​​The Tyson surname (also recorded as Tyas, Tison, or Tyse) first appears in mid-16th-century parish registers of Kirkburton, West Riding of Yorkshire. Nicholas Tyas (1554–1628), a yeoman farmer and freeholder, married Helen Elizabeth Jubb in 1586, creating ties that anchored the family in land stewardship, local governance, and church life by the early 1600s. 

 

17th-Century Transatlantic Migration

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In the early 1600s, John Tyas’s son William Andrew Tyson (born 22 June 1615) left Kirkburton for the American colonies. He married Elizabeth May in 1632 then settled in what would become Virginia. As one of the first Tysons in North America, William Andrew laid the groundwork for generations of American descendants. 

 

Expansion Across Early America

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Through the 18th and 19th centuries, Tyson descendants spread south and west. Land and census records place branches in Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama and Georgia, where they farmed, logged, and later worked in railroads and early industries. 

 

20th-Century Urban Journeys

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The Great Migration saw Black Tyson families depart Southern and rural homes for cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and Kansas City. There, they found work in rail yards, meatpacking plants, and service trades while building community institutions, churches, unions, and civil-rights organizations. 

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The Tyson Legacy Today

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Modern day Tysons honor their Yorkshire and American roots through scholarship, public service, skilled trades, and genealogical work. Descendants carry forward a heritage of resilience, stewardship, and community. The family’s story from the fields of Kirkburton to today’s global diaspora remains a testament to adaptability and intergenerational strength.