Show ContentsScholey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Many Irish names are English translations of Gaelic names. The name Scholey was a translation of the Gaelic name O Scolaidhe, which means student.

Early Origins of the Scholey family

The surname Scholey was first found in county Westmeath (Irish: An Iarmhí) in the Irish Midlands, province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the Scholey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scholey research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Scholey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scholey Spelling Variations

In the Middle Ages, a name was often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer. Literacy was rare at that time and none of the languages to be found in the British Isles had achieved any great semblance of standardization. Variations of the name Scholey found include Scully, Scally, O'Scully and others.

Early Notables of the Scholey family

More information is included under the topic Early Scholey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Scholey migration to the United States +

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation, and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Scholey:

Scholey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Scholey, who landed in New Jersey in 1677 [1]
Scholey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Scholey, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1832 [1]
  • Charles R. Scholey, who settled in Philadelphia in 1858

Australia Scholey migration to Australia +

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

Scholey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Scholey (post 1700) +

  • M. J. Scholey, American politician, Mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin, 1908-12, 1914-16 [3]


  1. 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)
  2. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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