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![Show Contents]() Howsmyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The name Howsmyn is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a person employed "at the house." In most cases, this was a religious house or convent. The surname Howsmyn is derived from the Old English word hus, which means house, and the word man, which means servant. 1 Early Origins of the Howsmyn familyThe surname Howsmyn was first found in Yorkshire where Johannes Howsman was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. A few years earlier John Houseman was found in Colchester, Essex in 1365. 2 "This surname, early found in Yorkshire, crossed the border and settled in the neighbourhood of Lancaster. A well-known vicar of Lancaster bore this name at the beginning of the century. Two hundred years earlier the name occurs in local Wills." 3 Early History of the Howsmyn familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Howsmyn research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1365, 1604, 1622, 1630, 1636, 1696, 1714, 1759 and 1838 are included under the topic Early Howsmyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Howsmyn Spelling VariationsUntil the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Howsmyn include Houseman, Housemayne, Houssemayne, Housman, Howseman and many more. Early Notables of the Howsmyn familyAnother 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Howsmyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Howsmyn familyThousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Howsmyn were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: William Houseman, who sailed to Barbados in 1635; John Houseman to Virginia in 1699; William Howsman to Nova Scotia in 1749; Henry Houseman to Carolina in 1774.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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