Foye History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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 Foye family relocated to North American shores quite early:

Foye Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Isaac Foye, aged 44, who landed in Maine in 1812 2
• Thomas Foye, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Foye Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

• William Foye, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749

Foye Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Miss Margaret Foye, English convict who was convicted in Salford, Greater Manchester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 14th September 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3