Hillyer is an
Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a hellier, or one who tiles a roof, a thatcher or slater. Interestingly, The Ordinances of Worcester includes the following early reference:
The helynge of their houses, and the dores ben all of wode Also that non Tylers were called hillyers of the cite compelle ne charge ne make no tyler straunger to serve at his rule and assignement. Early Origins of the Hillyer family
The surname Hillyer was first found in
Kent, where we find the earliest reference to this name.
Early History of the Hillyer family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hillyer research.
Another 294 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1273 and 1347 are included under the topic Early Hillyer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Hillyer 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 Hillyer has appeared include Hillier, Hillyer, Hilliar and others.
Early Notables of the Hillyer family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Hillyer Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Hillyer family to the New World and Oceana
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 Hillyer arrived in North America very early:
Hillyer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Hillyer, who sailed to Connecticut in 1639
- John Hillyer, who arrived in Connecticut in 1639 [1]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) - Lawrence Hillyer, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 [1]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)
Hillyer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Jamichah Hillyer, who landed in New York in 1797 [1]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)
Hillyer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Caroline Hillyer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Anna Maria" in 1849 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ANNA MARIA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849AnnaMaria.htm - Francis Hillyer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Anna Maria" in 1849 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ANNA MARIA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849AnnaMaria.htm - James Hillyer, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1850 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BRITISH EMPIRE 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850BritishEmpire.htm - James Hillyer, aged 23, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "British Empire" [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BRITISH EMPIRE 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850BritishEmpire.htm
Contemporary Notables of the name Hillyer (post 1700)
- Robert Silliman Hillyer (1895-1961), American poet and academic awarded the 1934 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
- Jim Hillyer (1974-2016), Canadian politician, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner (2015-2016)