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Smerdon Origins Smerdons originate from the Dartmoor area of Devon, England. The parishes of Ashburton, Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Buckland-in-the-Moor, Woodland, Ilsington and South Brent contain records of hundreds of Smerdons dating back to the 1600's, and it is from here that nearly all Smerdons around the World can trace their ancestry. Click on Photos to see scenes from places they would have recognised. These small villages nestle on the side of Dartmoor, and many Smerdons were dairy farmers. Some still are. The name probably means "butter hill" from the old English words "smeru" meaning grease and "dun" meaning hill. With the arrival of the Great Western Railway and steam ships from Plymouth in the 1800's many Smerdons emigrated to America, Canada and Australia. There are currently 402 people with the surname Smerdon over the age of 18 registered on the March 2000 electoral role in the UK.
Smerdon Contact Forum Click HERE to enter the Smerdon Contact Forum. Here you can say hallo, meet others on line, share your family tree information and ask for help in tracing you Smerdon ancestors. Some of our correspondents have researched an amazing amount of information. There are two distinct main Smerdon lines of descendants in the Buckland and Ashburton areas. These are the Buckland descendants of Robart Smerdon who married Isett Langdon in 1580, and the Buckland/Ashburton descendants of Richard Smerdon born abt. 1619. Richards descendants occupied Elliotts Hill farm as tenant farmers for over 6 generations from 1639 to1886. A third line of Smerdons lived in the Woodland area, several of whom emigrated to Canada. From these lines most of the Smerdons around the world are descended. Click on these family trees which contain 3,204 Smerdon descendants.
'Buckland Smerdons' 13 generations and 877 descendants of Robart Smerdon born abt 1560. He married Isett Langdon on 30 April 1580. Descendants in England, Australia, USA and Canada
Search these family trees with an Index of Smerdon descendants.
Click on Dartmoor Press for an excellent series of booklets researched by Mike Brown which contain lots of Smerdon family history in the Dartmoor area. Family Memoirs Read the personal stories of
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