This surname is spelled variously as follows: Clemens, Clemons, Clement, Clemonds, and Clermont. It was probably derived from that of seventeen popes, of which Clemens Romanus, mentioned in the Epistle to the Philippines, is said to be the first. He was accounted as one of the Apostolic fathers. He died as bishop of the church of Rome in the year 182. Titus Clemens was a distinguished father of the Christian church who flourished at the close of the second and beginning of the third century. He was born at Athens. One of his hymns is preserved. The catholicity of his mind procured him the name of heretic, and lost him that of saint.
CLEMENT �merciful� was the name of four popes before the end of the thirteenth century, on a saint of the first century, and two of them during the surname period, and the name become well established throughout Europe. CLEMENT was a fellow worker with Paul of Philippi. His name is written in �the book of life� (Phil. 4:3), a feature that made the name a great favorite in all Christian countries.
English and Scottish forms of the resulting family names are CLEMENS, CLEMENT, CLEMENTS, CLEMONS and the Pet form CLEM. The French also favored CLEMENT and the diminutive form CLEMENCEAU. Scandinavians used CLEMENSON and CLEMENTSEN. A German form is KLEMM. The Italian names are CLEMENTE and CLEMENTI. The popular Slavic form is KLIMA, while the Lithuranians preferred KLIMAS. A Czechoslavakian form is KLIMEK and the Polish surnames are KILMCZAK and KLIMKIEWICZ
The family is now numerous in England and Ireland, and it is believed that the New England branches came from the former country.
The Clemons line is my grandfather's Vernon Earl Clemons' line.
I found the Clements line came out of Georgia into Florida, and changed their name to
Clemons. The line I am pursuing started in Florida in 1859 in the city of Jasper in
Hamilton County with William F. Clemons Register. Over the next twenty-six years they
had a total of fourteen children, with the last child dying the day she was born.
The first three children were born in Jasper, Hamilton County,
Florida, and the other eleven were born in Springhead, Hillsborough
County, Florida. William Clemons
is listed in the History book of Plant City, Hillsborough County, Florida, as one of
Plant City's early pioneers.
Samuel Clemons, William and Mary's twelfth child and my great grandfather, married Clara
Agnus Carlton in Keysville, Hillsborough County, Florida.
After the birth of their three children Samuel moved his family
to Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida. Sam, as he was known,
became a Tampa City beat cop. He stayed with the Tampa City Police
Department until his retirement. Sam's daughter, Clara Evelyn Clemons,
married, but never had any children. Sam's two son's, Vernon Earl and Samuel
Carlton Clemons, married sister's.
Vernon Earl Clemons, Samuel and Clara's second child and my grandfather, married
Margaret Lousia(May) "Buba" Erwin in Clarksdale, Coahoma County, Mississippi.
Vernon brought May back to Tampa, Hillsborough County,
Florida, and this is where their five children were born and
raised. Samuel Carlton (Carl) Clemons married Eva Bertha Erwin
(May's younger sister) in Sorrento, Ascension Parish, Louisiana,
about three years after Vernon and May were married. Carl
brought Eva back to Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida where
their four children were born and raised.
Shirley Margaret Clemons, Vernon and May's second child and my mother, married
LeRoy Chesley Delk in Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia. LeRoy was
stationed in Savanna, Chatham County, Georgia, when his first
child was born. After LeRoy's term in the military, they settled
in Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida. Tampa, Hillsborough
County, Florida is were their three other children were born and raised.
Upon the discovery of this large
line I made a decision to gather all of the information on their
lines down to present day. I am about 90% complete, and I have
about 2,500+ people in this line, most of whom are living today.
Other major family lines within the Clemons line
include Lastinger, Futch, and 3 lines of Howell's.
