McCaffrey Family Roots
The History and Genealogy of James & Nancy McCaffrey and their Descendants
(including McCaffery, McCaffry, McCoffrey, McAfrey, etc.)

Created 1998
Hosted by Dave Woody

(A link to the McCaffrey database & pedigree is located at the end of the historical section)

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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 found 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 been 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. For instance, in 1738 and 1740, Knogh. and Owen Mc. Caffry were convicted of being "vagabonds" (homeless) and transported from Ireland. Earlier, the 1663 Donegal Hearth Money Rolls list the names of Conner m'Caffrey, Patrick m'Caffery and Donnell boy m'Cafferty.
           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 stage tavern called the "Good Intent" 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 and James McCaffrey responded to President Polk's call for volunteers and 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 pulled up stakes again and moved on; some to Lawrence County, Ohio and others to Adams County, Illinois.

        There is 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 image on the left is from The Atlas of Lawrence County Ohio, published by D. J. Lake & Co., Philadelphia, 1887 and 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 2^nd 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 78^th 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 clans of Scotland. Macfie comes from the Gaelic, MacDubhSithe, meaning Son of the Dark Elf. May 27^th is Clan Macfie Day all over the world.

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. In my research, I have found that both the Scots and the Irish crossed the Irish Sea to escape the perpetual clan wars and persecution. So there may be truth in both traditions.

I have been told that it is an Irish tradition that Catholics use the McCaffrey variant and that Protestants use the McCaffery variant. That may be true but, before the latter part of the 19^th century, literacy was uncommon for the vast majority of people, so it was up to the clerk, priest, minister, tax recorder, census taker, etc. to make the spelling determination. However, it is interesting to note 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 2^nd half of the 19^th century. In my limited research  in Northern Ireland, I have found both McCaffery and McCaffrey (and other) variants in 17^th and 18^th century records.
            In the 1659 census of county Fermanagh, Ireland, McCaffery is one of the most numerous surnames. Fermanagh is especially interesting because, in 1834, John O'Donovan, one of Ireland's greatest scholars, historic topographers and genealogists, recorded his research in this county. O'Donovan was particularly interested in the ancient families of Fermanagh, such Maguire, O'Flanagan and McManus; however, he made many references to other notable families, such as McCaffrey. His collected papers have been published, edited and footnoted by John B. Cunningham as The Letters of John O'Donovan from Fermanagh.

           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 others. When I first began my research on this family, I skipped over many references to McCafferty. This was a mistake.

Bibliography

"A List of Deported Convicts and Vagabonds 1737-1743", Journals of the Irish House of  Commons (Online: Ulster Ancestry)

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 Publishing Company, Wheeling, West Virginia, 1880

"Clan Macfie Surnames", Clan Macfie (Online: Clan Macfie)
Cochran, Wes. Belmont County Ohio Marriages, Self published, 1946 (LDS film #317290)
"Donegal Heath Money Rolls - 1663",  Free Genealogy Pages, (Online: Ulster Ancestry)
Duncan, Patricia B. Index to Loudoun County, Virginia Personal Property Taxes 1782-1850, Heritage Books, Inc., Westminster, Maryland, 2004
Fermanagh 1659 Census Report, (Online: County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland GenWeb)
Jewell, Aurelia M.  Loudoun County Marriage Bonds 1751-1880, Virginia Book Company, Berryville, Virginia
Hancock, Tracy. Loudoun County Virginia Parish Tithables 1767 - 1785, Unpublished personal communication