Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the O'Feely family in Ireland was "Mac Fithcheallaigh," from the word "fithcheallach," referring to a chess player.
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Early Origins of the O'Feely family
The surname O'Feely was first found in counties Donegal and Derry, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.
Early History of the O'Feely family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Feely research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1516, 1548, 1555, 1559, 1567 and 1626 are included under the topic Early O'Feely History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
O'Feely Spelling Variations
People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname O'Feely that are preserved in archival documents are Feeley, Fealy, Feally, Feely, Fehilly, Fehley, Feley, O'Feeley, O'Feely and many more.
Early Notables of the O'Feely family
More information is included under the topic Early O'Feely Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the O'Feely family
Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name O'Feely to North America: Margaret Fihilly, and her four children who arrived in Charleston Massachusetts in 1803; Michael Feely, whose Oath of Allegiance was recorded in Philadelphia in 1802.
