Shaft History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Shaft arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Shaft family lived in Northumberland, at Shafto Crag, from whence their name is derived.

Early Origins of the Shaft family

The surname Shaft was first found in Northumberland at either Shafto East or Shafto West. Both townships have remained rather small over the years with populations less than 50 people but both have considerable antiquity, being mentioned in records of the 13th century. In 1378, Matthew Bolton, vicar of Newcastle, and others, were feoffees for founding a chantry in the "chapel of Shafthowe." The Shaftos were traditional landowners of the area with the Aynsleys, and the Vaughans. 1

Early History of the Shaft family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shaft research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1110 and 1650 are included under the topic Early Shaft History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shaft Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Shafto, Shaftan, Shaftoe, Shaftowe, Shaftow and others.

Early Notables of the Shaft family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Lord Shaftow

Shaft migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Shaft or a variant listed above:

Shaft Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacop Shaft, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 2
Philip Jacob Shaft, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 2

Shaft Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Shaft, who arrived in Mississippi in 1860 2

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)