Helsy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Helsy

What does the name Helsy mean?

Helsy is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Helsy family once lived in the county of Devon in an area that was near the hazel-trees. Helsy is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

Early Origins of the Helsy family

The surname Helsy was first found in Surrey where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Helsy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Helsy research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1708, 1839, 1920 and 1927 are included under the topic Early Helsy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Helsy Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Helsy family name include Halsey, Hallsey and others.

Early Notables of the Helsy family

Sir Thomas Frederick Halsey, 1st Baronet PC (1839-1927), an English politician; and John Halsey (died 1708) was a colonial American privateer and a later pirate who was active in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans during the early 18th century. According to Forbes, he was the eighth highest earning pirate who had a wealth of over 13 million...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Helsy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Helsy migration to Canada +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Helsy surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Helsy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Helsy U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 1

The Helsy Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nescit vox missa reverti
Motto Translation: When a word is once spoken it cannot be recalled.

Sources +

Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X