Fihilly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Fihilly family in Ireland was "Mac Fithcheallaigh," from the word "fithcheallach," referring to a chess player.

Early Origins of the Fihilly family

The surname Fihilly was first found in counties Donegal and Derry, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Fihilly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fihilly research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1516, 1548, 1555, 1559, 1567 and 1626 are included under the topic Early Fihilly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fihilly Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Fihilly were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Feeley, Fealy, Feally, Feely, Fehilly, Fehley, Feley, O'Feeley, O'Feely and many more.

Early Notables of the Fihilly family

More information is included under the topic Early Fihilly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fihilly migration to the United States +

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Fihilly family in North America:

Fihilly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Margaret Fihilly and her four children arrived in Charleston Massachusetts in 1803
John Fihilly, aged 3, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1803 1
Joseph Fihilly, aged 7, who arrived in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1803 1
Michael Fihilly, aged 5, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1803 1

Fihilly migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fihilly Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Miss. Ellen Fihilly, aged 2 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Ann" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 2
Mr. Honors Fihilly, aged 16 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Numa" departing from the port of Sligo, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 2

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 28)