Kemmis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Kemmis family

The surname Kemmis was first found in Huntingdonshire. "The links between the Conqueror's companion in arms and the first recorded ancestor of the baronial house of Camoys have not been ascertained. We cannot ascend in the genealogy to a more remote period than that of the third Henry, when we find Ralph de Camois restored to certain lands in Huntingdonshire, which had been seized upon by the crown in the preceding reign, owing to his participation in the rebellion of the barons. From him derived Sir Thomas de Camoys, of Broadwater, in Surrey, Knight Banneret, an eminent warrior of the times of Richard II., Henry IV., and Henry V., who commanded the left wing of the English army at Azincourt, and for his services on that occasion was honoured with the Garter. He had received summonses to Parliament as Baron Camoys, from the 7th Richard II. to the 8th Henry V. " 1

Early History of the Kemmis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kemmis research. Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1543, 1600, 1614, 1617, 1641, 1648, 1658, 1673, 1678, 1688, 1689, 1702, 1713, 1715, 1716, 1734 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Kemmis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kemmis Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Kenys, Kemeys, Kemish, Kemis, Keymich, Camois and many more.

Early Notables of the Kemmis family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Charles Kemeys (c.1614-1658), second child of the Kemeys Baronets, a Welsh family of landowners in the county of Monmouthshire, Wales; William Kemeys was High Sheriff of the County of Monmouth in 1678, and listed in Blome's List of Monmouthshire Gentry in...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kemmis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kemmis migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Kemmis or a variant listed above were:

Kemmis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Kemmis, who landed in Maryland in 1659 2

Kemmis migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Kemmis Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Henry Kemmis, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Dumfries" in 1839 3
Mary Kemmis, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Dumfries" in 1839 3
Emily Kemmis, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Dumfries" in 1839 3
Louisa Kemmis, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Dumfries" in 1839 3
George Kemmis, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Dumfries" in 1839 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Kemmis (post 1700) +

Daniel Kemmis, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Montana, 2004 4

Citations +

Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DUMFRIES 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Dumfries.gif
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html