Chesley Family History

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Chesley Name Meaning

English: habitational name from a place in Kent named Chesley, from the Old English personal name Cæcca + Old English leah ‘woodland clearing’. Possibly an Americanized form of German Schüssler (see Schuessler).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Chisley, Hesley, Hensley, Checkley, Chumley, Wheeley, Charley

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Chesley Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Chesley name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Chesley. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    47%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    19%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    4%

  • Norway

    4%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Chesley Family Origin

Where is the Chesley family from?

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You can see how Chesley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Chesley family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Chesley families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 37 Chesley families living in Nova Scotia. This was about 36% of all the recorded Chesley's in Canada. Nova Scotia had the highest population of Chesley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Chesley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Chesley

Chesley Family Occupations

What did your Chesley ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, a less common occupation for the Chesley family was Appt. Tailor. The most common Chesley occupation in Canada was Farmer. 60% of Chesley's were Farmers. Farmer, Farmerson and Teacher were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Chesley.

View Census data for Chesley | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    60%

  • Farmerson

    6%

  • Teacher

    4%

  • Appt. Tailor

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Chesley ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Chesley Historical Records

What Chesley family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 20,000 census records available for the last name Chesley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Chesleycensus records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Chesley

Passenger List

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Chesley. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Chesley immigration records

Draft Card

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Chesley. For the veterans among your Chesley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Chesley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Chesley family history.

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Chesley Life Expectancy

What is the average Chesley lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Chesley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1992. The average life expectancy for Chesley in 1942 was 26, and 80 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Chesley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Chesley ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Chesley Family Ancestors

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