Baalam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Baalam comes from when the family resided in Suffolk, where they held a family seat in the village of Baylham, from which they took their name.

Early Origins of the Baalam family

The surname Baalam was first found in Suffolk, in the village and civil parish of Baylham. The village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Beleham and probably meant "homestead or enclosure at a river-bend" from the Old English words "begel" + "ham" or "hamm." 1

The parish, in the union and hundred of Bosmere and Claydon, East division of Suffolk, 3 miles from Needham-Market was small but contained about 275 inhabitants in the late 1890s. 2

Early History of the Baalam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baalam research. Another 287 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1212, 1275, 1500, 1568, 1577, 1600, 1635, 1642, 1684 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Baalam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baalam Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Baalam include Baalham, Balan, Baylham, Balum, Balam, Ballam, Balaam and many more.

Early Notables of the Baalam family

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

Migration of the Baalam family to Ireland

Some of the Baalam 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.

Baalam migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Baalam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Charles Baalam who sailed to New England in 1656
Charels Baalam, aged 18, who arrived in America in 1656 3
Charles Baalam, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1656 3

Baalam migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Baalam Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Henry Baalam, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "William Stevenson" in 1850 4

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.
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WILLIAM STEVENSON 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850WmStevenson.gif