Surname Origins
According to the Internet Surname Database, the Slowey surname has its origins in Scotland and Northern Ireland from the Gaelic “Sluaghadhan.” It has many variations, including Sloan, Sloane, Slo(y)ne, Slowan, Sloyan, and Slo(e)y.
Surname in my Tree
My closest Slowey relative is my grandmother, who is still living. Her father was Thomas Patrick Slowey (1896-1963); his father was John Charles Slowey (1860-1928); and his father (my 3rd great grandfather) was Patrick E. Slowey (~1825-1902). I think I have narrowed down that Patrick Slowey is from either County Monaghan or County Fermanagh (though I’ve also heard County Cavan). I have found immigration and naturalization records for both, and I still need to unpuzzle that.
Migration
Patrick Slowey may have arrived in the United States from Ireland around 1840. I’m still not sure of his port of arrival, but I know that he ended up in Lafayette County, Wisconsin by 1852, when he married Catherine McCabe. Around 1872, the family went to Yankton, South Dakota and remained there until my grandmother married and moved to the west coast in the 1940s.
Future Research
I never considered “Sloan” as one of my surname variations until now, so I will add this to the long list of variants I already have. I still need to work on the immigration issues and try to determine which of the Patrick Sloweys is mine so I can determine which county he came from so I can determine how difficult it will be to obtain earlier records. There are still so many unanswered questions about this family, and about Patrick in particular, it will likely be a while before I can answer them all.
Do we share any ancestors?
Please email me at lostancestors [at] gmail [dot] com
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