Hely History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Ireland

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While many Irish names are quite familiar to us, their original Gaelic forms are often forgotten and mysterious. The original Gaelic form of the name Hely is Ó hEalaighthe, which is derived from the word "ealadhach," which means "ingenious." Another Gaelic form of the surname is Ó hEilidhe, which is derived from the word "eilidhe," which means "claimant." 1

Early Origins of the Hely family

The surname Hely was first found in County Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Hely family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hely research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1309, 1579, 1656, 1690, 1695, 1701, 1724, 1741, 1794 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Hely History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hely Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, was what guided scribes and church officials in recording names, a practice that often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Hely are preserved in documents that were examined for evidence of the family's history. The various spellings of Hely included Haly, Haley, Haily, Hely, Healy, Healey, O'Healey, O'Haly and many more.

Early Notables of the Hely family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Patrick O'Healy, was a Franciscan Bishop of Mayo, tortured and martyred in 1579; Sir John Hely (died 1701), was an English-born, Irish judge, Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer in 1690 and later Chief...

Hely migration to the United States +

In the 18th and 19th centuries, hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants landed on North American shores. Although many of them were merely looking for a free plot of land and living of their very own, many later immigrants were desperately fleeing an overcrowded land that did not have sufficient food for its inhabitants. The exodus from Ireland was greatest during the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine had stricken the island. Although this large influx of Irish was unpopular with the great majority of people already established within the major centers, these Irish were critical to the speedy development of the United States and those colonies that would eventually become known as Canada. These immigrants provided the cheap labor required to build modern roads, bridges, canals, and railways. Research of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of immigrants to North America baring the name of Hely:

Hely Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Hely, aged 24, who landed in Virginia in 1621 aboard the ship "Charles" 2
Robert Hely, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 2
William Hely, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 2
Terin Hely, who landed in Virginia in 1658 2

Hely Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Morris Hely, who landed in Indiana in 1852 2

Hely migration to Australia +

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

Hely Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Margaret Hely, aged 28, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Taymouth Castle" 3

Hely migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Hely Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Mathew Hely, (b. 1614), aged 21, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Hely (post 1700) +

James Hely, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New Jersey 7th District, 1988
Albert Hely, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1924
Steve Hely, American two-time Primetime Emmy Award nominated writer, best known for his work on Late Show with David Letterman(1993) and The Office (2005)
Frederick Augustus Hely (1794-1836), Irish-born, public servant and settler of colonial Australia
Justice Peter Hely (1944-2005), Australian judge in the Federal Court of Australia
Hovenden Hely (1823-1872), Australian explorer and politician
Hely Yánes (b. 1967), Venezuelan light-middleweight boxer at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Hely Hutchinson Almond (1832-1903), Scottish educationist