Cathey

Cathey is a surname, of Scottish origins. It may derive from Clan Macfie. The spelling in English before members migrated to America was probably "Cathie" or "Cathy".

The Catheys are thought to have come from Galloway in the Scottish Lowlands, and were some of the early settlers of Ulster in the 17th century. It has not been determined whether or not the Catheys were planted as part of the 1610 plantation program approved by James I of England or whether they settled in Ulster prior to that time.

Among the early Cathey settlers arriving in America from Ulster was James Cathey, born c.1685 in Ulster, Ireland, who has been documented in Cecil County, Maryland in 1718. [ [http://www.martygrant.com/gen/cathey/cathey-james-rowan.htm James Cathey (c1685) of Ulster, Ireland, Cecil Co, MD, Chester Co, PA, Augusta Co, VA and Rowan Co, NC ] ] John Cathey, son of James, arrived between 1746 and 1751. Most of the Catheys in the United States descend from James, John and George Cathey. The migration path of James Cathey has been well documented. Records prove that James Cathey moved from Maryland into Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the early 1730s. During the late 1730s, the Cathey's had moved into Augusta County, Virginia, to what was called "The Beverly Manor". A land grant dated 13 August, 1743 from the "Colony and Dominion of Virginia" to James Cathey gave him convert|1350|acre|km2|0 of land on the Shenandoah River. James Cathey had migrated to Anson County in the Colony of North Carolina by the late 1740s. The portion of Anson County in which they settled became Rowan County in 1753. The Cathey Settlement or "Irish Settlement" was located west of present Salisbury, North Carolina, where James Cathey was by 1749. On March 25, 1752, the Cathey heads of households of the Cathey Settlement received seven land grants totaling convert|3752|acre|km2|0. On December 6, 1757, James Cathey made his will and died shortly thereafter in Rowan County, North Carolina. Sons of James Cathey moved into Mecklenburg and Haywood Counties by the late 1700s.

Notes