The ancestors of the name Ballam date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Ballam family lived in Suffolk, where they held a family seat in the village of Baylham, from which they took their name.
The surname Ballam 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]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ballam research. Another 287 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1212, 1275, 1500, 1568, 1577, 1635, 1684, 1830, 1600 and 1642 are included under the topic Early Ballam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Ballam are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Ballam include: Baalham, Balan, Baylham, Balum, Balam, Ballam, Balaam and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Ballam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Ballam 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.
Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Ballam or a variant listed above: Charles Baalam who sailed to New England in 1656. Charles Balam arrived in Barbados in 1679 and William Balam sailed to Philadelphia in 1856.