Beals History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Beals surname is thought to have been created from one of the places so named (in Northumberland, and in West Yorkshire). The place name derives from the Old English "beo," meaning "bee" and "hyll," meaning "hill." There is also a Norman name Beals derived from the Old French "bel."
Early Origins of the Beals family
The surname Beals was first found in Northumberland. Today Beeley is a village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of northern Derbyshire, near Bakewell. In the Domesday Book, the place name was listed as Begelie 1
Also in Northumberland, Beal with Lowlin is a township, in the parish of Kyloe, union of Berwick-Upon-Tweed, in Islandshire. 2 Bealon-the-Hill, is a hamlet in north Durham, close to the sea. "In Testa de Nevill it is spelt Behil, and it is recorded there that Gilbert de Behil held it of the see of Durham." 3 4
Raine's History and Antiquities of North Durham notes Thomas de Behil there in 1382 and Laurence Beil in 1517.
The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 noted Willelmus Beall as holding lands there at that time. 4
Early History of the Beals family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beals research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1203, 1541, 1601, 1608, 1621, 1632, 1651, 1660, 1664, 1665, 1674, 1683, 1684, 1697, 1699, 1813, 1816, 1820, 1840 and 1854 are included under the topic Early Beals History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Beals Spelling Variations
The name Beals, appeared in many references, and from time to time, the surname was spelt Beal, Beale, Beall, Bealle, Beel, Beele, Beales, Bealer and many more.
Early Notables of the Beals family
Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Robert Beale (1541-1601), and English diplomatist and antiquary, said to have been descended from a family settled at Woodbridge in Suffolk. 5
William Beale (died 1651), was an English Royalist churchman, Master in turn of Jesus College, Cambridge and St John's College, Cambridge; John Beale (c.1608-1683), an English clergyman, scientific writer, and early Fellow of the Royal Society; Sir John Beale (1621-1684)...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beals Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Beals Ranking
In the United States, the name Beals is the 4,142nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6
Beals migration to the United States +
The New World beckoned as many of the settlers in Ireland, known as the Scotch/Irish, became disenchanted. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Amongst the early settlers who could be considered kinsmen of the Beals family, or who bore a variation of the surname Beals were
Beals Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Beals, who landed in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1638 7
Beals Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- George Beals, who landed in New York in 1822 7
- H H Beals, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1849 7
- H C Beals, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
- S H Beals, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
- Beals, aged 20, who settled in America, in 1892
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Beals Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Eugene Beals, who settled in America, in 1906
- Edward M. Beals, who landed in America, in 1907
- Helen Beals, who landed in America, in 1907
- Clyde Olden Beals, aged 11, who immigrated to America, in 1908
- Darwin Beals, aged 20, who landed in America, in 1909
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Beals (post 1700) +
- Richard William Beals (b. 1938), American mathematician
- Melba Pattillo Beals (b. 1941), born Melba Joy Pattillo, an American journalist, member of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who were the first to integrate Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas
- Jennifer Beals (b. 1963), American Golden Globe Award nominated film actress, best known for starring role in Flashdance (1983)
- Richard "Dick" Beals (1927-2012), American voice actor, best known as the voice of "Speedy Alka-Seltzer", featured in television commercials for more than 50 years
- Alyn Richard Beals (1921-1993), American football end/defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers (1946-1951)
- William Beals, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 8th District, 1874 8
- Walter Burges Beals (b. 1876), American Republican politician, Superior Court Judge in Washington, 1926-28; Justice of Washington State Supreme Court, 1928-36 8
- Samuel DeWitt Beals, American politician, Member of University of Nebraska Board of Regents, 1869-71 8
- James Franklin Beals (1839-1914), American politician, Member of Tennessee State Legislature 8
- Elvina S. Beals, American politician, Delegate to Socialist National Convention from California, 1920; Candidate for U.S. Senator from California, 1920; Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 6th District, 1922 8
- ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Suggested Readings for the name Beals +
- The Quaker Yeomen by James E. Ballarts.
- Memoranda of the Early Settlement of Friends in the North-West Territory, and Especially of Thomas Beals by Gershom Perdue.
Citations +
- 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.
- Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html