McWard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In the 18th and 19th centuries, hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants landed on North American shores. Although many of them were merely looking for a free plot of land and living of their very own, many later immigrants were desperately fleeing an overcrowded land that did not have sufficient food for its inhabitants. The exodus from Ireland was greatest during the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine had stricken the island. Although this large influx of Irish was unpopular with the great majority of people already established within the major centers, these Irish were critical to the speedy development of the United States and those colonies that would eventually become known as Canada. These immigrants provided the cheap labor required to build modern roads, bridges, canals, and railways. Research of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of immigrants to North America baring the name of McWard:

McWard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Elizabeth McWard, who arrived in Philadelphia from Londonderry in 1851
• William McWard, who settled in Philadelphia in 1860

• Dr. Larry McWard, American Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Western Illinois