Show ContentsFeehily History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Feehily family in Ireland was "Mac Fithcheallaigh," from the word "fithcheallach," referring to a chess player.

Early Origins of the Feehily family

The surname Feehily was first found in counties Donegal and Derry, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Feehily family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Feehily research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1516, 1548, 1555, 1559, 1567 and 1626 are included under the topic Early Feehily History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Feehily Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Feehily that are preserved in archival documents are Feeley, Fealy, Feally, Feely, Fehilly, Fehley, Feley, O'Feeley, O'Feely and many more.

Early Notables of the Feehily family

More information is included under the topic Early Feehily Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Feehily family

Irish families left their homeland in astonishing numbers during the 19th century in search of a better life. Although individual reasons vary, most of these Irish families suffered from extreme poverty, lack of work opportunities, and exorbitant rents in their homeland. Many decided to travel to Australia or North America in the hopes of finding greater opportunities and land. The Irish immigrants that came to North America initially settled on the East Coast, often in major centers such as Boston or New York. But like the many other cultures to settle in North America, the Irish traveled to almost any region they felt held greater promise; as a result, many Irish with gold fever moved all the way out to the Pacific coast. Others before that time left for land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula, or the Maritimes as United Empire Loyalists, for many Irish did choose to side with the English during the American War of Independence. The earliest wave of Irish migration, however, occurred during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the Feehily name: Margaret Fihilly, and her four children who arrived in Charleston Massachusetts in 1803; Michael Feely, whose Oath of Allegiance was recorded in Philadelphia in 1802.



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