Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Fehely family in Ireland was "Mac Fithcheallaigh," from the word "fithcheallach," referring to a chess player.
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Early Origins of the Fehely family
The surname Fehely was first found in counties Donegal and Derry, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.
Early History of the Fehely family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fehely research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1516, 1548, 1555, 1559, 1567 and 1626 are included under the topic Early Fehely History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Fehely Spelling Variations
Many spelling variations of the surname Fehely can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Feeley, Fealy, Feally, Feely, Fehilly, Fehley, Feley, O'Feeley, O'Feely and many more.
Early Notables of the Fehely family
More information is included under the topic Early Fehely Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Fehely family
A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Fehely name: Margaret Fihilly, and her four children who arrived in Charleston Massachusetts in 1803; Michael Feely, whose Oath of Allegiance was recorded in Philadelphia in 1802.
