Guilfoil History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Many destitute Irish families in the 18th and 19th centuries decided to leave their homeland, which had in many ways been scarred by English colonial rule. One of the most frequent destinations for these families was North America where it was possible for an Irish family to own their own parcel of land. Many of the early settlers did find land awaiting them in British North America, or even later in America, but for the majority of immigrants that arrived as a result of the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the ownership of land was often a long way off. These Irish people were initially put to work on such industrial projects as the building of bridges, canals, and railroads, or they worked at manufacturing positions within factories. Whenever they arrived, the Irish made enormous contributions to the infant nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the earliest immigrants to bearer the name of Guilfoil were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists:

• Oscar Daniel Guilfoil Sr. (1863-1955), American politician, Member of the Washington State Senate (1889-1891)
• Dwight D. Guilfoil Jr. (1922-1989), American businessman and advocate for workers with disabilities, recognized as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Men of the United States" by the Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1957
• Thomas Guilfoil, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1956 1
• Ezra Guilfoil, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Mayor of Wyandotte, Michigan, 1901 2