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.
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Alan R. TOWNSEND, who joined the Townsend Society in 2002 and served on the board for more than a decade, sadly died May 29, 2026 in Chester Co., PA. He is survived by his wife, son, and family.
Alan descended from a female Townsend through her son Lewis born in 1784. With YDNA testing, he was able to determine that his paternal side was either a Bowen, or more likely, Posey – both of which had males living in Chester County. We could not identify which male Posey, though we had a suspect or two! On his mother's side, Alan was a Lambourn so he was related to many early settler families in Chester County.
Alan was a USAF veteran and worked for the USPS. He had many interests including Historic Trappe, archaeology, & Straycatblues.org - cat welfare. Alan enthusiastically trekked to Oyster Bay for board meetings on a number of occasions and inevitably found something of interest on our shelves to share. We enjoyed having him very much and will miss him.
[The photo is from his obituary]
