| ![Show Contents]() Herdigon 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 Herdigon is Ó hArtigain, which connotes a descendant of Art. [1] Early Origins of the Herdigon familyThe surname Herdigon 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 Herdigon familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Herdigon research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Herdigon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Herdigon Spelling VariationsDuring the Middle Ages, surnames were spelt by scribes solely based on how it sounded, one's name could have been recorded many different ways during the life of its bearer. Numerous spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name Herdigon family name. Variations found include Hartigan, O'Hartigan, Hartagan, Hartegan, Hartigon, Hartagon and many more. Early Notables of the Herdigon familyMore information is included under the topic Early Herdigon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Herdigon familyUnder the rule of England, land ownership in Ireland changed dramatically, and many native Irish families found themselves renting out land to farm from absentee owners. This was one of the prime reasons that immigration to North America began in the late 18th century: Irish farmers dreamed of owning their own parcel of land to work for themselves. At this point, the immigrants were at least of modest means for the passage across the Atlantic was often quite dear. In the 1840s the Great Potato Famine created an exodus of people of quite different means. These people were most often destitute: they either sold anything they had to gain a passage or they were sponsored by philanthropic societies. Many of these immigrants were sick from disease and starvation: as a result many did not survive the long transatlantic journey. Although those settlers that did survive were often despised and discriminated against by people already established in these nations, they were critical to rapid development of the powerful industrial nations of the United States and the country that would later become known as Canada. An examination of immigration and passenger lists shows many persons bearing the name of Herdigon 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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