Windom Genealogy and Windom Family History Information

Windom's surname, found in Norfolk, held a family seat from ancient times at Wymondham and descended from a noble Saxon, Wimund, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The only remaining branch in the male line of this ancient family said to be of Saxon origin and descended from 'Ailwardus' of Wymondham, of Wyndham, in Norfolk, living soon after the Norman Conquest [was Wyndham of Dinton].

Wymondham (Windham), Norfolk, survives as a historic market town and civil parish. This town derives its name from the Saxon Win Munde Ham, signifying 'a pleasant village on a mount;' and is indebted for its importance to the foundation of a monastery of Black monks, at first a cell to the abbey of St. Alban's, by William de Albini or Daubeny, in 1130.

Notables of the family include Sir John Wyndham JP (1558-1645), an English landowner who helped establish a defense organization in the West Country against the threat of Spanish invasion. Sir Francis Wyndham, 1st Baronet (c.1612-1676), an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England in 1640, Colonel of horse in the Royalist army in the English Civil War, and helped Charles II escape to France.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Robert Windham, who settled in New Jersey in 1675; Charles Windham, who arrived in Virginia in 1706; Sarah Windham, a convict sent to Maryland in 1719.

Contemporary Notables of the name Windom (post-1700)+

Robert Emerson Windom (1930-2016), American physician, United States Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services (1986-1989)

William Windom (1827-1891), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Minnesota, 1859-69; U.S. Senator from Minnesota, 1870-71, 1871-81, 1881-83; U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, 1881, 1889-91

William Windom (b. 1923), American actor

The Windom Motto

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries but were not generally used until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Au Bon Droit
Motto Translation: With good right.

Citations

^ Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
^ https://namecensus.com/most_common_surnames.htm
^ The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
^ William Windom. (Retrieved 2011, January 21) William Windom. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Windom_%28actor%29