Our Maternal

Bacon

Family Ancestors

Historical Names.com

OUR Bacon FAMILY

An Introduction

Bacon

Origins Of The Surname

     The BACON surname is an English and French metonymic occupational name for a preparer and seller of cured pork, from Middle English, Old French bacun, bacon ‘bacon’ (a word of Germanic origin, akin to Back.  It is also has origins from the Germanic personal name Bac(c)o, Bahho, from the root bag- ‘to fight’. The name was relatively common among the Normans in the form Bacus, of which the oblique case was Bacon. (1)

     First found in Suffolk, where they held a family seat from ancient times, and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.  Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Daniel Bacon who settled in Virginia in 1635; George Bacon who settled in Boston Mass. in 1635; John Bacon who settled in Virginia in 1653; and Thomas Bacon who settled in Pennsylvania in 1682. (2)

(1)     Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4 Family Facts (Ancestry.com)

(2)     Historical Names.com

     *Although the Domesday Book compiled by William the Conqueror required surnames, the use of them in the British Isles did not become fixed until the time period between 1250 and 1450.  The broad range of ethnic and linguistic roots for British surnames reflects the history of Britain as an oft-invaded land. These roots include, but are not limited to, Old English, Middle English, Old French, Old Norse, Irish, Gaelic, Celtic, Pictish, Welsh, Gaulish, Germanic, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. 

     Throughout the British Isles, there are basically five types of native surnames. Some surnames were derived from a man's occupation (Carpenter, Taylor, Brewer, Mason), a practice that was commonplace by the end of the 14th century.  Place names reflected a location of residence and were also commonly used (Hill, Brook, Forrest, Dale) as a basis for the surname, for reasons that can be easily understood.  Nicknames that stuck also became surnames.  About one-third of all US surnames in the United States are Patronymic in origin, and identified the first bearer of the name by his father (or grandfather in the case of some Irish names).  Acquired ornamental names were simply made up, and had no specific reflection on the first who bore the name. They simply sounded nice, or were made up as a means of identification, generally much later than most surnames were adopted.

Source: http://www.obcgs.com/LASTNAMES.htm

Bacon

Variations of the Surname

The complexity of researching records is compounded by the fact that in many cases an ancestors surname may have been misspelled.  This is especially true when searching census documents. Spelling variations of this family name include: Bacon, Bachun, Bacun and others.

The Soundex system was developed in an effort to assist with identifying spelling variations for a given surname. Soundex is a method of indexing names in the 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 US Census, and can aid genealogists in their research.   The Soundex Code for BACON is B250. Other surnames sharing this code are: BACON | BASCOM | BASHAM | BASKIN | BAUCOM | BAUGHEN | BAUGHN | BEACHAM | BEASON | BECKHAM | BEECHAM | BEESON | BEGGAN | BEZONA | BICKHAM | BIGHAM | BISSON | BOGAN | BOGGAN | BOJSEN | BOYKIN | BOYSEN | BUCHAN | BUGIN .

Source: Surname Resources at ROOTSWEB

Additional information about our DIRECT ANCESTORS and their

families  may be reviewed by clicking on the name LINK(s) below.

NAME

BIRTH / DEATH / LOCATIONS

GRIMBALDUS

b: 1075 in Bacon, Normandy, France

d: in Letheringsett, Erpingham, Norfolk, England

BACON-THORPE, Ranulf (de)

b: 1108 in Letheringsett, Erpingham, Norfolk, England

d: AFT 1152 in Baconsthorpe, Erpingham, Norfolk, England

BACON, George

b: 1145 in Baconsthorpe, Erpingham, Norfolk, England

BACON, Roger

b: 1172 in Baconsthorpe, Erpingham, Norfolk, England

d: AFT 1216

BACON, Robert

b: 1193 in Letheringsett, Erpingham, Norfolk, England

BACON, Reginald

b: 1215 in Letheringsett, Erpingham, Norfolk, England

d: in Lodie, Norfolk, England

BACON, Richard

b: 1234 in Lodie, Norfolk, England

BACON, Robert

b: 1254 in Baconsthorpe, Erpingham, Norfolk, England

BACON, Adam

b: 1272 in Baconsthorpe, Erpingham, Norfolk, England

BACON, Edmund

b: 1289 in Oulton, Mitford, Suffolk, England

d: 1337 in Ewelme, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England

BACON, Margery

b: 1336 in Baconsthorpe, Erpingham, Norfolk, England

d: 1 JUN 1399 in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, England

The following LINK will take you to a complete listing of individuals with this surname.

Researching the locations where our ancestors lived has provided us with valuable evidence needed to fill-in the gaps in our family trees.  It has also led us to many interesting facts that enhance the overall picture of each family group.  The names of states and counties on the following list were derived from the known places where the persons listed in the “Family Name Index” where born, married, and/or died.

COUNTRY

STATE

COUNTY / SUBDIVISION

UNITED KINGDOM

ENGLAND

Buckinghamshire, Norfolk, Oxfordshire;  Suffolk

FRANCE

NORMANDY

Use this LINK to find out more about the locations listed above.

ANCESTRAL LOCATIONS

The documents contained herein have been located during our research of this family, and used as evidence to prove many of the facts contained within the database of this family’s record.

     Most of these documents can be considered as primary or secondary.  Primary evidence is usually defined as the best available to prove the fact in question, usually in an original document or record.  Secondary evidence is in essence all that evidence which is inferior in its origin to primary evidence. That does not mean secondary evidence is always in error, but there is a greater chance of error.  Examples of this type of evidence would be a copy of an original record, or oral testimony of a record’s contents.  Published genealogies and family histories are also secondary evidence.

     Classifying evidence as either primary or secondary does not tell anything about its accuracy or ultimate value.  This is especially true of secondary evidence.  Thus it is always a good idea to ask the following questions: (1) How far removed from the original is it, (when it is a copy)?;  (2) What was the reason for the creation of the source which contains this evidence?; and (3) Who was responsible for creating this secondary evidence and what interest did they have in its accuracy?

SOURCE:  Greenwood, Val D., The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 2^nd edition, Genealogical Publishing  Co., Baltimore, MD 21202, 1990, pgs. 62-63

You are welcome to download any of the documents contained within this archive.  Should you encounter a problem obtaining a copy you may get in touch with us via the contact information found at the end of this page.

The following are websites that may provide you with additional information to assist

with your research about persons with this surname.  Source: http://ancestorguide.com/