Gavey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Many variations of the name Gavey have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as Mac Amhalghaidh or Mac Amhlaoibh. The former name denotes a son of Auley, while the later denotes a son of Auliffe or a son of Humphrey. They claim descent through the Heremon line of Irish kings. 1

Early Origins of the Gavey family

The surname Gavey was first found in county Westmeath (Irish: An Iarmhí) in the Irish Midlands, province of Leinster, where at one time the area which is now Ballyloughnoe was once called "McGawley's Country." There is another sept named Mac Amhlaoibh in Gaelic which were a branch of the MacGuires and mainly found in County Fermanagh. This branch gave their name to Clanawley. 2

Early History of the Gavey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gavey research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1787 and 1841 are included under the topic Early Gavey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gavey Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Gavey 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 MacAulay, MacAwley, MacAuley, MacAullay, MacAulley, MacAwlay, MacCaulay, MacCawley, MacGawley, Magawley, Cauley, Caulay, McCamley and many more.

Early Notables of the Gavey family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gavey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gavey migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Gavey family came to North America quite early:

Gavey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

M Gavey, aged 33, who landed in America in 1822 3

Gavey migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gavey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Frank Gavey, aged 29, a farm labourer, who arrived in Bluff, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adamant" in 1875 4
Ellen Gavey, aged 26, who arrived in Bluff, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adamant" in 1875 4
James Gavey, aged 35, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edwin Fox" in 1875
Susan Elizabeth Gavey, aged 32, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edwin Fox" in 1875
Ada Gavey, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edwin Fox" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gavey family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. Laurence Gavey (d. 1912), aged 26, English Second Class passenger from Guernsey, Channel Islands who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 5

Citations +

O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html