Home The Immigrants The Generals  Maps  Photos  Timelines  Omnibus  Names  Enquiries  Exchange  Research  Share		Origins From Shaw's History and Antiquities of Staffordshire, England, it is learned that the Hampton family is one of the most ancient in England. The family seems to have been originally seated in Staffordshire where they owned the ancient Manor of Tunstall near the town of Wolverhampton, which was 13 miles northwest of Birmingham, England. The town was called Hampton until Lady Wulfruns, the relict of Athian, Duke of Northampton in the days of King Beteleirod (A.D. 968) founded a monastery here to the honor of the blessed Virgin, whence it was called Wulfruns Hampton. This was during the reign of King Ethelred. The name was Saxon in origin. The word "hampton" or "de hampton" literally means "an enclosure in a village" or "of a village.' The word later applied to the name of those living within a hampton. The family took its name from the town where people began to use surnames in the 12 century. There were Hampton in Scotland at the same time. One of the earliest written record of someone named Hampton (Philip of Hampton in Osensey) was in the year 1166, a hundred years after the Norman, William the Conqueror, defeated King Henry at the Battle of Hastings. Cardinal Wolsey built Hampton Court Palace, about a mile from Hampton Village in the County of Middlesex. It was constructed in the Tutor style of architecture. The splendor of the building so impressed King Henry VIII that the Cardinal gave it to him. (He needed to curry favor with the king and possibly wanted to keep his head on his shoulder.) The King used the palace as his royal residence as did King William III. The Hampton family have been people of achievement all along, and their notable deeds, both in civil and military life are attested to by the number of grants of arms and armorials reflected on the Hampton family crest. The scallop (sea shell) indicates a Crusader during the 12th and 13th centuries. The motto is "A Deo et Rege" (For God and King.) This long tradition of honorable service continues in America to this day. From Robert Ford's unpublished manuscript, Timothy Burgess Hampton and Margaret Moore of Butler County, Kentucky.  The book will also have a chapter on a unconnected Thomas Hampton of Logan and Butler County.  Used with the kind permission of the author. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The surname Hampton originally was used as a regional appellation. Regional surnames stem from place names including rivers, countries and man made features such as buildings, cross roads and many other objects. A person could be given a name indicating a place which was readily recognised. An individual living near or on a hill would be so designated, perhaps one living or working by a church would have been given the name Church. In this case the surname was used for one who resided at Hampton. Early records of the surname Hampton or a variant include John de Hampton from the county of Somerset. William de Hamptone from the county of Hertfordshire and Phillip de Hampton of Wiltshire who all appear in the Hundred Rolls in the year 1273. Laws of the mid 10th century stipulated that courts in each hundred (an area) assemble every four weeks to arbitrate and resolve any local legal disputes within their community. All dwellers living within the boundary of the hundredwere obliged to attend these meetings. This system of local government was introduced during the reign of king Edmund (936 - 946). Later Richard Hampton from the county of Sussex appeared in the Subsidy Rolls in 1327. The Subsidy Rolls was a taxation system devised during the middle ages. All citizens of the realm were obliged to contribute to this form of taxation, the amount levied was assessed by the total value of their assets. Whether one was rich or poor the obligation had to be met. This form of tax was introduced in 1327. John Hampton married Elizabeth Laymere at London in 1575. From early church records we find that in the year 1661 the baptism of William the son of John Hampton was recorded at St. Jason's in Clerkenwell. BLAZON OF ARMS Gules on a fess or, between a mullet in chief and an escallop in base argent three martlets azure. TRANSLATION Gules being red indicates military resolution and magnanimity. CREST A wyvern vert in bullrushes proper. MOTTO A deo et rege TRANSLATION From God and the King From a plaque owned by Greg Hampton -- purchased at a shop specializing in family names and crests.  The author is unknown. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
		The Arms described above seem to match the description from the authority of Martin & Allardyce, who say it has been assigned to the South Carolina family.
Comments or corrections should be sent to [email protected]

  

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17th Century

From England to the Americas:

     

Name	Relation	Date of Arrival	Sailing Ship	Colony or Country
William Hampton	Original Immigrant	1620	Bona Nova	VA
Joane ____	Wife of William	1621	Abigail	"
William Hampton, Jr.	Son	"	"	"
Grace Hampton	Daughter	"	"	"
Elizabeth Hampton	Daughter	"	"	"
John Hampton	Probably a cousin	"	"	"
Rev. Thomas Hampton I	Probably a cousin	Before 1636	Unknown	"

From Scotland to the Americas:

John Hampton,  Gardener	Original Immigrant	1683	Exchange	NY/NJ
Katherine Cloudsley	Wife of Andrew	"	"	"
Janet Hampton	Daughter of John	"	"	"
Elizabeth Hampton	Daughter	"	"	"
Lydia Hampton	Daughter	"	"	"
John Hampton	Son	"	"	"
David Hampton,  born at sea?	Son	"	"	"
Andrew Hampton,  Tailor	Original Immigrant	"	"	"
Margaret Cumming	Wife of Andrew	"	"	"

All the above information was extracted from the Hampton Mailing List -- any errors are my own. Please send corrections and additions to [email protected].  A very special thank you goes out to all the HAMPTONEERS who have contributed in the past and in the future.

Pending ~ Australia, Ireland, Germany, etc...

18th & 19th Century

Send your HAMPTON immigrant information to [email protected] or to  the Ancestry/ RootsWeb HAMPTON Immigration  Message Board.

20th Century (Are the Hamptons still emmigrating?)

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   The Generals

Dear Reasearcher,

Do you think you are related to General Wade Hampton?

The first thing you should know is that there were four Wade Hamptons.  The first Wade Hampton was an officer in the Revolutionary war and a Major General in the War of 1812.  Wade Hampton II was a 2nd Lieutenant in the First Light Dragoons during the War of 1812.  He was many things, but never a general.  However his son, Wade Hampton III, did reach that rank during the Civil War, which from his perspective was "The War of Northern Aggression."  His son, Wade Hampton IV, was a Major in the Confederacy.  So which one is your ancestor?

It's best for family historians to work backwards in time, so allow me to start with the children of Wade Hampton III and his first wife Margaret Preston:  Wade Hampton IV had no children - so he can't be your ancestor; Thomas Preston Hampton never married; Sarah Buchanan Hampton married John C. HASKELL; John Preston Hampton died in infancy; and Harriet Flud Hampton died while still a child.  Wade III then married Mary Singleton McDUFFIE.  Their children were:   George McDuffie Hampton who married Heloise URQUHART; Mary Singleton Hampton married Randolph Tucker, but had no children; Alfred Hampton married Frances HERNSEN; and Catherine Fisher Hampton who died in infancy.

So that leaves only three families to choose from. Do you descend from Sarah (Sally) Hampton and John HASKELL, George McDuffie Hampton and Heloise URQUHART or Alfred Hampton and Frances HERNSEN?

Or if Wade III isn't your ancestor, perhaps you descend from Col. Wade Hampton II and his wife Ann FITZSIMMONS?  Their first child was Wade III, but they had seven more children:  Christopher Hampton who married Mary Elizabeth McCORD; Harriet Flud Hampton; Catharine Pritchard Hampton; Ann M. Hampton; Caroline Louisa Hampton; Col. Frank Hampton married Sarah Strong BAXTER; and Mary Fisher Hampton.  

None of the girls ever married, nor did Annie, the only daughter of Christopher Hampton and Mary McCord.  That only leaves Frank HAMPTON and "Sally" BAXTER. You can read more about her in the book, A Divided Heart, Letters of Sally Baxter Hampton 1853 - 1862, edited by Ann Fripp Hampton.

One more Wade to go.  There were no children from his first marriage to Mrs. Martha Epps (Goodwyn) Howell.  The children of the original Wade Hampton and his second wife Harriet FLUD (now you know where that name came from) were Wade II (already discussed) and Francis Hampton who never married.  After the death of Harriet, Wade married Mary CANTEY. Their children were:  Harriet Hampton (never married); Louisa Wade Hampton (never married); Caroline Martha Hampton married John PRESTON; Mary Sumter Hampton married Thomson T. Player (she and her only infant died during childbirth); Alfred Hampton died very young; and Susan Frances Hampton married John MANNING.

So now all you have to do is the research to learn which of the families is actually yours. There were many young men named after one Wade Hampton or another, simply because they were civic and military leaders -- good men who inspired others.  Even if you learn that you do not descend from one of the Generals, there are other many other branches of the HAMPTON family dating back almost a thousand years.  In fact there are so many branches, that we are still trying to figure out where they all came from -- and where they went. Care to join us?

Rel@ively,
Patrice
Hampton-L, Listowner

 

"The name and fame of Hampton will endure as long as loyalty and courage are respected by the human race."

~John Esten Cooke

  

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Updated 02/25/2002