Minnagan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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• Ireland

Early Origins of the Minnagan family

Early History of the Minnagan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Minnagan research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1798 is included under the topic Early Minnagan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Minnagan Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Minnagan that are preserved in archival documents are Monaghan, Monahan, Monagham, Monahon, Monagan, Mongan, Monaugher, Monck and many more.

Early Notables of the Minnagan family

More information is included under the topic Early Minnagan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Minnagan family

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Minnagan family came to North America quite early: William Monahan, who settled in Virginia in 1654; Edward Monaghan, who arrived in New York, NY in 1806; Patrick Monagan, who arrived in Ontario in 1809.