Origins and migrations of Sugg families in England |
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EmigrationEmigration from this country (and also from Germany and other parts of Europe) has given rise to Sugg families in many other parts of the world – notably in Australia, in Canada and in considerable numbers in the United States of America. William Sugg was born about 1635 and sailed from Bristol to America in about 1662. He may have been a resident of Bristol but many Suggs were living in nearby Somerset and it is possible that he travelled from there to board a ship in Bristol. He settled in Norfolk County, Virginia where his name first appears in American colonial records in 1663. He is recorded as having: “[stood] firmly bound to John Brown[i], Isle of Wight, County of Virginia for 58 pounds, 16 shillings of lawful money of England.” This could refer to some kind of indentured servitude[ii] or possibly to a marriage agreement. John Brown could have been a relative, a father-in-law or an employer. The name of William’s wife is not known but the lives of his three sons William, George and Joseph and their descendants are very well documented. William could have been the first Sugg to arrive in America from England or even from Europe. Many American Suggs certainly consider him to be their ancestor. Unfortunately no links have yet been discovered with other English families.
Emigration to America in later years is also documented. Charles Sugg and his family sailed in 1829 and George Sugg with his family in 1834. The 1880 United States census lists a number of Suggs who had been born in England and there are other Suggs too – born in Germany and Switzerland. It is interesting to note that this census records that approximately one third of the Suggs registered were black! From the latter part of the 19th century Ellis Island records, principally in the form of detailed ships’ manifests, give comprehensive details of place of birth, occupation, destination, literacy, physical characteristics and a variety of other information. These documents may be viewed on the Internet and mention a number of Suggs travelling between 1883 and 1914. The Canadian census of 1871 and that of 1881 both list Suggs born in England who had settled there with their families in previous years. Most of them were farmers. ‘Attestation Papers’[iii] have been discovered for two young men, both born in England, who joined the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force at the beginning of the First World War. One of them was later killed in action. Further emigration to Canada is documented in 1929 and 1930.
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