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Welcome! This website was created on 04 Nov 2004 and last updated on 27 Feb 2024.

There are 2312 names in this family tree. The earliest recorded event is the birth of Nefiasson, Hrolf in 0790. The most recent event is the death of Wade, Frances Mavis in 2023.The webmaster of this site is John Wheeler. Please click here if you have any comments or feedback.

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About The Wheeler/ Smith Family
The Origins of the name WHEELER

This popular Old English surname can be traced back to the most ancient times;  a Roger le Weweler was recorded in Buckinghamshire in 1249 and Hugh le Welere  lived in Cambridgeshire in 1273.

It was not until the 11th. Century that surnames came into use, introduced by  the Normans. They were usually local (a place or a landmark), patronymic ("son  of"), the name of an occupation or profession, or a nickname.

The name Wheeler is occupational, meaning "a maker of wheels,a wheelwright",  and comes from the Old English word "hweogol" meaning wheel,also an agent derivative  of Middle English "whele" meaning wheel. Many of the early  records show the word "le" before the name, as people with this surname would  have been called Roger The Wheeler, or John The Wheelwright, etc.

The name Wheeler is particularly common on the Isle of Wight; on the mainland it is  concentrated in the neighbouring region of central Southern England. It is fairly  evenly distributed over the rest of Southern England, but much less common in the  North.
  Recorded in several spellings including Wheeler, the usual spelling, and Wheeller, Wheler,  Whealler, Whealer, Wayler, Whyler, and Whaler, this famous surname is English. It is occupational  and in former times described a master wheel-maker or wheelwright. The derivation is from the pre  7th century Olde English word "hweogol" or "hweol", meaning a wheel. Wheels were used in spinning  and other manufacturing processes, as well as for vehicles, so the wheelwright held an important  position in medieval England. The surname first appears in records in the mid 13th century (see  below) with John le Whelare being recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, whilst  the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1279 mentions Hugh le Welere. Thomas le Wegheler appeared in  the tax rolls known as the Feet of Fines of Sussex in 1284, and one Stephen le Whelere was listed  in the Feet of Fines of Essex in 1317, with Gilbert Whyler being recorded in the pipe rolls of  Surrey in 1351. Sir Hugh Massy Wheeler (1789 - 1857) rose to the rank of major-general in the  Indian Army, and was murdered during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The first recorded spelling of the  family name is shown to be that of Roger le Weweler. This was dated 1249, in the occupation lists  for the county of Sussex, during the reign of King Henry 111rd, 1216 - 1272. Surnames became  necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the  Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often  leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Read more: http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Wheeler#ixzz3VW1r72gU

Variants : 
 Wailer,Wayler,Whaler,Whealler,Wheeller,Wheler,Whiler,Wiler,Wyler,Wheelwright,Whilesmit h,Wilesmith.
 Equivalents: Low German,Dutch: Rademaker. Polish: Kolodziej

The ancient family motto was AVITO JURE (latin) meaning " By ancient right".



The Origins of the name SMITH.

Derived form the Anglo-Saxon "smitan," to smite or strike.

Smith and its derivations are an occupational name for a man who works with  metal (smith or blacksmith), one of the earliest jobs for which specialist  skills were required. 
 It is a craft that was practiced in all countries,making the surname and its  derivations the most common of all surnames.

The Surname is of English Origin.

Alternate surname spellings are  Smyth, Smythe, Schmidt.

Recorded in the spellings of Smith, Smithe, Smythe, and the patronymics Smiths, and Smithson, this  is the most popular surname in the English speaking world by a considerable margin. Of pre 7th  century Anglo-Saxon origins, it derives from the word 'smitan' meaning 'to smite' and as such is  believed to have described not a worker in iron, but a soldier, one who smote. That he also  probably 
 wore armour, which he would have been required to repair, may have lead to the secondary meaning.  The famous Anglo-Saxon Chronicles sometimes known as the first newspaper, in the 9th century a.d.  uses the expression 'War-Smith' to describe a valiant warrior, whilst the later medieval Guild List  of specialist trades has blacksmith, whitesmith, tinsmith, goldsmith and silversmith amongst its  many members, but no trade of 'smith'. These descriptions of the skilled workers of the Middle Ages  were exact, and it is our opinion after studying many early records that the original smiths were  probably the guards of the local lord of the manor. This would account for the singular popularity  of the name, as the early social records indicate that the trades of tailor and baker were much  more 
 prevalent than that of Smith in any form. What is certain is that over five hundred coats of arms  have been granted to Smith nameholders, surely an indication of the soldier background, rather than  a humble ironworker. The great family Smith is 'first' in all major cities of the English speaking  world, yet curiously the greatest concentration of Smith's are in Aberdeenshire, Scotland! Why this  should be so is far from clear. Not surprisingly the Smith name was one of the very first into the  New American colonies, being held by the famous John Smith (1580 - 1631), explorer and writer, who  helped to found the state of Virginia. He was reputedly saved from execution by Pocahontas, the  Indian chief's daughter, who died in England in 1622. The first recorded spelling of the family  name, and probably the first surname recorded anywhere in the world, is that of Eceard Smid. This  was dated 975 a.d., in the English Surname Register for County Durham, during the reign of Kinrived  form the Anglo-Saxon "smitan," to smite or strike.



The Origins of the name PATTENDEN

It is widely thought that the name Pattenden came from charcoal burners in the  forest, from the Saxon 'denne' a clearing in the forest,but other sources suggest  that it is from the old English (pre seventh century) personal name 'Peatta' or  from 'Pat' a pet form of Patrick and that the old English 'denn' meant a swine  pasture or a 'woody valley,or a place yielding both covert and feeding for  cattle, 'especially swine'.  The Saxon word 'patta' means a stream with a tendency to  swell. Pattyndenne Manor,Goudhurst,Kent is at the bottom of a hill by a stream. The first reference to the name is found in the form 'de Patinden' in the Kent  Assizes in 1254 followed by William and Cecilia de Patinden in Middleton,Kent in  1318. By 1334 Ralph and Isolda de Patindenne were paying nine shillings and sixpence  in the Kent Lay Subsidy. In 1396 Nicholas Patynden lived in Cranbrook,Kent and the  first time the name is found in its current form is in 1464 when Bartholomew  Pattenden lived in Iden,Staplehurst,Kent. Pattyndenne Manor Goudhurst,Kent was built  in 1470 and is still in use today as a family home and Little Pattenden. Pattenden  Lane,Marden,Kent is all that remains of the Manors of Great and Little Pattenden.

The earliest references to the name Pattenden occur in the Kent and Sussex Weald and  then spread to Surrey and London. By 1990 there were Pattendens in most of Britain  and 
 they spread to Australia,Canada,France,Netherlands,New Zealand,South Africa and the  United States.

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Getting Around
There are several ways to browse the family tree. The Tree View graphically shows the relationship of selected person to their kin. The Family View shows the person you have selected in the center, with his/her photo on the left and notes on the right. Above are the father and mother and below are the children. The Ancestor Chart shows the person you have selected in the left, with the photograph above and children below. On the right are the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. The Descendant Chart shows the person you have selected in the left, with the photograph and parents below. On the right are the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Do you know who your second cousins are? Try the Kinship Relationships Tool. Your site can generate various Reports for each name in your family tree. You can select a name from the list on the top-right menu bar.

In addition to the charts and reports you have Photo Albums, the Events list and the Relationships tool. Family photographs are organized in the Photo Index. Each Album's photographs are accompanied by a caption. To enlarge a photograph just click on it. Keep up with the family birthdays and anniversaries in the Events list. Birthdays and Anniversaries of living persons are listed by month. Want to know how you are related to anybody ? Check out the Relationships tool.

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