Troy History

Summary of Troy Family History (NSW) 

TROY:  The Troy Family can be traced back to Ireland, England and Northern France as De Troyes. The name sometimes appears as Trohy, Trehy, de Troye, de Treo and other variations. OTrehy is a phonetic rendering of O'Troighthigh,(or O Troightheach), meaning "Footsoldier". The Surname Troy is first found in County of Clare, where they were granted Lands by Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, after his conquest of Ireland in 1172. One of the oldest places in Ireland  associated with the name, is CastleTroy, of Limerick. The location of historic "Castle Troy" ruins. Apparently 21 Troys fled France because of religious persecution, then settling in England , Cork and Kilkenny. The best known Troy was John Thomas Troy, 1739-1823. he was the the Archbishop of Dublin and he saw to the building of St Marys Cathedral there. His Father was a Frenchman, by the name of De Troye (or De Treo). Henry Troy, was Provost (Chief Magistrate) of Limerick in 1197. And in 1198, the first Mayor and Sheriffs were chosen. From then, till 1463, no less than 21 Troys held one or other of those Offices. John de Troy was appointed Sheriff of Dublin in 1355.

The History of the Troy Family in Ireland is quite extensive. There are 4 main early lines of Troys, traced to Australia, so far. TAS. WA. VIC.and NSW. Two Convicts and Two Freesettlers.Our Branch of the Troy family started with Patrick Troy, (Father undetermined),who arrived on the "Providence 1" in 1811, after being tried  at Waterford, Ireland, trying to steal guns from a "gentleman squire, Wilson". There is no proper indication of his background, as he could neither read nor write. Probably didnt know his own age. ( There were rumors that he may have been the son of  Archbishop, John Thomas Troy).  Patrick later on married Elizabeth Smith, the daughter of first fleet convicts Anne Colpitts and Thomas Smith (alias Haynes) 

The "Providence 1" left 21/1/1811, from Falmouth Cornwall, and then to Cork Ireland, then other destinations  enroute ,arriving at Sydney, Australia, 2/7/1811. - Not to be confused with the Original "Providence" of Captain Bligh, which was wrecked in 1897 off the Isle of Formosa (Taiwan) (Possibly Isle of Ikena, where a model is on display)

From here on it is all history. Patricks eldest son Thomas, married Louisa Hanks. Louisa was one of six daughters of convicts James Hanks (arrived "Barwell" 1798) and Sarah Trapnell, who arrived 1800, on the "Admiral Cornwallis". (Both Sarah and Anne left children behind in England.) Thomas and Louisa's son, George, married Emily Crisp. Their son , George Thomas S., married Betsy Crisp. The rest of the details of our family,are in the Genealogy Charts.

Another Patrick Troy  married Ellen Leahy ,gave birth to yet another Patrick, Patrick William Troy. This wing migrated to the USA, but there were many others as well. There are a large number of Troys in the States.There is a Suburb in NY City named Troy. Patrick William Troy, after having worked out of the Shipping Ports in the States, for about 20 years, came to the Port of Melbourne, where he stayed and married Hilda Ainsworth. Captain Patrick Troy had 5 children, before moving to Albany,West Australia. They eventually had 10 children altogether.

There was another line of Irish Troys to WA . Patrick Richard  Troy, a freesettler, arrived in Femantle, on the "Sabrina" in 1853, along with his eldest daughter Mary, who was born in Kilderry, Ireland 1828.  Patrick and his Wife, Mary Bricklin (Kilderry), had 4 sons and 2 Daughters. Most settled in Gin Gin and Geraldton Area WA. There is now a large Clan of Troys in WA from Albany to Geraldton and beyond. They are highly respected over there.

Still there is  another convict, Richard Troy (1780-1848), who came out on the "Atlas". He was sent to Hobart to serve a 7 year term. He Married Mary Anne Moran, and established the Tasmanian Clan. It is not known if he was related to our Patrick. This Family later spread to Central NSW and then some to New Zealand.

The national Archives have many entries of other Troys having later migrated to Australia as Convicts or under assisted passage and unassisted passage from Ireland and  the  UK. Others came from Europe and China, whereupon these migrants adopted the name, Troy , in place of their lengthy surnames upon registering for citizenship .The true family name thus becomes obscure with time.

The Troy Family History is extensive and interesting. Anthony Laffan (a descendant of Clara Troy), has published two novels  "Anne Colpitts, First Fleet Convict Pioneer" and  "Convicts and Currencies, The family of James Hanks".    The First book is very good reading, about the  Travels of Anne Colpitts to Australia and her History. The Second is a Great book highlighting The Hanks Family during Early Settlement at Sydney with links to Trapnell, Sherwin, Troy, Rowe, Riley, and others. Let me know if you would like a copy. Tony was instrumental in helping me put this Tree together. Most of the material came from him. So also, the contributions of "cousins" Carolyn Troy and Lawrence Turtle.(Many Thanks)

Contributions are always welcome, especially historic photos etc. The hard work has been done for us, but from here on it is up to each  Family Head to continue the Legacy of the TROYS., for the benefit of future Generations.

Paul Troy