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McHenry History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

McHenry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish name McHenry was originally written in a Gaelic form as Ó hInneirghe, which is derived from an adjective meaning easily roused early.

Early Origins of the McHenry family

The surname McHenry 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 at Cullentra. From here, the head of this Irish sept extended his territories into the valley of Glenconkeiny in County Londonderry.

Meilor Fitzhenry (d. 1220), was "Justiciar of Ireland, was the son of Henry, the bastard son of King Henry I, by Nesta, the wife of Gerald of Windsor, and the daughter of Rhys ab Tewdwr, king of South Wales. He was thus the first cousin of Henry II, and related to the noblest Norman and native families of South Wales. " 1

Early History of the McHenry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McHenry research. Another 54 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1753, 1785, 1796, 1800, 1816 and 1845 are included under the topic Early McHenry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McHenry Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname McHenry 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. O'Henry, Fitzhenry, MacHenry, MacEnery, MacEniry and others.

Early Notables of the McHenry family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

James McHenry (1753-1816), American (Irish-born) patriot in the American Revolution
Secretary of War 1796-1800, and private secretary to George Washington. Another James McHenry (1785-1845) was a poet and novelist. Mrs. Fitzhenry was a well known Irish actress near the end of the 18t...

McHenry Ranking

In the United States, the name McHenry is the 2,958^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2

McHenry migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name McHenry or a variant listed above:

McHenry Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Murtagh McHenry, who landed in Maryland in 1659 3

McHenry Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francis McHenry, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1738
Isaac McHenry, who arrived in America in 1770 3

McHenry Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel McHenry, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1802 3
Elnr McHenry, who landed in America in 1805 3
Aran McHenry, who landed in America in 1805 3
Dan McHenry, who landed in America in 1805 3
Alex McHenry, aged 50, who landed in Tennessee in 1812 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McHenry migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McHenry Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Henry McHenry, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1820
Betty McHenry, aged 65, who arrived in Quebec in 1834
Patrick McHenry, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
Miss. Ellen McHenry, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Energy" departing 28th May 1847 from Limerick, Ireland; the ship arrived on 5th July 1847 but she died on board 4
Mrs. Mary McHenry, aged 24 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Lady Flora Hastings" departing 11th May 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 26th June 1847 but she died on board 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McHenry migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

McHenry Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas McHenry, British convict who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. Samuel McHenry, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
George McHenry, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Morley" in 1840 7
Margaret McHenry, aged 25, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Wanderer" 8
Margaret McHenry, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "John Banks" 9

McHenry migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

McHenry Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Daniel Mchenry, (b. 1840), aged 22, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 10
Mr. Michael Mchenry, (b. 1840), aged 22, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 10
Mr. Daniel Mchenry, (b. 1849), aged 22, English farm labourer from Antrim, England, travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship 'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 25th August 1871 10
Mr. Michael Mchenry, (b. 1849), aged 22, English farm labourer from Antrim, England, travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship 'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 25th August 1871 10
Daniel McHenry, aged 19, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876

Contemporary Notables of the name McHenry (post 1700) +

Patrick Timothy McHenry (b. 1975), American politician currently serving as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 10th congressional district since 2005
Henry Lloyd McHenry (1910-1981), American Negro League Baseball right-handed pitcher and outfielder from 1930 to 1951
Edwin Harrison McHenry (1859-1931), American railroad executive, 4th Vice-President of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, 1st Vice-President of the Consolidated Railway of Hartford, Connecticut, Chief Engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Austin Bush McHenry (1894-1922), American Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1918-1922)
James McHenry (1753-1816), American statesman, signer of the United States Constitution from Maryland, eponym of Fort McHenry, third United States Secretary of War (1796–1800)
William McHenry (1771-1835), American soldier and politician, eponym of McHenry County, Illinois
Doug McHenry, American two-time Black Reel Award nominated film director and producer
Patrick Timothy McHenry (b. 1975), American Representative for North Carolina's 10th congressional district
Robert McHenry (b. 1945), American editor, encyclopedist, and writer
Mary Williamson McHenry (b. 1933), American literary scholar
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 88)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MORLEY 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Morley.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WANDERER 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Wanderer.htm
South Australian Register Wednesday 30th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) John Banks 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/johnbanks1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html