Furry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute due to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United States and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the Furry family relocated to North American shores quite early:

Furry Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• John Furry, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 2

Furry Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• C W Furry, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1871 2

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Furry Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

• Geo Furry, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
• William Furry, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Furry Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Patrick Furry, aged 20, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834

• Wendell Hinkle Furry (1907-1984), American professor of physics at Harvard University
• Elda Furry (1890-1966), birth name of Hedda Hopper, the American actress and gossip columnist