Shadrach History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Shadrach

What does the name Shadrach mean?

The Shadrach surname derives from the Middle English word "scheldrake," a type of brightly colored duck, from the East Anglian dialect term "scheld," meaning "variegated," and "drake," a "male duck." It has been suggested that the surname evolved from a nickname for a vain or showy person. 1

Early Origins of the Shadrach family

The surname Shadrach was first found in Essex where Roger Scheldrac was the first listing of the family who appeared in the Pipe Rolls of 1195. 2 Later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Adam Sceyldrake in Suffolk. 3

Early History of the Shadrach family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shadrach research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1195, 1275, 1632, 1662, 1756 and 1802 are included under the topic Early Shadrach History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shadrach Spelling Variations

Sound 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 Shadrach family name include Shelldrake, Sheldrake, Shelldrick, Shelldrick, Sheldrick, Shelldrack, Sheldrack, Shelldreck and many more.

Early Notables of the Shadrach family

Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shadrach Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Shadrach family

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 Shadrach surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Elizabeth Sheldrick, a bonded passenger, who came to America in 1732; Joshua Sheldrake, who came to Pennsylvania in 1849; as well as a Joseph Sheldrak, and a Sam Sheldrake, who were both recorded in the census of Ontario, Canada of 1871..

Contemporary Notables of the name Shadrach (post 1700) +

Azariah Shadrach (1774-1844), Welsh evangelical writer, born at Garn Deilo fach in the parish of Llanfair, near Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, the fifth son of Henry and Ann Shadrach, natives of the neighbouring parish of Nevern
William Shadrach Knox (1843-1914), American Republican politician, Member of Massachusetts State House of Representatives, 1874-75; U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 5th District, 1895-1903; Defeated, 1892 4
Shadrach Meshach Lockridge (1913-2000), American pastor from Robertson County, Texas, active in the civil rights movement, his church hosted Martin Luther King Jr
Shadrach Sherman, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Dutchess County, 1810-11

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html