ORIGINS: FACTS and FICTIONS

Wondering where the Gilstraps came from? What the name means? Are we entitled to a coat of arms? Are we linked to Clan Macrae and Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland? Are there early histories of our family?

Check out the ORIGINS: Facts and Fictions page.

Please let me know if you have additional stories or information to contribute.

~Nancy

GILSTRAP

This is a place name acquired from once having lived at a place spelled Gill(s)thorp(e), Gilsthorp(e), Gill(s)throp(e) or Gil(s)throp(e) located in the Old Danelaw area of England.

The first element, Gil(l), could be a Scandinavian word denoting "a ravine, narrow valley with a stream" or it could be an Old Norse descriptive name, Gill(e), denoting a "servant, worker."

The second element, - thorp(e), is of Old Norse origin. In Old English, it denoted "a farm" and, possibly, a "hamlet." The Old Danish meaning was "a small village due to colonization by a larger one."

Thus the meaning could be "farm, hamlet, near the ravine" or "Gill's farm or hamlet."

The spelling Giltrap is found in Ireland, but the family is of English origin.

Burke's General Armory describes the Gilstrap arms of a County Suffolk family.

There were six families of the spelling Gilstrap in Craven and Jones counties of North Carolina in 1790.

~ from the "Know Your Name" column by John C. Downing, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, c 1960s

COAT OF ARMS

GILSTRAP (Irish and English)

- from Burke's General Armory

Arms: Argent (silver) a chevron engrailed vert (green) between in chief two escutcheons gules (red), each charged with a galtrap of the field, and in base a talbot's head erased of the third.

Crest: A cubit arm erect in armour proper, grasping an escutcheon gules (red) charged with a galtrap argent (silver)

Motto: Candide Secure (Frankly and fearlessly)

The arm in armour signifies an able soldier.The chevron represents the rafters of the gables of a house and shows protection of the defenseless. It is a mark of honor or rank in military service.
Engrailed (scalloned) signifies wealth and affluence.
The talbot is one of the breed of white-collared, quick-scenting hunting dogs with long, pendulous ears. It signifies a great hunter and sportsman usually among the aristocracy or nobility.
The galtrap was an iron instrument made to annoy an enemy's cavalry. It was formed or iron, being four spikes conjoined in such a manner that one was always upwards. It is found in many ancient coats of arms and has a military significance.

MEANING OF THE COLORS:

Silver - purity and constancy
Green - hope and optimism
Red - military fortitude

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This coat of arms, or family crest belongs to the Family of Sir William Gilstrap, (1816-1896) who upon whom Queen Victoria bestowed a Baronetcy in 1887, the year of her Golden Jubilee.

THE GILSTRAP LIBRARY, 1883-1988, Newark, England

Donated to the town by William Gilstrap, this building currently serves at the Tourism Visitor Center.

Sir William Gilstrap was the son of Joseph Gilstrap, Esq. of North Gate, Newark-on-Trent and Elizabeth WELSH of Hampton, Leake.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

In the 1990s, Granville Gilstrap (descended from Peter Jr.) hired a professional genealogist in England to do some research there. Rod Neep reported that right away he encountered 49 different spellings of our surname in a list of 350 records! Never forget to branch out in your searching.

His list includes: GALSTHORPE, GALSTRAP, GALSTROP GALSTROPE, GALTHORPE, GALTRESS, GALTRIS GAUTHORP, GAUTHROP, GAWTHREP, GAWTHROP, GAWTHROPE, GAWTHROPPE

GELESTHORPE, GELESTRAP, GELLSTROP, GELSTHARP, GELSTHERP, GELSTHORP, GELSTHORPE, GELSTHROP, GELSTHROPE, GELSTORP, GELSTORPE, GELSTRAP, GELSTROP, GELSTROPE, GELSTROPPE, GELSTRUP, GELTHORP, GELTHORPE, GELTROP, GETHROPE

GILLITHORPE, GILLSTHORP, GILLSTHORPE, GILLTRAP, GILSTHORP, GILSTHORPE, GILSTHROP, GILSTRAP, GILTHOPKE, GILTHORPE,

GOTHEROP, GOUTHORP, GOWTHROP

and GYLSTROP

NOTE: When I was listening to the funeral of Princess Diane of Wales in 1997, I heard a clue about the British-to-American spelling of our name. Princess Diana was buried at her family estate of Althorp, which I as an American would pronounce all-thORp (with a distinct 'OR' in there). The BBC commentators pronounce the name ALL-trip or ALL-trup depending. It gave me an insight into how a British born Gelsthrop (say Gels-trip) could end up a Gilstrap in American records.

EILEAN DONAN CASTLE and the CLAN MacRae (non)-Connection

John MacRae-Gilstrap (1861-1937) purchased Eilean Donan Castle on Loch Duich in the west of Scotland in 1912. This is not the historical home of the Gilstraps, nor do we belong to Clan MacRae. John MacRae married in 1889 to Isabella Mary Gilstrap, the niece and co-heir of Sir William Gilstrap, Bt. According to the terms of Sir William's will, John MacRae took the additional surname of Gilstrap and then assumed a senior role in the family business - Gilstrap, Earp, & Co., then the largest malt producing firm in Britain.

FAMILY TALES

Abner Lee GILSTRAP wrote in 1877 a biographical sketch on the GILSTRAPs in America based on his family lore.

Abner attributes our beginnings to THREE brothers of unknown parents in England: Richard, Peter, and Idolet.

Abner did a good job, but did not know the family lived in Maryland before arriving in North Carolina. His sketch, with with my notes included, is linked here.

(NGM, 11 OCT 2014)

"The Gilstrap History from 1749- 52, Genealogy and Migration" by Ernest O. Gilstrap, Pickens County, SC ©1981 -- This book follows two of Peter Jr.'s sons, Hardy and Lewis, into South Carolina and covers their descendants very well.

Ernest attributes our beginnings to FOUR brothers of unknown parents in England: James, John, Idolet, and Peter, but says he thought the parents came to America also.

"A Bit of Gilstrap History" by Marcus Gilstrap (1933-2012), San Angelo, TX -- Marcus was one of the first people I met doing genealogy on the Internet. He published his "Bit of Gilstrap History" periodically, and included lots of family stories.

The first copy I have dates to about 1993. Attributed to Mary Joyce (Gilstrap) James, 1929-2005, is the origin story that Thomas and Hanna (unknown) GILSTRAP, possibly of Scotland or England, were the parents to James, John, Isolet, Peter, and possibly a fifth son David. Mary believed the family may have arrived in North Carolina aboard the Thistle in 1739, making them Highlanders, but she acknowledged that was based on not finding them it other ships' records.

By the 2003 edition, we know about Peter Sr and Rachel (Aydelott) Gilstrap in Maryland.

"Memoirs of W. J. Gilstrap," ©1947 - William Jasper Gilstrap outlines in his preface that he is going to use the materials collected by William Henry Gilstrap (d. 1914) of Seattle Washington. Wm Henry Gilstrap is supposed to be the person who introduced Thomas GILSTRAP m. Hannah HASELING as our ancestry, but he does not mention them in this document.

A copy of this memoir is attached here. Note that the handwritten page number skip '23', but all pages are included.

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