BYLES:
Origin: English

Motto Translated: Every land is a man's country.

The name Byles name can be traced as far back as 685 AD. Ref: ["Surnames of Scotland, Their Origin and Meaning and History"]. Also found in Somerset, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

It is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It is a name for someone who works as a maker of pole arms or halberds and billhooks as these were common weapons in early times. The name could also be a baptismal name derived from son of William, although this latter origin is less likely.
Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames Over tie years, many variations of the name Bytes were recorded, including Bill, Bills, Billes , Biles, Bailie, Byles and others,

To escape oppression and starvation at that time many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities In droves people migrated to the many British Colonies, those in North America in particular paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships.

Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States .

Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Byles family emigrated to North America: James Bill who settled in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1638; and was made a freeman in that year. Thomas Bill settled in Boston in 1657, The Bills became a distinguished family. William Byles, b. Abt. 1644; d. March 19, 1709/10, Falls, Bucks County, PA. Josias Byles was born 1656 in Winchester, Hants, England, and died 1707 in USA.

Others went to , Australia, Jamaica and New Zealand : James Hodge Byles I, went to Jamaica about 1790, He was a property owner, Sugar Planter, Lawyer and Hon. Major in the Army. Cyril Beuzeville Byles born August 17, 1871 in England, and died November 19, 1952 in Australia. See details on website herein.

The Byles Family has been documented on this site back to John Byles, 1640 yeoman, Combs, Sussex England; Alexander Byles 1595 of Dorchester, England; Josias Byles 1656 of Winchester, Hants, England; and Nathaniel Byles, of St. Helen's Parish, Ipswich  (1702-1755),  onwards in most cases to the latest twig of voluminous branches, involving some the 96,545 entries I have made of over 3000 individuals  spanning 13 generations with over 650 surnames.  From the above links you are able to select  principal branches of the Family. 
The late Rev. FJ. Hampden-Cook (d. 1932), a well-known Congregational Scholar and Preacher, who was distantly related to the Byles family who also spent an immense amount of time and labour in search through contemporary records, came to the conclusion, shortly before his death, that Nathaniel Byles of Ipswich was the son of Nathaniel Byles of Combs and Finborough, near Stowmarket, and grandson of John Byles, yeoman, of Finborough, "almost certainly identical" with Jean Bailie, a Huguenot Refugee naturalized in 1688. Mr. Hampden-Cook will be remembered as part Editor & Reviser of Dr.Weymouth's  "New Testament in Modern Speech," and sometime Resident Secretary of Mill Hill School.

Jeremiah Byles of Ipswich (1733-1790), was the father of Nathaniel Byles, who married a Henley cousin; and of John Byles, father of Sir John Barnard Byles, Judge and Author of numerous legal publications, ie; 'Law of the Bills of Exchange' which has since become the standard work on this branch of law.  You will find the Maynard and Unwin connections; John Curtis Byles (1773-1833), who carried on the Henley succession; James Hodge Byles (1774-1837), the Jamaican  Lawyer & sugar planter; and Henry Nathaniel (1780-1848), husband of Elizabeth Fox, father of Thomas Fox Byles of Thamesfield. Other Notable members include Sir William Pollard Byles; William Byles, Founder of 'The Bradford Observer', Rev. Father Thomas Roussel Byles who perished on the 'Titanic' while giving absolutions to passengers on deck. 

Messado: Origin: Portuguese
ABRAHAM MESSADO was born ABT 1835 in Portugal. He married Eva Maria PERRIERA. She was born 1840 in Portugal.
About 1862, Abraham Messado and wife Eva Maria, along with child, Abraham Augustus Messado, were on their way from Portugal to Brazil when they were shipwrecked. A Banana Boat on its way to Jamaica picked them up and brought them to Jamaica where they landed on the North Coast, and eventually settled in Falmouth, Trelawny. Later, Abraham Augustus Messado and his brother Emanuel owned and operated a soft drink factory in Falmouth, and in 1911 there was an accident at the plant, which resulted in the death of Abraham Augustus Messado .
There is of course much more to be learnt about the Messado Family from the tomb stones at the family plot in Granville, (Refuge) Trelawny, and from the Island Records office in Jamaica.
As at February 1996 the former Messado property in Granville was owned by Mr.Samuel Gordon, who has carefully preserved the family burial site. There is much work for those interested in continuing research.

Perreira: Origin: Portuguese 
Spelling variations include: Pereira, Perera, Perreira and others. First found in Northern Portugal near the Spanish border.
Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were: Guimar Pereira, who is on record in New Spain in 1562; Simon Pereira, who came to Chile in 1555; Esther Lopes Pereira, who was Naturalized in Jamaica in 1745.

Heming: Origin: English 
The Hemings of Jamaica are descendants of George Heming 1530, of Droitwich, England. Captain Richard Heming was in the Parliamentary Army with Penn & Venables in the attack on The West Indies and the taking of Jamaica. In 1699 Captain Richard Heming was awarded a grant of land known as Seville in St. Ann Jamaica for services rendered. Seville was Jamaica's first Spanish settlement, and the Seville Great House is today managed by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust as it is one of the few true heritage sites on the Island.

Williamson : Origin: Scottish 
First found in Peebles where this predominantly Scottish clan were seated anciently, although their interests straddled the English Scottish border and they held territories as far south as Keswick in Cumberland. Some of the first settlers of this name in USA were: Michael Williamson, who settled in Massachusetts in 1631; James Williamson, who settled in Virginia in 1654 along with Isaac, Richard, Alice, and Ann.
Some noteworthy people of the name Williamson: Alexander William Williamson (1824-1904) English chemist, Henry Williamson (1895-1977) English author, James Cassius Williamson (1845-1913) Am/Aust theatrical manager, Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson (1931-) Aust/Br composer, William Crawford Williamson (1816-1895) English botanist and zoologist

Last Updated February 2007 by Alan St.C Byles