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North and South
Stories and Genealogy of Theodore Charles Anderson and Sara Carlene Shuttleworth
What's in a Name?
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Surnames, for the most part, draw their meanings from the lives of men in the middle ages, and their origins can be divided into four main categories:
Patronymic Surnames
Patronymic Surnames, last names derived from a father's name, were widely used in forming surnames, especially in Scotland and the Scandinavian countries. Occasionally, the name of the mother contributed the surname, referred to as a matronymic surname. Adding a prefix or suffix denoting either “son of” or “daughter of” formed such names.
English and Scandinavian names ending in "son" or “sen” are patronymic surnames, as are many names prefixed with the Gaelic "Mac," the Norman "Fitz," the Irish "O," and the Welsh "ap."
Examples:
 ANDERSON, the son of Anders
MACDONALD, the son of Donald
FITZPATRICK, the son of Patrick
O'BRIEN, the son of Brien
apHOWELL, the son of Howell
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Habitational Surnames
One of the most common ways to differentiate one man from his neighbor was to describe him in terms of his geographic surroundings or location (similar to describing a friend as the "one who lives down the street"). Such habitational names denoted some of the earliest instances of surnames in France, and were introduced into England by the Normans in 1066 who chose names based on the locations of their ancestral estates.
If a person or family migrated from one place to another, they were often identified by the place from which they came. If they lived near a stream, cliff, forest, hill, or other geographic feature, this might be used to describe them. Some habitational last names can still be traced back to their exact place of origin, such as a particular city or county, while others have origins lost in obscurity (ATWOOD lived near a wood, but we don't know which one). Compass directions were another common geographic identification in the Middle Ages (EASTMAN, WESTWOOD). Most geographic-based surnames are easy to spot, though the evolution of language has made others less obvious, i.e. DUNLOP (muddy hill).
Examples:
BROOKS lived along a brook
CHURCHILL lived near a church on a hill
NEVILLE came from Neville
PARRIS came from Paris, France
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Descriptive Surnames
Another class of surnames, those derived from a physical or other characteristic of the first bearer makes up an estimated 10% of all family names. These descriptive names are thought to have originally evolved as nicknames during the Middle Ages when men created nicknames or pet names for his neighbors and friends based on personality or physical appearance.
Thus, Michael the strong became Michael STRONG and black-haired Peter became Peter BLACK. Sources for such nicknames included: an unusual size or shape of the body, bald heads, facial hair, physical deformities, distinctive facial features, skin or hair coloring, and even emotional disposition.
Examples:
BROADHEAD, a person with a large head
BAINES (bones), a thin man
GOODMAN, a generous individual
ARMSTRONG, strong in the arm
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Occupational Surnames
The last class of surnames to develop reflects the occupation or status of the first bearer. These occupational names, derived from the specialty crafts and trades of the medieval period, are fairly self-explanatory. A MILLER was essential for grinding flour from grain, a WAINWRIGHT was a wagon builder, and BISHOP was in the employ of a Bishop. Different surnames often developed from the same occupation based on the language of the country of origin (MÜLLER, for example, is German for Miller).
Examples:
ALDERMAN, an official clerk of the court
TAYLOR, one that makes or repairs garments
CARTER, a maker of driver of carts
OUTLAW, an outlaw or criminal
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General Surnames
Despite these basic surname classifications, many surnames of today seem to defy explanation. The majority of them are probably corruptions of the original surname, variations that have become disguised almost beyond recognition. Furthermore, surname spelling and pronunciation has evolved over many centuries, often making it hard for current generations to determine the origin and evolution of their surnames. Such derivations of family names, resulting from a variety of factors, tend to confound both genealogists and etymologists today.
It is fairly common for different branches of the same family to carry different surnames, as the majority of English and American surnames have, in their history, appeared in four or more than a dozen variant spellings. Therefore, it is important to work back through the generations in order to determine the original family name, as the surname that now may have an entirely different meaning than the surname of a distant ancestor.
It is also important to remember that some surnames, though their origin may appear obvious, aren't what they seem. BANKER, for example, is not an occupational surname; instead it’s a habitational surname meaning "dweller on a hillside."
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ANDERSON
ANDERSON (or Andersson) is a patronymic surname derived from the Old Norwegian custom of appending the word “son” to the name of the father; i.e., “Anders” + “son”.
Ted’s Anderson ancestors have been coming to North America for over a thousand years. One, who may be a very distant ancestor, Leif Erikson (the Lucky), son of Erik, was the first European to set foot in the New World in 1001.
The Norwegian Andersons really don’t have a heraldic Family Crest. The one shown above is Swedish.
Ted’s Grandfather, Andrew Eng Anderson came to the United States from Norway several times beginning before the turn of the 20th Century. Ted’s father was born here in 1904, but returned to Norway in 1905. Andrew Eng came back for good in 1915 and settled with all his children in Iowa.
Ted’s Father, Oscar Thoralf Anderson (circa 1926)
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BLACK
The descriptive surname BLACK is Scottish, and seems to be associated with the color black. It may have referred to someone with black hair or clothing, or to someone who worked in a profession such as chimney sweeping, which left its practitioners covered in soot.
Ted’s first Black ancestor to come over to North America was John Black. He was of Scottish decent, born about 1700 in County Down, Northern Ireland. He arrived in Philadelphia, PA in 1735. He was in constant contact with his two brothers back in Ireland and convinced his brother Samuel’s 4 sons, James, Samuel, Jr., Thomas and Robert (Ted’s 4th Great Grandfather) to immigrate, which they did in 1754.
Susan Ida Black a young girl (circa 1918)
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CASE
CASE is an Anglo-Saxon occupational surname. It derives from someone who made boxes, chests or receptacles.
First found in Lancashire, it predates the Norman Conquest and the arrival of William the Conquer in 1066.
Sara’s ancestral Case family arrived in Simsbury, Connecticut in 1635 on the schooner Dorset. William Solomon Case, the patriarch of the family, died en-route and never made it to the Colonies, but his 4 sons, John, Richard, Henry and William and his daughter Tristen did. They all came from Aylesham, England.
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ENO
ENO is a corruption of the French surname Hennot. In French, the letter “h” is always silent and trailing consonants at the end of a word are not pronounced. So, if you drop the leading “h” and the trailing “t”, you get Enno (or Eno for short).
Sara’s ancestor James (Jacques) Eno (Hennot) was a French Protestant (or Huguenot) who was born in England in 1625. He arrived in Windsor, Connecticut in 1648.
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FILLMORE
The Anglo-Saxon habitational name FILLMORE was established by a family in Kent long before the Norman Conquest, where they took their name from some unknown location.
The name seems to be derived from the Old English roots ‘fille’, which means full or fertile, and ‘mere’, which meant lake.
We have traced Sara’s Fillmores back to John Fillmore who was born in Manchester, England around 1676.
Millard Fillmore, 13th President of the United States
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FULLER
The name FULLER came from the Anglo-Saxons of England. It is an occupational name given to one who worked as a ‘fuller’, which was to wash yardage by scouring and thickening the cloth for the purpose of pre-shrinking. The fuller would do this by beating and trampling the raw cloth while it was soaking in water.
There were 4 of Sara’s ancestral Fullers aboard the Mayflower:
Edward Fuller (age 45),
his wife Ann (age 42),
their son Samuel (age 8), and
Dr. Samuel Fuller (age 40).
Edward Fuller and his wife Ann both died during that terrible first winter at the Plymouth Colony. Edward’s brother Dr. Samuel Fuller brought up young Samuel.
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IRBY
The IRBY surname is ancient, traceable back to a Scandinavian word meaning “village of Irish”. The Norsemen brought it to Scotland before the year 850.
Ted’s ancestor Dr. William Irby was born in Bideford, Devonshire, England in 1624. He married a young girl whose surname was Blunt in England in about 1658 (she was only 15 at the time) and brought her to Jamestown, Virginia.
The Irby girls (circa 1900)
Ella Eugenia, Katherine (Kate) Susan Sara (Ted’s Grandmother), and Nancy V. Irby
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SANDEFUR
The Norman Conquest brought a lot of change to England, including many French immigrants with new surnames. Among these immigrants were the French ancestors of the SANDEFURs, who settled in Shropshire. They were granted lands by William, the Conquer for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
It is probable that the name is a corruption of the French phrase “sans de peur” which translates into “without fear” in English.
Another possibility is that it is a habitational name indicating that the original bearer lived near a sandy ford.
Two of Sara’s first ancestral settlers of this name were John Sandefur and his brother Mathew who immigrated to York County, Virginia in about 1660.
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SHUTTLEWORTH
SHUTTLEWORTH is a habitational name derived from a type of fence made of pointed logs used to surround a protected area. The name is a word compounded from the pointed logs which look like the ‘shuttles” used by weavers and “worth” which means enclosure in old English; hence, Shuttleworth
In England, the weaver’s shuttle is also called a “scittle” or “scyttle” leading to the variations of SCITTLESWORTH and SCYTTLEWORTH. Another spelling variation places an “s” in the middle; i.e., SHUTTLESWORTH. This spelling with the ‘s’ seems to appear only in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
The first record of the Shuttleworth name is found in the Parish of Hapton in Lancashire in 1195 where Henry de Shuttleworth is listed. The Shuttleworths of Shuttleworth Hall, in the parish of Whalley, Lancashire, lived during Edward III's reign. In 1330, Henry de Shuttleworth married Agnes de Hacking. Their son Ughtred de Shuttleworth was the first of the line to live at Gawthorpe Hall in 1608.
Sara’s 3rd Great Grandfather, Allen Shuttleworth, was born in 1770 in Charles County, MD. Although the documentation is murky and incomplete, I think he was descended from Thomas1 Shuttleworth of Lancashire and his son Edward who were settled along the Potomac River shore of Charles County, MA in the 1680’s.
For a more detailed story of the Shuttleworths see The Rifleman.
Three of the Shuttleworth brothers
Washburn, Eugene and Tom Shuttleworth (Sara’s father)
(Circa 1970)
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THOMPSON
The surname THOMPSON comes from Scotland. It is derived from the popular given name Thomas, an Aramaic name meaning "twin," and refers to "a son of Thomas or Thom." The spelling of the name with a "p" distinguishes the family from the Thomsons, who were a Scottish Clan originally known as MacThomais.
The earliest settler in the United States of this name was: Edward Thompson, who was one of the passengers on the Mayflower in 1620. Sara’s Thompsons seem to have immigrated to the United States in 1801 from Northern Ireland.
John Thompson, Harriett Bell Fillmore, Clyde Fillmore Thompson,
and Eloise Dorothy Thompson (Sara’s Mother) (circa 1906)
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TRIBBLE
No Family Crest Found
The surname TRIBBLE is an occupational one derived from the French verb ‘tribler’, which means to crush, pound or grind. The Normans brought it to England in 1066.
Ted’s ancestor William Tribble, Sr. was born in Yorkshire, England in 1600. His son, William Tribble, Jr., immigrated to Jamestown, Virginia before 1649.
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TULLER
The surname TULLER (or TAYLOR) is an occupational name for a tailor or maker of clothes.
First found in England in Kent, where William, the Conquer granted them lands for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
One of the first settlers of this name was Achsah Taylor, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630. Sara’s ancestor John Tuller, who probably was Achsah’s grandson, was in Simsbury, Connecticut in 1680.
2nd Great Grandfather, John Alden Tuller (circa 1870)
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WASHBURN
WASHBURN is a habitational surname of English origins. It can be traced back to the lands in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, England called "Little Washbourne" and "Great Washbourne". The name Washbourne may have originated from the River Isbourne which flowed nearby. The name comes from the Saxon "from the flooding brook", ‘wash’ meaning "swift moving current of a stream" and ‘bourne’ meaning a brook or a small stream. The first known Washburn was Sir Roger de Washbourne who lived in the 11th century.
Two of Sara’s first ancestral settlers in the Americas of this name were John1 and his brother William1 Washburn. They were both born in Bengeworth, Worcestershire, England in the 1590’s and came over in the 1630’s.
John Washburn’s family line is particularly well documented because several of his offspring married descendants of the Mayflower. His son John2, Jr. married Elizabeth Mitchell, daughter of Experience Mitchell who came over on the schooner Anne in 1623. Jane Cooke’s father Francis Cooke came over on the Mayflower in 1620. John2, Jr.’s son, Joseph, married Hannah Latham who was the Great Granddaughter of Mary Chilton of the Mayflower.
For a more detailed story of the Washburns visit Roger de Washbourne.
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This page and all genealogical data contained on it are
Copyrighted © 2007/2008 Theodore C. Anderson
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