Nelan 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 Nelan family came to North America quite early:

Nelan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• Humphry Nelan, who arrived in America between the years 1735 and 1743

Nelan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• J A Nelan, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 1

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nelan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• James Nelan, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
• Michael Nelan, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843

• Jenica Erin Nelan, American astrophysicist and lead epic analysts at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Lebanon, New Hampshire
• Charles F. Nelan (1859-1904), American artist and political cartoonist, known for his cartoons on the Spanish–American War appearing in the New York Herald
• James Nelan, Canadian musician, co-founder of the Canadian rock band, The Reason in 2003