Contents [hide]

Crosbie History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Crosbie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The original Gaelic form of the Irish name Crosbie was written as Mac an Chrosain, which is derived from the word cros, which means cross.

Early Origins of the Crosbie family

The surname Crosbie was first found in Leinster, where they held a family seat at Ballymacrossan on the border of Leix and Offaly. There they were an off-shoot of the notable Clan O'Moore which was the leading sept of the 'Seven Clans of Leix'. In Gaelic the surname is "Mac an Chrosain," but more frequently seen in the English form "Crosby" or "Crosbie" which was listed as early as the early 1600s. 1

Early History of the Crosbie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crosbie research. Another 257 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1619, 1621, 1638, 1639, 1658, 1689, 1695 and 1762 are included under the topic Early Crosbie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crosbie Spelling Variations

Names during the Middle Ages were often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of their bearers. Literacy was rare at that time and so how a person's name was recorded was decided by the individual scribe. Variations of the name Crosbie include Crossan, Crossen, McCrossan, McCrossen, MacCrossan, MacCrossin, MacCrossen, Crossin, MacCrosson, McCrosson, Crosson, McCrosin, McCrosen and many more.

Early Notables of the Crosbie family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

John Crosbie, alias Sean Mac an Chrosáin (died 1621), a bishop of the Church of Ireland
David Crosbie (died 1658), died 1658
Sir John Crosbie, died 14th Jan 1639
Sir Walter Crosbie, 1st Baronet of Maryborough in Queen's County (died c. 1638)
Maurice Crosbie, 1st Baron Brandon, (c. 1689 - c. 1762), an Irish peer

Crosbie migration to the United States +

Many destitute Irish families in the 18th and 19th centuries decided to leave their homeland, which had in many ways been scarred by English colonial rule. One of the most frequent destinations for these families was North America where it was possible for an Irish family to own their own parcel of land. Many of the early settlers did find land awaiting them in British North America, or even later in America, but for the majority of immigrants that arrived as a result of the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the ownership of land was often a long way off. These Irish people were initially put to work on such industrial projects as the building of bridges, canals, and railroads, or they worked at manufacturing positions within factories. Whenever they arrived, the Irish made enormous contributions to the infant nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the earliest immigrants to bearer the name of Crosbie were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists:

Crosbie Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Crosbie, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1682 2

Crosbie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Crosbie, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1850 2

Crosbie migration to Australia +

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

Crosbie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Crosbie, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hibernia" in 1851 3
John Crosbie, aged 22, a bricklayer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Admiral Boxer"
Patrick Crosbie, aged 39, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Nugget" 4

Crosbie 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:

Crosbie Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Crosbie, (b. 1812), aged 29, British shoe maker travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841 5
Mrs. Isabella Crosbie, (b. 1813), aged 28, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841, she died on board 5
Mr. William Crosbie, (b. 1835), aged 6, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841 5
Miss Janet Crosbie, (b. 1840), aged 10 months, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841, she died on board 5
Thomas Crosbie, who landed in Wanganui, New Zealand in 1843
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Crosbie (post 1700) +

Robert Crosbie (1849-1919), American theosophist and founder of the United Lodge of Theosophists (ULT)
Thomas Edward "Ted" Crosbie (1931-2022), Irish businessman and newspaper publisher, born in Cork
William Francis Crosbie (b. 1768), Irish Member of Parliament
George Crosbie (1864-1934), Irish politician
Sir William Edward Douglas Crosbie (1855-1936), 8th Baronet, Irish peer
Sir William Richard Crosbie (1820-1877), 7th Baronet, Irish peer
Sir William Crosbie (1794-1860), 6th Baronet, Irish peer
Sir Edward William Crosbie (1755-1798), 5th Baronet, Irish peer
Sir Paul Crosbie (d. 1773), 4th Baronet, Irish peer
Sir Warren Crosbie (d. 1759), 3rd Baronet, Irish peer
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Crosbie family +

RMS Lusitania

Miss Agnes Crosbie, English 3rd Class passenger residing in Wilmette, Illinois, USA visiting Scotland, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 6

The Crosbie Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Indignante invidia florebit justus
Motto Translation: The just man will flourish in spite of envy.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HIBERNIA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Hibernia.gif
South Australian Register. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Nugget 1858. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/nugget1858.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/