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1. The Harbisons of Botetourt and Augusta Cos., VA were said to have been from Ireland and early members of the American Family have been placed in Chester Co, Penn. They spread out to Lincoln Co, NC; east Tenn; KY and Ind. The Harvison families of Meigs Co, TN; Indepence Co, Ark, Texas, etc. appear to be of this branch.
2. The Harbisons of Maury, Lincoln, Dickson and Hickman Cos, TN were traditionally from Ireland. They came to TN from Burke Co, MO and are said to have been in Penn before coming to Mo.
3. The compiler's (Theron Smith) wife's line was from Matthew Harbison (later Harvison) of Riply and Shannon Cos, MO, who was definitely from Tn. It is believed that Matthew was from the Harbisons of Maury and Lincoln Cos, TN.
4. The Harvisons of Perry and Green Cos, MS have not been placed. There is some evidence that they were originally from TN. John Harvison of line #3 is said to have been living in MS when last heard of.
5. The Harbisons of Chester Co, are definitely placed as being from Ireland. The Herbisons of TN and MS are believed to be from that line.
6. The Harvestons (later Harvestors) of ME are believed to be of the Harbisons of SC.
7. John Michael Harbison, Rev. War veteran of Union Co, Penn was said to have been of Scotch-Irish descent
8. Benjamin Harveson of Penn an later of Fleming Co, KY was said to be of Donganon Co, Antrim, Ireland. Co Antrim is in extreme northeastern Ireland, part of Ulster, and hence definitely Scotsh-Irish. Inconsistently, Donganon is in Co Cork, in the southern part of Ireland proper.
9. Matthew Harbison of Butler and Westmoreland Co, Penn, was said to be of Shanroe Co, Monaghan Ireland. Although Co Monaghan is now a part of Ireland Proper, it was formerly a county of Ulster, and definitely to be considered Scotch-Irish territory. Archibald Harbison who settled in the vacinity of St. Louis Mo, was of this line.

As already noted, families 2 and 3 apear to be connected. In turn, families 1 and 2 are very likely closely related. Representatives of #1 lived in Lincoln Co, NC and those of #2 lived in Burke Co, NC these counties were adjacent at one time. Also, several Harbison women from family 1 married and settled in Western Maury Co, Tn very near to representatives of family 2.

Families 8 and 9 appear to have had a common origin and have been traced to the early 1300s in a work, a typewritten copy of which I have, labelled as McAnjou's The Harbison Family 1890. There are other references to Harbison informed compiled by Gustav Anjou, more likely the name of the author of the book referred to, which names the earliest known Harbison ancestor as one John Harbyson who lived in Nottingham and Northumberland, England, and, later in Selkirk, Scotland (early 1400s). John and/or his immediate descendants settled in Baleyfield, Co., Cork, Ireland, a part of Ireland proper in the extreme south part of the island (as early as the 1450s). They migrated to co. Monaghan in Northern Ireland shortly after this where representatives of the family traced are found until the migration of Matthew Harbison to Penn around 1769. Another account seems to place the Harbisons of this line in County moneghan as early as 1356.

Since the Harbisons were living in Ireland long before the forced migration of the Scotch to Northern Ireland in the 1600s that gave rise to the well known Scotch-Ireish settlements, they can hardly be said to be of Scotch-Irish origin..that is, it is doubtful if they were Scotch. Since they were living in Scotch-Irish territory at the time of the emigration to the new world, it is of course not inaccurate to cal them Scotch-Irish.
The Anjou book presents the possibility that the ancestor of the county Monaham group may have "come over from the continent, France possibly, to England at an early date, settling in Ireland after a brief soujourn in England" This work also states that the name Harbison and its many variations are all derivatives of Herbertson, after St. Herbert, archbishop of Cologne in 1000 A.D., this name (Herbert) being extremely popular among French nobility.
It should be noted that none of the Harbisons in the U.S. except those from Mathew Harbison and Benjamin Harbeson of Pen have been definitely connected to the Harbisons of Monagham. In view, however, of the universal attributing of an Irish or Scotch-Irish origin to those of this name, it is quite possible that all of them are descended from the Co., Monaghan or Co, Antrim groups, and, in turn, these may have a common origin.
In summary, it would appear that we can be certain that most, if not all, of the Harbison/Harvisons coming to this country were Irish or Scotch-Irish at the time o their emigration and, prior to their coming to Ireland, were in England, and, perhaps before that, in France.
Revised 21 June 1982
The book referring to Mr. Anjou has now been identified as Caroljo Lee's Merrie Olde Middlesex (PA) copyrighted 1976. She includes a chart which was prepared by Gustaf Anjou for Samuel Pollock Harbison about 1900.