Show ContentsMagrory History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

There are many Irish surnames being used today in forms that are quite different than their original, ancient forms. Magrory originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Ruaidhri, which means son of Rory. 1

Early Origins of the Magrory family

The surname Magrory was first found in County Tyrone (Irish:Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Magrory family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Magrory research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1298 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Magrory History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Magrory Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Magrory were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. MacCreary, MacCreery, MacCrary, MacCrory and others.

Early Notables of the Magrory family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Magrory Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Magrory family

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Magrory or a variant listed above, including: Alexander, James and Mary MacCreary, who all arrived in Philadelphia between 1856 and 1874; Andrew, Ben, Henry, Hugh, John, Robert, Thomas and William MacCreery all arrived in Philadelphia between 1820 and 1860.



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.


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