Wodruff Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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The name Wodruff is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in Yorkshire. Their name, however, derives from the woodrofe plant, a white flower whose leaves bear a sweet scent. The name indicates that the original bearer lived in an area in which the woodrofe was common.

Wodruff Early Origins

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The surname Wodruff was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat at Bolton on Deane, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Wodruff Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Wodruff were recorded, including Woodrow, Woderove, Woodrof, Woodrofe, Wodrow, Woodroffe, Woodruff, Woodrufe and many more.

Wodruff Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wodruff research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1554, 1574, 1551, 1768, 1679 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Wodruff History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wodruff Early Notables (pre 1700)

Another 19 words (1 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wodruff Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wodruff In Ireland

Some of the Wodruff family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Wodruff family emigrate to North America: John Woodruff, who arrived in Lynn, MA in 1640; Matthew Woodruff, who arrived in Hartford, CT in 1640;Robert and Richard Woodruffe settled in Virginia in 1643.

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Citations

Other References

MacAulay, Thomas Babington. History of England from the Accession of James the Second 4 volumes. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1879. Print.
Crozier, William Armstrong Edition. Crozier's General Armory A Registry of American Families Entitled to Coat Armor. New York: Fox, Duffield, 1904. Print.
Filby, P. William and Mary K Meyer. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index in Four Volumes. Detroit: Gale Research, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8).
Magnusson, Magnus. Chambers Biographical Dictionary 5th edition. Edinburgh: W & R Chambers, 1990. Print.
Samuelsen, W. David. New York City Passenger List Manifests Index 1820 - 1824. North Salt Lake, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems International, 1986. Print.
Elster, Robert J. International Who's Who. London: Europa/Routledge. Print.
Egle, William Henry. Pennsylvania Genealogies Scotch-Irish and German. Harrisburg: L.S. Hart, 1886. Print.
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8).
Mills, A.D. Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4).
Bradford, William. History of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647 Edited by Samuel Eliot Morrison 2 Volumes. New York: Russell and Russell, 1968. Print.
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The Wodruff Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Wodruff Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 16 January 2014 at 14:05.