This page is
Keefe /O'Keefe Immigration to America
Page is dedicated to the memory of Arthur Keefe,
a third class passenger, who died on the Titanic, April 15, 1912
Who was the first immigrant with the Keefe/O'Keefe surname to come to America? From a reference I've seen it appears to be an Elizabeth Keeffe who arrived to Maryland in 1678. She was most likely of Irish descent. In my years of research, I have found only 8 other individuals with the Keefe or O'Keefe surname that came to the colonies before the American Revolution
- Tredell Keefe was in North Carolina by 1707
- Henry Keeffe, arrived to Maryland on a ship of English convicts in 1718
- Elizabeth Keefe (alias Lynchy); a felon ordered to the colonies in the New World in 1736 by the county government of Cork, Ireland
- David Keefe, from London, England to Boston in 1737
- William Keefe (O'Keeffe?) was in South Carolina by 1739
- Thomas Keeffe from Ireland, arrived to Boston in 1765
- Daniel Keefe from Cork County, Ireland, arrived to Boston in 1766
- Owen Keeffe (age 27), an Irishman from an English port to Virginia in 1774
The overwhelming majority of those with this surname immigrated after 1840, and from this point on there were thousands of Keefes and O'Keefes that sailed for American ports in a steady stream until the early 1900s. The Famine Immigrants by Glazier and Tepper, a six volume set on Irish immigrants arriving to the port of New York between 1846-1851 lists no fewer than 147 O'Keefe/O'Keeffe passengers and 465 Keefe/Keeffe passengers. Notice that's just for a five year period into New York. During the post Famine years, many sailed into the ports of Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston and New Orleans. If your Keefe/O'Keefe ancestor came during this time, then it will be very hard indeed to directly trace back your ancestry without having a particular parish name in Ireland. A county name will likely prove useless since most (but not all) of the Keefes and O'Keefes originated from Cork, a large county with many parishes, and more O'Keeffes than any other surname.
Some Potato Famine Immigrants
Here's a small sampling of Keefe and O'Keefe ancestors who came to America
between 1840 - 1860
|
PASSENGER |
YEAR |
SHIP |
TO/FROM |
NOTES |
| Arthur Keeffe (age 26) |
1850 |
ship |
arrived to Boston | Alien Passengers, list of Alien Passengers (Book of Keefes) |
| Bridget Keeffe |
1853 |
ip |
arrived in New York City | may have had children with her: Catharine, Daniel and Mary (Book of Keefes) |
| Bridget Keeffe (age 20) |
1850 |
SS Isaac Wright |
from Liverpool, England to New York | Traveling with Ann Keeffe, Patrick Keeffe, Dennis Keeffe; all minors; Info from Ship Transcribers Guild |
| Charles Keeffe (age 24) |
1854 |
ship |
arrived to New York | New York Passenger Arrivals, edited by Sylvia Nimmo (Book of Keefes) |
| Dennis Keefe |
1847 |
ship |
arrived to Pennsylvania | Erie Society for Gen Research, PA (Book of Keefes) |
| Dennis Keefe (age 48) |
1847 |
Ship Omega |
from England to Boston | Irishman; may have traveled with other family members |
| Edwd Keefe |
1854 |
Ship Cynosure |
from England to New York | Irishman |
| Ellen Keefe (age 29) |
1848 |
Ship Emigrant |
from Liverpool England to New York | traveling with child, Dennis, age 4 |
| Ellen O'Keefe (age 18) |
1847 |
Ship Globe |
from Cork, Ireland to Boston | Ê |
| Eugene Keefe (age 38) |
1847 |
Ship Omega |
from England to Boston | Irishman; may have traveled with other family members |
| Honora Keeffe (age 20) |
1851 |
Ship Constantine |
from Ireland to New York | Ship Transcribers Guild |
| Hugh O'Keefe (age 55) |
1851 |
Ship Excelsior |
from Liverpool, England to New York | Traveling with Honor O'Keefe, Pat O'Keefe and Thomas O'Keefe; all claiming Ireland as previous residence. |
| James Keeffe |
1844 |
ship |
arrived to Pennsylvania | Erie Society for Gen Research, PA (Book of Keefes) |
| James Keeffe |
1847 |
ship |
arrived to Pennsylvania | Erie Society for Gen Research, PA (Book of Keefes) |
| James Keeffe (age 30) |
1850 |
ship |
arrived to Mobile, Alabama | (Book of Keefes) |
| Jeremh Keeffe (age 40) |
1854 |
ship |
arrived to New York | New York Passenger Arrivals, edited by Sylvia Nimmo (Book of Keefes) |
| John Keefe |
1847 |
Ship Tennessee |
from port of Liverpool, England to Boston | Irishman; (traveling with wife, Catherine, and children: Catharine, Mary and Margaret |
| John Keefe (age 32) |
1850 |
Barque Amy |
from London, England to New York | Claimed previous residence as Great Britain; from Ship Transcribers Guild |
| Julia Keefe (age 60) |
1849 |
Ship Isaac |
from Liverpool, England to New York; (Passengers bound for New Jersey and Albany) | traveling with Mary Keefe age 20, Michael Keefe infant, Alice Keefe age 19, Catherine Keefe age 20, and Mary Keefe age 2 |
| Margaret Keeffe (age 30) |
1850? |
Rising Son |
from Liverpool, England to Boston | Listed as an Irish Servant |
| Mathew Keeffe (age 29) |
1844 |
ship |
arrived to Mobile, Alabama | (Book of Keefes) |
| Michael Keef |
1849 |
Ship Albert Galleten? |
from England to New York | Irishman |
| Michael Keeffe |
1844 |
Ship Anglo Saxon |
arrived to Maryland | Frederick County, MD Naturalizations by Raymond Clark (Book of Keefes) |
Michael Keeffe (age 32) |
1849 |
Ship Bark Cushlamachree |
from Galway, Ireland to New York | Ê |
| Patrick Keeffe (age 28) |
1851 |
SS Beejapore |
from Liverpool, England to New York | Resident of Ireland; Ship Transcribers Guild |
| Patrick Keeffe (age 26) |
1850 |
ship |
arrived to Boston i | Massachusetts, supt of Alien Passengers, list of Alien Passengers (Book of Keefes) |
| Susanna Keeffe |
1852 |
Ship Albert Galleten |
from England to New York | Irishwoman |
| Thomas Keeffe |
1859 |
ship |
arrived to Mobile Alabama | (Book of Keefes) |
| William Keefe (age 20) |
1850 |
Ship Susquehanna |
from England to Philadelphia | Irishman |
| Wm Keeffe (age 25) |
1847 |
ship |
from Liverpool, England to Boston | traveling with wife, Elizabeth and son, John |
This page connected with
KEEFE FAMILY OF SOUTH CAROLINA