McCaffrey Family Roots
The History
and Genealogy of James & Nancy McCaffrey and their Descendants
(including McCaffery,
McCaffry,
McCoffrey, McAfrey, etc.)
Dedicated to the Memory of our Honored Pioneer Ancestors
Hosted by Dave Woody
(A link to the McCaffrey database & pedigree is located at the end of the historical section)
The server for this site is generously supplied by:
Near the Banks of the Potomac
In 1757, Loudoun County,
Virginia was carved from the northern portion of Fairfax County. The northern
border of Loudoun County and Maryland is formed by the Potomac River and many of
the first settlers in Loudoun crossed this river from Maryland. It is here in
Loudoun that the McCaffrey name is fo.jpg)
und
on parish tithable and personal property lists
from 1767 to 1822. The image on the right comes from the "List of Tithables
taken by Leven Powell, gent. for 1768". Also, on September 9, 1768, William
Savage and his wife Margaret sold property on Goose Creek to James Leith. Part
of this property was described as "whereon Hugh McCaffrey now liveth". William
Ellzey was a witness to this document. From 1770 until 1777, James McCaffrey was
employed in Shelburne Parish as an overseer by Leven Powell from Maryland.
Powell was a large landowner, politician and a Colonel in the Revolution. 
Another
prominent Loudoun County name was Bailey. The families of Samuel, William,
Joseph , Mountjoy and Pierce Bailey are mentioned frequently in the records.
Hugh McCaffrey probably died before 1769, since his name does not appear on any
latter tithe lists. During this period, William McCaffrey was noted as a
tithable in neighboring Cameron Parish. It is very tempting to think that Hugh
was the father of James, but he could have been a brother or uncle. Based on the
naming patterns of James' descendants, it seems much more likely that William
was the father of James. In 1803, James McCaffrey was taxed in the Third
District with sons Jas and Bayley. Two years earlier, James Sr. had been taxed
with son John. James Sr. also had sons Robert, Thomas, Levi and William. The
image on the left is a portion of the 1810 Loudoun County census showing Baily
and John McCafry. The older James McCafry lived nearby, but he seems to have
died c. 1811. Only two Loudoun County McCaffrey marriages have be located.
On December 31, 1802, John McCaffey and Nancy Pettit were married by the
Methodist minister, John Littlejohn. On November 7, 1821, the Rev. William
Williamson married Ira McAfrey and Sarah Martin. The Rev. Williamson was a
Scotch Presbyterian who also had a boarding school in Middleburg. Since the
early Loudoun McCaffreys were not freeholders (landowners), I assume that they
arrived in America as indentured servants or were "transported" because of some
civil/political/religious offense in Ireland. The names of McCaffrey,
Middleburg, Ellzey, Bailey, and Savage will surface again as the families of
Loudoun moved west into eastern Ohio.
Near the Banks of the Ohio
In 1827, Bailey and Washington McCaffrey were enumerated in a special Belmont County, Ohio census as white males over twenty one. Belmont County is in east central Ohio near the Ohio River and was first settled about 1802. Guernsey, Monroe and Noble counties were later spun off from Belmont and it was in this area that a large number of McCaffreys lived in fairly close proximity. A comparison of census records shows that many other Loudoun County residents joined in the migration to Ohio. Belmont was originally called Wrightstown, after the founder Joseph Wright, and was laid out on the plan of Dublin, Ireland. Some of the first settlers were Hogues, McKessons, Groves, Wrights, Greggs, Dillions, Hollingsworths, Trails, Calhouns and McCaffreys. A McCaffrey owned a tavern on the Old Pike (later called the National Road) east of St. Clairsville, one of the oldest towns in Ohio. About 1840, the Methodists erected a log meeting house south of Middleburg which latter became the Middleburg Methodist Episcopal Church. The congregation included a McCaffrey family. The 1830 Ohio census lists John McCoffrey, Ira McCofrey and Hugh McCaffery in Belmont County and Washington McKaffy in Morgan County. The 1840 Monroe County census lists Bailey and Albert, living near each other in Hendreysburg, which was founded c. 1826 and located on the Old Pike. Also, Elza and Washington were enumerated living side-by-side in Monroe County. The 1850 Monroe census lists Baily, age 68, born in Virginia, wife Lydia, also born in Virginia and one daughter. Two homes away were Elzy, age 38, born in Virginia, wife Martha (Savage) and six children. (William) Ira McCaffrey, age 45, born in Virginia, wife Sarah, age 45, born in Virginia and two children resided in St. Clairsville, Belmont County. On May 30, 1846, shortly after the beginning of the Mexican War, Ira joined Co. D, 3rd Ohio Regiment of Infantry. This unit later served in Monterey and Buena Vista, Mexico. In the early 1850s, most of these McCaffrey's pull up stakes again and moved on; some to Lawrence County, Ohio and others to Adams County, Illinois.
I believe there can be no doubt that these McCaffreys migrated to Belmont County along with many other former Loudoun County, Virginia residents. Sorting out the relationships is another matter. We know that Washington McCaffrey died intestate in 1846 and that Elza and Albert moved with Bailey to Lawrence County, Ohio. Some of John's children and grand children moved to Adams County, Illinois.
Based on tax records of Loudoun County, Virginia, we know that Bailey and John were the sons of James. James also had sons Thomas, Robert, James, Levi and William. Elza and Albert were the sons of Bailey. Washington was probably the son of Bailey, but I am less sure of this relationship. Based on the 1850 census, William Ira and John P. appear to be the sons of John, but Ira and Washington might be reversed. I surmise that Bailey's mother was a Bailey and that Bailey's wife was probably an Ellzey. But this is mostly guesswork and onsite research in Loudoun County, Virginia and Belmont, Monroe and Lawrence Counties, Ohio has produced very little solid evidence beyond the information found in census and tax records and the meager county marriage compilations.
Down the River
Many miles down the Ohio River is the county of Lawrence in extreme southern Ohio. It is here that we next find the families of Elsey, Albert, Bailey, George and William McCaffrey in the census of 1860. I have no idea why they moved again so soon, but they did. They are all listed as farmers in the census. The land in Lawrence is quite hilly and less suitable for farming than the rolling terrain in and around Belmont. As family farming rapidly became less and less economically feasible, the McCaffreys did as many of their neighbors and moved to larger towns and cities to find work. Several crossed the Ohio River to Huntington, West Virginia and raised families. One of the first to leave farming was my great grandfather William Sullivan McCaffrey. He was a well know merchant and his store and home were located near the center of Bartramville, Union Township, Lawrence County, Ohio. The Atlas of Lawrence County Ohio, published by D. J. Lake & Co., Philadelphia, 1887, shows the location of the residence and store of William Sullivan McCaffrey. The caption on the map border reads, "W. S. McCaffrey, Dealer in Dry Goods, Groceries, Hats, Caps, Boots and Shoes, Hardware, Queensware, Cutlery, Notions, Clothing, Cigars, Tobacco and all goods usually kept in a first-class country store". Adjacent to the McCaffrey property was the farm of Stephen P. Smith, brother to William's wife, Jeanette Smith McCaffrey. The Lawrence County Ohio township maps have been republished as the Hardesty Lake Atlas of Lawrence County, Ohio. This and other books can be purchased from the Lawrence County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 945, Ironton, Ohio 45638-0945. William S. McCaffrey was a veteran of the Civil War and his pension papers mention a family Bible. This Bible has not been located.
Near the Mighty Mississippi
John McCaffrey and Delila Porter were married October 2, 1845 in Belmont County, Ohio, but I am not completely certain if the groom was John of Loudoun or his son John P. McCaffrey. Either way, John and Delila had three children before John apparently died c. 1851. Delila's age seems to indicate that she was the 2nd wife of John of Loudoun County, but there is strong evidence to the contrary. Delila soon moved with their three children from Belmont to Adams County, Illinois where she married Frederick Bender on December 27, 1853. Delila seems to have accompanied William and Sara Jane McCaffrey Ayres, the assumed daughter of John of Loudoun. A few years later, William Ira McCaffrey and his son Edward moved to the same area. Ira was the assumed son of John McCaffrey of Loudoun and the brother of the abovementioned Sarah Jane. In 1862, Edward enlisted in the 78th Illinois Infantry, participated in this unit’s Civil War engagements and was discharged in 1865. To see the details that are known about John and Delila, click here. Any information concerning these individuals will be appreciated.
The Name
The McCaffrey/McCaffery name was extremely rare in Colonial America. It is interesting to note that even in 1850, Virginia had, by far, the highest distribution (1 in 1000) of the McCaffrey name in America. Reflecting the mass Irish immigration of the mid-1800s, New York became the distribution leader by 1880.
Some sources claim that McCaffrey is part of Clan Macfie, one of the oldest Scottish Clans. Macfie comes from the Gaelic, MacDubhSithe, meaning Son of the Dark Elf.
However, others claim that McCaffrey, Maccaffray and McCaffrie is an Irish name meaning the son of Godfrey (God's peace) and the son of Gachmharcach ( horse rider). Also McCaffrey: From the Gaelic name MacGafraidh which is taken from the Old Norse name meaning god and wise.
I have learned that it is an Irish tradition that Catholics use the McCaffrey variant and that Protestants use the McCaffery variant. So it is interesting that the descendants of the Loudoun County, Virginia McCaffreys were Protestant and used the traditional Catholic variant when literacy became much more prevalent in the 2nd half of the 19th century. In my limited research of my McCorkle branch in Northern Ireland, I have found both McCaffery and McCaffrey variants in 18th century records.
Some of the surname variations I have encountered: McCaffrey, McCaffery, McCaffary, McCofrey, McCoffrey, McCaffree, McCoffery, McCoffry, McKaffordy, McAfferty, McCaferty, McCaforey, McAffery, McCafrey, McCafry, McKaffy, McAfrey, McCaffry, McKafrey, McCaffey, Mecaffrey, Macaforey, McCafney and many others. When I first began my research on this family, I skipped over many references to McCafferty. This was a mistake.
Bibliography
An Atlas of Lawrence County, Ohio, D.J. Lake & Co., Philadelphia, 1887
Belmont County History, Ohio Extension Homemakers, St. Clairesville,
Ohio, 1988
Caldwell, J. A. History of Belmont & Jefferson Counties,
Historical Pub. Co., Wheeling, West Virginia, 1880
Duncan, Patricia B. Index to Loudoun County, Virginia Personal Property
Taxes 1782-1850, Heritage Books, Inc., Westminster, Maryland, 2004
Historical Society of
Quincy & Adams County
Ohio Historical Society
Phillips, John T. The Historians Guide to Loudoun County, Vol. 1
Schiel, Eugene M. History of Middleburg and Vicinity, Thomas
Balch Library, Leesburg, Virginia
Smith, Eldon Coles. New Dictionary of American Family Names,
Harper & Row, N.Y., c1973
Tavenner, Clarles Blair. "Collected Papers", Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg,
Virginia
United
States Surname Distribution
Watkins, L. H. History of Noble County, Chicago, 1887
Wertz, Mary Alice. Marriages of Loudoun County, Virginia 1757-1853,
GPC, Baltimore, 1985
These links will take you to McCaffrey lineages
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More McCaffrey Lineages
(Please send me your McCaffrey link)
McCaffrey Descendant Images
(Please send me your McCaffrey descendant photos)
Laura Cornell Warren, Isabella Cornell & Sarah Cornell Kelly
Informative Viewing
Understanding Irish Political
and Religious Divisions
John McCaffary & the Abolution of Capital Punishment in Wisconsin
The Origin & Early History of the McCaffrey Clan
Historic Maps of the British Isles
5-Star Web Sites
The original focus of my research was on the McCaffreys of Lawrence County, Ohio; however, this focus has been expanded to include the descendants of the McCaffreys of Loudoun County, Virginia. I invite other researchers to share information and images pertaining to this family line. I will gladly acknowledge your contributions and/or provide links to your online data. Nearly all the work on the descendants of Bailey and Lydia McCaffrey is my own. Except where the data pertains to my direct line, I do not always attempt to verify the contributions of other researchers. In creating McCaffrey Family Roots and the associated online database, one of my objectives was to provide a comprehensive, documented resource for those doing research on the McCaffreys of Loudoun County. Hopefully, this approach will provide a base that other researchers of this line will enhance with their contributions. For much of this information, I am indebted to the following individuals, institutions and organizations:
Kevin Ahearn, Sharon Sue Altice, Margaret Anders, Rhonda Barbee, Marvin Beatty, Dan Bennett, James W. Blankenship, Linda M. Bombaci, Dorothy Bonham, Charles David Brammer, Frances Kay Brown, Charmaine Burgin, Bonnie Burkhardt, Debbie Carnes, Deana Carter-Smith, Kim Conley, Richard A. Dew, Patricia B. Duncan, Carl Dunn, Wanda Edwards, Charles J. Ernst, Tom W. Garrett, Peggy Goodwin, Leroy Haas, Tracy Hancock, Raymond H. Honaker, Tim Hoot, Thomas Hopper, Richard F. Hunsinger, Ron Hunter, Larry Jacobson, Stella Marie Johnson, Phyllis Murnahan Jeffers, Nancy Ann Kelly, Sharon Kouns, Maxine Lemke, Judith M. Llamas, Ross Love, Kathy Hill Lynch, Debbie McCaffrey Markel, Stephanie Martinez, Sharon Mason, Judy A. McClarnon, Rosemary Spencer McCaffrey, Joseph Neal McDaniel, Charles Edward McGinnis, Angie Millar, Shannon Moore, Jerry Mower, Jane Mucha, Ray Oehler, John Ott, Merry Ann Pierson, Marla Price, Karen Wallace Roberts, Karen Jeanine Brannon Robinson, Stella Marie Johnson Sigler, Jeannine Southers, Chris Staats, Diane St. James, Sarah Sweeney, Ben Swett, Bill Tucker, Jean Turner, Allen Dale Wallace, Cristia McAdams Warren, Kelsey J. Williams, Louise McCaffrey Woody, the staff of the LDS Family History Centers in Decatur, Alabama, Grand Rapids Michigan, Green Tree, Pennsylvania and Naperville, Illinois, the staff of the Chicago Branch of the National Archives, the staff of the Wheaton Library Genealogy Department, Wheaton, Illinois, the staff of the Briggs Lawrence County Library Genealogy Department, Ironton, Ohio, the staff of the Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, Virginia, the staff of the Monroe County Library, Woodfield, Ohio, the staff of the Belmont County Library, St. Clairsville, Ohio, the staff of the Barnesville Library, Barnesville, Ohio, the staff of the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, Knoxville, Tennessee, the Belmont, Noble, Morgan and Lawrence County Chapters of the Ohio Genealogical Society and the staff of Newberry Library of Chicago. Any omissions are unintentional.
I am especially grateful to the transcribers of old documents. This is a very difficult task and every serious researcher should try their hand at transcription. Copies of original census records are a good place to start. Most of the authors of the transcriptions that I have used are included in the above list.
Click here to email me your comments, additions & corrections.
Member
McCaffrey Surname Distribution
1990 U.S. McCaffrey Surname Frequency Rank = 3,874
Revised July 19, 2008
