Contents [hide]

Jervis History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Jervis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Jervis is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The name Jervis came from the Norman personal name Gervase. The surname Gervais indicates that the bearer is a descendant of someone named Gervase. 1

Gervase of Canterbury (Gervasius Dorobornensis) (fl. 1188), was an English "chronicler, was born, apparently of a Kentish family, about 1141. As he had a brother Thomas in his monastery, who is conjectured to be identical with one Thomas of Maidstone, we have a possible clue to his birthplace; but the information is too imperfect to warrant more than an hypothesis. Gervase became a monk of Christ Church, Canterbury, on the first Saturday in Lent, 16 Feb. 1163." 2

Gervase of Chichester (fl. 1170), was an English commentator, one of the band of learned young men who gathered round Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury and Gervase of Tilbury (fl. 1211), was author of the ‘Otia Imperialia,’ was no doubt a native of Tilbury in Essex, though he appears to have been brought up in Rome, and to have spent some years of his early life in Italy. 2

Early Origins of the Jervis family

The surname Jervis was first found in Cornwall. The Gervais surname also spelled Jarvis, Gervays and Gervis, was first found in Mobonnaiss and Vallee, in Brettagne, the ancient name for Brittany, and arrived in England with William, Duke of Normandy, in 1066. 3

The first records of the family were listed in their Latin form, as in John filius Gervacii, Cambridgeshire; William filius Gervasii, Huntingdonshire; and Stephen Gervcis, Cambridgeshire. All were listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 4

Early History of the Jervis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jervis research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1262, 1268, 1273, 1379, 1393, 1397, 1410, 1587, 1616, 1621, 1625, 1628, 1629, 1640, 1653, 1654, 1666, 1667, 1675, 1693, 1739, 1799 and 1804 are included under the topic Early Jervis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jervis Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Jervis are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Jervis include Gervais, Gervays, Gervis, Jarvis, Jervis and others.

Early Notables of the Jervis family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Gervais, (died 1268), an early English clergyman, Bishop of Carlisle in 1262 and Bishop of Winchester (1262-1268); Richard Gervays (died c.1410), of Canterbury, Kent, an English politician, a Member of...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jervis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Jervis family to Ireland

Some of the Jervis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 229 words (16 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jervis migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Jervis, or a variant listed above:

Jervis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Jervis, who settled in Virginia in 1660
Francis Jervis, who landed in Virginia in 1661 5
Thomas Jervis, who arrived in Maryland in 1671 5
Francis Jervis, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1686

Jervis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard Jervis, who settled in Maryland in 1720
John Jervis, who settled in New York State in 1775

Jervis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Eliz Jervis, aged 36, who arrived in America in 1822 5
John Jervis, who arrived in Indiana in 1852 5

Jervis migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Jervis Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Jervis, (b. 1807), aged 24, English convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. John Jervis, (b. 1810), aged 24, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Josiah Jervis who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Harry Cooper Jervis, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1840 8
Jane Jervis, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1840 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jervis migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Jervis Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

H M Jervis, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
W Jervis, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843
Henry Jervis, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843
George Jervis, aged 20, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Seringapatam" in 1856
Mr. Charles Jervis, (b. 1835), aged 23, English brick maker from Suffolk travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Jervis (post 1700) +

Robert Jervis (1940-2021), American political scientist, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics in the Department of Political Science at Columbia University
John Bloomfield Jervis (1795-1885), American chief engineer for the Delaware and Hudson Canal and Railroad, namesake of the 1401 John B. Jervis
Eloise Jervis, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky, 1972 10
William Monk Jervis (1827-1909), English lawyer and cricketer
Thomas Jervis (1770-1838), English judge, the last Puisne Justice of Chester
Richie Jervis (b. 1976), English cricketer
Jake Jervis (b. 1991), English footballer
Edward Jervis Jervis (1767-1859), 2nd Viscount St Vincent, English peer
William John "Billy" Jervis (b. 1942), retired English professional footballer
Charles Elliott Jervis O.B.E., Editor in Chief, Press Association, Liverpool, England
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-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)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRFIELD 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Fairfield.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html