Notes:
This unique name of Shockney has been traced back to the Revolutionary War sold ier Patrick Shockney. Over the years only one small bit of evidence has been f ound to keep us from boldly stating, "All Shockneys are related and are descend ants of patrick Shockney."
While working as a claims adjuster in the Indiana polis, IN, Social Security office in the 1970's, Herbert Shockney asked a black man, "What is your wife's maiden name." The man said it was Shockney. Herbert questioned the man regarding the wife's background, but he knew little. Herbe rt was never able to follow through on the spelling of the wife's name or her b ackground.
Family traditions says that Patrick shockney was from Ireland whe re his name was O'Shaughnessy. This story has been told in many branches of th e family. Carolyn Shockney Bacon of York, PA, was not aware of any other Shock ney's besides her immediate family until the late 1960's. But she had heard th e story.
In the summer of 1984 Jane and Sam Wilhite were in County Cork, Ire land. She found no Shockney's in the phone book in the city of Cork. "When we were at Blarney Castle one of the employees there told him the name Shockney,h e pronounced it "Shaughnessy." The Irish tongue pronounces 'Shaugh' as we woul d'Shock.' This may give support to the origin of the smae being a result of Am ericanization."
Patrick Shockney, the ancestor of all of the Shockneys in Am erica, was born in Ireland in 1752. He was left an orphan at the age of nine.
Without money or friend he apparently worked for his pasage on a ship, landi ng in New York in 1761. from htere he drifted to Philadelphia, where he stayed until the beginning of the Revolution in 1774. So begins the story of Patrick Shockney as recorded in the album of Charles Henry Gettinger, Grandson of Patr ick.
Patrick Shockney was the youngest of thirteen children and a red-head. Patrick came to America at about fifteen years of age. Many stories have been told about his journey to America. Some say he was a stowaway, others say he was listed on the steamship manifest as an indentured servant. If this were tr ue, his name, the ship's name and the year he came would be known, but no onese ems to have found this information.
"The story I have heard repeated manytim es by my grandmother, Rachel Chockney Gettinger, and some of her brothers is th at he jumped ship at Philadelphis, PA, swam ashore, changed his mane to Shockne y (probably from O'Shaughnessy, but has not been proven) so the British could not identify him. If dates are correct he was in this country about eight year s befor the American Revolution," wrote Lucile Gettinger Bickel.
PrivatePatr ick Shockney was in many major and minor engagements during the Revolutionary W ar.
"While the state delegates were discussing the fine points of the Confed eration, Patrick was searching for a new home. Finally he settled on a spot ne ar Westminster, MD, and began to farm a small piee of rented land. (This must be assumed since there is no record of him owning land. Also, in his Pension S chedule, he claims that he needs the money for rent.) Nearly everyone wasa far mer of sorts because a perons's crops were his supply of food. At this time, c rops and foodstuffs were typical mediums of exchange. Rent was paid witha port ion of the crops, flour was ground for a portion of the grain, leather was tann ed for a half of the hide, clothing was made in the home, and sugar was obtaine d from the sap of maple trees. If you could not make it in the home, you proba bly did not need it."
After the war Patrick married Mary Nash, born in Engla nd, 1765, died 14 September 1820. They were married in 1782 and lived on a far m near Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland. They were residing in Baltimore County when he received his pension. Patrick taught school until he wasincapac itated by the wounds he received in the war.