Clansey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Many destitute Irish families in the 18th and 19th centuries decided to leave their homeland, which had in many ways been scarred by English colonial rule. One of the most frequent destinations for these families was North America where it was possible for an Irish family to own their own parcel of land. Many of the early settlers did find land awaiting them in British North America, or even later in America, but for the majority of immigrants that arrived as a result of the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the ownership of land was often a long way off. These Irish people were initially put to work on such industrial projects as the building of bridges, canals, and railroads, or they worked at manufacturing positions within factories. Whenever they arrived, the Irish made enormous contributions to the infant nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the earliest immigrants to bearer the name of Clansey were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists:

Clansey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• James Clansey, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 2

Clansey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Jeremiah Clansey, who arrived in Morgan County, Illinois in 1854 2

Clansey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Mr. Thomas Clansey, (b. 1788), aged 45, Irish groom, born in Dublin, Ireland who was convicted in Chester, Chestershire, England for life for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1840 3