| ![Show Contents]() Herdigane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland The spelling and overall form of Irish names tend to vary widely over time. The original Gaelic form of the name Herdigane is Ó hArtigain, which connotes a descendant of Art. 1 Early Origins of the Herdigane familyThe surname Herdigane was first found in counties Clare and Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times. 2 One of the first records of the family was of Cineth O'Hartigan (died 975), an Irish poet from the north of Ireland, perhaps best known for his "Dinnsenchus," a work which relates the legendary history of the duns, lakes, plains and mountains of Ireland. It gives a prose account of each place, followed by an account in verse. 3 Early History of the Herdigane familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Herdigane research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Herdigane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Herdigane Spelling VariationsThe recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The standardized literary languages of today were not yet reached. Research into the name Herdigane revealed spelling variations, including Hartigan, O'Hartigan, Hartagan, Hartegan, Hartigon, Hartagon and many more. Early Notables of the Herdigane familyMore information is included under the topic Early Herdigane Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Herdigane familyIrish families began leaving their homeland for North America in the late 18th century. These families were usually modestly well off, but they were looking forward to owning and working on a sizable tract of land of their own. This pattern of emigration continued until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine sparked a major exodus of destitute and desperate Irish people. These people were not leaving for a grant of land in North America because by this time the East Coast had reached its saturation point and free land was scarce. They were merely looking to escape the disease, starvation, and hopelessness that Ireland had fallen into. Although these unfortunate immigrants did not receive a warm welcome by the established populations in the United States and what would become Canada, they were absolutely critical to the rapid development that these two nations enjoyed. They would help populate the western lands and provide the cheap labor required for a rapid industrialization. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many early bearers of the name Herdigane or one of its variants: James, Michael, Patrick and Thomas Hartigan arrived in Canada in 1839; Michael Hartigan arrived in Baltimore with his wife and five children in 1820. In Newfoundland, Denis settled in St. John's in 1804.
- O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
- MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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