| ![Show Contents]() Connolley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name Connolley is Ó Conghalaigh, Ó Conghaile, or Ó Coingheallaigh. 1 Early Origins of the Connolley familyThe surname Connolley was first found in Connacht and Munster, as well as County Monaghan and Leinster. There were three Gaelic septs whose name was Anglicized as Connolly: the O Conghalaigh sept (also known as O Conghaile) who lived in Connacht and the adjacent County Monaghan; the O Coingheallaigh sept, which also used the alias Mac Coingheallaigh, were subordinate to the powerful O'Donovans and dwelled in West Cork in Munster; and another sept, related to the O'Maddens, resided in Connacht and were of the Ui Maine. 2 Early History of the Connolley familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Connolley research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1014, 1591, 1660, 1715, 1729, 1738, 1750, 1760, 1803 and 1825 are included under the topic Early Connolley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Connolley Spelling VariationsDuring the Middle Ages, scribes recorded people's names as they saw fit. As a result, surnames often had many spelling variations. For Connolley some of these variations included: Connolly, Conolly, Connally, O'Connolly, Connolley, Conally, Connelly, Conoley, Connaleigh, Connelay, Conley, Conlay, Conlaye and many more. Early Notables of the Connolley familyNotable amongst the family name at this time was William Connolly (c.1660-1729), Speaker of the House of Commons. He was the son of a publican, or, as some say, of a blacksmith. Having been called to the bar, he soon made way in his profession; but he distinguished himself more particularly in the Irish House of Commons, of which he was chosen speaker 12 Nov. 1715. He continued to hold this post until his resignation through failure of health, 12 Oct...
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Connolley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Connolley migration to the United States | + |
Irish families began leaving their homeland for North America in the late 18th century. These families were usually modestly well off, but they were looking forward to owning and working on a sizable tract of land of their own. This pattern of emigration continued until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine sparked a major exodus of destitute and desperate Irish people. These people were not leaving for a grant of land in North America because by this time the East Coast had reached its saturation point and free land was scarce. They were merely looking to escape the disease, starvation, and hopelessness that Ireland had fallen into. Although these unfortunate immigrants did not receive a warm welcome by the established populations in the United States and what would become Canada, they were absolutely critical to the rapid development that these two nations enjoyed. They would help populate the western lands and provide the cheap labor required for a rapid industrialization. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many early bearers of the name Connolley or one of its variants:
Connolley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- M. Connolley, who settled in New York in 1820
| Contemporary Notables of the name Connolley (post 1700) | + |
- William A. Connolley, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Ohio State House of Representatives from Scioto County, 1897 3
- Robert E. Connolley, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from New York County 15th District, 1932 3
- MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
- MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Connolley migration to the United States 
