| ![Show Contents]() Fones History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Fones familyThe surname Fones was first found in Devon where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 12th century when they held estates at Plymouth. They are believed to have been originally from Saxby Saphy in Worcestershire about 1000 A.D. Early History of the Fones familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fones research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1142, 1149, 1162, 1172, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1538, 1560, 1600, 1610, 1625, 1673, 1697 and 1708 are included under the topic Early Fones History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Fones Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Fones family name include Fowns, Fownes, Vownes, Faun, Faunce, Vaunce, Vaun, Fones, Foynes, Voynes, Phones, Phowns and many more. Early Notables of the Fones familyDistinguished members of the family include - Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett (1610-c.1673), born Elizabeth Fones, an early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony where her father-in-law (and uncle) John Winthrop served as Governor
Migration of the Fones family to IrelandSome of the Fones family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Fones migration to the United States | + |
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Fones surname or a spelling variation of the name include:
Fones Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Elizabeth Fones (1610-1673), English settler from Suffolk arriving at the Massachusetts Bay Colony with her daughter Martha aboard the Lyon in 1631
Fones Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Mrs S. A. Fones, aged 25, who landed in America from London, in 1906
- Mrs James R Fones, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
- Chas. A. Fones, aged 45, who landed in America, in 1907
- Helen Fones, aged 38, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
- Mary Fones, aged 25, who immigrated to America from Dudley, England, in 1910
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Fones migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Fones Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Christopher Fones, who landed in Canada in 1831
- Daniel Fones, who arrived in Canada in 1831
| Contemporary Notables of the name Fones (post 1700) | + |
- Alfred Civilion Fones (1869-1938), American dentist who is generally considered to be the founder of the profession of dental hygiene in 1906
- William H. D. Fones (1917-2010), American jurist on the State Supreme Court of Tennessee
- Robert Fones, Canadian visual artist and winner of the Governor General's Awards in visual and media arts in 2011
| Historic Events for the Fones family | + |
- Mr. George Everett Fones, American Fire Controlman Third Class from Washington, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 1
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