Origins Available: English,
Irish
While the Anglicized versions of Irish names are familiar to most people, all Irish names have a long and proud Gaelic heritage that is often unknown. The original Gaelic form of the name Colgrove is "O Cuileagain."
Early Origins of the Colgrove family
The surname Colgrove was first found in County
Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of
Ulster, where they held a
family seat from ancient times.
Early History of the Colgrove family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colgrove research.
Another 429 words (31 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Colgrove History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Colgrove Spelling Variations
The recording of names in
Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The many regional dialects and the predominate illiteracy would have made common surnames appear unrelated to the scribes of the period. Research into the name Colgrove revealed
spelling variations, including Culligan, Colligan, Quilligan, O'Quilligan, O'Culligan, O'Colligan, Coligan, Culigan, Colgan and many more.
Early Notables of the Colgrove family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Colgrove Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Colgrove family to the New World and Oceana
In the late 18th century,
Irish families began emigrating to North America in the search of a plot of land to call their own. This pattern of emigration grew steadily until the 1840s when the
Great Potato Famine of the 1840s cause thousands of Irish to flee the death and disease that accompanied the disaster. Those that made it alive to the shores of the United States and British North America (later to become Canada) were, however, instrumental in the development of those two powerful nations. Many of these Irish immigrants proudly bore the name of Colgrove: Arthur, Bernard, and Thomas Colligan, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1640 to 1670; as well as John, Pat and Simon Culligan, who arrived in Quebec in 1839..
The Colgrove 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: Virtus probata florescit
Motto Translation: Tried virtue flourishes.