Origins Available: English,
Scottish
The Johnstun family chronicle reaches back into history to the
Boernician tribe of ancient
Scotland. The Johnstun family lived in any of several place names in Scotland. Most instances of the name are thought to come from the barony of John's Town in
Annandale,
Dumfriesshire. The place name comes from the
personal name John, and the Middle English
tone or
toun, meaning "a town." Other places so named in
Scotland include St. John's Toun (now the city of Perth).
Early Origins of the Johnstun family
The surname Johnstun was first found in Dumfries (now part of the region of Galloway) where they held the barony of John's Town. There is a heraldic similarity with the Kirkpatrick family coat of arms, leading to the belief that John was a descendant of Gospatrick, Earl of
Northumberland. Gilbert, son of John received a parcel of land in southern
Annandale from William Bruce, Lord of
Annandale, some time between 1195 and 1214.
"Shortly after 1174 John the founder of the family of Johnstone, gave his name to his lands in Annandale, Dumfriesshire, whence his son Gilbert took his surname. 'Who John, the father of Gilbert, was it is now perhaps impossible to determine. He may have been a native settler who, when the Bruces were made lords of Annandale, elected to hold his lands from them, or, as seems most likely, he followed his overlords from their Yorkshire, or more southern, estates, and was gifted with the lands to which he gave his name, and which, later, formed the parish and barony of Johnstone.'" [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Early History of the Johnstun family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Johnstun research.
Another 477 words (34 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1611, 1663, 1625, 1672, 1664, 1721, 1701, 1602, 1653, 1687, 1730, 1697, 1772, 1743, 1754, 1711, 1700 and are included under the topic Early Johnstun History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Johnstun Spelling Variations
Spelling variations occur frequently in Scottish names that date from the medieval era. They result from a general lack of grammatical rules and the tendency to spell names according to sound. Johnstun has been spelled Jonsoom, Jonstoombe, Johnson, Johnstome, Jonstoom, Jonstoomb, Johnstolm, Jonsome, Johnstume, Jonstolm, Jonsolm, Jonstum, Jonstome, Jonsom, Jonsum, Jonstume, Jonsomb, Jonsombe, Jonsoombe, Jonsoomb and many more.
Early Notables of the Johnstun family (pre 1700)
Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston (1611-1663), a Scottish judge and statesman; James Johnstone (1625-1672), 1st Earl of
Annandale and Hartfell; his son William Johnstone (1664-1721), 2nd Earl of
Annandale and Hartfell, who was made 1st Marquess of
Annandale in 1701; James Johnstone...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Johnstun Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Johnstun family to Ireland
Some of the Johnstun family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 133 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Johnstun family to the New World and Oceana
In the 20th century, the ancestors of many of those Boernician-Scottish people still populate North America. They distributed themselves on either side of the border at the time of the
War of Independence. United Empire Loyalists went north to Canada and those who wanted a new nation stayed south. Both groups went on to found great nations. Some of the first North American settlers with Johnstun name or one of its variants: Archibald Johnston, who settled in Barbados with his two sons and servants in 1680; George Johnston, who came to New
England in 1685; John Johnstone, who arrived in New Jersey in 1685.
The Johnstun 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: Nunquam non paratus
Motto Translation: Never unprepared