Belknap Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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The present generation of the Belknap family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in Belknapp, in the county of Warwickshire.

Belknap Early Origins

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The surname Belknap was first found in Warwickshire, at Griff, a hamlet, in the parish of Chilvers-Coton, union of Nuneaton, Atherstone division of the hundred of Hemlingford. This hamlet was held by the Giffard family since the reign of Elizabeth I and later passed to the Newdigates, of Arbury. According to Duchesne, in his publication "List of Conquerors of England," Belknape was one of the companions to William the Conqueror and is listed on the Roll of Battle Abbey. However, little else is known of the family in earlier times. The next earliest record of the family was found in the hamlet of Griff as a birth record of Sir John Belknap (1309-1367.) He was father of Sir Robert Belknap (1339-1399) who was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in England. His son was Hamon Belknap (1394-1429), also known variously as Bealknap and Beltoft. One of his sons was Henry Belknap, Lord of Oston (1435-1488.)

Belknap 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 Belknap include Belknap, Bellknap, Belknape, Belknappe, Bellknappe and many more.

Belknap Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Belknap research. Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1374, 1388, 1428, 1420, 1404, 1471 and 1521 are included under the topic Early Belknap History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Belknap Early Notables (pre 1700)

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Belknap Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

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 Belknap were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Belknap Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Belknap who settled in Lynn Massachusetts in 1620
Abraham Belknap, the scion of the family from Warwickshire, also settled in Lynn in 1637
Abraham Belknap, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1637 ^[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)

Belknap Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Belknap, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 ^[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
D P Belknap, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 ^[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
D H Belknap, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 ^[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)

Contemporary Notables of the name Belknap (post 1700)

Hugh Reid Belknap (1860-1901), U.S. Representative from Illinois
Daniel Belknap (1771-1815), American farmer, mechanic, militia captain, poet and one of the first American composers
Anna Belknap (b. 1972), American actress, best known for her role as Detective Lindsay Monroe on CSI: NY
William Worth Belknap (1829-1890), American Army general, and 30th U.S. Secretary of War (1869-1876)
Jeremy Belknap, American clergyman and historian
George Belknap (1832-1903), United States Navy Rear Admiral
Charles E. Belknap (1846-1929), United States Army Civil War officer and politician from Michigan
William G. Belknap (1794-1851), United States Brigadier General
Reginald R. Belknap (1871-1959), United States Navy rear admiral and son of George Belknap

Belknap Family Crest Products

Citations

^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
^ Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 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)

Other References

Bullock, L.G. Historical Map of England and Wales. Edinburgh: Bartholomew and Son, 1971. Print.
Zieber, Eugene. Heraldry in America. Philadelphia: Genealogical Publishing Co. Print.
Robb H. Amanda and Andrew Chesler. Encyclopedia of American Family Names. New York: Haper Collins, 1995. Print. (ISBN 0-06-270075-8).
Hitching, F.K and S. Hitching. References to English Surnames in 1601-1602. Walton On Thames: 1910. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0181-3).
Lennard, Reginald. Rural England 1086-1135 A Study of Social and Agrarian Conditions. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1959. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin . Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8).
Browning, Charles H. Americans of Royal Descent. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
Shaw, William A. Knights of England A Complete Record from the Earliest Time to the Present Day of the Knights of all the Orders of Chivalry in England, Scotland, Ireland and Knights Bachelors 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print. (ISBN 080630443X).
Foster, Joseph. Dictionary of Heraldry Feudal Coats of Arms and Pedigrees. London: Bracken Books, 1989. Print. (ISBN 1-85170-309-8).
Mills, A.D. Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4).
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The Belknap Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Belknap Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 24 March 2016 at 11:06.