In the Dark Ages, after Rome had faded away, the written word was preserved by
men of the church. Documents such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and th.e
Domesday Book were preserved within the sturdy walls of the monasteries. These
records have survived to this day allowing us the opportunity to study the history
of this Anglo-Saxon surname, Harkins. Professional researchers have surveyed
these records and found the first record of the Harkins surname in Norfolk where
they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman
Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

During research it was rioted that the Harkins surname was spelled in different
ways including Harkin, Harken, Harkins, Hacon, Hakon, Haken and O’Ha.rkin, and
more variations would occur even in references to the same person. In the 16th
century the famous playwright William shakei,peare signed his own name with
different spellings, such as “Shakespere,” “Shakespear,” “Shakspere11 and
“Shaxspere;11 In order to explain this phenomenon we must look back to some of
the earliest documents written in English. In the 14th century Geoffrey Chaucer,.
author of The Canterbury Tales, would spell “told” as “ytold” and “tolde” because
at this time spelling rules did not truly exist.

The history of the Anglo-Saxons provides a valuable background for the history
of the Harkins family. The Saxons were a Teutonic tribe of people originally from
Germany. They began to settle in southeastern England in about the year 400 A.D.
The Angles, another Teutonic tribe, occupied the east coast, north of the Saxons.
The Angle and Saxon cultures blended together as they came to dominate the
country.

In 994 the Danes invaded England and the Anglo-:Saxon rulers never truly
recovered their lost power. In 1066 William, Duke of Normandy disputed the
royal succession in England and brought an army to enforce his claim. The
success of the Normans at the Battle of Hastings brought the final end to AngloSaxon
rule.,However, despite this change of leadership, the culture of the
common man in England was Anglo-Saxon.

During this period the Harkins family was found in Norfolk where they were
recorded as a family of great antiquity seated at Topcroftwith manor and estates
in that shire. They are believed to be descended from Norwegian King Haken the
Good or Haken the Broadshouldered as recorded in Heyms Kringla during the
Viking invasion of southeast England about 875 A.D. They later branched to
Whiteacre and to Ipswich. Their first recorded residence was at Swaffham in Norfolk Early records of the name mention Edwinus Rogerus Harka,who appears in County Norfolk inthe year 1175, as well as aJohn Hardekyn, also in Norfolkin
the same year.John Herkyn Was documented in 1327 in County Essex, and Robert .
. de Harkyn of Yorkshire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379;
Distinguished members of the family include Harkin of Norfolk.
Throughout the Middle Ages there were constant political shifts. It was rare for a
monarch to be succeeded by another who shared his views; so with every
successive king, the power structure would change. Later, the succession of the
Stuarts witnessed the beginning of political problems which affected almost
everyone. Conflicts between the king and parliament, and betweert the Catholics
and the Protestants, along with plague and the great fire in London, made.the
17th century a turbulent time.
In Ireland, Oliver Cromwell’s soldiers and Protestant settlers were granted lands
belonging to Irish Catholic owners. While some of the confiscated lands were
returned during the reign of King Charles II, most remained in the hands of
newcomers~ English families also came to Ireland in search of work created by
industries there. Inireland they settled in Innishowen in Donegal where the
name became Harkins and Harkam and O’Harkin. Arkins of County Clare were not
related. In 1890, a birth census of Scottish families in Ireland was taken. From
that census, it was estimated that there were over 2,509 people bearing the
surname Harkin throughout Ireland; about 80 percent were living in the province
of Ulster where the families were found in Donegal, and Londonderry. (Hanna)
Chaos at home led many families to risk the hazardous journey across the oceans
to the New World. Yet the Americas were no paradise for the earliest English
settlers. Early attempts to establish a colony at Roanoke Island, North Carolina
met with disaster. In 1591 supply ships found the colony deserted with the fate of
the settlers remaining forever a mystery.
Migrants bearing the Harkins surname, or a variant spelling of this name, include
Walter Harkins, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749;James Harkins, who landed in
America in 1801; Dennis Harkins, who arrived in Somerset County, Pennsylvania
in 1824; Mr. Dominick Harkins, British convict who was convicted inJamaica for
14 years, transported aboard the “Asia” on 29th September 1831, settling in New
South Wales, Australia; Mr. John Harkins, Scottish convict who was convicted in
Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years; transported aboard the “Blenheim11 on 11th March
1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen’s Land); Mr. Neilffarkins, Scottish convict who Wasconvictedin Glasgow,.Scotland for 7 years,tra1;1sported aboard the 11Barossa.” on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales,Ari.stralia;J •
Harkins, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840;. Mr .James. Harkins,
Scottish convictwho was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 10 years, tra1;1sported
aboard the “Barossall oll27thAugust 1841, arrivinginTasmania (Van Diemell’s
Land); Mr. JQhn Harkins, Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth;. Scotland
for 7 years, t:rarisported aboard the “Emerald Isle” on 28thJune 1843, arl’.’ivipg.in
Tasmania (\Ta.n Diemen’s Land);andJohn Harkins, wholand~fin Allegany
· (Allegheny)County, Pennsylvania in 1849.
The Canadian wilderness attracted some of the migrants.•The firsfEuropean•
coloniststo come to Canadawere offrench origin, arriving inthe17th century.
Almost 70percent of the immigrants landing in the United States arrivedthrough
the port ofNewYork. From there they foHowed opportunities intofhe North
American. heartland.