HANSON/DE RASTRICH FAMILY LINE

The Hanson family of Dover, Strafford co., NH & Lynn, Essex co., MA is an interesting lineage. The family story includes prominent involvement in the Quaker movement, Indian raids and a line traced back to 1251, when the family surname was the Norman "de Rastich". Thus, we have an unbroken line for nearly 600 years -- from 1251, until Abigail Hanson's death in 1809. That's a lot of history. I should like to flesh out the English end of the family further with as many details as one can find from extant records, wills & legal documents. Please see Roger DE RASTRICH'S page for information on the current locations of the Yorkshire towns in which the family lived. Additions are appreciated. It is interesting to see how the high the person numbers become as they increase exponentially through the generations.

According to the Hanson Genealogy, the surname Hanson is of very ancient origin, and was handed down by the Flemish to the English speaking people. The root of the name was Hans, which is the only one of the abbreviations of the original Johannes, and from the latter we derive the familiar Hansons, Hankins, Hankinsons, Hancocks and others^[1].

Name variations on the later surname are Hansen & Hanson. Variations on the ancient surname are de Rastrich, de Rastrick, and de Rastich. Hanson and Hanscom are different families^[2]. Be careful in your research and do not mix up the two.