Show ContentsWillms History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Willms family

The surname Willms was first found in Somerset where they held a family seat from ancient times and the Chief branch resided at Ilchester, but the senior branched removed to Poundsford Park in that shire.

Welham is a parish, in the union of Mahket-Harborough, hundred of Gartree, S. division of the county of Leicester. 1 ANd Welham is a village in the civil parish of Clarborough and Welham, in the district of Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire. Both date back to the Domesday Book where they were listed as Weleham and Wellun, respectively. It is thought that the place names mean "homestead by the stream" and/or "place at the springs." 2

Early History of the Willms family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Willms research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Willms History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Willms Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Welman, Wellman and others.

Early Notables of the Willms family

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


United States Willms migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Willms Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Humfrey Willms, aged 22, who landed in Virginia in 1635 3
  • Robert Willms, aged 44, who landed in Virginia in 1635 3
  • Roger Willms, (Williams), aged 16, who arrived in Bermuda, (Somers Islands) in 1635 aboard the ship "Truelove" 3
  • Richard Willms, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 3
  • Joane Willms, who landed in Virginia in 1655 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Willms Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Gerrit Willms, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1807 3
  • Mr. Jacob Willms, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Henry", with 5 chidlren
  • Elisabeth Willms, who arrived in New York, NY in 1878 3
  • Helena Willms, who arrived in New York, NY in 1878 3
  • Jakob Willms, who arrived in New York, NY in 1878 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Willms migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4
Willms Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Lewes Willms, aged 21, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 3


The Willms Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Dei providentia juvat
Motto Translation: The providence of God is our help.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. 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)
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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