SMITH FAMILY

Smith family history and ancestry

The Smiths came to Britain as part of the Anglo-Saxon invasions in about 600 AD. They came from Scandinavia (now Sweden) and northern Germany (now Saxony.) The Anglo-Saxons included the related tribes of Angles (or Engles) and Saxons.

The Saxons took the southern part of England, and divided it into Wessex (west Saxons), Sussex (south Saxons), Essex (east Saxons) and Middlesex. The Angles took the northern part of England, renaming it East Anglia and Anglesea. All of Britain, apart from Wales and Scotland, was renamed "England."

The Angles and Saxons spoke two dialects of the English language. The Angle blacksmiths in the north were more likely to be called "Smith", and the Saxon blacksmiths in the south were more likely to be called "Black."

Even 1,300 years later, the family history and ancestry shows that the Smiths predominated in the north of England, as shown in this census from 1891 (darker shading shows a higher concentration of Smith families):-

"Smith" was a very important man!

In the Middle Ages, the town or village Smith was a very important man indeed. Everybody needed at least one knife, for eating if nothing else. Metal plowshares and other tools were essential in an agricultural economy. The knights and their men-at-arms needed their weapons and armour continuously repaired. Only the Smith had the skills to work with metal, and he only passed on his knowledge to trusted apprentices. The Smith family history and ancestry was one of skill and trust.

"John Smith" was socially far above "John Baker", "John Brewer" or "John Archer", and naturally they were all far above the common peasants. Only the local lord (a knight or squire of noble blood) and the priest outranked the Smith.

Smiths are genetically the best of the Anglo-Saxon race

For some 1,200 years, the Smith family were of high social position in the community, and comparatively affluent. When they did intermarry with other families, they only married the best of the best. The Smith family history is a story of superior genes.

When a Smith man wanted to marry, he could choose the prettiest girl in town. This made very good genetic sense. Good looks are a sign of good health, and good health is in turn a sign of good genes.

Apart from his own sons, the Smith would only accept as apprentices the strongest and cleverest boys. The apprentices would live with their master as part of his family while being trained. Those apprentices that became good craftsmen would, more often than not, get married to one of the Smith's daughters, and themselves take on the new name Smith.

Hence, over many centuries of selective breeding, the Smith family has the best genes in the Anglo-Saxon world! (Before anybody asks where I learned this idea, it is a result of my own research and logic. We can be proud of our Smith ancestry!)

Please help the , by adding a Social Bookmark to bring this website more visitors. Just click here:-