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johnfowles · 07-11-2006, 10:29 AM

On May 23 I started a draft reply to a then current topic in which Jenney was talking about how her name and its unusual spelling came about
I cannot now find that topic despite a great deal of searching

So rather than waste some research I am starting a new topic. In reply to the original topic I wanted to add my 10 cents worth to what was a lengthy and interesting "thread"

In my family nearly the whole clan that we asociated with was on my mother's side.
And knowing the small Wiltshire town that my maternal grandprents both came from one of my projects is to cough up for 24 hours on-line at a UK site I once found that allowed you to see a stack of census records, providing of course I can find it again.
On the other (my father's) side he had few relatives and his mother died in 1941 following his father's death in the 30's in Detroit,I did though wondreously inherit Dad's "black box" containing a wealth of old certificates, photographs and wills etc going back through several generations (the menfolk invariably became Lightermen (water truck-drivers) on the Thames).
I well remember the thrill I got when I first examined this collection and found that the very last item was the will of my great..great.. great... grandfather also named John Fowles made on September the 20th 1834 leaving everything to his "beloved wife Fanny".
you may see a scan of this at:-
http://www.johnfowles.org.uk/johnfowles/05.johnfowles'1834will.jpg
I especially appreciated the link that Char provided regarding Jenney's family crest on:-
http://www.houseofnames.com
because putting in my own surname
showed me the Fowles crest

and told me it is from Scotland and:-
"An ancient Pictish-Scottish family was the first to use the name fowles. It is a name for someone who lived in the place called Foulzie in the parish of King Edward in the
county of Aberdeen. The surname fowles belongs to the category of
habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns,
villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Spelling variations include:
Fowlie, Fowley, Fowlis, Foulis and others.
First found in Aberdeenshire where they held a family seat from very early times."

I also tried lightfoot and got:-
http://www.houseofnames.com/coatofar...d=&s=lightfoot
with a very nice lightfoot family crest

and this blurb
"Origin Displayed: English
The name lightfoot is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was a name for someone who was a
swift runner. The surname lightfoot is derived from the Old English words leoht, which means light, and fot, which means foot. Occasionally, this name was applied as an occupational surname to a messenger.
Spelling variations include: Lightfoot, Lightford, Lightfoote and others.
First found in Oxfordshire where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were:
John Lightfoot settled in Virginia in 1610; ten years before the
"Mayflower"; another John Lightfoote settled in Virginia in 1623;
William Lightfoot settled in Virginia in 1689"
gratifyingly it adds:-
Some noteworthy people of the name Lightfoot:-
Gordon lightfoot (1938-) Canadian singer
John lightfoot (1602-1675) English Hebraist
Joseph Barber lightfoot (1828-1889) English prelate
If you would like to see your own family details
It is well worth a visit to:-
http://www.houseofnames.com

[ July 11, 2006, 10:53: Message edited by: johnfowles ]

07-11-2006, 10:29 AM	#1
johnfowles Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: New Jersey U.S.A. ex UK and Canada Posts: 4,846	On May 23 I started a draft reply to a then current topic in which Jenney was talking about how her name and its unusual spelling came about I cannot now find that topic despite a great deal of searching So rather than waste some research I am starting a new topic. In reply to the original topic I wanted to add my 10 cents worth to what was a lengthy and interesting "thread" In my family nearly the whole clan that we asociated with was on my mother's side. And knowing the small Wiltshire town that my maternal grandprents both came from one of my projects is to cough up for 24 hours on-line at a UK site I once found that allowed you to see a stack of census records, providing of course I can find it again. On the other (my father's) side he had few relatives and his mother died in 1941 following his father's death in the 30's in Detroit,I did though wondreously inherit Dad's "black box" containing a wealth of old certificates, photographs and wills etc going back through several generations (the menfolk invariably became Lightermen (water truck-drivers) on the Thames). I well remember the thrill I got when I first examined this collection and found that the very last item was the will of my great..great.. great... grandfather also named John Fowles made on September the 20th 1834 leaving everything to his "beloved wife Fanny". you may see a scan of this at:- http://www.johnfowles.org.uk/johnfowles/05.johnfowles'1834will.jpg I especially appreciated the link that Char provided regarding Jenney's family crest on:- http://www.houseofnames.com because putting in my own surname showed me the Fowles crest and told me it is from Scotland and:- "An ancient Pictish-Scottish family was the first to use the name fowles. It is a name for someone who lived in the place called Foulzie in the parish of King Edward in the county of Aberdeen. The surname fowles belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Spelling variations include: Fowlie, Fowley, Fowlis, Foulis and others. First found in Aberdeenshire where they held a family seat from very early times." I also tried lightfoot and got:- http://www.houseofnames.com/coatofar...d=&s=lightfoot with a very nice lightfoot family crest and this blurb "Origin Displayed: English The name lightfoot is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was a name for someone who was a swift runner. The surname lightfoot is derived from the Old English words leoht, which means light, and fot, which means foot. Occasionally, this name was applied as an occupational surname to a messenger. Spelling variations include: Lightfoot, Lightford, Lightfoote and others. First found in Oxfordshire where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were: John Lightfoot settled in Virginia in 1610; ten years before the "Mayflower"; another John Lightfoote settled in Virginia in 1623; William Lightfoot settled in Virginia in 1689" gratifyingly it adds:- Some noteworthy people of the name Lightfoot:- Gordon lightfoot (1938-) Canadian singer John lightfoot (1602-1675) English Hebraist Joseph Barber lightfoot (1828-1889) English prelate If you would like to see your own family details It is well worth a visit to:- http://www.houseofnames.com [ July 11, 2006, 10:53: Message edited by: johnfowles ]