Contents [hide]

Sheeley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Sheeley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Sheeley family

The surname Sheeley was first found in Berwickshire where the name was local in origin. The Middle English version of the name was "schele" or "skali" which was "used first of a shepherd's summer-hut or small house." This distinguished Clan took their name from the reivers small houses or huts which abounded on the eastern English/Scottish border. 1

Robbie Burns included the line "the swallow jinkin around my shiel." North Shields and South Shields located on the north bank of the River Tyne and the mouth of the same river date back to 1225-1245, 2 but there is no record of any relationship to the surname.

"Thomas of le Scheie was juror on an inquisition made at Traqueyr, 1274. William Schelle of the county of Edeneburk rendered homage [to King Edward I of England in] 1296. Symon de Scheie was dean of guild in Edinburgh, 1403, and William de Schellis, presbyter and notary public in the diocese of Glasgow, 1448. Gilbert Schell witnessed sasine of lands of Walle, 1469, and John Scheill was citizen of Glasgow, 1527. Andro Cheill or Cheild was tenant of land of West Scheill, 1515, and Andro Scheill, tenant in barony of Glasgow in same year. Alexander Sheilds or Shields (1660-1700), the Covenanter, wrote his name 'Shells.' " 3

Just over the border in northern England, we found Robert Scild in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1206 and later, William Sheld in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1267. Here the name is thought to have probably denotes "a maker of shields. " 4

Early rolls also included Roger ate Schelds in the Subsidy Rolls for Surrey in 1332, Geoffrey le Seldmakere in Essex in 1285 and Adam Scheldman in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 4

Early History of the Sheeley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sheeley research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1274, 1296, 1403, 1515, 1660, 1700, 1702, 1707, 1753, 1783 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Sheeley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheeley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Shiel, Shiell, Shiels, Shiells, Sheil, Sheill, Sheils, Sheills, Shield, Shields, O'Shiel, O'Shields and many more.

Early Notables of the Sheeley family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was William Schelle of Edinburgh; and Alexander Shields or Sheilds (1660-1700), a Scottish nonconformist minister, activist, and author from Earlston, Berwickshire.Robert Shiels, Shiells or Shields (d. 1753), was a Scottish...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sheeley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheeley Ranking

In the United States, the name Sheeley is the 17,560^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Sheeley family to Ireland

Some of the Sheeley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 118 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheeley migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sheeley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. John Sheeley, (b. 1812), aged 25, British settler who arrive at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Kutusoff" in 1837 6
Mr. Pat Sheeley, (b. 1854), aged 20, Irish settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "City of Richmond" in 1874 6
Mr. Edward Sheeley, (b. 1848), aged 27, Irish settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Bothnia" in 1875 6
Miss Ellen Sheeley, (b. 1879), aged 24, Irish settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "The Queen" in 1879 6
Johana Sheeley, (b. 1860), aged 20, Irish settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Egypt" in 1880 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sheeley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Miss Ellie Sheeley, (b. 1880), aged 22, Irish settler from Listowel who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Celtic" in 1902 6
Mr. William E. Sheeley, (b. 1840), aged 65, English settler from London, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Philadelphia" in 1905 6
Mr. Michael Sheeley, (b. 1888), aged 18, Irish settler from Limerick, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Oceanic" in 1905 6
Mr. John J Sheeley, (b. 1877), aged 30, Scottish settler, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Umbria" in 1907 6
Mr. Gustavos Adolphius Sheeley, (b. 1860), aged 51, South African settler from Johannesburg, South Africa who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Olympic" in 1911. 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sheeley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Sheeley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Catherine Sheeley, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Stamboul"

Sheeley Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

Mr. Sheeley, British settler who arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Orita" in 1903 7
Mrs. Sheeley, British settler who arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Orita" in 1903 7
Mr. G. Sheeley, Irish farmer who arrived at Fremantle, Australia aboard the ship "Ormuz" in 1910 7
Mr. Fredric William Sheeley, who arrived in Brisbane, Australia aboard the "Esperance Bay" in 1950 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Sheeley (post 1700) +

Sharon K. "Shari" Sheeley (1940-2002), American songwriter who wrote songs for Glen Campbell, Ricky Nelson, Brenda Lee

The Sheeley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vincit qui patitur
Motto Translation: He conquers who endures.

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021 from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
National Records Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=9255624&S=6&N=9&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=9255624&T=P&S=1