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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The surname Geneway was first found in Kent, where Gilbert Genewy was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1218-1219. Years later, with other early spellings, we found Peter de Geneva 1249, de Geneweye in the Feet of Fines for Herefordshire in 1251. 1
The name was likely a nickname for someone from Genoa. "The Genoese traded much with England, both in silks and spices." 2 3
"As late as the 16th cent. a native of Genoa was called in England a Jan(e)way." 4
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Geneway research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1562, 1576, 1628, 1633, 1636, 1638, 1657, 1670, 1674, 1715, 1717 and 1787 are included under the topic Early Geneway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Geneway has undergone many spelling variations, including Genewy, Genway, Gannaway, Jennaway, Janaway, January, Jennery, Jeneway, Janoway, Janeway, Janaway and many more.
Distinguished members of the family include James Janeway (1636-1674), a Puritan minister and children's author, second in popularity only to John Bunyan. He was the fourth son of William Janeway, and younger brother of John Janeway [q. v.], was born about the end of 1636 at...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Geneway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Geneway were among those contributors: settlers, who arrived along the eastern seaboard, from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands.