Watkinds Family History & Genealogy

Summary

The family name Watkinds now exists in America on both coasts, East and West.  We are all related and came from the same family that left Wales in the 1800's and came to America.  I do not know any history of the family or others with this name except what my father told us from what he knew of his father and step-brother.  There is considerable history of the Watkinds family in building the Oregon Territory into a State.  There is a block in Portland that was named for the Watkinds family.  We have since spread out around the state, despite the loss of one branch of the family. [Sharon Watkinds]

History

The Watkinds family originated in Wales and families from Wales almost never leave or "migrate" out of the country.  As far as we know, any people with the surname Watkinds in America are all related to this same family.  We may not know each other, but we are related. [Sharon Watkinds] The family name Watkinds now exists in America on both coasts, East and West.  We are all related and came from the same family that left Wales in the 1800's and came to America.  I do not know any history of the family or others with this name except what my father told us from what he knew of his father and step-brother.  There is considerable history of the Watkinds family in building the Oregon Territory into a State.  There is a block in Portland that was named for the Watkinds family.  We have since spread out around the state, despite the loss of one branch of the family. [Sharon Watkinds]

Name Origin

I have never found a meaning for our surname or why it is spelled as it is.  The history of Wales is very old and the language was not the same as English. [Sharon Watkinds}

Spellings & Pronunciations

There is no variation of the original Welch name "Watkinds," although there is an English version spelled "Watkins" that is much more prevalent in America and around the English-speaking world.  These two names may not be at all related. [Sharon Watkinds]

Nationality & Ethnicity

The country of origin for the spelling of the last name "Watkinds" is Wales.  This is the Welch spelling, not the English.  It is extremely rare for families from Wales to leave the country.  One family did back in the 1800's.  Two of the brothers came across America on the Oregon Trail and you can see where they registered in The Dalles in the 1850's as they came through with the first settlers.  One branch of the family settled in what would become the Portland area.  The other branch settled in the Lebanon-Sweet Home area.  There was a branch from that same family that remained back on the East, possibly in St. Louis and/or Philadelphia. [Sharon Watkinds] The spelling of the name "Watkinds" is Welch and the family originates only from Wales. [Sharon Watkinds]

Famous People named Watkinds

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Early Watkindses

These are the earliest records we have of the Watkinds family.