Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
This is an English habitation name from the village of Kirkshaw in the parish of Rochdale in Lancashire. The place name derives from the Old English pre 7th Century "kirk", church and "sceaga", "shaw" in Middle English meaning a copse or thicket. The surname would therefore denote someone who lived near the "church-wood". Locational names were usually bestowed on those who moved from their original habitation to live or work in another village or town. The spelling of the name varied from "Kyrkeschawe" in the 14th Century to "Kyrkshagh" in the 15th Century, before becoming Kershaw in the late 16th Century, and in general losing the second "k" of "kirk" from that time on. Examples of the recordings include John de Kyrkshagh of Townhouses, Rochdale in the year 1424, whilst in 1572 Edward Kershaw of Upper Townhouse, Rochdale is listed amongst the Wills proved at Chester in that year. The Coat of Arms is silver, the blazon, three cross crosslets in black, on a chief of blue, three bezants. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adam de Kyrkeschawe, which was dated 1307, in the "Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
Read more: http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/kershaw#ixzz4qhQxD4Q8
This is an English habitation name from the village of Kirkshaw in the parish of Rochdale in Lancashire. The place name derives from the Old English pre 7th Century "kirk", church and "sceaga", "shaw" in Middle English meaning a copse or thicket. The surname would therefore denote someone who lived near the "church-wood". Locational names were usually bestowed on those who moved from their original habitation to live or work in another village or town. The spelling of the name varied from "Kyrkeschawe" in the 14th Century to "Kyrkshagh" in the 15th Century, before becoming Kershaw in the late 16th Century, and in general losing the second "k" of "kirk" from that time on. Examples of the recordings include John de Kyrkshagh of Townhouses, Rochdale in the year 1424, whilst in 1572 Edward Kershaw of Upper Townhouse, Rochdale is listed amongst the Wills proved at Chester in that year. The Coat of Arms is silver, the blazon, three cross crosslets in black, on a chief of blue, three bezants. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adam de Kyrkeschawe, which was dated 1307, in the "Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
Read more: http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/kershaw#ixzz4qhQxD4Q8
FAMOUS KERSHAWS
I have known about the "Ragin' Cajun" since the late Sixties when he appeared on the first Johnny Cash TV show along with Bob Dylan. My friends and I watched the show together in amazement of his talents and that he had my name. I have his music CDs and a DVD of a live concert. I am always asked by those who are fans of his if we are related. I e-mailed him once and he graciously responded regarding our relationship. We are not related since he is Cajun who live in Louisiana.
According to Wikipedia: While lower Louisiana had been settled by French colonists since the late eighteenth century, the Cajuns trace their roots to the influx of Acadian settlers after the great Expulsion from their homeland during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). The Acadian region to which modern Cajun trace their origin consisted largely of what are now Nova Scotia and the other Maritime provinces plus parts of eastern Quebec and northern Maine. Since their establishment in Louisiana, the Cajuns have developed their own dialect, Cajun French, and developed a vibrant culture including folkways, music and cuisine.
He is a musician, songwriter and performer, known as the "Louisiana Man", the King of the fiddle. He has promoted Cajun music and culture. Born in 1936 in the Cameron Parish of Louisiana, the heart of Cajun country.
I know of two other Doug Kershaws and when I have time, I will tell the stories of how I know of them. And yes, they both have to do with mixed identities, but not identity theft.
Nowadays, I am asked if I am related to the very good Los Angeles Dodger pitcher, Clayton Kershaw. I am not since he was born in 1988 in Dallas, Texas and grew up in Highland Park, Texas. He went straight from playing high school baseball to some brief minor league play to being signed in March 2008 by the Dodgers. And now he is a Cy Young winner-congratulations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_Kershaw
Sammy Kershaw is a musician and singer. Born in 1958 and grew up in Cajun country of Kaplan, Louisiana. A third cousin to Cajun singer, Doug Kershaw. Sammy is known as a country singer, mostly in the form of ballads, with his first hit being "Tennessee Girl". One of his top hits was "Love of My Life".
Another musical Kershaw is Nik Kershaw born Nicholas David Kershaw on March 1, 1958 who is an English singer/songwriter who was a popular teen idol in England in the mid-1980's. He appeared at Live-Aid and had numerous English hit records and is still active. He was born in Bristol, but grew up in Ipswich, Suffolk England. I doubt I am related to him.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nik_Kershaw
Today, July 2, 2012, I found out some more interesting information about Kershaws.
I was reading an old National Geographic from 1998 about Anarctica, when I found this section.
"Enter John Edward Giles Kershaw. Born in India in 1948, Kershaw is esteemed as the boldest, most accomplished pilot ever to fly in Anarctica. . . . On March 5, 1990, Kershaw was taking off in a kit-built Gyrocopter when something went wrong and the flying machine smashed into a glacier. Giles Kershaw was dead at 41." Here is a recently found article regarding him: http://voices.yahoo.com/flying-into-antarctica-adventures-frozen-continent-5364003.html?cat=16
I Googled his name for more information, but did not find any more on him but I did find a Ralph Kershaw who died on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center in New York City. This is from a memorial page. We salute and pray for him and thank him for his sacrifice.
I also found an E-book on line called "The History of the Kershaw Brigade" by D. Augustus Dickert about the US Civil War in South Carolina from the Confederates viewpoint. It is a first hand account from 1860 through 1865 of the Brigade under the command of General Joseph Brevard Kershaw, McLaws' division, Longstreet's corps, Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. First Manassas was the brigade's, baptism of fire. Seven Pines, the Seven Days, Second Manassas, Harper's Ferry, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg followed. Here is his picture from Wikipedia.  His bio: Joseph Brevard Kershaw (January 5, 1822 – April 13, 1894) was a lawyer, judge, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. Kershaw was born at Camden, South Carolina, admitted to the bar in 1843, and was a member of the South Carolina Senate from 1852 to 1856. Kershaw saw battle during the Mexican American War, but fell dangerously sick and was permitted to return home. At the start of the Civil War Kershaw commanded the 2nd South Carolina Volunteer Infantry regiment and took part in the First Battle of Bull Run. The 2nd South Carolina was present at Morris Island during the Fort Sumter incident. He was commissioned brigadier general on February 13, 1862, and commanded a brigade in Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia during the Peninsula Campaign, at the close of which he continued with Lee and took part in the Northern Virginia Campaign and Maryland Campaign. Towards the end of the Battle of Fredericksburg, he succeeded Brig. Gen. T. R. R. Cobb, upon the latter's death, and repulsed the last two attacks made by the Federals on Marye's Heights.
The next year he was engaged in the Battle of Gettysburg and then was transferred with Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's corps to the West, where he took part in the charge that destroyed the Federal right wing at Chickamauga. After the relief of McLaws following the battle of Knoxville Kershaw was given the command of the division. When Longstreet returned to Virginia, he commanded a division in the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cold Harbor, and was engaged in the Shenandoah campaign of 1864 against Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan. After the evacuation of Richmond, his troops formed part of Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell's corps, which was captured at the Battle of Sayler's Creek, April 6, 1865.
At the close of the war he returned to South Carolina and in 1865 was chosen president of the State Senate. He was judge of the Circuit Court from 1877 to 1893. In 1894 he was appointed postmaster of Camden, an office that he held until his death in the same year. He died in Camden and is buried there in the Quaker Cemetery.
There is a Kershaw County in South Carolina which was Camden County in the above where a lot of Kershaws live. I believe they are descended from very early English immigrants. I doubt I am related to any of them. Here is an interesting bit of information from a Kershaw County website. "The area that is now in Kershaw County was originally part of the Camden district. The county itself was formed in 1791 from portions of Fairfield, Lancaster, and Richland county. Camden, the county seat, was in Lancaster county until then.
This part of South Carolina was first settled in 1758, when Joseph Kershaw came up from Charleston to Fredricksburg (which no longer exists). He set up a store on a 150 acre tract (that wasn't surveyed to him, it belonged to William Ancrum) and called the place Pine Tree Hill. It was in the southeast corner of what is Camden today.
President Bill Clinton is "rooted" in Kershaw county. His great-great-grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Spradley, was the granddaughter of James Spradley (abt 1765-1808), from Kershaw County. (Any more cousins out there?)
Kershaw County had the first millionaire in South Carolina -- Joseph Cunningham. His home still stands in Liberty Hill. One resource says he came to SC as a child with his family from Ireland, the other says he was born here. Either way, he earned everything he had. (Thanks to Angela Cox for the info!)
The Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site is a park associated with the National Park Service. Fourteen battles of the Revolution were fought in the area. There are walking and driving tours of the area, where Camden, South Carolina's first inland city, was established as a trading post in the 1730's. (For information about the tours and the park, call 803-432-9841.)
President Clinton isn't the only president with Kershaw County roots. The family names Nixon and Milhouse probably sound familiar, as in Richard Milhouse Nixon. Maybe there's a genetic link to politics in the area! (Thanks to Doneva Shepard-Shannon for this tidbit.)"
The town of Kershaw is in Lancaster County, South Carolina. The USS Kershaw (APA-176) was a Haskell-class attack transport acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas. It was named after Kershaw County. There was a Nellie Kershaw (c. 1891 – 14 March 1924) who was an English textile worker from Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Her death due to pulmonary asbestosis was the first such case to be described in medical literature, and the first published account of disease attributed to occupational asbestos exposure.   On October 28, 2012, I found another famous Kershaw who is female and Australian from Wikipedia, "Abbey Lee Kershaw (born 12 June 1987), also known as Abbey Lee, is an Australian fashion model. Following several years of success leading up to the 2011 fashion seasons, V magazine dubbed Kershaw a supermodel. According to IMDb Mini Biography Abbey Lee in known for her work as a model and actress. In 2015 Abbey made feature film debut alongside Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in George Miller's post-apocalyptic film Mad Max: Fury Road. Abbey has since appeared in numerous feature films in both America and Australia. Abbey has starred in the Australian film"Ruben Guthrie", directed by Brendan Cowell; the Lionsgate/Summit epic fantasy film "Gods Of Egypt" alongside Gerard Butler and Geoffrey Rush; "Office Christmas Party" directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck in which she starred opposite Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, and TJ Miller; "The Neon Demon" from writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn in which she starred opposite Elle Fanning, Keanu Reeves, and Bella Heathcote; and "The Dark Tower", based on the best-selling novels from Stephen King and starring Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba. Abbey also recently starred in the award-winning Australian film 1% opposite Eddie Baroo and Ryan Corr for which she was nominated for Best Lead Actress at the 2018 AACTA Awards. Most recently, Abbey appeared in Justin Kelly's "Welcome Stranger", opposite Riley Keough and Caleb Landry Jones, and "Elizabeth Harvest", opposite Ciaran Hinds and Carla Gugino.
Abbey made her theatre debut playing the role of Yeliena in the Hampstead Theatre's 2018 London production of "Uncle Vanya", directed by Terry Johnson. Abbey will next be seen in the new Jordan Peele & J.J. Abrams produced HBO series "Lovecraft Country", which also stars Michael Kenneth Williams, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Courtney B Vance and Jonathan Majors, and is scheduled to be released later this year. Prior to pursuing and acting career Abbey was well known as a highly successful international model, working with designers including Karl Lagerfeld, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Versace, and Dolce & Gabbana. She has featured several times on the cover of Australian Vogue. |
Here is a commercial Genealogy web page that shows more information regarding the Kershaws. I have not been able to follow the Kershaw family tree itself beyond my great-grandfather who immigrated from England in 1885 because there are just too many Kershaws in England to narrow him down and find his family tree in England.
As of July 3, 2014, I have found another Kershaw. Lily Kershaw is a 22 year old American actress and singer. She has appeared in the episode of Criminal Minds "To Hell...And Back" in 2009 and her music appeared in the Criminal Minds season 7 finale "Hit/Run" in 2012. Her CD is "Midnight In The Garden".
I found another famous Kershaw in December 2014: Sir Ian Kershaw, FBA (born 29 April 1943) is a British historian of 20th century Germany whose work has chiefly focused on the period of the Third Reich. He is regarded by many as one of the world's leading experts on Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, and is particularly noted for his monumental biography of Hitler. He was born into a Roman Catholic family in Oldham, Lancashire, England, to Joseph Kershaw and Alice Robinson.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Kershaw
On June 22, 2015, I just discovered another Kershaw. During all of the coverage of getting rid of Confederate symbols like the Confederate Flag and a statue that Jack Kershaw made.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kershaw
John Karl "Jack" Kershaw (October 12, 1913 – September 7, 2010) was an American attorney best known for challenging the official account of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., claiming that his client James Earl Ray was the innocent patsy of a mystery man named Raul who masterminded the conspiracy to kill the civil rights leader. Kershaw was also a Southern secessionist and segregationist who helped found the League of the South. In 1998 he sculpted a monument of Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Kershaw was born on October 12, 1913 in Missouri. He moved to the Old Hickory section of Nashville, Tennessee with his family in his youth. He attended Vanderbilt University, where he played on the school football team and earned a degree in geology. He was awarded a law degree at the Nashville Y.M.C.A. Night Law School,now known as Nashville School of Law.[1]
James Earl Ray case[edit]
Starting in 1977, Kershaw represented James Earl Ray, who had been sentenced to 99 years in prison for his role in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charged with firing the shot that killed Dr. King on April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, Ray had pleaded guilty to the crime in 1969 at the suggestion of his attorney Percy Foreman; Ray would have faced an automatic death sentence had he been convicted of the assassination by a Tennessee state court. Ray claimed that he had been coerced into entering a plea, and Kershaw helped his client push the claim that Ray was not responsible for the shooting, which was said to have been the result of a conspiracy of an otherwise unidentified man named "Raul" whom Ray had met in Montreal. With the claim that he was "partially responsible without knowing it" as part of what Ray "thought was a gun-smuggling operation", Kershaw and his client met with representatives of the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations and convinced the committee to run ballistics tests — which ultimately proved inconclusive — that would show that Ray had not fired the fatal shot.[1]
Ray was one of a group of five inmates who escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in June 1977, which Kershaw claimed was additional proof that Ray had been involved in a conspiracy that had provided him with the outside assistance he would have needed to break out of jail. Kershaw convinced Ray to take a polygraph test as part of an interview with Playboy. The magazine said that the test results showed "that Ray did, in fact, kill Martin Luther King Jr., and that he did so alone". Ray fired Kershaw after discovering that the attorney had been paid $11,000 by the magazine in exchange for the interview, and hired conspiracy theorist Mark Lane to provide him with legal representation.[1] Ray died in prison in 1998.[2]
Secessionist and segregationist[edit]
In 1994, Kershaw was one of the founders of the League of the South, a group that supports Southern secession.[2] He remained a board member until 2009. He was also a past chairman of the League's Cultural and Educational Foundation. Kershaw was previously active in the Nashville chapter of the White Citizens' Council and the Tennessee Federation for Constitutional Government, both segregationist groups.[2]
Kershaw sculpted an equestrian monument to Nathan Bedford Forrest, the Confederate Army general and Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, which was unveiled to the public in July 1998.[3] The 25-foot-high[2]statue was constructed on private land facing Interstate 65. It was accompanied by an array of 13 Confederate battle flags and was lit up at night.[4] Kershaw justified the memorial by saying, "Somebody needs to say a good word for slavery".[5] Kershaw also created a similarly large statue of Joan of Arc.[2]
Kershaw died at age 96 on September 7, 2010, in Nashville. His wife, the former Mary Noel, had died in 1989, and Kershaw left no other immediate survivors.[1] In a post following his death to the "Hatewatch" website of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Kershaw was called "one of the most iconic American white segregationists of the 20th century"
I've discovered another famous Kershaw, Thomas A. Kershaw, Chairman of of the Hampshire House Corporation, which owns The "Cheers Bar" in Boston, MA.https://cheersboston.com/locations/tom-kershaw-bio
And another
Thomas Kershaw (1819–1898) was a leading British pioneer of marbleizing, the creation of imitation marble finishes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kershaw
Both have my great grandfather's name.
(April 5, 2018) I found another famous Kershaw.
Elinor Kershaw, also known as Nell and Elinor K. Ince, (November 19, 1884 – September 12, 1971) was an American stage and motion-picture actress; wife of Hollywood Mogul Thomas H. Ince, and mother of actor Richard Ince and writer Thomas H. Ince, Jr. Her older sister was the stage actress Willette Kershaw. She built the Château Élysée as a luxury long-term residential apartment house for movie stars.
She later married and divorced actor Holmes Herbert.
Filmography
- The Love of Lady Irma (1910)
- Taming a Husband (1910)
- One Night and Then (1910)
- The Course of True Love (1910)
- Phone 1707 Chester (1911)
