Conwel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Conwel

Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Conwel family in Ireland was Mac Conmhaoil.

Early Origins of the Conwel family

Early History of the Conwel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Conwel research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1620 and 1845 are included under the topic Early Conwel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Conwel Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Conwel that are preserved in archival documents are McConville, McConvill, McConwell, McConwel, Conwell, Conville, Convill, Convilles, Conwells, MacConville, MacConvill, MacConwell and many more.

Early Notables of the Conwel family

• John Conwell of Ballymilligan in County Londonderry

Migration of the Conwel family

Irish families left their homeland in astonishing numbers during the 19th century in search of a better life. Although individual reasons vary, most of these Irish families suffered from extreme poverty, lack of work opportunities, and exorbitant rents in their homeland. Many decided to travel to Australia or North America in the hopes of finding greater opportunities and land. The Irish immigrants that came to North America initially settled on the East Coast, often in major centers such as Boston or New York. But like the many other cultures to settle in North America, the Irish traveled to almost any region they felt held greater promise; as a result, many Irish with gold fever moved all the way out to the Pacific coast. Others before that time left for land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula, or the Maritimes as United Empire Loyalists, for many Irish did choose to side with the English during the American War of Independence. The earliest wave of Irish migration, however, occurred during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the Conwel name: Arthur McConvill who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1846; followed by John McConvill in 1869; and Henry McConvill in 1870; and Thomas McConvill in 1873.