Mealey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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 Mealey or a variant listed above, including:

Mealey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• Alice Mealey, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 3

Mealey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Ann Mealey, aged 23, who landed in New York in 1854 3
• Martin Mealey, aged 23, who arrived in New York in 1854 3
• Tom Mealey, who landed in New York in 1854 3
• M Mealey, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1860 3

Mealey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Catherine Mealey, aged 28, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Fortune" 4

• Rondell Christopher Mealey (b. 1977), former American NFL football running back
• T. G. Mealey, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 32nd District, 1873; Member of Minnesota State Senate 32nd District, 1874-75, 1878-79 5
• Stephen R. Mealey, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1928 5
• S. J. Mealey, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1916 (Honorary Vice-President) 5
• P. Mealey, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1884 5
• Natasha Mealey (b. 1982), English glamour model
• Phil Mealey, British actor and writer, winner of two North West Comedy Awards (2005)