Contents [hide]

McKew History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

McKew History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The surname McKew in Ireland have evolved from the Gaelic Mac Aodha, which means son of Aodh or son of Hugh.

Early Origins of the McKew family

The surname McKew was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the McKew family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McKew research. Another 212 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1313, 1348 and 1585 are included under the topic Early McKew History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McKew Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname McKew are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include McHugh, MacHugh, McCue, MacCue, MacKew, McKew and others.

Early Notables of the McKew family

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

McKew migration to the United States +

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute due to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United States and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the McKew family relocated to North American shores quite early:

McKew Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Elizabeth McKew, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1767 1

McKew Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas McKew, who arrived in New Hampshire in 1849 1
Michael McKew, aged 18, who landed in New York in 1854 1
Andrew McKew, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1866

McKew migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McKew Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Charles McKew who settled in Turks Gut (now Marysvale), Newfoundland in 1871 2

McKew migration to Australia +

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

McKew Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James McKew, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1837 3
Jane McKew, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1837 3
Margaret McKew, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1837 3
Mary Ann McKew, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1837 3
John McKew, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1837 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McKew 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:

McKew Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas McKew, aged 16, a shoemaker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adelaide" in 1858 4
Mary Ann McKew, aged 15, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adelaide" in 1858 4
Margaret McKew, aged 8, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adelaide" in 1858 4
John McKew, aged 7, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adelaide" in 1858 4
Sarah McKew, aged 3, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adelaide" in 1858 4

Contemporary Notables of the name McKew (post 1700) +

Daniel McKew, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1988 5

Historic Events for the McKew family +

Halifax Explosion

Master John Howard McKew (1916-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 6

Citations +

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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837Navarino.htm
Shadow Time Settlers (Retrieved 5th November 2010), retrieved from http://shadowsoftime.co.nz/settlers.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance