The Sargent's

My Mother's maiden name was Sargent so it stands to reason that I also want to know something about her ancestors. I really know very little about the family other than the immediate members living around the Harrisonburg, Louisiana area of Catahoula Parish. So this may take a while. But this is what I discovered so far:

Sargent

The name Sargent is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The Sargent family took the name when one of its members worked as a person who held the official name of Sargeant or Serjant. This occupational surname referred to the individual who was an officer of the law, someone who could summon people to court. The name could also refer to the rank of a knight.

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Sargent are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even variations of the name Sargent. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names the way they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. Sargent, Sargant, Sargaunt, Sarguent, Sarjeant, Sargeant, Sergeant and many more.

First found in Buckingham where they were seated from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the ancient Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief (conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute) these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economics of the growing colonies.

An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Sargent or a variant listed above. John Sargeant settled in Virginia in 1675; James Sargeant settled in Salem, Mass in 1630; William Sargeant settled in Charleston, Mass in 1635; James Sargent arrived in Boston in 1823.

There are also some suggested reading for the name Sargent, including "The Story of Captain Redford Webster Sargent, 1844 - 1901" by Cecilia VennardSargent and "Descendants of William Sargent (1624 - 1716) of England and Gloucester, MA" by Clifton R. Sargent.

It would appear that the Sargents have been in the New World long before the MacMillans, but we'll see as data is accumulated.