Show ContentsHarrer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Harrer family

The surname Harrer was first found in Herefordshire, where they were a family of great antiquity seated at Bosbury with manor and estates in that shire. At Bosbury the church carries some very ancient monuments to the family. Families of this name also acquired Blaise Castle in Gloucestershire, Sirhowy House in Monmouthshire, and Falcondale and Lampeter in the county of Cardigan. By the 16th century they had acquired estates in London.

Early History of the Harrer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harrer research. More information is included under the topic Early Harrer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harrer Spelling Variations

During an investigation of the origin of each name, it was found that church officials and medieval scribes spelled many surnames as they sounded. Therefore, during the lifetime of a single person, a name could be spelt numerous ways. Some of the spelling variations for the name Harrer include Harford, Hafford, Hereford, Hareford and others.

Early Notables of the Harrer family

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


Harrer migration to the United States +

A great number of Irish families left their homeland in the late 18th century and throughout the 19th century, migrating to such far away lands as Australia and North America. The early settlers left after much planning and deliberation. They were generally well off but they desired a tract of land that they could farm solely for themselves. The great mass of immigrants to arrive on North American shores in the 1840s differed greatly from their predecessors because many of them were utterly destitute, selling all they had to gain a passage on a ship or having their way paid by a philanthropic society. These Irish people were trying to escape the aftermath of the Great Potato Famine: poverty, starvation, disease, and, for many, ultimately death. Those that arrived on North American shores were not warmly welcomed by the established population, but they were vital to the rapid development of the industry, agriculture, and infrastructure of the infant nations of the United States and what would become Canada. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Irish settlers bearing the name Harrer:

Harrer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Harrer, who landed in Virginia in 1665 1
Harrer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Harrer, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County Pennsylvania in 1875 1


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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