Townsend Society of America
Established
in Oyster Bay, New York 1962
(614) 815-1509
Director@TownsendSociety.org
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The Townsend Society of America
The TOWNSEND SOCIETY OF AMERICA was a museum and a library with historical books such as printed volumes of county histories and genealogical resources as well as archival materials but our mission evolved. Much in our holdings has been scanned and made available to members online. Today our goal is to clarify and build Townsend family groups through the use of historical records, help members with their family tree questions, and expand our knowledge of historical Townsend families.
The Townsend surname was found throughout England and medieval court documents show various spellings including Towensend, Tounson, Townend and Townsend. A geographical surname, Townsend described someone who lived at the end of the town. In 1192 one Wulfric "at te tunesende" was recorded in the county of Suffolk. By 1327 when surnames became common, William atte Towensende in the county of Worcestershire owed taxes; his descendants would drop the "atte." Most modern Townsends use this spelling of the surname although in the north of England, Townend can still be found, and in the American South, variations that include Townsell and Townsin appeared.
The Townsend Society of America assists and supports members with their family histories and genealogies. In our "Members Only" pages, we provide the contents of our journal and newsletter, collections and archives to our membership. Membership is open to all who share an interest in the goals of the society. We are interested in ALL Townsends, everywhere.
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This is the Edward Y. Townsend, a Great Lakes freighter. https://greatlakes.bgsu.edu/item/440271
The photo is an illustration of the sorts of online databases that colleges and universities have contributed from their archives or because of particular interests at the institution. Situated in northwest Ohio, Bowling Green State University is close to Lake Erie. The ship was launched in 1906 by Superior Shipbuilding in Wisconsin, perhaps built from Cambria Steel product, and was 586 feet long. Sold for scrap in 1968, tug boats got it to the Atlantic 400 miles southeast of Newfoundland where it broke in half, foundered, and sank on its way to Spain. There is/was an enormous amount of ship/barge traffic on the Great Lakes. In the 1840's NYers moved to OH, MI and WI using the Great Lakes.
It was named for the man of the same name whose family ran the Cambria Steel/Iron Co. of Johnstown, PA. [later Bethlehem Steel] Edward [1824-1891] descended from John Townsend and his wife Joanna England of the Bucklebury line of Townsends who were married at the East Nottingham Meeting in Chester Co., PA in 1741. Their marriage chest was displayed at Winterthur some years ago and written about in the TSA Journal, July 2012, pp 11-12 [by Alan Townsend], July 2011, p 14 [by Liane Fenimore]. For the Edward Y. Townsend family see "Townsends Along the Main Line of Philadelphia," Oct 2010, pp 14-15 [by Liane Fenimore]. Also see, "Edward Young Townsend, Unsung Hero of the Johnstown Flood" by Thomas P. Townsend, BS Wharton, USN [WWII], privately published 2002.
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