Grafters All: Our Otago Families
Major Surnames
“Sargison” variants
The Sarginson Family One Name Study by Joan Reid details the origns of the various Sargison, Sarginson, Sergison, Serginson, Sargisson and other variants. It is a splendid piece of work! It is important to understand that the lack of standardised spelling meant the names within one family can and often were spelt differently even relatively recently. This can lead to some confusion!
She has identified amongst others four Sargison family groups which “ seem to have originated where the counties of Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk meet near the Wash”.
The families covered on this site are:
The one in Longs Sutton, Lincolnshire headed by Robert Sargison (1742-1793) and his wife Mary Leavens (1739-1782). Two of their grandchildren in in the person of Alexander Thomas Sargison and Thomas Albion Sargison(1840-1883) came to New Zealand via Australia. They are referred to on this site as the West Coast Sargisons.
Thomas Sargison (1765-1799) and his wife Sarah had 6 children but none appear to have emigrated. The family did however move to Norfolk.
Michael Sargison of Cambridgeshire (1801-1838) and his wife Mary Woods.
Mary Sargison and Michael Gray of Cambridgeshire. Three of their children – William, Henry Griffin and Agness migrated to New Zealand. In this work they are called the Blueskin Sargisons after Blueskin Bay just north of Dunedin. From there they spread to both the north Island and in Otago. It is this family which Allan and Craig Sargison (Sargison Brothers) are descended from
There is also a significant branch of the Sargisons in and around London. To the best of my knowledge nobody from that family came to the Antipodes.
Sarginsons (Sargenson, Sargerson) also came to New Zealand and the South Island where they farmed. Isaac Sarginson (1829-1904) and Elizabeth Banks (1830-1904) were the first to come to New Zealand They were married in Cockermouth, Cumberland in 1852 and thence to Australia. One member of that family was William J Sarginson(1960-1994) He and his wife were runholders in the Hawea area of Otago.
