Backster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Backster

What does the name Backster mean?

The name is derived from the Old English "boecestre" which was a feminine form of the word "baker." 1 2 3 4

Early Origins of the Backster family

The surname Backster was first found in Devon where a Liueger se Bacestere was listed as an Old English Byname in 1093. Other early records include a Hannah Bakestre in the Chester Assize Rolls of 1260, and a William le Baxtere in the Suffolk Feet of Fines for 1333. 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two entries for the family with early spellings: Giliana le Bacster, Huntingdonshire; and John le Bakestere, Norfolk. Other early rolls proved the widespread use of the family's name: Writs of Parliament - Elias le Baxtere, 1302; Calendarium Inquisitionum Post Mortem - Bartholomew le Bakestere; Calendarium Rotulorum Originalium - Andrew le Bakester. The latter two entries showed the 'occupational' use of the name as in Bartholomew le Bakestere (Bartholomew the Baker.)

Later in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls included Agnes Bakester and Cecilia Bakester, vidua. 6

Early History of the Backster family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Backster research. Another 43 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1615, 1650, 1691, 1723, 1732, 1781, 1782, 1784, 1810, 1813, 1821, 1827, 1854, 1858, 1871, 1875, 1877 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Backster History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Backster Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Backster include Baxter, Bakster, Baxster, Baxstair, Baxstare and others.

Early Notables of the Backster family

Richard Baxter (1615-1691) English author and Puritan, the son of Richard Baxter, of Eaton-Constantine, near Shrewsbury, in Shropshire. His brother William Baxter (1650-1723), was a scholar, born in 1650 at Lanhigan in Shropshire. When he proceeded to Harrow at the very late age of eighteen, he could neither read nor understand one word of any language but Welsh. 7 Thomas Baxter (1782-1821), the English China painter, of whom an account is given in 'A Century of Potting in the City of Worcester,' by R. W. Binns, 1877, was born in Worcester on 18 Feb. 1782. His father had workshops in London, connected...
Another 197 words (14 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Backster Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Backster family to Ireland

Some of the Backster family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Backster migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Backster were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Backster Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Backster, who landed in Virginia in 1618 8
Elinor Backster, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 8
John Backster, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 8
Roger Backster, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 8
Thomas Backster, who arrived in New England in 1662 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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
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)