Shawnessy History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsIrish surnames are linked to the long Gaelic heritage of the Island nation. The original Gaelic form of the name Shawnessy is Ó Seachnasaigh. Early Origins of the Shawnessy familyThe surname Shawnessy was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island. Early History of the Shawnessy familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shawnessy research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1569, 1673, 1690, 1691 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Shawnessy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Shawnessy Spelling VariationsThe recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The standardized literary languages of today were not yet reached. Research into the name Shawnessy revealed spelling variations, including O'Shaughnessy, Shaughnessy, O'Shanessy, Shanessy and others. Early Notables of the Shawnessy familyNotable amongst the family name at this time was Ruaidhrí Gilla Dubh Ó Seachnasaigh (aka Sir Roger O'Shaughnessy) (died 1569), Irish Knight and Chief of the Name; Roger O'Shaughnessy, The O'Shaughnessy (d. 1690), Captain in the Irish...
Irish families began leaving their homeland for North America in the late 18th century. These families were usually modestly well off, but they were looking forward to owning and working on a sizable tract of land of their own. This pattern of emigration continued until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine sparked a major exodus of destitute and desperate Irish people. These people were not leaving for a grant of land in North America because by this time the East Coast had reached its saturation point and free land was scarce. They were merely looking to escape the disease, starvation, and hopelessness that Ireland had fallen into. Although these unfortunate immigrants did not receive a warm welcome by the established populations in the United States and what would become Canada, they were absolutely critical to the rapid development that these two nations enjoyed. They would help populate the western lands and provide the cheap labor required for a rapid industrialization. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many early bearers of the name Shawnessy or one of its variants: Shawnessy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
|