Origins of The Blackwell Family Name

There are different variations on the origins of the Blackwell surname. All accounts I've seen thus far placeit as a locational name. According to The World Book of Blackwells, it is "associated with the English, meaning, 'Dweller near Blackwell (dark stream).'" I've read other accounts that give to a variation of the spelling, saying iit was originally spelled "Blackwall" of "DeBlackwall," meaning from the black wall. You may find othermeanings, some more flattering, some less. If you do please pass that on to me to include in this page.

With Research being done in The Saxon Chronicle,(10th Century), The Domesday Book, (1086), The Ragman Rolls, (1291-1296), The Hearth Rolls, Cria Regis Rolls, Pipe Rolls, and various parish records, the first known records of the Blackwell name are found around 1120 with George Blackwell of Tidswell. This is a marriage record where he married into the Eyres of Nottingham. The Blackwells have been seated in Derbyshire since ancient times. They were Lords of the manor of Blackwell in the peak district of Derbyshire. The Blackwells of England intermarried with serveral notable families. Some also migrated to Ireland and settled in Clare County sometime in the 17th century. Others migrated to the New World from both England and Ireland and around the European Continent. The first known Blackwell to America was Jeremy Blackwell who came to America in 1635, followed by Roger Blackwell of Virginia who settled there in 1636. There was also the well noted Joseph Blackwell, a King's surveyor and the progenitor of the Virginia family who also come to the colonies in 1636. Elizabeth Blackwell migrated to Jamaica in 1663 and others later went to Canada.

Soundex of the Blackwell Name
The soundex code of a name is a useful tool when conducting research. Some sources, like U.S. Census reports use soundex coding. The Soundex code for the Blackwell name works out to be B424. But it is important to remember this is the sound of the name and therefore, many other Surnames also fit the code. These names could have absolutely nothing to do with you. Below is a list of other surnames which fall under the code B424. For more info on using Soundex Code to locate a family member, you can contact:

American Genealogical Lending Library (AGLL)
P.O. Box 244
Bountiful, UT 84011

Most libraries also carry a book called The Soundex Reference Guide, which contains the code for over 500,000 surnames.
Here is the lowdown on finding a soundex code.
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Write the surname you wish to code into the upper line, one letter per box. Then on the second line with only four boxes, write the first letter of the surname in the first block. Go back to the first line now and skipping over the first letter, mark out the letters a, e, h, i, o, u, w and y. With the remaining letters that aren't marked out, take the first three and put the corresponding number of the letter, (see chart below) in the three remaining blocks of the second line. If you have any empty boxes add zeros. Disregard all remaining letters after you have the first three.

The Number The letters

1	b, p, f, v
2	c, s, k, g, j, q, x, z
3	d, t
4	l
5	m, n
6	r

Most surnames are coded in this manner and that is fairly simple. But names with double letters and prefixes, or names that have letters right next to each other which have the same number have a few extra rules. If your surname begins with a prefix such as Van, De, or Le you should code it both with and without the prefix. Different sources may code it either way. Keep in mind that the scottish Mc and Mac are not considered to be prefixes. If you have double letters in your surname you should slash out the second and treat them as one occurrence. If your surname has different letters that equal the same number right next to each other, (like the cks in Jackson),these letters also should be treated as one letter by slashing out the ks and using only the 2 from the c.

Here is the listing of names that fall under the Soundex "B424":

BALAGULA, BALCOLM, BALGALVIS, BALKWILL, BALOGLOU,BALSALOBRE, BALSELLS, BALSILLIE, BALSLEY, BALSLOV, BAIZLI, BAIZOLA, BAULKWILL, BELCOLORE, BELCULFINE, BELISLE, BELLASALMA, BELLEISLE, BELLISLE, BELLOSILLO, BELSOLE, BELZIL, BELZILE, BIALOGLOWICZ, BIALOGLOWSKI, BIALOGLOWY, BILLCLIFF, BILSEL, BILSLAND, BLACHLY, BLACKALL, BLACKELY, BLACKHALL, BLACKLAW, BLACKLEDGE, BLACKLER, BLACKLEY, BLACKLIDGE, BLACKLIN, BLACKLOCK, BLACKLOW, BLACKLY, BLACKWEL, BLACKWELDER, BLACKWELL, BLAIKLOCK, BLAKELEY, BLAKELOCK, BLAKELY, BLAKLEY, BLAKSLEE, BLAKSLEY, BLASEL, BLASHILL, BLASIOLI, BLASL, BLASSL, BLAXALL, BLAXILL, BLAXLAND, BLEACKLEY, BLEAKLEY, BLECHEL, BLECHL, BLECHLE, BLECKLEY, BLECKWEHL, BLEICHWEHL, BLESSEL, BLESSLEY, BLICKLE, BLICKLEY, BLIKLE, BLOCKLEY, BLOCKWELL, BLOECHL, BLOECHLE, BLOESL, BLOKLAND, BLOKZYL, BLOSEL, BLUECHEL, BLYSKAL, BOLECHALA, BOLESLAV, BOLESLAW, BOLESLAWSKI, BOLLSCHWEILER, BOULICAULT, BULKELEY, BULKLEY.

Much of the above information is contained in the World Book Of Blackwells, copywritten and published by Halbert's Family Heritage.