When Rachael Stidham was born in 1796, in Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, United States, her father, John Stidham, was 29 and her mother, Abigail Springer, was 32. She married William Meredith about 1820, in Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter.
Americanized form, via Stedham , of an unidentified Scandinavian or perhaps Dutch surname recorded in DE in the 17th century as Stiddem. Possible Dutch source is Van Stedum, a habitational name from Stedum, a village near Loppersum in the province of Groningen, named with plural dative from stad, denoting a place or country estate (with specific rights). Compare Stidam .
Possibly also an altered form of English Stedham .
History: The progenitor of (the majority of) the Stidhams was Timon Stidham, the pioneer physician in New Sweden (today DE), who arrived from Sweden in 1638 for the first time, and again in 1654, when he settled in Fort Christina (later Willmington, DE). His original surname was recorded as Stiddem, the form not found in Scandinavia or elsewhere in Europe.
As a nonprofit, we offer free help to those looking to learn the details of their family story.