University of Virginia Library

THE ATHEY FAMILY

The family name of this ancient house has been spelled in
various ways—"Athy," "Athey," "Atha," "Athol," and "Athil."
From all these variations "Athey" has come to be the accepted
spelling of the name of the American branch of the house. The
family had its origin in Ireland where the name was originally
spelled "Daitha." Green in his history, "The Making of Ireland,"
says: "The family of Athy, officials of the town (Galway) from
father to son, were doubtless Irishmen who, in obedience to the
statute about taking English names, had taken the name of a
town." The family is of record in Ireland as early as 1313.
John de Athy was Marshall of Ireland in 1326. Many members

of this family were officials in the town of Galway early in the
fourteenth century.

The first of the family to come to America was George Athy
who was born in Galway, Ireland, in 1642 and came to Maryland
in 1674. He received from Lord Baltimore patents to lands in
Charles county. John Athy, Sr., son of George Athy, Jr., and
grandson of George Athy, the immigrant, was born in 1730
and being early orphaned, was, with his brother Robert, brought
up by an uncle in Caroline county. When forty-seven years of
age he enlisted in Captain Philip Richard Francis Lee's company,
Third Virginia Regiment, Continental Line and served the cause
of American Independence. He was with Washington at Valley
Forge. After the revolution he settled with his wife, Sarah Foster,
in Fairfax county, but, within a short time, removed to Caroline
county where his son, Elisha Athy was born July 23, 1782.

Elisha Athey was educated in the schools of Caroline and
afterward took commercial training in Baltimore. He emigrated
to Kentucky in early manhood and settled in Middletown. In
1825 he removed to Louisville and opened the first wholesale
drygoods house in that city. In 1840 he was reputed to be one
of the largest landed proprietors and slaveholders in the State.
He lost much of his fortune by endorsing for his friends. Elisha
Athey married Anne Roley White, daughter of William White,
of Westmoreland county, Va., who emigrated to Kentucky and
laid out the town of Middletown.

John William Athey, son of Elisha Athey and Anne White,
was born in 1812 and married Phoebe Yarnall, sister of Mordecai
Yarnall who was the first Signal Service officer of the United
States Government. He was secretary of the Jones McElway
Foundry Company at Holly Springs, Miss., which made the first
guns used by the Confederate Army. The Confederate Government
bought the foundry in 1862 and employed Athey as chemist
during the course of the war.

The Athey family is not now represented in Caroline county
but is well established and prominent in other parts of Virginia,
in Kentucky, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin
and other mid-western States. Among the many descendants of
this ancient Caroline family may be named Alexander Athey,
Attorney-at-law, Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin; Dr. Caleb Athey,
Baltimore, Md.; Raymond B. Dickey, attorney-at-law, Washington,

D. C.; Rev. S. M. Athey, Orleans, Va.; his son Rev. S. M.
Athey, Jr., Paris, Ky.; and C. W. Bransford, Owensboro, Ky.

The Athey coat of arms is described as follows:

Arms:

Checky; argent and gules, on chevron of the last three
etoiles or.

Crest:

Demi lion rampant.

Motto:

Ductus non coactus.