Possible Early Backus Roots

From The Backus Families Of Early New England, by Reno W. Backus (excerpted *here, too):

After 1200, references to the family became more numerous, though with varying spelling of the name. Joseph Foster's "Descendants of John Backhouse, Yeoman, of Moss Side",...list[s] several branches of the family in [England]... .

But a review of the Backhouse family records gives no clue to a William Backhouse or Backus of Norwich in the late 1500's or early 1600's. This does not rule out the possibility that our William could have been a member of a more distant and unlisted branch of the family, yet the assumption seems rather thin.

2. A second possibility is that William came from an entirely different English family... .

3. A third possibility looks more promising. The frequency of occurrence of the name Backhaus or its equivalent in German or Dutch suggests the chance value of a search for a German or Dutch connection. [See link* for more detail]

Of further interest regarding Dutch emigration is this paragraph from a "History of the City and County of Norwich, 1768", p. 225.