McGorray's Genealogy Home Page
It appears that there are at least five basic families that came to the U. S. and settled in five areas initially:
ROCHESTER NY: MCGORY: PATRICK,RODERICK,THOMAS- (EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND)
BUFFALO NY: JOHN MC GORRAY, br 1796 Ireland, and his son BERNARD & daughter Catherine McCourt McGorray. and his nephew, DANIEL MC GORRAY. (TYRONE-Moneygarah)
NYC-SYRACUSE NY: MC GORY-Luke MCGORRY-son Pat (CAVAN, CO IRE)
NY CITY: Felix MC GORRAY, father of EDWARD MCGORRAY.
PHILLADELPHIA=Hugh MCGORRAY, arrived by boat in 1852.
The Irish surname McGorry is an anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Gothraidh. This name is derived from the old Norse personal name Gothfrith, and signifies "son of Gothfrith." The Old Norse personal name Gothfrith is often translated in English to Godfrey, meaning "God's Peace". The personal name Gothfrith was introduced to Ireland by the Norsemen, who settled in the north of Ireland in the ninth century. Taking one's surname from the personal name of the father was quite common in medieval Europe. This surname was passed down to succeeding generations in the same or in variant forms.
In England the surname became Godfrey. The surnames Gohery and Godfrey became confused in Ireland; Godfrey is found extensively, while Gohery the rarer of the two, is mostly confined to Offaly and North Tipperary. Variants of the surname McGorry include MacGorry, MacGorrie, MacGoffrey, MacGoffrie, McGaffrey, McGurrey and Gorry.
The MacGothraidhs is a sept of the O'Reillys in County Cavan, who were descendants of Raghallach. The O'Reillys for centuries were the most powerful sept in Breffny.
In Scotland, the MacGorry family is descended from Goraigh or Godfrey, youngest son of "the good John of Isla," Lord of the Isles, who died in 1380. MacGoffrie in Ireland was entitled "Chief of his Name" in a Fiant of 1591. relating to the Maguire country (Co., Fermanagh).
The surname McGorry and its variants are found in ships' passenger lists of the mid-nineteen century. John McGorry and Mary McGurrey were Irish passengers who departed Liverpool aboard the "Ellen-Maria" in October, 1850 bound for New York. Daniel McGorry was aboard the Dewitt-Clinton" bound for New York in March, 1851.
BLAZON OF ARMS: Sable, a chevron between three mullets in chief and a lion rampant in base or,
CREST: An eagles head sable.
ORIGIN: Ireland
My name is THOMAS FRANCIS MC GORRAY SR., and I was born in Buffalo New York, November 20, 1936. My father was JOHN JOSEPH MC GORRAY SR. born Sept 17,1904 in Leroy, N Y. His father was FRANCIS (FRANK) JAMES MCGORRAY and his father was Daniel MC GORRAY born cir 1833. in Tyrone County, N. Ireland.
We do not have a birth or baptismal certificate for Daniel McGorray but his tombstone in Holy Cross Cemetery states that he died in November of 1890 and was 57 years old, which would make him born in 1833. On November 2, 1848 Daniel McGorray was a witness at the wedding of Catherine McGorray (daughter of John) and John McCourt, in Cookstown Diocese.
In the 1850 census for Erie County, Buffalo NY, Daniel McGorray.
A Daniel McGorry was aboard the Dewitt-Clinton bound for New York in March, 1851.
The basic documentation for this information is the 1880 Census, in Buffalo NY. This was conducted in June of 1880 and list DANIEL MCGORRAY, age 52, his wife Bridget, age 50. (By subtracting their ages from 1880 we obtain a year of birth) This would make DANIEL born in 1828 (TOMBSTONE shows 1833) and BRIDGET in 1830 (Tombstone says Born 1933). DANIEL was born in Ireland, as well as his parents. Briget was also born in Ireland as well as her parents. DANIEL is listed as a Bldg Contractor in 1880.
Their children were listed in the following order (and I determine year of birth by subtracting):
PETER 27 1853 CONTRACTOR
SARAH 25 1855 DRESS MAKER
ELLA 23 1857 DRESS MAKER
KATE 21 1859 IN HOME
ELIZA 19 1861
FRANK 15 1865
JOSEPH 13 1867
DANIEL 11 1869
JOHN 9 1871
All of the children were born in New York State, possibly Buffalo, NY. This information was found on Page 50, dated 14 June 1880.
This list matches perfectly with list furnished by KAY MC GORRAY with the exception of the name PATRICK for DANIEL. DANIEL may have been DANIEL PATRICK.
PETER MCGORRAY (1850 - 1890 (First sonof Daniel McGorray)
PETER MC GORRAY, the oldest son was run over by work horses and his sand truck in April of 1890. Peter was the first child of DANIEL MCGORRAY and BRIDGIT QUINN MCGORRAY...He was born around 1850 but we are not sure. The church records at Immaculate Conception church in Buffalo do not contain a marriage certificate for Daniel and Briget, or a baptismal certificate for Peter. He may have been born in Ireland, on the boat, or in another Parish in Buffalo, NY. Peter never married. Census records indicate that he was a driver and a contractor (c70 = occupation driver c80 = contractor).
Margaret Albertson Mcgorray advised on nov 1, 1989 that Daniel bought some drey horses in Canada and that Peter was trying to control them and was stomped to death. The Buffalo newspapers report Peters death. He had a wagon full of sand and the horses ran. He fell under wheels and died of internal injuries.
"A Teamster's Violent Death
Peter Mcgorey, driving a team of horses attached to a sand wagon, stopped at Needhardt'S saloon on east Tupper street yesterday afternoon and went in. As he came out his horses started up. Mcgorey managed to get hold of the reins, and in some way got between his wagon and a horse and buggy driven by aid Busch. His horses in the meantime had begun to run and mcgorey was compelled to let go of the reins and in doing so, was thrown under his own wagon which passed over him below the chest, causing severe internal injuries, several of his ribs being broken. He was picked up and sent to the general hospital in an ambulance where he died about eight o'clock.. The deceased was a young man, unmarried and living with his parents at 64 Elmwood Ave.
General Hospital?
Death Certificate
The Death Certificate for Peter McGorray has him born in the United States, a Teamster, who died of "schock and internal injuries". He was run over by his own wagon.
PETER is followed by 4 daughters who apparently were dress makers and lived most of their life at 64 Elmwood ( previously Freemont) in Buffalo NY.
ELLA MC GORRAY married Joseph Malloney and their son Patrick died at 36.
FRANK JAMES MCGORRAY was born 18 Aug 1863 in Buffalo NY.
FRANK MC GORRAY the sixth child goes to LEROY, NY, around 1895. He is born in 1863 and is listed as a 'Section Hand" for the Railroad. His name was FRANCIS JAMES, ( FRANK) Mc GORRAY.
MARYBELLE DURKIN, (wife of Frank McGorray) was born 10-10-71, in Ireland, Emigrates in 1878 OR 1881. ISABELLAM (MaryBell) DURKIN) married FRANK MCGORRAY 3 July 1888 in Immaculate Conception Church in Buffalo.
Her Father, RICHARD PATRICK DURKIN and mother MARY RAFTER, (or RAFFERTY) both of Ireland. RICHARD DURKIN was at JOHN JOSEPH MCGORRAY's baptism in Leroy in 1904. FRANK was run over by a car and died while living at 401 W Utica St 3-15-1930. RONNY OLSON was with FRANK returning from a movie, and ran home before the accident.
BELLE died 7-21-1923 in Buffalo and is buried at MT. OLIVET in Kenmore.
ANNA DURKIN, sister to MARY BELLE DURKIN, married DANIEL MC GORRAY. They had a son, DANIEL Patrick MCGORRAY born 1903 in Leroy NY. ANNA married three times and died in Buffalo in 1955. DANIEL P MC GORRAY lived with the DURKINS in Leroy. He had a son JOHN DONALD MCGORRAY born in 1923 who died in Rochester NY in 1986, and a daughter MARGARET MCGORRAY (Albertson) who now lives in Pennyan NY.
We believe Bridget Quinn McGorray was born in 1830 because her tombstone states "Born 1830". Census records and children's baptismal records indicate she was born in Ireland. Quinn is the most prolific surname in Tyrone County.
Since they named their first son PETER, Daniels father may have been PETER MCGORRY. Bridgit Quinn's father may have been Francis Quinn (in the 1825 Allotment for Moneygarah).
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