Joseph Bemis, Dedham Essex, UK
How far back has anyone been able to trace? I ask because when I search the Internet in the UK, there aren't a lot of listings for people named Bemis, apart from the manufacturing company. Joseph and his sister were very young when they arrived in Massachusetts; I'm wondering if they were the last of the line.
Supposedly Bemis is a variant of a Normandy place name, "Beaumetz" If true, that would give take this particular family back to the 11th or 12th century.