MacDade History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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 MacDade family came to North America quite early:

MacDade Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Hugh Macdade, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1831

• Albert Dutton MacDade (b. 1871), American Republican politician, Delaware County District Attorney, 1906-12; Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 9th District, 1921-28; Common Pleas Court Judge in Pennsylvania, 1928-39 1