after the name of this manor. 3 Another early record was found in the "Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I." which listed Thomas de Peshale, Staffordshire. 4 Early History of the Pearshall familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pearshall research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1341, 1374, 1376, 1531, 1539, 1629, 1633, 1634, 1653, 1670, 1676, 1696, 1702, 1795 and 1856 are included under the topic Early Pearshall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Pearshall Spelling VariationsIt is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Pearshall 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 Pearshall include Pearsall, Pershall, Persall, Parsil, Parcell, Parcel and many more. Early Notables of the Pearshall familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was John Persall (1633-1702), alias Harcourt, English Jesuit, born in Staffordshire in 1633, from of an ancient Catholic family there, vice-provincial of England in 1696. He entered the...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pearshall Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Pearshall familyFaced 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 Pearshall, or a variant listed above: Jonas Parshall, who settled in Virginia in 1620; Thomas Pearsall, who arrived in Virginia in 1631; Henry Pearsall, who arrived in Long Island in 1657.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
- Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
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