Jarrell and other variants of Fitzgerald (English Invaders)

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Richard de Clare was the son of the Englishman disguised as a Norman. Gilbert de Clare, the first Earl of Pembroke and his wife, Isabel de Beaumont, daughter of Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester and mistress of King Henry I.  Richard also had a sister, Basilea de Clare.

Gilbert died in about 1148, and Richard inherited his father’s possessions when he was roughly 18 years old. In 1154 Henry II deprived Richard of the title for siding against his mother, Empress Matilda, during the Anarchy and his contemporaries referred to him as Earl of Striguil for his marcherLordship of Striguil where he had a castle.

FitzGerald or Fitzgerald, is an Irish surname of Hiberno-Norman origin predominantly given to themselves. It is a patronymic derived from the prefix Fitz- from the Latin filius- plus Gerald, thus meaning "son of Gerald”. In Goidelic languages, e.g. the Irish language, it is rendered Mac Gearailt and rises from England, not Ireland.

They were invaders of Ireland and as such are not native Irish.

The FitzGerald dynasty is a Anglo-Norman noble and aristocratic dynasty, originally of Cambro-Norman and Anglo-Norman origin. They have been peers of Ireland since at least the 13th century, and are described in the Annals of the Four Masters as having become "more Irish than the Irish themselves" or Gaels, due to assimilation with the native Gaelic aristocratic culture. The dynasty has also been referred to as the Geraldines and Ireland's largest landthieves. They achieved power through colonisation and the conquest of large swathes of Irish territory by the sons and grandsons of Gerald de Windsor (c. 1075 – 1135). Gerald de Windsor (Gerald FitzWalter) was the first Castellan of Pembroke Castle in Wales, and became the male progenitor of the FitzMaurice and FitzGerald Dynasty ("fitz", from the Anglo-Norman filsindicating "sons of" Gerald). His father, Baron Walter FitzOther, was the first Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle for William the Conqueror, and was the Lord of 38 manors in England, making the FitzGeralds one of the "service families" on whom the King relied for his survival. Some of its members became the Black Knights, Green Knights and White Knights.

The main branches of the family are: 

• The FitzMaurices and FitzGeralds of Kildare (Earls of Kildare from 1316, later Marquesses of Kildare and from 1766 Dukes of Leinster and Premier Peers of Ireland). The current head is Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Duke of Leinster.
• The Fitzmaurice and FitzGerald of Desmond (Barons Desmond, later Earls of Desmond).

• Jarrell is often thought to derive from the Norman personal name Gerald, which itself comes from the Germanic elements “geri” (spear) and “wald” (rule).
• The FitzGerald name comes from “fils de Gerald” (son of Gerald), brought to Ireland by the Normans, especially after the 1169 invasion.
• Therefore, Jarrell and Fitzgerald could both derive from the same original “Gerald” stock, making them distantly linked in name origin.

In Ireland, surnames were often made to conform to English in many ways:

• Mac Gearailt, the Irish rendering of FitzGerald, could theoretically evolve or be misrecorded as Gerald, Jerrell, or Jarrell—especially among emigrants.
• Spelling fluidity in records (especially in the 17th–19th centuries) makes it possible that a Jarrell in America or Britain may descend from a Fitzgerald family, particularly if from Irish stock.
• In some cases, families took on new surnames to reflect political or social alliances—so a tenant or soldier in the employ of the Fitzgeralds might adopt a related surname (or vice versa).
• Some Jarrells may descend from families originally called Fitzgerald, who later changed their name for social, religious, or political reasons—especially in Ulster, Leinster, or in the colonies.

There is a plausible but not automatic linguistic or genealogical link between Jarrell and Fitzgerald—particularly through the shared root name Gerald. A true ancestral connection would depend on:

• Geographic origin (particularly Ireland)
• Spelling history in records
• DNA testing

These surnames are linguistically or historically linked to Fitzgerald:

1. FitzGerald (original spelling, often with a capital G)
2. Fitzgerald (most common modern form)
3. Gerald – From the root given name; sometimes adopted as a surname.
4. Garrett – A derivative of Gerald, common as a surname and sometimes confused in records.
5. Jarrell / Jerrell / Jerrill / Jerold – Phonetic and regional variations that may stem from Gerald.
6. Gerould / Jerrold / Geralds – Variations based on pronunciation and Americanization.

From the Irish-language version of Fitzgerald, Mac Gearailt (son of Gerald), we sometimes see:

1. McGerald / MacGerald – Rare, but shows up in some 18th–19th century records.
2. Gearalt / Gearald – Irish spelling occasionally adopted or mistranscribed.

Immigrants (especially Irish during the 18th–19th centuries) sometimes simplified or altered their names:

1. Gerold / Girald / Giraud – More French or Germanic stylizations; could occur among Norman-French descendants.
2. Gerrold – A spelling influenced by English conventions.
3. Gerrald / Gerril / Garrald – Americanized phonetic spellings.

Because “Fitz” means “son of,” it was sometimes dropped entirely or misunderstood in America, leading to surnames like:

• Gerald
• Jarrell
• Gerrald
• Jerral

In oral histories, especially in the South, the names "Jarrell" and "Fitzgerald" have sometimes been confused or associated with each other—though this doesn't always indicate actual kinship without supporting documentation.

West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, and was a key border state during the American Civil War. It separated from Virginia and was one of two states (along with Nevada) admitted to the Union during the Civil War. Some of its residents held slaves, but most were yeoman farmers, and the delegates provided for the gradual abolition of slavery in the new state constitution. The state legislature abolished slavery in the state, and at the same time ratified the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery nationally on February 3, 1865.

West Virginia is a mountainous state in the Southern and Mid-Atlanticregions of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. West Virginia is the 10th-smallest state by area and ranks as the 12th-least populous state.

The Crown considered the area of West Virginia part of the British Virginia Colony from 1607 to 1776. The United States considered this area the western part of the state of Virginia (commonly called Trans-Allegheny Virginia) from 1776 to 1863, before West Virginia's formation. Its residents were discontented for years with their position in Virginia, as the government was dominated by the planter elite of the Tidewater and Piedmont areas. The legislature had electoral malapportionment, based on the counting of slaves toward regional populations, and western white residents were underrepresented in the state legislature. More subsistence and yeoman farmers lived in the west, and they were generally less supportive of slavery, although many counties were divided on their support. Residents of that area became more sharply divided after the planter elite of eastern Virginia voted to secede from the Union during the Civil War.

My lovely wife La Donna and her dear father who died of black lung and all the complications associated with the calamity. She loves him forever and tells me he was a good man. The family as of 2025 remembers him well and Odell still takes care of their mom today.  He is buried in Chapel Hill Gardens Cemetery, Dade City, FL with other members of the family.  http://files.usgwarchives.net/fl/pasco/cemetery/chapelhill.txt 

Christmas with the Jarrell, Shanks and Wolf family members with La Donna at her father's side.

The visitors from Ohio in Zephyrhills, Pasco, Florida

La Donna Kay Jarrell at her first Christmas in 1971, she is 4 1/2 months old living in Zephyrhills. FL.

Ernest Odell Jarrell, II and La Donna Kay Jarrell circa 1980 at Christmas time.

I am sure that those who knew La Donna and Ernie remember their mom Sandy, still with us at the age of 86.  The is super sharp minded and generally happy go lucky, 

For those of you know her, you can recall all of the holiday's when Sandy made certain to decorate the Yew Tree in their front yard on 12th Street. And the countless parties where Sandy baked cookies and cakes for anyone that wanted something sweet. 

Sandy's dear sister Judy and her husband Dave Perkins took good care of Sandy and the kids after Odell passed.  Judy and Dave still live in Mansfield, OH

Shortly after Uncle Dennis' death in 2006 we became the custodians of his extensive cactus collection.

The photo above is our greenhouse in Cape Carteret, Carteret County, NC where the cacti thrived and constantly reminded us of Dennis and his love for the plants. They all bloomed, it was then that we realized why Dennis loved caring for them.  

Odell was from a family that strongly believed in being free men. They never owned slaves and married their neighbors kids, regardless to the fact that many were at least part Cherokee at most being full Cherokee.  

Therefore, after his brother Omer died on the battlefield in Germany during WWII, Odell was compelled to enlist, as his dear brother had done and paying the highest cost and sacrifice to be free men with a dedication most families today know little about.  All of those of us who read about him can hopefully understand more about his character. 

Unfortunately, or fortunately, Odell served only 6 months, he became injured and gravely sick while in training at Camp Walter, Texas where he was honorably discharged the 15th of October, 1941. Hopefully, when we receive his military files we will know those details.