MacHarie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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• Ireland

Early Origins of the MacHarie family

Early History of the MacHarie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacHarie research. Another 174 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1300, 1620, 1761, 1784 and 1834 are included under the topic Early MacHarie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacHarie 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 MacHarie are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Carrie, Carry, Carre, Carie, Carrey, MacCarry, MacHarry, MacHarris, O'Carey, Cary, M'Carrie, Kearey, Kearrie, Keerie, Keery, Keerey, M'Harrie, M'Harry, M'Hary, M'Harie and many more.

Early Notables of the MacHarie family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Patrick Carrie, notable Irish patriot. Also, three famous brothers of the Carey name, John Carey, the inventor of the distress rocket for ships, went to London and taught school, becoming a most prolific writer, writing over 50 classics, including short stories and poems. The next brother, William, a painter and engraver, stayed in Dublin...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacHarie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the MacHarie family

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 MacHarie family relocated to North American shores quite early: William Carey, who settled in Virginia in 1653; Richard Carey and his wife Elizabeth, who arrived in Barbados in 1680; Clare Carrie who settled in Georgia in 1794.