Massee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

Etymology of Massee

What does the name Massee mean?

From the historical and enchanting region of France emerged a multitude of notable family names, including that of the distinguished Massee family. Originally, the people in this region went by one (personal) name. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. These names then began to become "fixed" or hereditary between the generations. The Massee surname derives from the Old French word "masse," which refers to the heavy metal tipped war club called a mace; and as such was thought to have been an occupational name for a soldier who carried a mace. The surname may also have been taken on from any of several places with names such as Masse, LaMasse, Massé.

Early Origins of the Massee family

The surname Massee was first found in Savoy (French: Savoie) in the Rhône-Alpes region of the French Alps, where this celebrated family has held a family seat from ancient times.

Throughout the centuries, this family prospered and branched to several regions where members became prominent citizens of their respective areas. As a result of their prominence in society, the family members formed many alliances with other powerful families of the times and in this way, property and titles were exchanged according to the pacts.

From Lombardie, the family branched to Provence and by 1667 they were granted the titles of Lords of Rustrel, of Chauvet, of Serluc and of La Rouvière.

François Masse, born in 1722, son of Richard and Jeanne (née Jordan), travelled from Normandy to New France in the 18th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Marthe Paradis, born in 1718, at Rivière-Ouelle on 12th January 1745. They settled together in Rivière-Ouelle until his death on 27th May 1782. 1

Early History of the Massee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Massee research. Another 48 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1574, 1577, 1603, 1608, 1613, 1646, 1648, 1689, 1697, 1701 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Massee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Massee Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Masse, Masses, Massey, Massait, Massaie, Massaies, Massé, Masser, Massée and many more.

Early Notables of the Massee family

Énemond Massé (1574-1646), French Jesuit missionary from Lyon who arrived in Acadia with Pierre Biard in 1608, but later had to move to Bar Harbor, Maine; and Henri de Massue, 2nd Marquis de Ruvigny, afterward Earl of Galway PC (1648-1720), a French Huguenot soldier and diplomat. Daniel de Massue, Seigneur de Rouvigny (1577-1613), was...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Massee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Massee migration to the United States +

Massee Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Massee, who arrived in New York in 1824 2

Massee 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:

Massee Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Geovani Massee, (b. 1852), aged 22, Italian settler from Italy travelling from London aboard the ship "Sussex" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 17th July 1874 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Massee (post 1700) +

May Massee (1881-1966), American children's book editor, founding head of the juvenile departments at Doubleday from 1922 and at Viking Press from 1932
J. C. Massee (1871-1965), American Christian fundamentalist
Michael Massee (1955-2016), American actor, perhaps best known for his role as The Gentleman in the 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man and his reprise in The Amazing Spider-Man 2
George Edward Massee (1845-1917), English mycologist, plant pathologist, and botanist

Sources +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html