From Cornwall They Came:
The spelling of our name has always been problematic, but especially in Cornwall, where there are many versions dating back to at least the early or mid 1500’s. The name was and still is today, spelt in many ways; Eustys, Eustace, Eustice, Hewstace, Yusstes, Usstes, Eustis, Eustes, Eustus among others.

Early Cornwall records include William fitzEustace of Bocland, who was sheriff of Cornwall c.1200; Eustace, son of Stephen, chamberlain of Henry II, who was sheriff of Cornwall (1174 and 1179) and was, himself, chamberlain later; and Eustace of Cotehele, founder of the family now absorbed by Lord Mount Edgcumbe.

The Cornish family divides historically into two groups; one spanning the Cornwall/Devon border of which there are occasional records from the 13th century to the 15th, including the dedication of the parish church of Tavistock to St. Eustachius (the largest of only three churches in all of England dedicated to our patron). A family bearing the name seemed to prosper at St. Budeaux during Elizabethan times and expanded their land holdings far into north Cornwall. Beginning in 1702, Crowan developed into a thriving mining town and the names Eustace, Eustice and Eustis became evident.

Other early records of the Cornish family include wills dating from 1578-1594 in Morval and Menheniot. From the end of the16th Century, the parish registers show the presence of the family at St. Sampson and Bodmin (from 1602 onwards). There is a record of George Eustys, son of Thomas, who was christened February 24, 1599 in St. Budeaux, Devon. Later we find George Eustace christened January 20, 1640 at St. Neot. There are 18th century records of a number of marriages at Pillaton with others as far afield as Falmouth and Helston.

Cornwall is located in southwest England and became the mining center of the world during the late 18th Century and early decades of the 19th Century. By the 1830s, Cornwall was dominating world copper production. Besides copper, the Cornish mines produced tin, zinc, lead and iron and some silver.

The Cornish developed mining skills and advanced technology that were in great demand in other parts of the world including the United States, Australia and South Africa. During the 1830s and 40s, the Cornish, because of their skills and work ethic, became a large part of the US mining industry in Pennsylvania, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin.