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![Show Contents]() Mitchelo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The name Mitchelo is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived in the settlement of Migley in Durham, or in the place named Midgley in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Mitchelo belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Early Origins of the Mitchelo familyThe surname Mitchelo was first found in West Riding of Yorkshire at Midgley, a hill-top village in Calderdale in the chapelry of Luddenden, parish and union of Halifax, wapentake of Morley. The village dates back to at least the Domesday Book when it was listed as Micleie and literally meant "wood or clearing infested with midges," from the Old English mycg + leah. 1 One branch was later found at Thornton, again in the West Riding of Yorkshire. "Leventhorpe Hall, also in the township, was the seat of a distinguished family; and at Headley is an old mansion in the Elizabethan style, in former times occupied by a branch of the Midgleys." 2 Early History of the Mitchelo familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mitchelo research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mitchelo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Mitchelo Spelling VariationsIt is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Mitchelo are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. 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. The variations of the name Mitchelo include: Midgley, Midgeley, Midgely, Medgley, Medgely, Medgeley and many more. Early Notables of the Mitchelo familyMore information is included under the topic Early Mitchelo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Mitchelo familyMany English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Mitchelo or a variant listed above: Robert and John Medley, who came to Virginia in 1635; Roger Medley settled in Barbados in 1672; John and Benjamin Midgley settled in New York in 1820.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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