The ancient roots of the Jonstone family are found in the Scottish-English border region where the name was first used by the people of the Boernician tribe. The Jonstone family lived in Dumfries (now part of the region of Galloway), where they held the barony of John's Town.
The surname Jonstone was first found in Dumfries 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.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jonstone research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1174, 1296, 1732, 1799, 1807, and 1869 are included under the topic Early Jonstone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
During the era when a person's name, tribe and posterity was one of his most important possessions, many different spellings were found in the archives examined. Jonstone occurred in many references, and spelling variations of the name found included Johnston, Johnstone, MacIain (Gaelic) and others.
Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Sir Richard Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone (1732-1807), 1st Baronet of Hackness Hall in the North Riding of the County of York...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jonstone Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Jonstone family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of illness and the elements, were buried at sea. In North America, early immigrants bearing the family name Jonstone, or a spelling variation of the surname include: