Drue History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Drue came to England with the ancestors of the Drue family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Drue family lived in Wiltshire. The surname descends from Herman de Drewes, whose name translates literally as from Drewes.

Early Origins of the Drue family

The surname Drue was first found in Wiltshire where Amalric de Drewes held lands as listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 1 However, there is an earlier listing of Wado de Dreux living in 1050 but at an unknown location. 2 The Anglo-Norman name claims descend from Dreux, which lies near the boundary between Normandy and the Île-de-France. The Counts of Dreux were a noble family of France, who took their title from the château of Dreux. Robert I of Dreux, the fifth son of Louis VI of France, nicknamed the Great (c.1123-1188) married Hawise of Salisbury (1118-1152), daughter of Walter Fitz Edward of Salisbury, Sheriff of Wiltshire.

Early History of the Drue family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Drue research. Another 163 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1203, 1316, 1519, 1542, 1557, 1598, 1610 and 1631 are included under the topic Early Drue History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drue Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Drew, Drewe, Drywe and others.

Early Notables of the Drue family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Thomas Drue (fl. 1631), was an English dramatist and the author of an interesting historical play, 'The Life of the Dvtches of Svffolke,' 1631. 3 Sir Thomas Drew held the Devon family seat in 161...

Migration of the Drue family to Ireland

Some of the Drue 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.

Drue migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Drue or a variant listed above:

Drue Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Drue, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Transport" 4
John Drue, aged 26, who landed in Virginia in 1635 4
Richard Drue, who landed in Virginia in 1639 4
Tomazin Drue, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 4

Drue Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Valentine Drue, who landed in New England in 1721 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Drue (post 1700) +

Braswell Drue Deen (1893-1981), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Georgia 8th District, 1933-39; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1940 5
Drue Heinz (1915-2018), née English, an English-born, American patron of the literary arts, actress, philanthropist and socialite, co-founder of Ecco Press, and endowed the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, married to H. J. Heinz II, president of Heinz

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html