Early American Curleys
The earliest known American Kerleys are William and Edmund from Ashmore, Dorsetshire, England, both passengers of the ship Confidence arriving in Massachusetts in 1638. William is recorded as one of the first planters at Hull, May 20, 1642. William held land on Pedock Island and purchased land in Sudbury in 1643, being listed as a Freeman there on May 26, 1647. He is listed among the founders of Lancaster in 1653. William's will lists two sons, William and Henry Kerley. Kerleys continue to appear in scattered American records from this time onward. It is probable that most of these descend from William or Edmund, but the precise relationship to later Kerleys is not always clear. A Francis Kerley is recorded in the land deeds of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, dated May 14, 1722. A large fraction of American Kerleys probably descends from this Dorsetshire lineage.
Another early American is Sir Richard Kyrle of England. Sir Richard was a Member of the British Parliament. For a time he was a government administrator in County Cork of Ireland until being appointed Governor and Landgrave of Carolina in 1684. He relocated to the American colonies along with his wife Mary and children Robert, William, Mary, Elizabeth, Katherine, and Penellope. Shortly after arriving though, Richard and his wife both died as recorded in probate records. But his sons likely remained in the Carolinas, spawning a second early American lineage of Kerleys.
These two Kerley lineages together are probably responsible for a significant number of modern American Kerleys, given the early start they had at populating the colonies, well ahead of later arrivals. DNA tests of modern Kerleys reveal a distinct family group that apparently descends from William Kerley of Dorsetshire. This group includes a native English Kerley of the Dorsetshire lineage, tying the American population back to its English roots.
Census documents of the Carolinas show a strong Kerley presence that possibly descends from Sir Richard Kyrle's lineage, but there are so far no DNA tests known to be from this family group.
A Moses McCarley is recorded among the settlers from Ulster Ireland that landed at New Castle, Delaware on August 24, 1729. Moses is listed in a 1739 land survey as a squatter living in the Manor of Manske in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Moses's will, recorded June 21, 1785 in Virginia, mentions his wife Ruth, daughters Elizabeth and Jean, sons David, Abraham, and James, and grandson Thomas of Abraham. According to the Registry of St. Andrew's Parish in South Carolina, a John McCarley was buried February 17, 1748. DNA test data reveals a group of American Curleys descending from this Ulster family of early American settlers.
The first documented Curley in America, using that particular spelling of the name, is recorded in 1773 - John Curley listed among the tax records of Springhill, Bedford, Pennsylvania.
Other Curleys and Kerleys appear in records of early America. Some of these are listed below with no further elaboration:
Another early American is Sir Richard Kyrle of England. Sir Richard was a Member of the British Parliament. For a time he was a government administrator in County Cork of Ireland until being appointed Governor and Landgrave of Carolina in 1684. He relocated to the American colonies along with his wife Mary and children Robert, William, Mary, Elizabeth, Katherine, and Penellope. Shortly after arriving though, Richard and his wife both died as recorded in probate records. But his sons likely remained in the Carolinas, spawning a second early American lineage of Kerleys.
These two Kerley lineages together are probably responsible for a significant number of modern American Kerleys, given the early start they had at populating the colonies, well ahead of later arrivals. DNA tests of modern Kerleys reveal a distinct family group that apparently descends from William Kerley of Dorsetshire. This group includes a native English Kerley of the Dorsetshire lineage, tying the American population back to its English roots.
Census documents of the Carolinas show a strong Kerley presence that possibly descends from Sir Richard Kyrle's lineage, but there are so far no DNA tests known to be from this family group.
A Moses McCarley is recorded among the settlers from Ulster Ireland that landed at New Castle, Delaware on August 24, 1729. Moses is listed in a 1739 land survey as a squatter living in the Manor of Manske in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Moses's will, recorded June 21, 1785 in Virginia, mentions his wife Ruth, daughters Elizabeth and Jean, sons David, Abraham, and James, and grandson Thomas of Abraham. According to the Registry of St. Andrew's Parish in South Carolina, a John McCarley was buried February 17, 1748. DNA test data reveals a group of American Curleys descending from this Ulster family of early American settlers.
The first documented Curley in America, using that particular spelling of the name, is recorded in 1773 - John Curley listed among the tax records of Springhill, Bedford, Pennsylvania.
Other Curleys and Kerleys appear in records of early America. Some of these are listed below with no further elaboration:
Curley, Stephen; 1779; Deerfield, Cumberland, New Jersey - November Tax List
Curley, William; 1779; Chanceford, York - Tax and Exoneration Curle, Bennet; 1779; New Kent, Virginia - Rent Roll Kirley, Henry; 1780; Surry, North Carolina - Petition to the House of Assembly From the 1782 Continental Census:
Curley, Patrick; 1786; Fawn, York, Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania Census
Curley, Pattrick; 1787; Fawn, York, Pennsylvania - Tax and Exoneration McCurley, Robert; 1787; White Deer, Northumberland, Pennsylvania - Tax and Exoneration Curley, George; 1788; Antrim, Franklin, Pennsylvania - Tax and Exoneration From the 1790 US Census:
Curley, Joseph; 1791; Waterford, Gloucester, New Jersey - August Tax List
Curley, Barney; 1793; Carlisle, Cumberland, Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania Census Curley, Patrick; 1793; Fawn, York, Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania Census |
The Irish Immigration Flood
The real flood of American Curleys came with the mass immigration from Ireland, which ramped up steeply in the 1840's and peaked around 1850. The migration out of Ireland was primarily motivated by a severe famine in Ireland from repeated potato crop failures, coupled with rapid population growth in a country of limited resources. The lower class majority were trapped within an economic system of virtual slavery that made it practically impossible for them to better their situation. Considering the comparatively vast resources of America and the greater opportunity there, migration to the states was the obvious choice and in many cases the only option to escape starvation.
Many of these Irish immigrants, arriving with no assets to speak of, took the first job they could find when the boat landed in America and took root right there in New York City. Consequently, there was quite a large concentration of Irish Curleys in the city of New York and its immediate vicinity. Many of those families remained in the local area and haven't wandered far in the intervening generations. Today there are still concentrations of Curleys to be found in New York City, as well as nearby areas of New Jersey and Boston.
Many of these Curley immigrants came from the same family group concentrated in counties Roscommon, Westmeath, and Galway, as discussed in the Irish section of this webpage. A large fraction of modern American Curleys descend from this single Irish population.
These Irish Curleys, combined with the English Kerleys and Ulster McCurleys, account for most of the Curleys and Kerleys now living in America.
Many of these Irish immigrants, arriving with no assets to speak of, took the first job they could find when the boat landed in America and took root right there in New York City. Consequently, there was quite a large concentration of Irish Curleys in the city of New York and its immediate vicinity. Many of those families remained in the local area and haven't wandered far in the intervening generations. Today there are still concentrations of Curleys to be found in New York City, as well as nearby areas of New Jersey and Boston.
Many of these Curley immigrants came from the same family group concentrated in counties Roscommon, Westmeath, and Galway, as discussed in the Irish section of this webpage. A large fraction of modern American Curleys descend from this single Irish population.
These Irish Curleys, combined with the English Kerleys and Ulster McCurleys, account for most of the Curleys and Kerleys now living in America.
Native American Curleys
There have been a handful of Native American individuals named Curley or Curly. In most cases, this name is probably unrelated to any of the European lineages. Some of these cases are descriptive English language names, as in the case of Crazy Horse whose nickname, Curly, was given for his curly hair. In another example, we have a Blackfoot Indian "Bear Curley" recorded in the censuses, with humorously named wives "Extravagant Woman" and "Paid Her Fine", and children "Charles Curley", "Louise Curley", and "Tina Muskrat Curley". In this case, the English literal translation of the father's name was probably "Curly Bear", with the word "curly" being an adjective. But with the Anglicization of his name, Curly became a surname by default. In other cases, "Curly" may have been just an English nickname that got picked up and used by Native Americans as their English name, with no particular meaning. This may be the case with Ashishishe of the Crow, only survivor of Custer's last stand, whose English alias was Curly.
There are examples of European men being integrated into Indian tribes, with their surnames being used by their children. So it is possible that there are some half Native Americans who inherited the Curley name from a European father, but this is not known to be the case. In most cases, the Curley name appearing among Native Americans is probably unrelated to European Curleys. |
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