Family History

Ancestral Lineage

Origins of

the Surname

Variations of

the Surname

Armorial Bearings

and Motto(es)

Researching

by Location

Migrations of the

American Family

Source Documents

Gen-Resources

Family Images Gallery

Contact Information

Family history

          We think (not proven) that our 7^th great-grandmother was Elizabeth Webb born about 1673 in Isle of Wight County.  Around 1704 Elizabeth married Theodorick Carter, of nearby Henrico County, Virginia.  At least eight children were born to Elizabeth and Theodorick between 1706 and 1736.  One of whom is our 6^th great-grandmother Susanna Carter born about 1711.  Elizabeth died in Henrico County between July 8, 1747 the date of her will and December 1751 when it was probated. 

Direct ancestors

Additional information about the persons in our database  as   well  as   a   complete

listing of individuals with this surname may be reviewed by clicking on this LINK.

Descendant Register

Generation 1

Elizabeth Webb was born on Abt. 1673 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. She died on Abt. 1751 in Henrico County, Virginia. She married Theodrick Carter on Abt.  1704 in Virginia, son of Giles Carter Sr. and Hannah Crewes. He was born on Abt. 1676 in Turkey Island, Henrico Co., Virginia. He died on Abt. 1737 in Henrico County, Virginia.

Children of Elizabeth Webb and Theodrick Carter are:

i.                   Theodrick Carter Jr., B: Abt. 1706 in Henrico County, Virginia, D: 1777 in Prince Edward Co., Virginia.

ii.                 John Carter, B: Abt. 1708 in Henrico County, Virginia.

iii.               Susanna Carter, B: Abt. 1711 in Henrico County, Virginia, D: Bet. 06 Mar-15 Oct 1798 in Amherst County, Virginia, M: Abt. 1736 in Henrico County, Virginia.

iv.               Martha Carter, B: Abt. 1712 in Henrico County, Virginia.

v.                 Hannah Carter, B: Abt. 1716 in Henrico County, Virginia.

vi.               Ann Carter, B: Abt. 1718 in Henrico County, Virginia.

vii.             Elizabeth Carter, B: 22 Aug 1736 in Henrico County, Virginia.

viii.           Mary Carter, B: Henrico County, Virginia.

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Origins of the surname

An Introduction

to the Surname

Source/Meaning

of the Surname

History of

the Surname

More About Surnames

An Introduction to the Surname

                 The practice of inherited family surnames began in England and France during the late part of the 11^th century.     With the passing of generations and the movement of families from place to place many of the original identifying names were altered into some of the versions that we are familiar with today.  Over the centuries, most of our European ancestors accepted their surname as an unchangeable part of their lives.  Thus people rarely changed their surname.  Variations of most surnames were usually the result of an involuntary act such as when a government official wrote a name phonetically or made an error in transcription.  Research into the record of this Webb family line indicates that the variations, meanings and history of this surname is most likely linked to that area of Europe where English, Scottish, and Irish linguistic traditions are commonly found. 

Source(s) & Meaning(s) of the Surname

        Most modern family names are a means conveying lineage.  For the most part, Anglo-Saxon surnames were developed from the following major sources: (1) patronym or matronym, names based on the name of one's father, mother or ancestor, (Johnson, Wilson); (2) occupation (i.e., Carpenter, Cooper, Brewer, Mason); (3) habitational or locational (Middleton, Sidney, or Ireland); (4) topographical (i.e. Hill, Brook, Forrest, Dale); (5) descriptive nickname (i.e., Moody Freeholder, Wise, Armstrong);  (6) status (i.e. Freeman, Bond, Knight); and (7) acquired ornamental names that were simply made up.

        Webb is an English and Scottish occupational name for a weaver.  It originated from the early Middle English word webbe, and from the Old English word webba which is a primary derivative of wefan meaning ‘to weave’.  Originally a male occupational name, the term "webbe" referred specifically to a male weaver and later "webster" to a female weaver; although this distinction was not always made in medieval English.    Webb can also be an Americanized form of various Ashkenazic Jewish cognates, which include Weber and Weberman.  

History of the Surname

     Surnames as we know them today were first assumed in Europe from the 11th to the 15th century. They were not in use in England or Scotland, before the Norman Conquest of 1066, and were first found in the Domesday Book of 1086. The employment in the use of a second name was a custom that was first introduced from the Normans who had adopted the custom just prior to this time.    Soon thereafter it became a mark of a generally higher socio-economic status and thus seen as disgraceful for a well-bred man to have only one name.  It was not until the middle of the 14^th century that surnames became general practice among all people in the British Isles.

     This surname was first found in Wiltshire, England, where the Webb family was seated from ancient times. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alger se Webba which was was documented in the year 1100 at County Devon, within the "Olde English Byname Register".   Other early examples of written documentation of persons with this name in England are found in the pipe rolls of the county of Suffolk, where an Osbert Webbe so recorded in 1221.  Adam le Webbe of the County of Essex was recorded in the year 1273.  Robert le Webbe of the County of Somerset was recorded in the year 1327 as was Alice la Webbe, in the rolls of the borough of Colchester. Johannes Wybbe of Yorkshire was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379, as was Roger le Webbe, Elyas Webbe, and Robert le Webbe.  The following quotation from the famous medieval book of social history "Piers Plowman" reads: "My wife was a webbe and woollen cloth made".  Later church recordings of the post medieval period include: Mary Webb, the daughter of George Webb, who was christened on March 5th 1550 at the church of St. Mary Woolnoth, in the city of London, and Mary Webbe who was christened on February 17th 1566, at the church of St. Benet Fink, also city of London. Matthew Webbe of County Cornwall, registered at Oxford University in the year 1577. Nicholas Webbe, was documented in the Wills at Chester in the year 1603 as was William Webbe of Chester, in the year 1623.

      Some notable bearers of the Webb name are: Jack Webb (1920-1982), US actor, most famous for his role as a detective in the television series Dragnet;  Jim Webb, Senior United States Senator for the Commonwealth of Virginia (Incumbent Democrat);  Lucy Webb Hayes (1831-1889), First Lady of the United States during the presidency of her husband Rutherford B. Hayes;  Sam Webb, Chair of the Communist Party USA; and Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield (1859-1947), British reformer; husband of Beatrice Webb.    A listing of other prominent persons with this surname can be found at Webb(name).

        The great majority of persons having the Webb surname emigrated to America from the United Kingdom with the most coming from England.  Today about 649 persons per million in the United States have this surname.  The heaviest concentration of the name is found in the state of Tennessee as well as various states in the southern U.S.  In the United Kingdom almost about 1200 persons per million have this surname.    The most significant clustering of the name is found in the East Anglia, and southwestern counties of Scotland.

Variations of the surname

Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to unfold and expand often leading to an overwhelming number of variants.  As such one can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames because in early times, spelling in general and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized.  Later on spellings would change with the branching and movement of families.  Spelling variations of this family name include:  Webb, Webbe and others.   

The complexity of researching records is compounded by the fact that in many cases an ancestors surname may also have been misspelled.  This is especially true when searching census documents.   The Soundex Indexing 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 Webb is W100.  Other surnames sharing this Soundex Code:  WEBB |

Searching for more Information about this and other surnames?

Then take a look at our:

Coat of arms

In the Middle Ages heraldry came into use as a practical matter. It originated in the devices used to distinguish the armored warriors in tournament and war, and was also placed on seals as marks of identity. As far as records show, true heraldry began in the middle of the 12th century, and appeared almost simultaneously in several countries of Western Europe.  In the British Isles the College of Arms, (founded in 1483), is the Royal corporation of heralds who record proved pedigrees and grant armorial bearings.

Coat-of Arms

Image Gallery

Descriptions of the

Armorial Bearings

Motto(es) of

this Surname

More About Hearldic Bearings

Image gallery

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Fig. 2

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Fig. 8

Fig. 9

ARMORIAL BEARINGS

The associated armorial bearings for this surname and close variant spellings are recorded in Burke’s General Armorie and Reitstap’s Armorial General.  The additional information, presented below, is offered with regard to the armorial bearings depicted above:

FIGURE 1: These armorial bearings were originally granted by the King James I to Sir John Webb Knight of Odstock, Wiltshire.  These same arms were also used by John Webb Esq. of St. James, Clerkenwell, Middlesex who was a nephew of the aforementioned Sir John Webb of Odstock.    The coat-of-arms shows a red shield with a gold cross between four gold falcons. The crest is a red demi eagle rising.

FIGURE 2: This coat-of-arms was granted to John Webb of Ireland prior to 1617.

FIGURE 3: These arms were granted to a Webb of Gillingham, Kent.   The red shield contains a gold fesse between three golden owls.  The crest (not shown is a right (dexter) bent arm holding an oak branch.  

FIGURE 4: These armorial bearings were originally granted by the King James I to John Webber, Esq. of Amell, Cornwall, England. The silver shield contains a blue chevron with silver three annulets between three blue hurts.

FIGURE 5: This coat-of-arms has been attributed to a Webb of Germany.

FIGURE 6: This interesting shield has been attributed to a Webster, but is not found in Burke’s General Armorie.

FIGURE 7: This coat-of-arms was granted to a Webster who was the Baronet of Battle Abbey, in Sussex, England. The motto of this Webster was “Fides et Justitia”.  Similar arms were also used by Webster of Pallion Hall, in Sunderland, Durham whose motto was “Fides et industria”, and a Webster of Essex, England.   These arms show a blue shield with a silver bend between two golden lions. The bend contains a red rose between two black boars head.  The crest a green dragons head issuing flames from its mouth.

FIGURE 8:  These arms have been ascribed to a Webb most likely of Ireland.  They are similar to the arms in 2 with the exception that the wavy bend is blue.  

FIGURE 9: These armorial bearings were bestowed upon William Webb of Ballymote, in County Sligo, Ireland. Webb was an engineer in Oliver Cromwell's army in Ireland.  His motto was “Victoria a Domino”.  The silver shield features an embattled cross of red with a black eagle displayed in the first quarter. The crest is a golden lion passant. 

MOTTO(ES)  

     A motto is a word or sentence usually written upon a scroll and generally placed below the shield, but sometimes, especially in Scotland, above the crest.    Many ancient mottoes were war-cries such as the Douglas motto of “Forward.”    Many mottoes refer to the name of the bearer, for example “cole regem” for Coleridge.   In general most mottoes convey a sentiment, hope, or determination, such as the Cotter motto “Dum spiro spero” where the meaning is “While I have breath I hope“.     Mottoes are often used by several successive generations, but may be changed at any time by the grantee. The languages most in use are Latin, French, and English.  Exceptions are seen in Scotland where they are often in the old Lowland dialect, and in Wales, often in the language of the principality.    

 The following listed mottoes and their translations are attributed to Webb:

Corona mea Christus, Christ is my crown;  In alta tende, Aim at things on high;  Nil conscire sibi, To have a conscience free from guilt. To be conscious of nothing of one’self, i.e. against one’s self;  Non nobis nascimur, We are not borne for ourselves;  Quid prodest?, What does it profit?;  Robore, By strength;  Virescit vulnere virtus, Her virtue flourishes by her wound;  Carpe diem, Seize the present opportunity;  Emergo, I emerge;  Vincit veritas, Truth conquers

Heraldic bearings

The art of designing, displaying, describing, and recording arms is called heraldry. The use of coats of arms by countries, states, provinces, towns and villages is called civic heraldry.   A Coat of Arms is defined as a group of emblems and figures (heraldic bearings) usually arranged on and around a shield and serving as the special insignia of some person, family, or institution.  Except for a few cases, there is really no such thing as a standard "coat of arms" for a surname.  A coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, is a design usually granted only to a single person not to an entire family or to a particular surname.  Coats of arms are inheritable property, and they generally descend to male lineal descendents of the original arms grantee.  The rules and traditions regarding Coats of Arms vary from country to country. Therefore a Coat of Arms for an English family would differ from that of a German family even when the surname is the same. 

Some of the more prominent elements incorporated into a  coat of arms are :

Crest - The word crest is often mistakenly applied to a coat of arms.  The crest was a later development arising from the love of pageantry.  Initially the crest consisted of charges painted onto a ridge on top of the helmet.

Wreath or Torse – The torse is a twist of cloth or wreath underneath and part of a crest. Always shown as six twists, the first tincture being the tincture of the field, the second the tincture of the metal, and so on.

Mantling – The mantling is a drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. It forms a backdrop for the shield.

Helm or Helmet - The helmet or helm is situated above the shield and bears the torse and crest. The style of helmet displayed varies according to rank and social status, and these styles developed over time, in step with the development of actual military helmets.

Shield or Arms - The basis of all coats of arms.  At their simplest, arms consist of a shield with a plain field on which appears a geometrical shape or object.  The items appearing on the shield are known as charges.

Motto - The motto was originally a war cry, but later mottoes often expressed some worthy sentiment. It may appear at the top or bottom of a family coat of arms.

Ancestral locations

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.

Locations of

Direct Ancestors

Locational Distribution

of  this Surname

Where In the World

are my Ancestors?

Locatiof Direct Ancestors

The names of states and counties on the following list were derived from the known places where the Direct Ancestors in the “Ancestral Lineage” (see above) were born, married, and / or died.

COUNTRY

STATE

COUNTY / SUBDIVISION

UNITED STATES

Virginia

Henrico Co.;  Isle of Wight Co.

Use this LINK to find out more

about the locations listed above.

Locational distributionstors

     Knowing the geographical areas where the surname you are researching is clustered and distributed is an indispensable tool in deciding where to focus your research.  We believe that the “Public Profiler” website will open up to you a wide range of solutions which implement current research in spatial analysis.  This site provides an array of local spatial information tools useful to the genealogist.

          The information presented below shows where the WEBB surname is distributed within the United States as well as in the United Kingdom, the country of origin of this family.   Australia is found to be the country in the world where this surname is the most highly clustered having almost 1,240 persons per million of population.  

United States of America

Key

European Country of Origin

Click on the LINK to the right to see more information about the World distribution of a surname.  You can

get greater detail for any of the following maps by clicking on the area, i.e state, county that you are interested in.

Wjere are my ancestors Ancestors

Resources which enhance our knowledge of the places inhabited by our ancestors are almost as important as their names. The LINK to the right will take you to Maps, Gazetteers,   and  other  helpful   resources 

that will assist in discovering Ancestral Locations.  These web sites comprise only a small portion of what is available for researchers interested in learning more about where their ancestors lived.

Migration routes

       Tracing our own family’s paths of migration can prove crucial in identifying previous generations and eventually, figuring out where and how they arrived in the “New World” as well as where they eventually settled.  Knowing the network of trails American pioneers traveled can help you guess where to start looking.  The trail map(s) provided below may assist you in understanding the routes that our direct ancestors of this family may have taken to find new homes and opportunities in the vast area now encompassed by the United States.

      During the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries hundreds of thousands of Europeans made the perilous ocean voyage to America.  For many it was an escape from economic hardship and religious persecution.  For most it was an opportunity to start over, own their own land, and make a better future for their descendents.  Immigration records show a number of people bearing the name of Webb, or one of its variants, as arriving in North America between the 17^th and 20^th centuries.  Most of these immigrants came from the British Isles.   Some of these immigrants were:  Christopher Webb who landed at Braintree , Massachusetts in 1628; Richard Webb and his wife Elizabeth who settled at Boston in 1630;  Arthur Webb who came to Maryland in 1637; Richard Webb, who settled in Brigus, Newfoundland, in 1677;  and William Webb, who was a fisherman in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, in 1735.

Use the following links to find more early immigrants with this surname:

$ Search Ancestry.com Immigration Records; or Free Ship’s Passenger lists at OliveTreeGenealogy.com

The Development of an Historical Migration Route

It is understood that in many if not all cases we do not know exactly what routes our ancestors took as they migrated throughout the United States.   As such certain assumptions have been utilized to re-create the migration path presented above.  With regard to 18^th and 19^th century land routes we assume that they travelled along few trails and roads that were in existence at the time.  Research shows that a great many of these old paths and trails are today designated as U.S. Highway Routes.  For example, a major east-west route of migration known as the National Road is now U.S. Route 40, and a primary north-south migration route of the 18^th century followed the Great Indian War and Trading Path is now U.S. Route 11.  In some situations the re-created migration route may travel along state routes that connect or run through the seat of a county as that populated place is probably the oldest settlement in the area. The use of water as a migration route is also likely.  For example, during the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries many families travelled west on the Ohio River as they moved on the new lands in Missouri or the Old Northwest Territory.  As such when applicable water routes have been included as the possible migration route.   

Migrations of the Webb Family

Map of Migration

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Source documents

The documents contained within this “Source Documents Archives” 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.   Use the LINKS below to view our collection.

·      Elizabeth WEBB Carter - 1747 Will & 1752 Estate Inventory

·       

This Link will take you to our

archive of source documents.  

You are welcome to download any of the documents contained within this archive that does not cite a copyright.  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 web-page.

     Most of these documents can be considered as primary or secondary evidence.  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

Web resources

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provide you with additional

information to assist with

your research about this topic.

·             Our Surname Locator And Resources web page contains the following: (1) links that will take you to an updated listing of all surnames as posted in our three databases at the Rootsweb WorldConnect Project; (2) the Surname List Finder a tool that finds sound-alike matches for a given surname from among RootsWeb's thousands of surname lists; (3) the Soundex Converter that can be used to find the soundex code for a surname, plus other surnames/spellings sharing the same soundex code;  (4) Surname Message Boards the world's largest online genealogy community with over 17 Million posts on more than 161,000 boards; (5) Surname Mailing Lists of all surnames having mailing lists at RootsWeb, as well as topics that include (6) Surname Heraldy, and  (7) Mapping a Surname. 

·             Your genealogy research of this surname can be facilitated by use of Surname Web. This website links to the majority of the surname data on the web, as well as to individual family trees, origin and surname meaning if known, and many other related genealogy resources. 

·             Surname Finder provides easy access to free and commercial resources for 1,731,359 surnames. On each surname specific "finder" page, you can search a variety of online databases all pre-programmed with your surname.

·             Use All Surnames Genealogy to get access to find your surname resources .  There are almost 1300 links in this directory.

·             SurnameDB Free database of surname meanings - This site SurnameDB.Com contains a large FREE to access database (almost 50,000 surnames) on the history and meaning of family last names.

·             Public Profiler / World Names - Search for a Surname to view its Map and Statistics.

·             Linkpendium Surnames - Web sites, obituaries, biographies, and other material specific to a surname.

·             Cyndi's List - Surnames, Family Associations & Family Newsletters Index - Sites or resources dedicated to specific, individual family surnames.

Free Records & Databases

All of the records and databases we’ve collected are FREE and can be accessed and searched online without having to pay for a subscription.   We have divided our collected into 14 record types as follows: Biographical; Birth; Cemetery; Census & City Directories; Church; Court; Death; Immigration & Naturalization; Land; Marriage; Military; Newspapers; Occupational; and Tax Records.    We try not to list any sites that have only a few records for the purpose of getting you to a website that will charge a fee to actually see the record beyond just a name.  

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The following Link will take you to our library of genealogy reference books.   Here you will find bibliographies, family histories and books about names.  In addition, there are texts that pertain to ethnic and religion groups, history, geography as well as other books that will assist you with your research.

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collections of reference books.  

Images gallery

During our research we have collected images and photographs that are of general interest to a particular family.  Some of them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors past lives.

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searching in the box and click “Search Images”. At the “Images” display page you will see the image, as well as the website of which it is associated.

Contact Information

Email

Snail Mail:

Fred
889 Dante Ct.
Mantua, NJ 08051

USA

Updated 01 April 2011

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Tom
6484 Riverstone Dr

Sooke, BC V9Z 0Y7

Canada