McGhay Surname HistoryThe Strathclyde Briton clans of the Scottish/English Borderlands were the first to use the name McGhay. It is derived from the Gaelic name Aodh, meaning Hugh, and the word mac, meaning son of. 1 Early Origins of the McGhay familyThe surname McGhay was first found in Dumfriesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Phris), a Southern area, bordering on England that today forms part of the Dumfries and Galloway Council Area. The first on record was Gilmighel Mac Ethe of Dumfries who rendered homage to King Edward I in 1296. "In the following year, as Gille Michel MacGethe, he was thanked by Edward I for putting down evildoers and for other services. Neel McEthe, Gillecryst McEthe, Hoen McEthe, Cuthbert his brother, and all of the lineage of Clenafren, made submission to Edward I in 1298. Michael Macgethe was juror on an inquisition in Annandale, 1304." 2 Early History of the McGhay familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGhay research. Another 311 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1331, 1339, 1424, 1426, 1444, 1463, 1471, 1473, 1480, 1500, 1506, 1527, 1570, 1574, 1595, 1611, 1673, 1682 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McGhay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McGhay Spelling VariationsThe origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. McGhay has been spelled MacGee, MacGhie, MacGhee, Magee and others. Early Notables of the McGhay familyNotable amongst the family at this time was Gilbert M'Ghie, 1st Lord of Balmage (d. 1426); Gilbert M'Gy, 2nd Lord of Balmage (1426-1471);
William M'Gye of Balmage and... Migration of the McGhay family to IrelandSome of the McGhay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them: McGhay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
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