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John McIlree
d.13 Oct 1820 Liberty Township, Trumbull Co., Ohio
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Notes for John (Snr) McILREE John McIlree and his family emigarated from Londonderry County, Northern Ireland, sailing from Cork in 1802. They arrived in the port of Philadelphia and it is believed that the family may have spent some time Pennsylavania before coming to Ohiio. It is said that the daughter, Letitia married Jonathan Clinton in PA in 1811. The family eventually arrived in Liberty Township, Trumbull County, Ohio where he was a Cooper and a Farmer, until the time of his death in Oct 1820. His oldest son John, inherited the family farm. Jonathan and Letitia McIlree Clinton lived on an adjoining farm. (Source Virginia McIlree Callis, 1968 and Eloise Myers McIlree, 2000).
The Arms/Crest/Motto The Coat of Arms/Crest/Motto they have given you belongs to the Clan MacDonald (of Sleat, I believe, but I could be wrong). Here is where it gets complicated.There is a MacDonald sept (family belonging to the clan), called "Mac Ghille Riabhaich", often translated MacIlwraith or MacIlreach. Strictly speaking, even if we were from this sept we would not have the right to claim the MacDonald crest.The above name is Scottish, descended from a Scottish family.McElrea/McIlree is almost certainly Irish in origin, as I have said, from Mac Giolla Riabhaigh. It is unhelpful to think of the name becoming one thing in Ireland and another in Scotland-- the Gaelic meanings are the same, but the ancestry is not.A note on the Scottish and Irish Families:Now, on to more helpful topics...What we can be fairly sure of:The Mac Giolla Riabhaigh are a sept of the Ui Fiachra tribe from Connaught (the West of Ireland). The Ui Fiachra (or Ui Fiachraich) were the descendants of Fiachra, son of Conn of the Hundred Battles, High King of Ireland. For a time, this tribe ruled Connaught.The Mac Giolla Riabhaigh were recorded as having their stronghold in Skreen, Co. Sligo, but they diminished as a power in the late Middle Ages.What might be:One of the Ui Fiachra kings, Guaire, began a family who came to be known as the McGuires. A branch of the McGuires, the O'Clery's (the similar sound of the name is coincidental) had at least two men named "Mac Giolla Riabhaigh". It is possible that we are descended from one of these men.Some of the Mac Giolla Riabhaigh stayed in Sligo, where their name is now often anglicised as McIlrea. Others (I think) moved to Tyrone, via Derry, and the name was changed to McElrea. There are other variants as well, including your own.As to our Coat of Arms? I don't know at this point-- it is possible that we didn't have one as this was an English concept that was only gradually adapted by the Irish.If, in your research, you find anything else, I would love to hear from you.One final note-- the Coat of Arms bearing three fish is sometimes suggested as our Arms-- it is not. It belongs to McIlroy (Mac Giolla Ruaidh).A Note of Caution:Nothing is 100% certain in Irish (particularly Ulster) genealogy. Some have assumed that our Families are Scottish in origin because they (at least the McElreas) are Protestant rather than Catholic.Contrary to popular opinion, many native Irish families converted to the Protestant faith at the time of the Reformation. The "faith" of a family is not a reliable guide as to origins.In fact, because of tensions between the native Irish and the Scottish settlers during the Plantation, I would be surprised if any Scot would "Irish-ise" his name-- and our names are Irish in flavour, not Scottish. Generally, MacIlwraths have kept their names and their Scottish identity.As far as I can see, the only way we could be Scottish in origin is if our ancestors came from Scotland hundreds of years before the Plantation and became "Irish". I think the Ui Fiachra is the simplest and most likely explanation.I hope this has been of some help, and not too confusing or discouraging. References
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