McGrievey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Early Origins of the McGrievey family

Early History of the McGrievey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGrievey research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1376, 1638 and 1640 are included under the topic Early McGrievey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGrievey Spelling Variations

In the days before Gaelic or English gained any significant semblance of standardization, the scribes who created documents simply recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in the Middle Ages many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research into the McGrievey family history revealed numerous spelling variations of the name, including Gilroy, Kilroy, MacGilroy, MacElroy, MacGreevy, Greevy, MacGilrea, McGilroy, McElroy, McGreevy, McGilrea, MacIlrea, McIlrea, Magilroy, Magilrea, MacElry, McElry, MacIlree and many more.

Early Notables of the McGrievey family

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

Migration of the McGrievey family

In the 18th and 19th centuries, hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants landed on North American shores. Although many of them were merely looking for a free plot of land and living of their very own, many later immigrants were desperately fleeing an overcrowded land that did not have sufficient food for its inhabitants. The exodus from Ireland was greatest during the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine had stricken the island. Although this large influx of Irish was unpopular with the great majority of people already established within the major centers, these Irish were critical to the speedy development of the United States and those colonies that would eventually become known as Canada. These immigrants provided the cheap labor required to build modern roads, bridges, canals, and railways. Research of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of immigrants to North America baring the name of McGrievey: John MacElroy, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1798; and James Gilroy, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1864; they also settled in Massachusetts, New York, and California between 1765 and 1854. The Kilroys also settled in the above states between the same periods. The 1984 edition of the ".