BLANKENSHIP-L Archives

Archiver > BLANKENSHIP > 2004-07 > 1090688318


From: "Don Blankenship" <>
Subject: The origins of the surname Blankinship are to be found in Cumbria, England
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2004 12:58:58 -0400


Subject: The origins of the surname Blankinship are to be found in Cumbria,
England


Over the last several years anyone who's followed my genealogy research on
the origins of the name Blankenship and Blankinship know that I've narrowed
down the search of where this surname originated. When I first began my
quest I deduced that the surname originally was derived from either
Blenkinsop (as Colonel Leslie C. Blankinship asserted) or that it was
derived from the English surname Blenkinship. I believe Col. Blankinship was
rather myopic in excluding entirely from his research any mention of the
surname Blenkinship. He probably did so because the Blenkinship surname is
so rare in English parish and civil registries as to be almost non-existent.
In fact, early on in my research I thought the surname became extinct in the
1800's. It nearly did because by 1901 the Census of England and Wales
recorded only 86 Blenkinships for all of England. So it would be safe to say
that Blenkinship is an exceedingly rare surname, both today and throughout
English history. However, as I attempt to show, it is most likely surname
from which we derive our English roots. Periodically we see that the name
Blenkinship is transformed into BLANKINSHIP as noted in the 1901 Census for
England and Wales. The name BLANKINSHIP also appears in Cumberland on one
unique marriage record I discovered in the mid-1800's. This research was
posted to the BLENKINSHIP-L archive.

For me it was always a far stretch to believe that the surname Blenkinsop
was transformed into Blankinship in America. In fact, the proofs I
established several years ago clearly indicated that the Blenkinships of
Quebec, Canada who migrated there from Skirwith in Cumberland in the 1820's
changed the surname from BLENKINSHIP to BLANKINSHIP during the late 1800's
or early 1900's. This migration of Blenkinships to Canada is documented in
TWO history books I've discovered. We see the same surname evolution with
another BLENKINSHIP in the Fairhaven, Massachusetts census of 1850 where
Paul BLENKINSHIP appears living nearby Hanna BLANKENSHIP. In the later 1860
Federal Census we see that Paul BLENKINSHIP has changed his surname from
BLENKINSHIP to BLANKINSHIP. See my analysis contained on one of the 80+ web
pages at my BLANKENSHIP ORIGINS web site:
http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~kallenbach/SpellingVariations..htm

There is even a street named Blenkinship in the French speaking town of
Ville d' Hudson in the area of Cavagnal, Quebec where the first Blenkinships
in Canada settled in the early 1800's. The Hudsons and the Blenkinships of
Canada were very close as were the Hudsons and Blankinships of colonial
Henrico Co., VA. In both locations they intermarried. One of the sons of the
immigrant Ralph Blankenship married Elizabeth Hudson and it is conjectured,
without any substantial proof, that the wife of this English immigrant to
colonial Henrico Co, Virginia married a woman named Martha Hudson.

A book about the Hudsons and Blenkinships of Canada was published several
years ago. It is titled "HUDSON: The early years up to 1867" by professional
historian John Thompson, 104 pgs., Soft Cover, 6" x 9", ISBN 1-895821-16-9.
Order Desk: 1-800-361-5168.
See this web site for ordering details and additional information:
http://globalgenealogy.com/books/334070.htm .


SEE: The Fairhaven, MA 1850 Census - Paul Blenkinship appears in this
census
http://www.marketrends.net/mthome/census/1850fairhaven.html

A few years ago I paid to have the surname Blenkinship researched. While the
research was a bit shallow, it confirmed my belief that the surnames
BLANKINSHIP and BLENKINSHIP were one and the same over time and that it
possibly originated near Blencarn in present day Cumbria in northwestern
England. SEE the professional genealogy research on the surname BLENKINSHIP
at my web site noted below:

Peks of Scotland - Professional research done on the surname Blenkinship
http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~kallenbach/BlenkinshipHistory..htm

BLANKENSHIP ORIGINS - 80+ pages
http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~kallenbach/

Also SEE: Concentration of BLENKINSHIPs in England highest around Little
Salkeld in Cumbria
http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~kallenbach/Penrith_hamlets.jpg

Recently I discovered the on-line 1901 Census for England and Wales.
http://www.1901census.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

I interrogated this database to identify all the Blenkinships of England
contained in the 1910 census. There were only 86 Blenkinships, most of whom
were quite young. This is just a mere handful but the locations where they
resided at that time, 103 years ago, tells us a great deal. We know that in
England, just as in America that the vast majority of people are born and
die within 50 miles of their original birthplace. This was especially true
for England where people remained in their original homelands for centuries
upon centuries. What we see when we examine this 1901 Census Index is a very
tight grouping of Blenkinships within a 10-mile radius centered on Little
Salkeld about 10 miles northwest of Penrith in Cumberland. There are other
small groupings of Blenkinships just south of this area in the former County
of Westmorland which today is Cumbria County. Another small grouping of
Blenkinships exists around Bolton in Lancashire about 25 miles east of
Liverpool. It was Liverpool where the majority of indentured servants
departed England for the British settlements in colonial America.

So by plotting the locations of these Blenkinships listed in the 1901 census
we can ascertain with a fairly high degree of certainty where the English
immigrant Ralph Blankinship was likely born circa 1662. About six months ago
I began to focus on the Bolton area of Lancashire, England in hopes of
finding some proof of Blenkinships residing there in the 1600's. I asked
Bill Blankinship in California for his assistance in researching this for me
at his nearby genealogy library. He searched through several reference
sources I provided him and later reported back that there apparently were no
Blenkinships in this area of Lancashire dating back to the 17th or 18th
centuries. This was interesting in terms of assessing when the Blenkinships
of Lancashire may have migrated there from their ancestral homelands just
north of Penrith in Cumberland. It appears from Bill's brief look at this
issue that the Blenkinships we see listed in the civil registries of the
1800's probably occurred in that century and not earlier. This helps us to
better assess where the English immigrant Ralph Blankinship may have
originated. Looking at the clusters of Blenkinships in England the vast
majority come from the area 10 miles north of Penrith. This is the same area
where the Blenkinships of Canada originally came from. They were from
Skirwith located one mile north of Blencarn.

Based on this analysis it would see prudent for future researchers to focus
their collection of new data on the surname Blenkinship to the area in and
around Penrith, England. This is the most likely area where Ralph
Blankinship was born.

If you would like to find any location in England listed below in the 1910
Census and produce a map of it you can use this useful website:
http://uk2.multimap.com/

What you'll see below is that there were two BLANKNSHIPs listed in the 1901
Census for England and Wales. While the surname Blankinship is virtually
non-existant in England over the centuries, there are periodic traces of the
name in official English records as I've noted at the BLANKINSHIP ORIGINS
web site.
____________________________________

1901 CENSUS FOR ENGLAND AND WALES

http://www.1901census.nationalarchives.gov.uk/



BLANKINSHIP

Name - Age - Where Born - Administrative County - Civil Parish - Occupation

Harold Blankinship 13 Cumberland Lazonby Cumberland Staffield

Ida Blankinship 10 Cumberland Lazonby Cumberland Staffield


BLENKINGSHIP

Frank Blenkingship 3 Cumberland Willive Grove Durham Willingto



BLENKINSHIP

Name - Age - Where Born - Administrative County - Civil Parish - Occupation

Alb Blenkinship 14 Lancashireashire Liverpool Lancashireaster Scholar
Shoemaker

Albert Blenkinship 10 Cumberland Little Salkeld Cumberland Hunsonby

Annie Blenkinship 2 Lancashire Farnworth Lancashire Bolton

Annie Blenkinship 5 Cumberland Hunsonby Cumberland Hunsonby

Edgar Blenkinship 5 Lancashire Bolton Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire

Edith Blenkinship 8-Months Cumberland Hunsonby Cumberland Hunsonby

Edith Blenkinship 22 Yorkshire Wakefield Yorkshire Wakefield

Eliza Blenkinship 22 Cheshire Runcorn Lancaster Farnworth

Elizabeth Blenkinship 38 Cumberland Ousby Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire

Ellen Blenkinship 24 Cumberland Kirkoswald Cumberland Kirkoswald Dressmaker

Ellen Blenkinship 32 Westmorland Levens Westmorland Orton

Elsie Blenkinship 4 Lancashire Bolton Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire

Emily Blenkinship 26 Durham North Shields Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire

Esther Blenkinship 38 Matterdale Cumberland Cumberland Castle Sowerby

Ethel Blenkinship 21 Durham Cornsay Durham Cornsay

Florence Blenkinship 4 Lancashire Farnworth Lancashire Bolton

Francis Blenkinship 17 Westmorland Appleby Westmorland Appleby Chemist
Apprentice

Francis Blenkinship 34 Cumberland Penrith Cumberland Ireby Low

Frank Blenkinship 26 Lancashire Manchester Lancashire Bolton Butcher

Fred Blenkinship 3 Cumberland Hunsonby Cumberland Hunsonby

Frederic Blenkinship 37 Penrith Cumberland Cumberland Castle Sowerby Grocer
Shopkeeper

George Blenkinship 58 Little Salkeld Cumberland Hunsonby General
Agricultural Labourer

Grace Blenkinship 26 Cumberland Penrith Cumberland Penrith

Hannah Blenkinship 10 Cumberland Kirkoswald Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire

Hannah Blenkinship 66 Westmorland Dufton Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire

Helena Blenkinship 9 Westmorland Appleby Westmorland Appleby

Hilda Blenkinship 2 Norfolk Wells Norfolk Wells Next The Sea

Isaac Blenkinship 14 Cumberland Renwick Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire Farmers
Son

Isabella Blenkinship 7 Kentmere Westmorland Westmorland Whinfell Entire

Isabella Blenkinship 22 Cumberlandld Penrith Cumberland Little Salkeld
Nursery Maid Domestic

Isabella Blenkinship 57 Marton Le Moor Yorkshire Yorkshirehire West Riding
Hunslet

James Blenkinship 3 Westmorland Orton Westmorland Orton

James Blenkinship 4 Cumberland Kirkoswald Cumberland Kirkoswald

James Blenkinship 20 Yorkshire Wakefield Yorkshirehire Wakefield Analytical
Chemist

James Blenkinship 50 Yorkshire Acomb Yorkshirehire Wakefield

Jane Blenkinship 8 Westmorland Kentmere Westmorland Fawcett Forest

John Blenkinship 5 Westmorland Orton Westmorland Orton

John Blenkinship 6 Norfolk Wells Norfolk Wells Next The Sea

John Blenkinship 12 Cumberland Renwick Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire

John Blenkinship 13 Cumberland Little Salkeld Cumberland Hunsonby

John Blenkinship 23 Durham Shildon Durham Cornsay Coal Miner

John Blenkinship 34 Cumberland Penrith Cumberland Penrith General Labourer

John Blenkinship 34 Westmorland Shap Westmorland Orton Shepherd On Farm

John Blenkinship 43 Cumberland Little Salkeld Cumberland Hunsonby Gen Agr
Labourer

John Blenkinship 81 Westmor Kirkbylansdale Westmorland Whitwell And Selside
General Labourer

Joseph Blenkinship 14 Temple Sowerby Westmorland Cumberland Castle Sowerby

Joseph Blenkinship 34 Cumberland Little Salkeld Cumberland Ireby Low Police
Constable Cumberland &

Joseph Blenkinship 38 Cumberland Laronby Cumberland Kirkoswald Gypsum Miner

Joseph Blenkinship 38 Cumberland Renwick Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire
Labourer

Lilly Blenkinship 3 Cumberland Kirkoswald Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire

Lydia Blenkinship 27 Lancashire Newton Lancashire Bolton

Mabel Blenkinship 17 Cumberland Penrith Cumberland Penrith

Margaret Blenkinship 40 Westmorland ... Westmorland Appleby

Mary Blenkinship 2 Castle Sowerby Cumberland Cumberland Castle Sowerby

Mary Blenkinship 8 Cumberland Kirkoswald Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire

Mary Blenkinship 10 Cumberland Renwick Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire

Mary Blenkinship 11 Cumberland Langwathby Cumberland Ireby Low

Mary Blenkinship 30 Norfolk Wells Norfolk Wells Next The Sea

Mary Blenkinship 37 Cumberland Penrith London St George Hanover Sq
Dressmaker

Mary Blenkinship 38 Cumberland Gamblesby Cumberland Hunsonby

Mary Blenkinship 50 Cumberland Fell Gate Kirkoswald Cumberland Kirkoswald
Entire

Mary Blenkinship 52 Yorkshire Brompton Yorkshirehire Wakefield

Mary Blenkinship 57 Cumberland Penrith Cumberland Penrith Fruiterer

May Blenkinship 5 Norfolk Wells Norfolk Wells Next The Sea

Nora Blenkinship 1-Month Durham Cornsay Durham Cornsay

Olive Blenkinship 18 Cumberland Langwathby London St George Hanover Sq
Dressmaker Dress

Robert Blenkinship 7 Westmorland Appleby Westmorland Appleby

Robert Blenkinship 14 Cumberland Kirkoswald Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire
Servant On Farm

Robert Blenkinship 59 Westmorland Knock Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire Farmer

Sarah Blenkinship 5 Cumberland Penrith Westmorland Kings Meaburn

Sarah Blenkinship 8 Cumberland Renwick Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire

Sarah Blenkinship 30 Cumberland Lazonby Cumberland Kirkoswald House Keeper
Domestic

Sarah Blenkinship 37 Cumberland Alston Cumberland Kirkoswald

Thomas Blenkinship 5-Months Lancashire Farnworth Lancaster Farnworth

Thomas Blenkinship 13 Cumberland Kirkoswald Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire

Thomas Blenkinship 22 Cumberland Lancaster Farnworth Green grocer

Thomas Blenkinship 36 Cumberland Renwick Cumberland Kirkoswald Entire
Labourer

This thread: