The name Harsen finds its origins with the ancient
Anglo-Saxons of
England. It was given to one who worked as a guardian of cattle or sheep. The surname Harsen is derived from the Old English word
hierde, which means
herd, and the
patronymic suffix
-son. Thus, the name Harsen literally means "son of the herd."
Early Origins of the Harsen family
The surname Harsen was first found in
Lancashire, on the west coast near Lythom-St. Annes, where they were associated with Furness Abbey. They were a prominent family here from very early times.
Early History of the Harsen family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harsen research.
Another 242 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1597, 1621, 1660, and 1685 are included under the topic Early Harsen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Harsen Spelling Variations
The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,
spelling variations are common among early
Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Harsen has been recorded under many different variations, including Herdson, Hirdson, Heardson, Hurdson, Herson and others.
Early Notables of the Harsen family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Harsen Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Harsen family to the New World and Oceana
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded
England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Harsen or a variant listed above:
Harsen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- M V Harsen, aged 17, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Contemporary Notables of the name Harsen (post 1700)
- James N. Harsen, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 17th District, 1966 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html