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Dew of England and Virginia

The following is based on extractions from the book "Genealogy of Thomas Dew" by Ernestine Dew White, published in 1937.

Prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Englishmen had no surnames.  People were called by their occupations, places of birth, or from a personal peculiarity.  Some examples: Tom the Miller; James the Smith; and Carpenter, Painter, White, Black, Brown, etc.  The name Dew is thought to be of Celt origin, with a meaning of black or dark complexion.

The name has been spelled Dewe, Dew, Due, Dhu, Deu, Deugh.  The name in old records has been spelled in different ways.  Sometimes it is spelled in two or more ways in the same document.

It is assumed that the family is of very ancient Celtic origin, and that the name was originally Dhu.  It is probable that the family descended from Roderick the Great, King of all Wales, and his son Howell Dhu, the Good, who died in 947.  Dhu in Celtic, Gaelic and Welsh means black or of a dark complexion.  It is assumed that Howell Dhu, the Good, had a dark complexion which, no doubt he inherited from the dark-skinned Romans who invaded Britain about 43 AD.

The progenitor of the Dew family in the Virginia Colony was Thomas Dew of England.  He was an investor and subscriber to stock in "The Virginia Company of London."  Many of the subscribers in the colonization projects finally came to Virginia to live.

Thomas Dew, the immigrant and colonial ancestor of the Dew family, was a son of Thomas Dew, the London stationer.  Thomas Dew, of London, was a brother of Richard Dew, of Abingdon, who married Elizabeth Bennett.  Many members of the Dew, Bennett and Cromwell familes immigrated to the Virginia Colony.
 

Dew Lineage-Linked Pages      E-mail to Allen
Dew Descendant Outline          Allen Dew Home Page
Copyright © 1980-2002 Allen P Dew. All rights reserved.