Wholey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The origins of the Wholey name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in a now-lost place called Howley, which experts theorize was situated in Lancashire, Yorkshire, or Cheshire. The surname Wholey belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. 1

Early Origins of the Wholey family

The surname Wholey was first found in northern England, where they held a family seat in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire from very early times.

Early records of the family are very scarce, but the Wills at Chester included: John Hooley, of Dukenfield, 1613, Robert Hooley, of Bebbington, 1610, Hugh Hooley, of Houghend, parish of Manchester, 1611, Jane Hooley, of Adlington, 1617, Miles Howley, of Adlington, 1668, and William Honley, of Duckenueld, 1676. 1

Early History of the Wholey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wholey research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1610, 1611, 1613, 1634, 1636, 1667, 1668, 1727, 1766, 1803, 1828 and 1848 are included under the topic Early Wholey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wholey Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Wholey were recorded, including Hooley, Hooly, Whooley, Wholey, Hoole and others.

Early Notables of the Wholey family

Distinguished members of the family include Charles Hoole (1610-1667), educational writer, son of Charles Hoole of Wakefield, Yorkshire, born there in 1610. He was educated at Wakefield free school, and at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he proceeded B.A. on 12 June 1634 and M.A. on 7...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wholey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wholey family to Ireland

Some of the Wholey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wholey migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Wholey family emigrate to North America:

Wholey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Wholey, aged 16, who arrived in New York, NY in 1873 2
Patrick Wholey, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 2

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)