Field History
The earliest mention of the Fields name is from Colmar or Kolmar, Alsace, France. The Counts de la Feld had vast holdings from the 6th century. This area was prized by many as a rich, flat, very productive farming area, hence, the name de la Feld meaning, "of the Field". A common coat of arms shows three garbs of wheat, some with chevrons and others engrailed chevrons. Notable is that Pope Leo IX and his court were entertained at Colmar on their way to consecrate a cathedral at Strasburg, during the 11 century. Several of the Counts are interred there on property purchased by them.
The first Englishman of this name was Hubertus or Hubustus de la Feld. He joined the army of William I, The Conqueror, who invaded England in 1066. Most remember that King William I, The Conqueror, Duke of Normandy defeated the English King Harold II at Hastings. William gave generous holdings of land near Chester, England to this knight. Land in this area was a great show of trust as it was on the border of Wales. William put his best, most capable knights along the Wales border to keep Welch raiders out of England. Today, we note that the coat of arms for Chester, England is---3 garbs of wheat the basic coat of arms for the family.
During the 14th century many Normans in England changed their names so as not to appear French. England was engaged in the 100 years war with France. De la Feld became Felde, Feild, Field etc. William and his Norman knights were mostly descended from Rollo, The Viking or his Danish warriors, who invaded Normandy during the 800s. But we cannot assume that their Ychromosome would test as I1a, even though I1a is very common in Scandinavian groups. Bryan Sikes in his book, "Saxon, Vikings and Celts" demonstrates with extensive data that the populations of Ireland, Scotland and England is a mix of the haplotypes. The rulers did change but the populations remained. First rulers were the Brits before 50 AD, then Romans til 400s AD, then Angles and Saxons til 1066 and finally the Normans.
During the 12 & 13 centuries descendants of Hubertus lived in Lancaster Co. England. Hugo de la Felde, 1189 and Richard de la Felda 1201 are mentioned in Bucks and Beds Counties. A Henry and son, Adam are mentioned in the Chatulary of Whalley Abbey of Spotland, a suburb of Rochdale. Bradford, England is listed as a home for several Fields. Sir John Field of East Ardsley at Wakefield Manor, an astronomer, was knighted in 1558 for introducing the Copernican system of Astronomy to England. Matthew Field of Wakefield and London afterward used the same coat of Arms. A house in Croften has the Field coat of arms above the door. The Fields of Weston in Hertfordshire, 1664, used the same coat of arms except the chevrons are engrailed suggesting a family connection but wanting to show a different house. The Field, Fields name appears in the English counties of Lancaster, Hereford, York, Hertford, Kent, Gloucester Somerset, Oxford Surry. For some reason many families changed their name from the singular to the plural when moving from the U. S. northern states into the Southern U. S. Researching shows the singular form in one location and the plural form in the next. One example is William and Jane Field in Penn. moving south into North Carolina with an s added to the end of their name.
History:
To drop a famous name.---Daniel Boone is described in one of his personal histories moving into upper North Carolina. Before his ventures into Tennessee and Kentucky he teamed with a John Fields. They made a trip to Florida. While there exploring and viewing the countryside they became very overexposed and ill. Both had difficulty getting home in North Carolina. It is quite possible that Malaria became a problem as massive numbers of mosquitos were a deadly problem during those times.
History:
During the early 1800s in and around Birmingham, Alabama Davy Crockett came running through the area. He had been camped north of Birmingham when his horses broke out of their confinement and ran in all directions. Crockett ran after them covering many miles before camping. He came down with malaria while sleeping near a campfire on the trail. People finding him feverish and sick moved him into a barn nearby. His illness lasted for a week or so. The barn belonged to one of four families in the area. Samuel Fields, Isaac Fields, Mclaughlin and or Jones. In Crockett's book he says that Indians found him and moved him into the barn.
Reuben and Joseph Field joined the Lewis and Clark Expedition. President Thomas Jefferson sent this group across the Northwest to the headwaters or falls of the Missouri River. The U. S. had entered into a treaty with Great Britain marking the boundary between Canada and the U. S. and Jefferson wanted to know as much as possible about the new land. One Field was a hunter and the other a gun mechanic. This family lived near and knew the parents or grandparents of Abraham Lincoln.
Reuben was involved in possibly the first violent encounter with a Blackfoot Native American. During a meeting with a group of this tribe Reuben had to lay or stand his rifle aganist a tree so that he could use both his hands. An Indian looked at the rifle for a few minutes, jumped forward and grabbed the rifle and ran. Reuben being very fleet of foot ran down the brave and during the struggle dispatched the Native American with his knife.
Thomas Jefferson's grandmother was a Field.
Remember Ann Bolin who Henry VIII beheaded. Ann's grandmother was a de la Feld
Sir John Field born about 1500 moved from the mid-lands of England (East Ardsley) to London. There he was educated as a mathematician and Astronomer. He went to Germany to study the astromony of Copernicus. Returning to England he calculated, wrote and published an Almanac, Ephemerus. This introduced the English to the Copernican theory of Astronomy. He was accused of witch craft and thrown in the Tower of London to await trial. (This makes me quite angry)Across England were thousands of fires which were burning people at the stake. It impressed the English and Queen Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII. She knighted him and added to the family crest, an arm emerging from a cloud holding a staff on which was a globe. Once released he returned to the family estate in East Ardsley and continued to write and add additions to his book. Two copies of his book still exist, both in large libraries in England. Recently a small part of his estate was given to a wildlife conservation group in England. His grandsons came to the New World , some as Pilgrims. Eyes always on the stars, always trying to understand, always helping mankind!
