CAULFIELD

[janice bessinger]

Trying to find information on Catherine/Kate/Ellen Caulfield who married
Michael Foley in Chicago 1883 in St. Jarlath's RC church. Her tombstone
says: Catherine. Her marriage cert. says: Kate Canfield. Her death
certificate says: Ellen! She was born in Ireland and came to the US
when she was about 14 (maybe). She was born @ 1857. Any ideas as to
where most Catholic Caulfields lived in Ireland? Thanks for any help.

Janice Bessinger
Looking for: FOLEY, THOMSON, CAULFIELD, MOLONY (and all variations
thereof), RAY/REA/O'DAY, CZEKALA, PAWLAK, JABLONSKA

[P A MagLOCHLAINN]

Dear Janice,

I'm surprised that your local library doesn't have the standard textbook,
GUIDE TO IRISH SURNAMES by Edward MacLysaght, which gives (p 41):

"CAULFIELD
Used as a synonym of MacCall and Gaffney, q.v. and occasionally of MacKeown.
Also used in Ireland for the English Calfhill."

In addition, I can supply you with further details.

Sir Toby Caulfield obtained a large estate near Dungannon in County Tyrone
during the great Plantation of Ulster, and founded the village of
Castlecaulfield This had previously been the land of the O'Donnelly clan

Several County Tyrone families whose surnames sound somewhat like Caulfield
began to adopt this English surname when they stopped speaking Irish,
because they then made the mistake of assuming that Caulfield was a
"translation" of their Irish surname.

One such surname is McCamphill ("ph" pronounced "f"), sometimes also
rendered into English as MacCawell, (Mc)Campbell etc. The fact that your
Catherine / Ellen at least once used the form "Canfield" (with an "n"), may
be a clue that her surname was originally McCamphill. In Irish it was Mac
Cathmhaoil, pronounced at the time of the plantation as Mac Cagh - wheel,
later as Mac Cagh - feel and nowadays as Mac Ca - well.

This was never a numerous surname, being a church family which produced many
priests and clergymen, all springing from an "erenagh" family, that is, a
family who were hereditary guardians / farmers of certain church lands,
responsible for the upkeep of the church and the priest, and sharing the
profits with the local bishop.

So it would seem that you should focus your research on County Tyrone.

Happy ancestor-hunting!

Yours cordially,

P A MagLOCHLAINN
in Belfast, Northern Ireland
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