The Washington herald., 1915-05-23

name duncan ana description OF coat
of-arms.
Duncan as a last name comes from
the first name. 1t il one Of the
names used to describe the coloring of
its bearer-for IL means brown head
1t is Of Gaelic origin.
The arms are described: Gules on
a chevron between two cinquefoils in
chief and a hunting horn in base or
two buckles azure.
To one of the Bancrofts who asks
for the origin of his family name.
Bancroft may be a name derived
from bane or haynes. meaning white.
or fair. and croft. an Anglo-Saxon
word for a small enclosed field
In some parts Of Scotland. and the
Orkney and Shetland Isles, crofters
are small holders of land. The
term is now almost wholly confined
to the Western Highlands.
Bancroft may mean a small. white
field. as Ashcroft means close where
ashtrees grow. and Allcroft. or Hall
croft. an enclosure by the hall. Croft
is a common termination Of surnames
About the only variations Of Bancroft
are Bancraft and Bancreaft.
To T. P. L. who asks for as full an
account of the Lowell family in Amer
lea as possible. also whether it is Of
noble origin.
This family of Lowell is the baronial
family of Castle Cary. County Somer-
set And although the connection be-
tween the various first settlers in
America and the Barons Lowell of Castle
Cary is not known. 1t is clear that most
Of the Lovels in America hied origi-
nally from Somersetshire. and that
their ancestors and the ancestors of
the barons may easily have been the
same. The family is widespread now
in England. and there are over forty
coats-of-arms belonging to Lovells in
the College of Heralds.
In the year 1882 Rev. Joseph Hull. Of
Somersetshire. England-the same
county where the hot-tempered Lupus
settled-resigned his parish in Devon.
where he had preached for eleven years
and with about twenty-five families
set out for the new world
Just what Rev. Joseph Hull has to
do with the Lovells may not seem
clear. One of Mr.. Hull's friends. be 1t
stated. was Robert Lowell: and Robert,
who was 40. his wife, Elizabeth, who
confessed to IS years. and their chill
dren. were of DR.. Hull's company.
Altogether there were something
over a hundred persons who set sail
with their leader and pastor. from
Weymouth. England. on March 20,
1886
Hull and his band sailed forty-six
days before they came to land On May
b. 1885. they arrived at Boston. They
rested there a little while and then
started forth to found a settlement of
their own. On July they came to
Wessaguscus. Mass. which they de-
cided upon as their abiding place. In
honor of the last land they had touched
In England. they called their new home
Weymouth.
Robert Lowell was a farmer. a man
in good circumstances. Before very
long he had made a place f6r himself
ana his family in the new world
his children. all of whom he brought
from England. were Ann. Zacheus. John.
and the one-year-old twins. Ellen and
James
Alexander Lowell was another first set
tier. He was born in England in 1919,
and died at Medfeld. Mass. in 1909. He
was one Of the first settlers there. and
sisner OF the Medfield Compact. He
was also selectman The Indians burn
ed his house when they attacked Med
feld under King Philip. He married first.
Lydia Albee. and then Lydia Leland.
Alexander's grandson. Jonathan was
assessor and town treasurer of Holden
Mass. He married Mary Cheney. Their
grandson was Capt. Joseph. of the Wor-
cester cavalry Company. who in 1915 mar
ried Persis Bigelow
There We're many other Lovells through
out New England. Enos Lowell was the
second male child born In Rockingham.
Vt. He married Mary Grout, and lived AT
Grafton. He had three sons. Don. James.
and Michael. Don and James were cloth
dressers. and carried on a successful
business
Another early New England Lowell was
Adds. third son of Elijah and ABIGAIL.
who was born at Rockingham. VI. He
worked on farm until he was twenty
two years old, but after that studied law.
His wife was Martha Willard. of Lam
caster. Mass. the granddaughter of
Henry Haskell. of Revolutionary fame.
Copyright. lsl5)