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![Show Contents]() O'Trehy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Ireland already had an established system of hereditary surnames when the Strongbownians arrived. Often the two traditions blended together quite well due to some of their basic similarities, but the incoming Anglo-Norman system brought in some forms that were uncommon amongst the Irish. One of these Anglo-Norman anomalies was the prevalence of local surnames, such as O'Trehy. Local names were taken from the names of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. Originally, the place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname if the place name began with a vowel or was eliminated entirely. The local surnames of these Strongbownian invaders referred to places in Normandy, or more typically England, but eventually for those Anglo-Normans that remained in Ireland, the nicknames referred to places or geographical features of the island: they became true local names. The O'Trehy family appears to have originally lived in the town of Troyes in France; the original form of the surname O'Trehy was de Troyes. The surname O'Trehy belongs to the large category of Anglo-Norman habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Early Origins of the O'Trehy familyThe surname O'Trehy was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they were granted lands by Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, after his conquest of Ireland in 1172. They were recruited from the family of Try in Gloucester where they were Lords of the manor of Alkington. The family is said to be amongst the highest orders of French nobility. Early History of the O'Trehy familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Trehy research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1660, 1690, 1698, 1702, 1705, 1717, 1739 and 1823 are included under the topic Early O'Trehy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. O'Trehy Spelling VariationsDuring the lifetime of an individual person, his name was often spelt by church officials and medieval scribes the way it sounded. An examination of the many different origins of each name has revealed many spelling variations for the name: Troye, Troy, Try, Trye, Trohy, Trohey, Troys, Troyes, O'Trahy, O'Trahey, O'Trehy, O'Trehey and many more. Early Notables of the O'Trehy familyAnother 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Trehy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the O'Trehy familyIn the mid-19th century, Ireland experienced one of the worst periods in its entire history. During this decade in order to ease the pressure of the soil, which was actually depleted by the effects of the previous years' grain crops, landowners forced tenant farmers and peasants onto tiny plots of land that barely provided the basic sustenance a family required. Conditions were worsened, though, by the population of the country, which was growing fast to roughly eight million. So when the Great Potato Famine of the mid-1840s hit, starvation and diseases decimated the population. Thousands of Irish families left the country for British North America and the United States. The new immigrants were often accommodated either in the opening western frontiers or as cheap unskilled labor in the established centers. In early passenger and immigration lists there are many immigrants bearing the name O'Trehy: Daniel, Edward, James, Jeremiah, John, Michael, Patrick and William Troy all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1770 and 1870; John Trye from England arrived in Virginia in 1624. In Newfoundland, James Troy from Tipperary settled in St. John's in 1813.
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Ireland
England
