My Harrigan Background

My Harrigan Ancestors
It is likely that our earliest known ancestors were John and Ellen Horgan who were married in the 1770's. Margaret Harrigan Kendall said the "first Harrigan" was John of Skibbereen who was known as "Organ O'Brien" because he played the organ so beautifully in the church at Skibbereen, fifteen miles east of the village of Schull in southwest Ireland.


Village of Schull

We know that John and Ellen had at least five children: Dennis, Ellen, Ann, Cornelius, and very likely John. These children emigrated from County Cork and eventually settled in the village of Williamstown,New Brunswick. Cornelius was the earliest of my line to enter New Brunswick. We have a copy of his marriage record for June 14, 1830,when he married Elizabeth Sloan. They were both from Hampton Parish in Kings County . Apparently Cornelius and Elizabeth moved to
Williamstown because they raised nine children in the Miramichi area.
Cornelius died around the 1850's and is buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Nelson. His son John (1837-1908) married Catherine Fitzpatrick and they raised a family of eight in Chelmsford, New Brunswick. Their eldest son was William John (1874-1932), my grandfather. William married Amanda McKinley and had ten children,also raised at Chelmsford. Their fifth child was Frederick George (1913-1952). Fred moved to the north shore of New Brunswick. He married Annie Gracie MacDonald and had two sons. I am the elder.