Kerigan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation, and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Kerigan:

Kerigan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• Owen Kerigan, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 [2]

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kerigan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Jo Kerigan, who landed in Churchill Factory, Canada in 1813

• Joseph E. Kerigan, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 2nd District, 1922, 1924; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1928 [3]