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Pemberton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Pemberton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The lineage of the name Pemberton begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in the township of Pemberton which was in Wigan in the county of Lancashire. This surname was originally derived from Old Welsh and Old English terms which denoted that the original bearers of the Pemberton surname lived by the barley farm near a hill.

Early Origins of the Pemberton family

The surname Pemberton was first found in Lancashire at Pemberton, a township, in the parish and union of Wigan, hundred of West Derby. Adam de Pemberton, who held lands here, was living in the reign of Richard I. In the 34th of Edward I., another Adam de Pemberton brought an action of trespass against Thurstan de Northlegh and Matilda his wife, for cutting down his woods at Pemberton under pretext of taking estovers. 1 Another early branch of the family was found at Aislaby in Durham. "There was anciently a chapel dedicated to St. Thomas the Martyr, which was founded by William de Aslakby (now Aislaby) and Agnes his wife, in 1313; and the place was for several generations the residence of the family of Pemberton, whose mansion has been converted into an inn and several other tenements." 1

Early History of the Pemberton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pemberton research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1560, 1595, 1611, 1624, 1694, 1697 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Pemberton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pemberton Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Pemberton has undergone many spelling variations, including Pemberton, Pembertone, Pembartone, Pambarton and others.

Early Notables of the Pemberton family

Distinguished members of the family include

Henry Pemberton (1694-1771), was an English physician and writer from London. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society and edited some of Sir Isaac Newton's work
Sir Francis Pemberton (1624-1697) was an English judge, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench. "The mansion of Millichope Park, Munslow, Salop, the seat of the Rev. R. N. Pemberton, is in the pure Gr...

Pemberton Ranking

In the United States, the name Pemberton is the 2,745^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2

Pemberton migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Pemberton were among those contributors:

Pemberton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mrs. Alice Pemberton, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet
Mr. James Pemberton who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet
Mr. John Pemberton who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 3
Mrs. Elizabeth Pemberton who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 3
Cornelius Pemberton, who landed in Virginia in 1666 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pemberton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Israel Pemberton, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1763 3
Edward Pemberton, aged 30, who arrived in Virginia in 1773 3
Robert Pemberton, who arrived in Nevis in 1786 3

Pemberton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ricard Pemberton, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1851 3
Johnson Pemberton, who arrived in Iowa in 1884 3

Pemberton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pemberton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. James Pemberton U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1786 4

Pemberton migration to Australia +

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

Pemberton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Pemberton, (b. 1788), aged 40, English brass worker who was convicted in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 25th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1860 5
Mr. William Pemberton, (Thonton, Joseph), English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. James Pemberton, English convict who was convicted in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. George Pemberton, English convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "China" on 148th January 1846, arriving in Norfolk Island, Australia 8
Samuel Pemberton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bussorah Merchant" in 1848 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pemberton 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:

Pemberton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Arthur W. Pemberton, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mermaid" in 1859 10
A. W. Pemberton, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th October 1859 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Pemberton (post 1700) +

John Stith Pemberton (1831-1888), American druggist best known for being the inventor of Coca-Cola
John Clifford Pemberton (1814-1881), United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole Wars, the Mexican-American War and was a Confederate general during the American Civil War
Brock Pemberton (1885-1950), American theatrical producer and director, founder of the Tony Awards
Brock Pemberton (1953-2016), American Major League Baseball player for the New York Mets in 1974 and 1975
Steve Pemberton (b. 1967), English BAFTA Award winning actor, comedian, writer, and performer, member of The League of Gentlemen
Christopher Robert Pemberton (1765-1822), English physician from Cambridgeshire, grandson of Sir Francis Pemberton, Lord Chief-Justice
John Pemberton (b. 1964), English former professional footballer
Hugh Spear Pemberton (1890-1956), English physician who first described Pemberton's sign
Victor Pemberton (1931-2017), British writer and television producer, known for his work on BBC radio plays and later television scripts for the BBC and ITV, including Doctor Who, The Slide and The Adventures of Black Beauty
Charles Reece Pemberton (1790-1840), Welsh actor and lecturer from Pontypool, Monmouthshire; he was seized by a press gang and sent to sea for seven years, but later became an actor and managed several theatres in the West Indies with some success
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Pemberton family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Albert Pemberton, British Musician from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 12

Hillsborough disaster

William Roy Pemberton (1966-1989), English student in computer sciences who was attending the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium, in Sheffield, Yorkshire when the stand allocated area became overcrowded and 96 people were crushed in what became known as the Hillsborough disaster and he died from his injuries 13

HMS Hood

Mr. Frederick Pemberton (b. 1919), English Engine Room Artificer 4th Class serving for the Royal Navy from Plumstead, London, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 14

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st May 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cressy
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 5th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/china
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BUSSORAH MERCHANT 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848BussorahMerchant.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Hillsborough Victims (retreived 21st March 2021). Retreived from https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/15/remembering-96-victims-hillsborough-disaster-30-years-9206566/
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm