McElhany Surname & Irish Immigrant Ancestor

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The McElhany surname finds its roots in Northern Ireland. The name represents the Anglicized (or English) version of the Gaelic Mac Goilla Chainnigh or Mac Goilla Choinnigh, which is translated to mean “son of the servant (or devotee) of Saint Cainneach”. In Ireland, Cainneach is recognized as St Canice, while in Scotland, he is known as St. Kenneth or St. Kenny.

St. Canice, born in the Ulster province of Ireland around A.D. 515 and passed away around A.D. 600, was the son of Lughadh, a poet, and Maul or Mella. During his youth, he journeyed to Wales for religious studies and was ordained as a priest. It’s said that he ventured to Rome for a period of time and when returning to Ireland, he dedicated himself to the eradication of paganism from the country. In today’s Catholic tradition, the feast day of St. Canice’s is celebrated on October 11th.

The McElhany surname has experienced a multitude of spelling variations, some of them are:

McElhaney
McElheney
McElhenney
McElhenny
McElheny
McElhiney
McElhinney
McElhinny
McIlhenney
McIlhenny

McElhany or McElhaney:

About 5 years ago, my Uncle Patrick approached me about the topic of the spelling of our family name, specifically if there was a catalyst for the change from McElhaney to McElhany. The genealogical records indicate that in the early 1800s, my paternal line ancestor, George Lafayette McElhaney, utilized two “e’s” in the surname. However, beginning with the 1860 Federal Census, I observed a shift in the spelling to McElhany. Oscillation between the two spellings continued for nearly a century. The last instance of the two “e’s” spelling was officially documented on the 1940 census, attributed to my great-grandfather, Robert Fain McElhaney. Subsequently, from Robert's WWII draft card in 1941 and onwards, the spelling has consistently remained as McElhany, devoid of the two “e’s”.

McElhany Immigrant Ancestor:

Based on current research, the McElhany immigrant ancestor is Henry John McIlhaney, my 7th great-grandfather. John was born about 1707 in Limerick, Ireland. He traveled to Colonial America in early childhood with his father Henry McIlhaney, mother Jane McGeehan-McIlhaney, and younger sister Lillian (Lily) Stella McIlhaney. Its reported that Henry McIlhaney (the father) perished on the journey to America and Jane later married a Mr. Hunter and had more children.

Lily McIlhaney married John Bowen about 1730 in Pennsylvania. Soon after, Lily and John migrated to Augusta County, Virginia where they settled and had 12 children. It's also believed that Henry, my 7th great-grandfather settled in Virginia as well, where he passed away in 1766.

Resources/Citations:



Disclaimer: I am an amateur genealogist, and although I am committed to striving for accuracy in my research, I cannot provide a 100% guarantee of the accuracy of all the information I present. Genealogy involves piecing together historical records and documents, which can sometimes be incomplete, conflicting, or subject to errors. Therefore, I encourage readers to approach the information I provide as a valuable starting point for their own research, verify details independently, and seek professional guidance if needed.

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