Masterson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Masterson family came to North America quite early:

Masterson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Mary Masterson and her husband settled in Plymouth in 1629
• Mary, Nathaniel, Richard, and Sarah Masterson, who settled in Plymouth 1629
• Richard Masterson, who landed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1629 2
• Elizabeth Masterson, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 2
• Eliz Masterson, who landed in Virginia in 1658 2

Masterson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Owen Masterson, who landed in New York in 1801 2
• Edward Masterson, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 2
• Ann Masterson, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 2
• Hugh Masterson, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 2
• Charles Masterson, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2
• ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Masterson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Mrs. Bridget Masterson, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Emigrant" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in October 1847 3
• Miss. Catherine Masterson, aged 1 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Emigrant" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in October 1847 4
• Mr. Frank Masterson, aged 68 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Tamarac" departing 26th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 11th July 1847 but he died on board 5
• Mr. James Masterson who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Corea" departing 2nd July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 14th August 1847 but he died on board 5

Masterson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Miss Margaret Masterson, (b. 1781), aged 37, Irish house maid who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for 7 years for passing forged notes, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1849 6
• Mr. Edward Masterson, (b. 1759), aged 69, Irish black smith who was convicted in County Mayo, Ireland for life for theft, transported aboard the "Borodino" on 11th February 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
• Mr. Patrick Masterson, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8

Masterson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

• Henry Masterson, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in 1865

• William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (1853-1921), Canadian-born, American buffalo hunter, U.S. Army scout, avid fisherman, gambler, frontier lawman, U.S. Marshal, and sports editor and columnist for a New York newspaper
• Rodney Gregory "Rod" Masterson Jr., (1945-2013), American actor of film and television
• Ed Masterson (1852-1878), Canadian-born, American lawman and the brother of Bat Masterson and James Masterson, killed by gunfire while trying to disarm a drunken cowboy
• Peter Masterson (b. 1934), American Daytime Emmy Award nominated actor, director, producer and writer
• Chase Masterson (b. 1963), born Christianne Carafano, an American actress, singer and voice actor, Best Feature Film Producer of 2008
• James "Jim" Masterson (1855-1895), Canadian-born, American lawman of the American West, brother of Bat Masterson and Ed Masterson
• Christopher Kennedy Masterson (b. 1980), American Young Star Award winning actor known best for his role as Francis on Malcolm in the Middle
• Mary Stuart Masterson (b. 1966), American film, stage and television actor and director whose first film appearance was in The Stepford Wives (1975) at the age of eight
• Robert Patrick "Bob" Masterson (1915-1994), American NFL football wide receiver
• Bernard E. "Bernie" Masterson (1911-1963), American college football player and coach
• ... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)