Temple Family History

Our Temple line traces back to William Temple of Coombs Lane, in the Parish of Atworth, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England. William was born about 1650. His sons, including our ancestor Thomas, immigrated to Goshen, Pennsylvania. Thomas arrived in 1713. (Another son, William, says his father's second marriage was the reason for his leaving England).

Temple Coat of Arms

William Senior is listed in Mary B. Temple's book "Notable Men of Tennessee," as the grandson of Thomas Temple of Heytesbury, Wiltshire, England. This elder Thomas died about 1594, leaving ten children. William Senior's grandson, Major Temple, moved first to North Carolina and then to Greene County, Tennessee, when the Temple family would achieve some prominence.

The Temple name is generally Anglo-Saxon and most likely to have originated from a family that lived close to the Temple. The name is first found in Cheshire, and are said to be tied to Loefric, the Saxon Earl of Chester, who died in 1057, before the Conquest.

My Temple Research

William Temple (1650-1702)
Thomas Temple (1694-1775) Immigrant
Mary Temple (1878-1969)

Temple Resources

Temple, Mary B. "Notable Men of Tennessee" (Especially the introduction)
Temple, Dr. L. Parker; "Temple and Related Lines in North America." (An extensive website)
Temple, Henry Curtis; "The Temple Family in England and America, 865 AD to 1930 AD"; 1930 (Not available online, but for sale on Amazon and from a couple Libraries.
Barnett, Joyce Temple; "Temple People: Volumes 1 and 2," 2001. Available in the DAR Library in Washington.
Temple, Lucy T. "William Temple of Prince George County, Virginia and His Descendants."

There are several variations of the family crest or 'coat of arms' for this family name. We've chosen one to show here but realize it is probably not appropriate to associate it with later generations of the family.