Hemstead History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient roots of the Hemstead family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Hemstead comes from when the family lived in Suffolk. The surname Hemstead belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Hemstead family

The surname Hemstead was first found in Sussex 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 Hemstead family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hemstead research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1350 are included under the topic Early Hemstead History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hemstead Spelling Variations

One 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 Hemstead has appeared include Hemstead, Hampstead, Hempstead, Hemsted and others.

Early Notables of the Hemstead family

Distinguished members of the family include

Hemstead of Sussex

Hemstead migration to the United States +

At 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 Hemstead arrived in North America very early:

Hemstead Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Hemstead, who landed in Virginia in 1652 1

Citations +

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)