The ancestors of the bearers of the Shelcross family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-SaxonEngland. They were first found in the county of Derbyshire. The surname Shelcross is a habitation surname which forms a broad category of surnames that were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. In this case the family was named after the ancient stone cross that stood in the High Peak forest in the parish of Shackelcross.
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Early Origins of the Shelcross family
The surname Shelcross was first found in Derbyshire at Shallcross, a small village in northwestern portion of the shire. Some claim the name Shallcross comes from an ancient stone cross, known as the Shall Cross which dated back to 832 when St. Paulinus visited the area.
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Early History of the Shelcross family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shelcross research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1686 is included under the topic Early Shelcross History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Shelcross Spelling Variations
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Shelcross include Shallcross, Shalcross, Shawcross, Shallcrosse and others.
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Early Notables of the Shelcross family
More information is included under the topic Early Shelcross Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Shelcross family
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Shelcross or a variant listed above: Bradford, James and Samuel Shawcross arrived in Philadelphia between 1852 and 1871.
England
