Early in the 1800s two Amesbury brothers and an Amesbury cousin, all in their twenties and single, decided to leave their family home in Gloucestershire England and travel North to Dudley on the border of Staffordshire and Worcestershire. Traditionally their forefathers had been colliers but the mines in their area were either worked out or no longer economical whereas the West Midlands had vast reserves of both coal and iron ore, the essential ingredients for the steel industry.
It made sense for the boys to share accommodation and attend the same local church. As time passed the boys married and we know from the marriage certificates, that the boys were illiterate and signed their certificates with an X. So who entered their names on the documents? Their priest, who knew their name was Amesbury but had never seen it written, so he put down what he heard, "Ainsbury"
The boys had families and their children were christened, all at the same church, so they were Ainsbury.
Ormsby to Amesbury in America ?
I suggest that for the same reason I find Amesbury spelt with and without the "e". If you could not read and write you were reliant upon church officials to spell your name and no corrections would occur. Only those with an education would either write their own name, or be able to correct errors.
This train of thought now takes us to the migration of Europeans to North America starting in the 17th century. Those who emigrated tended to be the poor or religously persecuted (it was a crime punishable by death to not attend church regularly, for a time, and that meant the established church recognised by the state) and most could not read or write so nearly all the early documents would have been written by someone trying to understand a foreign accent. So it is hardly suprising that the same family name can appear in many records and be spelt differently.
How does this effect my research of Amesburys in America?
Well as I search I find: Amesbury, Amsbury, Armsby and Ormsby. Are these corruptions of the name I am researching or are they completely seperate?
Only by finding records that show two different spellings for what we know is the same family... This can be proven that the Ormsby family (or part of it ) that we find in early New England records did definitely change their name to Amsbury.
What I do not know is whether those early settlers who were known by the name Ormsby were from the Ormsby family back in England (and there were many in East Anglia) or were in fact Amsburys from Gloucestershire and Somerset.
Until I can solve that mystery I will only lay-out Ormsby records that I know from the days of the early settlers. This then leads to the "Amesburys in New England" page.
Richard Ormsby
married
Sarah Upham
married
Grace Martin
married
Mary Fitch
married
Mary Perrin
married
Grace Martin
Sarah Ormsby
Mary Ormsby
Elizabeth Ormsby
Elizabeth Ormsby
Mary Ormsby
Grace Ormsby
Jacob Ormsby
married
Mercy Abbie
Martha Ormsby
Joseph Ormsby
married
Mary Fitch
Mary Ormsby
married
Mehitable Wilmuth
Judith Ormsby
Hannah Ormsby
Bethia Ormsby
Esther Ormsby
Ezra Ormsby
married
Mary Salisbury
married
Mary Perrin
Mary Ormsby
Jacob Ormsby
married
Mercy Abbie
married
Joseph Parker
married
Phoebe
Abigail Ormsby
Jeremiah Ormsby
married
Mehittabell Wilmuth
married
Phoebe Millard
Jeremiah Ormsby
married
Hannah Claflin
These Ormsbys are shown as Amsburys in some records. To follow the line forward go to the Amsburys in New England page
Ichabod Ormsby
married
Experience Chaffee
Sarah Ormsby
Jacob Ormsby
Mercy Ormsby
Abigail Ormsby
Mary Ormsby
married 1
Experience Chaffee
Jonathan Ormsby
married 2
Rebecca Carpenter
Dorothy Ormsby
Experience Ormsby
married
Marcy Powell
married
Marcy Powell
Lucy Ormsby
married
Rhoda
Daniel Ormsby
Jacob Ormsby
Marcy Ormsby
Hannah Ormsby
Experience Ormsby
Gideon Ormsby
Rebecca Ormsby
Martha Ormsby
Mary Orr Nancy Ormsby
married
Rhoda
Sally Ormsby
Lois Ormsby
Rachel Ormsby
Polly Ormsby
Sally Ormsby
married
Esther Blair
Louisa Ormsby
married
Esther Blair
John H Ormsby
married
Betsey Ann Corrill
David Ormsby
Rhoda Ormsby
James Ormsby
Esther Ormsby
Take for example the marriage of Sybel Amesbury (that is how her name is shown in the Vital Records of Rhode Island 1636-1850) whereas in Familysearch records she is written as Ormsbee.
Elizabeth Ormsby
married
William Salisbury
Name index: Section one by last name. Section two Ormsby (amsbury) by first name
married
Preserved Redwan
Mary Ormsby
Mehittabell Ormsby
Israel Ormsby
Anne Ormsby
Jabez Ormsby
Elizabeth Ormsby
md 1
Rebeckah Whittaker
A: Abigail 1715, Abigail 1722, Abigail 1734, Abraham 1725, Abraham 1759, Abraham 1792, Ann 1713, Ann 1714, Ann 1737, Anne 1762, B: Benjamin 1763, Bethiah 1682, Bette 1787, Bettey 1761, C: Caleb 1752, Caleb 1757, Caleb 1760, Christian 1787, Christopher 1720, Christopher 1748, D: Daniel 1690, Daniell 1723, Daniell 1745, Daniel 1747, Daniel 1761, Daniel 1768, Daniel B 1803, David 1820, Dorothy 1731, E: Ebenezer 1741, Ebenezer 1764, Ebenezer 1771, Elizabeth 1668, Elizabeth 1674, Elizabeth 1722, Elizabeth 1778, Esther 1684, Esther 1832, Esther 1839, Experience 1731, Experience 1741, Experience 1770, Ezra 1686, G: Gideon 1736, Gideon 1774, Gideon 1783, Grace 1669, H: Hannah 1678, Hannah 1746, Hannah 1768, Hannah 1791, Herbert 1776, Hulda 1745, Hulta 1764, I: Ichabod 1704, Israel 1712, Izraell 1744, J: Jabez 1717, Jacob 1647, Jacob 1674, Jacob 1680, Jacob 1682, Jacob 1709, Jacob 1715, Jacob 1742, Jacob 1764, James 1827, Jathniel 1738, Jeremiah 1672, Jeremiah 1707, Jeremiah 1736, Joan 1744, John 1641, John 1755, John 1667, John 1817, <Jonathan 1678, Jonathan 1705, Jonathan 1728, Jonathan 1759, Joseph 1684, <Joseph 1740, Joseph 1759, Joseph 1776, Joshua 1672, Joshua 1708, Josiah 1757, Judith 1673, Julana 1790, K: Keziah 1740, Keziah 1750, L: Lepha 1770, Lepha 1798, Lois 1781, Louisa 1815, Lucy 1757, Lydia 1750, Lydia 1801, M: Mercy 1713,Marcy 1766, Marsilva 1743, Martha 1680, Martha 1779, Mary 1670, Mary 1671, Mary 1672, Mary 1677, Mary 1708, Mary 1712, Mary 1717, Mary 1731, Mary 1736, Mary 1770, Mary Orr 1782, Mehitable 1710, Mehittabell 1738, Mehittabell 1745, N: Nancy 1789, O: Orrin 1816, P: Patience 1744, Polly 1785, R: Rachel 1783, Rebecca 1776, Rhoda 1822, Richard 1602, Rufus 1774, Ruth 1727, Ruth 1756, S: Sally 1780, Sally 1788, Samuel P 1783, Sarah 1665, Sarah 1707, Sarah 1754, Sarah 1767, Sebell 1718, Sebel 1752, Shubael 1745, Sibel 1785, Silvester 1743, soloman 1731<, Susanna 1765, T: Thomas 1645, Thomas 1668, Thomas 1750, Thomas 1762, Thomas 1774, W: William 1729, William 1788, William 1794,
married
Edy Waitstill
married
b>Abigail Abby
married
Rebecka
Joshua Ormsby
married
Rebecka
Mary Ormsby
Ann Ormsby
married
Ruth
Sebell Ormsby
married
Ruth
Christopher Ormsby
Ruth Ormsby
William Ormsby
Mary Ormsby
married
Mary
Abigail Ormsby
married
Mary
Mary Ormsby
Mehittabell Ormsby
Keziah Ormsby
Jacob Ormsby
Mehittabell Ormsby
married
Charity
Hannah Ormsby
Izraell Ormsby
married
Keziah
Shubael Ormsby
married
Keziah
Daniell Ormsby
Christopher Ormsby
Keziah Ormsby
Caleb Ormsby
John Ormsby
Josiah Ormsby
Joseph Ormsby
married
Sibel
Lydia Ormsby
married
Sibel
Sebel Ormsby
Sarah Ormsby
Ruth Ormsby
Bettey Ormsby
Benjamin Ormsby
Susanna Ormsby
Sarah Ormsby
Lepha Ormsby
married
Elizabeth "Betty" Perry
Samuel Perry Ormsby
married
Elizabeth "Betty" Perry
Sibell/Sybil AMESBURY
Bette Ormsby
Julana Ormsby
Abraham Ormsby
William Ormsby
???? Ormsby
Lepha Ormsby
Lydia Read Ormsby
Daniel Bowen Ormsby
married
Rachel
William Ormsby
Nancy Ormsby
Hannah Ormsby
Daniel Ormsby
md 2
Mary Whittaker
Experience Ormsby
married
Rebeckah Whittaker
Elizabeth Ormsby
married
Ann Peck
married
Elizabeth Peck
married
Benjamin Peck
married
Susannah
Susanna Ormsby
married
Susannah
Sarah Ormsby
Hannah Ormsby
Jemima Ormsby
married
Elizabeth Peck
Thomas Ormsby
married
Lucy Capen
Sarah Ormsby
Elizabeth Ormsby
married
Esther Bacon
Jathniel Ormsby
married
Abigail Flint
Ebenezer Ormsby
Silvester Ormsby
Hulda Ormsby
Daniel Ormsby
married
Christian
Marsilva Ormsby
married
Ann Peck
married
Sarah Hall
married
Hannah Carpenter
married
Sarah Town
Rebeka Ormsby
Caleb Ormsby
Nathaniell Ormsby
Anne Ormsby
Solomon Ormsby
married
Mary Prince
Ann Ormsby
Patience Ormsby
Joan Ormsby
Experience Ormsby
Esther Ormsby
Waitstill Ormsby
married
Edy Waitstill
Dorothia Ormsby
Samuel Ormsby
Jacob Ormsby
Daniel Ormsby
married
Esther Bacon