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The name Melfard is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in one of the various settlements called Milford in Derbyshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire, and the West Riding of Yorkshire, or in the place called Long Melford in the county of Suffolk. The surname Melfard belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
The surname Melfard was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, as Lords of the manor of Milford, in the diocese of York. This did not appear in the Domesday Book in 1080, and it must be assumed that the manor emerged about the 12th or 13th century.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Melfard research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1292, 1379, 1618, 1644, 1704 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Melfard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Melfard has been spelled many different ways, including Milforde, Milford, Millford, Millforde, Melford and many more.
Distinguished members of the family include Samuel "Fish Hook" Mulford (1644–1725), an American who went to London in 1704 to protest the tax on whale oil, which he used in farming. Warned beforehand of the sly workings of pickpockets in...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Melfard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Melfards to arrive in North America: David Milford who settled in Annapolis Maryland in 1729; Sarah Milford settled in Virginia in 1653; Samuel and Elizabeth Milford settled in New York State in 1820.