Shays History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of Shays

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name Shays is Ó Seaghdha, which is modified to Ó Se. The surname is derived from the word seaghdha which means hawk like but has a secondary meaning of stately. 1

Early Origins of the Shays family

Early History of the Shays family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shays research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Shays History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shays Spelling Variations

Names from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name Shays revealed many variations, including O'Shea, O'Shee, McShea, McShee and others.

Early Notables of the Shays family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shays Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Shays family

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Shays or a variant listed above, including: Daniel, James, John, Patrick, Thomas McShea all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860; Bartholomew, David, Edward, Lawrence, James, John, Michael, Timothy O'.