McMonagle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name McMonagle or a variant listed above, including:

McMonagle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• John McMonagle, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1886 1
• William McMonagle, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1886 1

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McMonagle Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

• Mr. Hugh McMonagle U.E. who settled in Westmoreland County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he was a member of the House of Assembly 2

McMonagle Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Biddy McMonagle, aged 30, a spinster, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
• James McMonagle, aged 24, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Highlander" in 1834
• Nancy McMonagle, aged 21, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Highlander" in 1834

McMonagle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Mr. Daniel Mcmonagle, (b. 1821), aged 19, English labourer who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1846 3

• Gerald F. McMonagle, American former politician, Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1979-1984)
• Donald Ray McMonagle (b. 1952), American NASA astronaut with over 605 hours in space, current Manager, Launch Integration, at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida (1997-) 4
• Hugh McMonagle (1817-1889), Canadian inn-keeper and politician who represented King County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1856 to 1857
• John McMonagle, Canadian judge and politician who represented Windsor township from 1784 to 1799 and Hants County from 1799 to 1806