Whitmire History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Whitmire family
The surname Whitmire was first found in Staffordshire where Whitmore is a parish in the union Newcastle-under-Lyme in the hundred of Pirehill and dates back to the Domesday Book 1 where it was listed as Witemore.
The name was derived from the Old English words hwit + mor which collectively mean "white moor or marsh" 2
The parish has remained rather small in population as in 1873 it listed only 367 inhabitants. Whitmore Hall, is still standing today and was held by the Whitmore family until the 16th century when Alice Boghay, a Whitmore heiress married Edward Mainwaring of Biddulph. From then on, it passed to the Cavenagh-Mainwaring family who still hold the hall as a private residence today. It is important to now note the younger Shropshire branch of the family.
"This is a younger branch of an ancient family formerly seated at Whittimere or Whitmore, in the parish of Claverley, where it is traced to the reign of Henry III. " 3
Early History of the Whitmire family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitmire research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1572, 1593, 1599, 1612, 1620, 1637, 1640, 1648, 1653, 1654, 1659, 1661, 1666, 1677, 1695 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Whitmire History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Whitmire Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Whitmore, Whitmer, Whytemere, Whitemore, Whittimere, Whittimore and many more.
Early Notables of the Whitmire family
Distinguished members of the family include Sir William Whitmore (1572-1648), an English landowner and politician, Sheriff of Shropshire in 1620, he inherited Apley Hall, Shropshire on the death of his father in 1593; Sir Thomas Whitmore, 1st Baronet (1612-1653), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Bridgnorth in 1640; Sir William Whitmore, 2nd Baronet (1637-1699), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Bridgnorth in...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whitmire Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Whitmire Ranking
In the United States, the name Whitmire is the 3,869th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4
Migration of the Whitmire family to Ireland
Some of the Whitmire family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Whitmire migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Whitmire Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Frank Whitmire, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1857 5
Whitmire Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Caroline S. Whitmire, aged 40, destined for Rome, Georgia, arrived in New York in 1908 aboard the ship "Princess Irene" from Genoa, Italy 6
- M. Whitmire, aged 24, arrived in New York in 1909 aboard the ship "La Savoie" from Havre, France 6
- Anthony J. Whitmire, aged 27, arrived in New York in 1911 aboard the ship "Kaiser Wilhelm II" from Bremen, Germany 6
- Maria Whitmire, aged 28, destined for Pittisfield, Mass, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Columbia" from Glasgow, Scotland 6
- Clyde Whitmire, aged 16, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Lake Gladsten" from Matanzas, Cuba 6
Whitmire migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Whitmire Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. John Whitmire U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 7
Contemporary Notables of the name Whitmire (post 1700) +
- Steven Lawrence "Steve" Whitmire (b. 1959), American puppeteer, best known for being the performer of Kermit the Frog
- Stan Whitmire (b. 1963), American Christian pianist from Atlanta, Georgia
- Kathryn Jean "Kathy" Whitmire (b. 1946), née Niederhofer, American politician, the first female Mayor of the city of Houston, Texas (1982-1992)
- John Harris Whitmire (b. 1949), American attorney and politician, Member of the Texas Senate (1983-)
- Rear Admiral Donald Boone Whitmire (1922-1991), American naval officer, football tackle for the University of Alabama and at the United States Naval Academy from 1941 to 1944, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956
- William "Bill" Whitmire (b. 1948), American politician, Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives (2003-)
Suggested Readings for the name Whitmire +
- The Families of the Sons of Christopher Columbus Whitmire, Sr., 1774-1842 by Haskell Pruett.
- Sons of Frontiersman: History & Genealogy of Rowland, Whitmire and Associated Families by Billie Louise Owens.
- The Whitmer Family Genealogy by Dallis Whitmer.
Citations +
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, 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)
- Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X