Filmour History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsEtymology of FilmourWhat does the name Filmour mean? The ancient roots of the Filmour family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Filmour comes from when the family lived in Kent, where they took their name from some spot no longer known. However, the etymology of the name can be determined. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old English roots fille, which means full or fertile, and mere, a word which meant lake. 1 "This family formerly wrote their name Finmere, Fylmere, Filmour, and Filmor, temp. Edw. III., but of late, Filmer, and were seated at Otterinden in Kent, at a place called Finmore." 2 Early Origins of the Filmour familyThe surname Filmour was first found in Kent where they held a family seat from very ancient times at the manor of Herst, in the parish of Otterden, since the rteign of Edward II." 3 "Filmers belong to a distinguished Kentish family that had its home at East Sutton during the 17th century; some of its members were baronets, and others were sheriffs of the county." 4 Early History of the Filmour familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Filmour research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1622, 1632, 1648, 1653, 1657, 1676, 1683, 1688, 1689, 1707, 1720 and 1755 are included under the topic Early Filmour History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Filmour Spelling VariationsOne relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Filmour has appeared include Fillmore, Filmore, Filmer, Filmere, Filmour and others. Early Notables of the Filmour familyDistinguished members of the family include Henry Filmer, a 16th-century English Protestant martyr, one of the Windsor Martyrs, during the reign of Henry VIII; William Fulman (1632-1688), an English antiquary 'the son of a sufficient carpenter'; Sir Robert Filmer (c. 1588-1653), an English political theorist who defended the divine right of... Migration of the Filmour familyAt this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Filmour arrived in North America very early: John Filmer who settled in Virginia in 1623; Louise Filmer settled in Texas in 1859.
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