In Search Of The Origins of the American Blackard Family

There are many family stories regarding the origins of the Blackard family. Many are wonderful old stories but few are supported by historic information. The chart below shows the confirmed records of the name Blackard and where they occurred. In my opinion (perhaps not so coincidentally) the earliest records of the name Blackard occur in the eastern part of England in Somerset and Lincolnshire, exactly where the Willoughby family also originated. Many Danish invaders settled in the area 900-1080 and one historian claims that there was an old settlement at one time called Blackaarde in Denmark. Things could change with additional research, but presently the evidence would indicate that that is our ancestral home.

Despite some family tales, the Blackard family was not recorded in Scotland or Ireland until a considerable time after our ancestor, Charles Blackard, arrived in Virginia (between 1745-1754 or earlier) and North Carolina in 1755.

Outside of England, the earliest references to the Blackard name are to immigrants arriving in Virginia, Maryland and Barbados. Many English families who supported King Charles II in the English Civil War went to Barbados around 1650 and then later to South Carolina, Virginia and North Carolina. This coincides well with the disappearance of the Blackard family from Lincolnshire and the appointment of Francis, Lord Willoughby as governor of Barbados. It also coincides with the appearance of Blackard immigrants in Virgina, Maryland, Barbados and Yorkshire, England which seemed to have been a political hornet's nest at that time.

Links to More Information On The Search For The Origins of the American Blackard Family.

North Carolina
Virginia
Maryland
British West Indies/ Barbados
England
North Ireland
South Carolina
Pennsylvania
Scotland
Wales
Massachusetts
New York
Canada
Holland